Broken Beauty

by Bry Ann

  He put her in a cage.

  Rain’s eyelashes rest on her cheeks. She looks so peaceful. How is that possible? I don’t think I’ll ever feel truly peaceful again after hearing this.

  I realize quickly that I spoke too soon about her feeling at peace. A moment later, her face scrunches and her knees pull into her chest. Little whimpering sounds escape her lips. They’re not too loud but it’s the saddest damn thing I’ve ever heard.

  “You’re safe, chérie.”

  She’s quiet for a moment. Then she shuffles closer, just slightly. Barely an inch. Then another inch. Then her soft body is curled into my side. I freeze. I don’t know what to do. I want to wrap her in my arms but I'm scared that will startle her. So I lie there. And I lie there. Until her limbs relax and she starts to sprawl out until she’s full-on starfishing, all four limbs spread wide. I'm already starting to chuckle when she snores. This time, I can’t help it. I laugh to myself.

  This woman. She’s special.

  I wanna hold her one last time, knowing this may be the last time she’s ever vulnerable around me, but I won’t. I won’t risk scaring her out of this place of peace.

  So, as quietly as a man my size is capable of, I shuffle out of her bed. The whole time, I watch to make sure I'm not disturbing her. She frowns when I'm out of bed, but she’s still sleeping.

  Quietly, I make my way out of the room. I don’t want to leave. I could stay all night with her, but I can’t miss my conversation with Richard. I doubt his offer to include me in his plans to find Rain’s biological bastard of a father will last forever.

  I won’t miss it.

  Not after what she just told me.

  I walk down the stairs. I pace around a while before a staff member takes pity on me and points me in the direction of Richard’s office.

  I don’t even knock when I reach the double doors. I push them open, fuming.

  “She told you,” Richard says as soon as he sees me.

  “Why is he free?” I snap. “How is that bastard not locked away for the rest of his pathetic, miserable life?!”

  “I understand your anger, Ajax.”

  “Then how?!” I slam my fist on the table. “He locked her in a CAGE!”

  Richard’s jaw ticks at that. “I know. Trust me, I know!” He stands now. “I dealt with and continue to see the aftermath of it. No one wants this man gone more than I.”

  His eyes blaze with hate. So much hate that I force myself to stop taking this out on him. I can’t imagine holding a young Rain after she endured that. I have no doubt, as powerful as he is, he did everything he could to find him.

  “Alright,” I say, taking a deep breath and a seat.

  Richard nods, taking a seat himself. “Where’s Rain?”

  “Sleeping.”

  Richard sighs, dropping his head a bit. “Peacefully?”

  “Yes. Full starfish and everything.”

  He exhales. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. Not for that. What’s the plan?”

  “I'm still formulating it. I’ve had people on this for years. I have no clue how this bastard has slipped past the men I’ve hired.”

  “What will be different this time?”

  “I'm doubling my efforts. One hundred percent full focus will be on this until he’s found.”

  “What can I do?”

  Richard’s fists clench. “Before I say this, know my opinions on you haven’t changed. However, Rain won’t want to tell Kiki about this because right now, she feels like she’s going crazy, but for some reason, she’s willing to open up to you. Having you come here today was a last resort, but clearly I, unfortunately, wasn’t wrong.”

  “So you want me to sit around and do nothing to help find him.”

  “We’re working on it. I’ll let you know if there’s something needed from you.”

  “You’re working on it by doing the same thing you’ve been doing for years.”

  Richard’s eyes blaze. “What do you suggest, I stick a hitman on him?”

  “Actually, yes! That’s better than letting Rain hide in her room thinking she belongs in a psych ward. That’s better than that monster ever getting close to her again.”

  “I do understand where you’re coming from. When I first found Rain, I thought the same thing. I even talked to one at one point,” Richard admits. “But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be responsible for murder. Even if it’s him. I just can’t. I don’t know if that makes me a terrible father. I’d do anything to catch this man, but I can’t do that.”

  I understand. I do. Murder, no matter how much you love someone, is murder.

  Too bad I don’t give a fuck.

  Not after what my chérie told me.

  I’ve fucked up too many times in my life. Been a coward more times than I can count. But I won’t be that for her.

  I may not be her hero, but I’ll be damned if I don’t avenge her.

  17

  Ajax

  I’ve been up all night researching ways to find Rain’s father that Richard Brown won’t broach. Richard let me know his name was Reggie Quantack. I’ve tried to think like the only other evil person I know… my brother.

  What would Anthony do?

  I'm on my fifth cup of coffee when my phone buzzes on the table next to me.

  Rain: So… if you tell anyone what I told you last night I’ll have to cut your dick off.

  Even dead tired, I smile. I debate what I'm gonna say next but I decide to go risky.

  Me: You’d have to get close to it first.

  There’s a pause that has my heart pounding, hoping I didn’t say the wrong thing.

  Rain: Hahaha, touche tesoro.

  Me: I wouldn’t tell a soul, chérie.

  Rain: I know.

  I want to ask her how she is but I know her well enough to know she’d shut down and probably stop texting me afterwards, so I squash that.

  Me: I'm hungry. Wanna go grab some cookies?

  Rain: Are you twelve?

  I chuckle.

  Me: Who doesn’t like cookies?

  Rain: I should not be eating cookies.

  Me: It’d be sexy.

  Rain: You’re completely insane.

  Me: Chocolate chip or sugar?

  Rain: Ajax…

  Me: Or is frosted more your thing?

  Rain: You’re annoying.

  Me: I'm guessing you’re a sprinkles girl.

  Rain: I'm not driving.

  I grin.

  Me: You never drive, but I won’t drag Donald into this. See you in fifteen.

  I should be helping to find her bastard of a father. She should stay home safe, but what does any of this matter if she’s not happy? The woman could use some sugar and ridiculousness in her life. I mean, shit, I can’t remember the last time I was like this, but this is how I used to be before my parents died. They were like that. Maybe I can share a little of them with Rain, through me.

  Fifteen minutes later, I'm pulling up to her gates. The guards let me in. When I'm three quarters of the way up the driveway, I see her. Wearing a burgundy off-the-shoulder sweater dress and knee-high boots with thick, curled hair, she stands there like a goddamn angel. I feel almost stupid inviting her into my Honda, but I'm here. I can’t back out now, even though I’ve never felt more stupid.

  When I stop, she crawls into the passenger seat.

  “Doesn’t having all those muscles mean you shouldn’t eat shit like this?”

  “Balance.” I look over at her. The words slip out before I can stop them. “You look beautiful, Rain.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes widen and pink tinges her cheeks. “Thanks, I guess.”

  I know Rain is aware of her beauty, but her blush makes me smile. We’re both quiet for a while as we drive down the road.

  “So…” she says, “let’s circle back around to you moving to Utah. I’d just love to know more about this move of yours.”

  I swallow. “Rain,” I groan. “Don’t ruin this for me.”
r />   With raised eyebrows, she says, “Well, will the truth ruin the moment?”

  I groan. “Rain, this is about to go from cookies to alcohol.”

  She snickers, but I see her studying me.

  “What are you hiding?”

  I start to shift in my seat. “Nothing.”

  “You’re a bad liar, Ajax. I will hop out of this moving car.”

  As if to prove her point, she places her perfectly manicured hand on the door handle.

  “Don’t you jump out of this car, Rain.”

  “Then tell me what you’re hiding.” My jaw clenches. This stubborn-ass woman… “You’re upset because you’re not confident enough that I won’t jump out of this car.”

  She smirks, which pisses me off because she’s right. I want to disagree with that statement, but there’s a wildness in Rain that she hides under manicures and fancy clothes. She’s unpredictable.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you, but not here. Not in the car. Not while we’re eating cookies. Can we just… enjoy life? For one moment. Please.”

  Her hand leaves the door and I can feel her eyes drilling into the side of my face, studying the vulnerability there.

  “Afterwards. Let’s say fuck it to my diet and get a drink after the cookies.”

  I grin a bit. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Even with the truth involved?”

  I swallow, knowing it’s not fully my secret. It’s Richard’s too. I’ll figure out the right thing to say though, because I told her I would.

  “Yes, even with the truth involved.”

  I stare at the road ahead as I make my way to the best cookie shop in town. I'm distracted when I feel it: a soft, cold as ice little hand sliding over mine on the gear shift. That has my gaze sliding from the road for a second to our connected hands and then to her. She’s staring at her feet, which she’s kicking around nervously. She releases my hand, still not looking. I turn away, because unfortunately, as much as I’d love to study her, I have to get my eyes back on the road.

  “Just thought I’d try it,” she mumbles.

  She’s so innocent. So, so innocent. “Glad you did, chérie.”

  She turns up the music, which makes things infinitely less awkward. Five minutes later, we’re at the cookie shop. Rain is already rolling her eyes, but there’s a glimmer in them.

  “What are you getting?” she asks as she climbs out of the car.

  “I don’t know. There are so many choices and they’re all so good.”

  She laughs. “You’re a child.”

  “Trust me, babe, when you eat one, you’ll understand.”

  She rolls her eyes. “For how far this strays from health, you’d better not be hyping this up too much.”

  “I'm not.”

  While she’s still shaking her head, I push the door open. The little bell has my stomach fluttering with happiness. Judge me all you want, when your diet is primarily chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, olive oil, and oatmeal, you get excited as hell.

  “Ajax!” Marcia greets, “Good to see you again, sweetie. It’s been a while,” she says with her thick Spanish accent.

  “Yeah, I’ve been on my best behavior.” I pat my flat stomach. “But not today.”

  Rain elbows me while Marcia laughs. “She knows you by name? How many damn cookies do you eat?”

  “Chérie, did you not hear her say she hasn’t seen me in a while?” I poke her nose.

  She shakes her head and steps forward to look at the glass display of cookies. Marcia has a cool setup. There’s one of each cookie displayed so you can see the look of each, because everyone who’s a cookie connoisseur knows a sugar cookie can be two wildly different things—it can be a thin, round little white thing or a thick, soft, frosted circle of heaven. However, she has fresh ones in the back. She would never hand out cookies that have been sitting all day.

  “Estoy tan feliz de ver que encontraste a alguien,” Marcia says, smiling warmly. (I'm so happy to see you found someone)

  I shake my head. “No estamos juntos, Marcia.” (We're not together, Marcia)

  “You speak Spanish?” Rain asks.

  “Just a little.” I shrug. “My mom always wanted me to learn so I went through a phase. It doesn’t stick well when you have no one to speak it with, though.”

  That seems to make her a bit sad but she doesn’t say anything, she just nods before turning to Marcia.

  “I'm Rain.” Rain smiles a stunning smile at Marcia.

  “Marcia.” Marcia smiles back.

  “What would you recommend?”

  “Hmmm…” Marcia grins, loving when people ask her opinion. “Are you more of a chocolate person or more of a sweet-tooth type?”

  Rain fidgets. “I'm not really sure. I-I don’t really eat sweets all that often.”

  I frown. Well that sounds miserable.

  Marcia clicks her tongue with disapproval. “I know just the one. Ajax?”

  I glance at the glass one last time to be sure of my choices then nod. “Okay, I’ll have a cookies and cream, sprinkle sugar, chocolate chip, and then, as always, one of your choice.”

  Marcia nods. “I’ll be out in five minutes or so. Feel free to take a seat.”

  “This place is cute,” Rain tells me when Marcia goes in the back. “Does she own this shop?”

  “She does. It’s her dream. She absolutely loves baking. She’d love to expand too. I think this place could be a franchise.”

  “Well, it definitely has the atmosphere, very mom-and-pop vibes.”

  “I agree. Perfect for desserts.”

  We take a seat on the stools and stare out the window. “This is nice,” Rain says after a while. “I never do stuff like this.”

  “Happy to do it with you anytime.”

  “Not if you're in Utah,” she mutters.

  “I don’t think Utah will work out,” I say awkwardly.

  She looks over at me. “I'm dying for that drink after this.”

  “I wouldn’t be too excited. You’re not gonna like what I have to say.”

  “Long as it’s the truth.”

  A few minutes later, Marcia comes out with our boxes.

  “Ajax, here’s yours. I think you’ll like my choice for you this week. It’s not for sale, just something I'm playing with.”

  I don’t even wait. I pop my box up to see a purple frosted Captain Crunch cookie sitting there in the left corner.

  “This looks amazing!”

  She smiles under the praise and turns to Rain, who slowly opens her box. I'm actually curious what Marcia chose for her. There’s one chocolate chip, one sprinkle sugar, and two small cookies I’ve never seen before. They’re not in the display either.

  “Two signature cookies that are must-trys and two macaroons, because you strike me as a macaroon girl,” Marcia says.

  “Thank you very much. I can’t wait to try them.”

  Rain goes for the macaroons first. I can tell she feels weird about us both just staring at her, but there’s something interesting about watching a pretty woman eat cookies, especially when she’s admitted to not eating them often.

  “Holy shit.” A moan escapes her lips when she bites down. “This is amazing!”

  Pleased, Marcia smiles. “Let me know what you think of the new cookie and if you have any ideas on improvement, Ajax.” She glances at Rain. “You can tell me next time you come in.”

  Smirking, she heads back into the kitchen.

  “Okay, so did I overhype it?”

  She rips off a piece of chocolate chip cookie. “I hate to say this, but you didn’t. This is literally heaven. I'm in heaven right now.”

  She stuffs a bit of the sugar cookie in her mouth. “Knew you would be.”

  I pop some of the Captain Crunch cookie in my mouth. “Fuck, this is so good.”

  She smiles and pushes her box away a bit. “I'm full.”

  I glance in her box to see almost all of her cookies still there. “I admire your self-control. All of mine
will be in my stomach in 5.2 seconds.”

  “I wish I had room for more, to be honest. She’s extremely talented.”

  Dropping my voice, I lean into her. “She has feedback cards you can fill out over there. It won’t mean much coming from me because she knows me, but you? Well, it’d probably mean a lot. She’ll hang in the kitchen until we leave.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  She stands and smiles at me over her shoulder and I know I'm completely fucked with this woman.

  Rain and I are each two drinks in before we even broach the subject of me moving. Rain, who I know doesn’t drink much even though she won’t admit it, is already a bit tipsy. She’s giggly and way more free with touching my arm anytime I say something she finds amusing.

  “Okay, okay, enough distracting me. Tell me the truth, Ajax, why were you gonna leave?”

  “Fuck.” I down my entire drink in one go. “It was time for me to leave, or so I thought, after everything that happened with Anthony, ya know? So I’d already been thinking about it.” Rain nods to let me know she’s following. I scratch my hand. This is the part I don’t want to tell. “There may have been some outside influence—”

  Rain shoots to her feet, clearly completely uninhibited from the alcohol. Maybe the alcohol wasn’t a great idea.

  “My dad bought you off?!” she screams. Screams… in the middle of the bar.

  “Rain, shh, shh… look around.”

  She glances around the bar. Still fuming, she takes a seat. “How dare he? How fucking dare he? And you, you took the deal?!”

  Her eyes are practically glowing. She's so furious.

  “I felt I was doing the right thing at the time. He caught me at a time when I was feeling… well, pretty damn worthless. I figured, what harm could come from it?”

  “What harm could come from it?” she repeats, hysterical. She takes another sip of her drink before glaring once again. “What about me?”