Beautifully Damaged

by Fiore, L. A.

  In my mom's death, I knew the evidence that Trace uncovered pointed to Douglas, more specifically his car, but I was still hung up on motive. The man didn't seem that particular. He was depraved but not picky and though he was a scumbag, he didn't strike me as a killer. I wasn't as convinced that he was behind the wheel of that car but whoever it was knew him or, at the very least, had access to his car.

  From almost the beginning, Trace's and my families were linked and though the connection was not a good one, without it, I would never have known him. I was deeply saddened for all that he and Chelsea had endured, for all that my dad, Uncle Josh and I had, but in the end, I got Trace. I was pulled from that when I heard Lucien say, "We're all done here, Ember."

  "Okay."

  I stood and started towards him as he reached for my hand and offered, "Work starts in a week."

  "What's their estimate for time?"

  "...five months."

  "So maybe we can open in early November?"

  "Yes."

  "Cool."

  That night, I stood in Trace's corner with my dad and uncle watching Trace fight and I had to say I really loved seeing my name over his heart, and as petty as it was, I really liked that all the other babes in the room saw it, too.

  Even better, between every round, he walked right over to me to kiss me, hard on the mouth, further staking his claim on me and mine on him. It wasn't even a year that we'd been together but he was so deeply entwined in my life that I couldn't imagine life without him.

  As I considered that, I had a passing thought of Lena. I wondered if she was still with Todd: a more self-destructive relationship I never saw. To think that Todd and Dane, on paper, were perfect with their ivy-league educations and prosperous families yet Trace was by far the superior man and human being. Maybe Trace was finally seeing that -- seeing that he wasn't who he was because of his background but despite it.

  Trace approached me in that loose-limbed stride of his. I knew he won the match but I wasn't thinking about that as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. There was a smile on his face, when he pulled back, as he reached up to touch my face with his fingers.

  "What was that for?" he asked.

  "I love you."

  He reached for my hand that wore his ring and pressed a kiss to it. "I love seeing you wear this."

  "I love wearing it."

  Rafe walked over grinning like a fool. "I'm the best man, Ember."

  I looked at Trace. "You asked him?"

  "He didn't really give me the chance, nagging me like a school girl. I finally relented because I couldn't take it anymore."

  Despite his words, he was looking at Rafe with affection. I had learned from Trace that Rafe was the first person he had met when he moved to New York at the tender age of fifteen. They were both family-less, and on their own, so desperation brought them together but friendship kept them together. Rafe had also been integral in not only getting Trace and me together but keeping us together. I couldn't think of a better man to stand up with Trace at our wedding.

  "We need to set a date, Ember," Trace said.

  "...I'm for as soon as possible but the chapel isn't available until October."

  "October what?"

  I glanced over at my dad before I answered Trace, "...31st."

  "Done."

  I looked up at that. "Seriously, you're okay with getting married on Halloween?"

  "Absolutely."

  My dad hollered like a cowboy as he reached for his phone. "I'll call the pastor."

  I was smiling at my dad's enthusiasm when I turned my attention back to Trace and said, "We only have a few months to pull this off."

  "As long as you say 'I do' I don't care about the details."

  "I need a dress."

  "I don't know, that number you wore on my birthday was really very nice."

  I blushed and his eyes burned with fire. "Yes, that outfit with this blush, perfect."

  "You are incorrigible."

  "Only with you," he whispered before his mouth covered mine.

  That night Trace, my dad and uncle sat in the living room watching a baseball game while I worked in the office. I was searching for wedding gowns. I had hoped to wear my mom's but she didn't have one. She and my dad had gone to the justice of the peace and so her gown had been a white sundress and her veil had been white daisies in her hair. I wanted the perfect dress that reflected me and so here I was Googling wedding gowns. I was grateful for the reprieve when my cell phone rang about an hour into my search. I glanced at the display and absently noted that the number was a private one.

  "Hello."

  There was no answer but I could hear the person breathing over the line. I waited for the person to apologize for calling the wrong number or just hang up but, no, whoever it was lingered on the line; it was more than a little creepy.

  "Who's there?" I couldn't actually believe that I asked that since it was an exchange I'd seen countless times in slasher films and every time it just irritated the hell out of me. If the person wanted you to know who was on the other end of the line, they wouldn't be silent. I could only offer the excuse that I was a bit freaked out and so my brain was short circuiting; the experience gave me a whole new appreciation for the countless victims on the silver screen. I didn't say another word and hung up the phone.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The prank calls continued over the next few days and so I needed to tell Trace. He was in his office when I entered and as soon as he saw me a smile touched his lips.

  "Hello, beautiful."

  "Hi. Do you have a minute?"

  "...for you, always."

  I couldn't help but smile before I settled in the chair across from him.

  "I've been getting prank calls on my cell phone."

  His smile faded as a hardness entered his expression.

  "How long?"

  "The past four days. No one speaks but I hear them."

  I knew there was a lot going on in Trace's head but outwardly he remained surprisingly calm.

  "Can I take your phone? You can use mine for now."

  "Sure. What are you thinking?"

  I didn't think he was going to answer me but he did. "I want to try to trace the calls."

  "You think it's Dane."

  "I do and if we can get proof that he's harassing you that's a step in the right direction."

  "Why do you think he's so fixated on me? I understand why he picked me; I fit his profile, but why is he still pursuing me?"

  "I don't know but his actions are a lot like a spoiled child who doesn't get his way and so he throws a tantrum until he does. I have the sense that whatever is fueling him has less to do with you, specifically, and more to do with his ego."

  "He's crazy."

  Trace stood and walked around his desk before reaching for my hand and pulling me up into his arms.

  "He is, Ember, and that's why you have to be very careful."

  A shiver of fear worked its way down my spine causing me to hold Trace more tightly.

  "I won't let anything happen to you." He vowed.

  "I know."

  A week later, I all but forgot about the phone calls since my mind was engaged elsewhere, the planning of my wedding. I smiled every time I thought about Trace's proposal; every word of it was etched onto my brain. He may always be aloof to others but to me he was loving and so very generous with his affection. It really was no wonder why I loved the man to distraction.

  A group of us were at Sapphire and while the guys talked, I thought about Lena. She'd been in my thoughts since the phone calls. Despite the fact that she was a bitch, I wondered how she was doing and if she was still with Todd. I didn't understand how someone could change so drastically but, according to my dad, Lena hadn't changed at all I had just gotten wise to her. Sometimes I missed her, well, I missed the girl I thought she was. She had been such a huge part of my life for so long that it felt odd that we weren't speaking at all.

  "Are
you okay, Ember?"

  I turned at the sound of that voice as a smile touched my lips. Looking into those steel-blue eyes always had my heart beating just a little bit faster.

  "I am, yes."

  Trace touched a lock of my hair before he trailed his finger down along my jaw. "You look lost in thought."

  "It's nothing important."

  His hand reached for mine. "Dance with me, sweetheart?"

  "Yes, please."

  He grinned as he stood before pulling me up after him. He led me to the dance floor as his thumb played with his ring on my finger. I looked up at him just as he said, "October can't come fast enough."

  "I agree. I'd say we should just elope but that would break my dad's heart."

  "...true." We reached the dance floor and Trace turned into me before he wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me up against his hard body.

  "Any thoughts on where you want to go on our honeymoon?"

  "I do actually but I just want to preface my response with I could be anywhere with you and love it."

  "That feeling is mutual, Ember, but if you have a preference I want to hear it."

  "I thought it would be nice to go further up north to Massachusetts since it's going to be Fall."

  "Anywhere in particular?"

  "...Marblehead, I've always wanted to go."

  "Done."

  I tilted my head and smiled at him. "Just like that?"

  He pulled me even closer as his head lowered so that his mouth lingered just over mine before he whispered, "Considering that I plan on keeping you naked and in bed for the majority of our honeymoon, any location works for me."

  I blushed clear up to my hairline and Trace grinned like the cat who just ate the canary.

  "You have such a way with words, Trace."

  He looked positively wicked in response to that as he brushed his lips over my cheek to my ear and whispered, "If you like those words, I have a few more."

  By the time he was finished, I was beet-red and totally turned on. He knew it, too, when his eyes burned with fire before his mouth settled quite firmly over mine. Some time later, when Trace pulled away from me, I was thinking about the first time I saw him. More specifically, I was thinking about him doing to me what he had been doing to that woman. He read my thoughts, as he had a habit of doing, and a devilish smile spread over his face.

  "As much as I would love to take you in the back and have my way with you, you deserve better than a quickie up against the wall."

  My voice was rather hoarse when I replied, "On the contrary, I'm thinking that sounds just about perfect."

  He leaned over so his mouth was just over mine. "I'll take you home and we can do it any way you want: up against the wall, on the kitchen counter, in the shower..." his mouth covered mine as he bit my lower lip and sucked it into his mouth before he added, "... or all of the above."

  "Oh, dear god."

  He was laughing as we started from the dance floor.

  "This seems to be turning into a habit, Trace. Are you purposely trying to seduce me every time we're out? I need to go splash my face with cold water, again."

  He grinned and I had my answer, yes, he was doing it on purpose. "I'll settle our bill. Don't take long, Ember."

  The look in his eyes almost had me wanting to take too long just to see what he would do.

  I was making my way through the crowd when suddenly a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back.

  "Don't make a scene, Ember." Dane's silky-soft voice purred in my ear as my heart started beating frantically in my chest. I was terrified but I was about to make the biggest fucking scene ever until he added, "We're going to walk out of here and if you bring any attention to us my next stop will be Westchester. Am I clear?"

  Chelsea. All the fight drained from me as I shook my head.

  "Smart girl. Give me your purse."

  My hand was shaking as I passed it over. He pocketed my identification before dropping the purse and the rest of its contents on the floor.

  "We will be long gone before any one finds it."

  His grip on my arm tightened as he pulled me toward the back exit. He was calm and completely in control and I knew that everything Lucien had said about him was right. He was a sociopath, he'd done this before and he was really fucking smart. If something happened to me would Trace ever recover from it? He was finally happy, putting the nightmare of a past behind him, and to have it shoved right back into his face by this bastard almost had me biting, kicking and clawing at Dane. He pulled me into the dark alley behind the club where a car was waiting.

  "Not feeling very chatty are we, Ember?"

  Fear or not I wanted to ram my fist into his face.

  My face must have been showing my revulsion because he leaned closer and sneered, "Considering your background, Ember, you really do think an awful lot of yourself."

  My temper spiked and I spoke without thinking. "And considering yours, you're quite a piece of shit."

  We were just reaching the car when Dane slammed me up against it and followed with an open-handed slap across my face. Holy hell that hurt.

  "You've got some sass but I'll break you. I must thank Lena for bringing you to my attention and telling me about her quiet roommate who was far from home and spent her weekends reading. She even told me in passing conversation that you were a virgin. I do believe her intent was to make herself look better by listing all the areas where you were lacking. She wants me, you see -- even offered herself to me one night while Todd was busy gambling. She actually pulled me into the men's room in the club where her boyfriend was playing poker, dropped to her knees and, well -- I'm a gentleman so I won't detail what followed but I will say that the woman has no gag reflex. Sadly, as far as I can see that's about all she's got going for her. I was expecting a mouse that night at dinner after the way she described you so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw you." He pressed himself against me and his voice turned hard when he added, "You're not a virgin anymore are you, Ember? You let that Neanderthal touch you, fuck you. He never should have threatened me at Sapphire, humiliated me, because he turned my mild interest in you into payback and hurting you is the perfect way to pay Trace Montgomery back."

  I just stared at him because I was truly in the presence of a madman so believing anything that came out of his mouth was naive. Chelsea was still in danger. I had to get away from him. The years of self-defense that I was taught by my dad and uncle ran through my head as I worked to psych myself up. After a few moments, I sucked in a breath and brought my knee up hard into Dane's balls. I didn't get full contact but it was enough to get him to release me. I tried to run from him but Dane was fast as his hand shot out, grabbed my hair and yanked me back. I screamed bloody murder before his hand closed over my mouth. I threw my head back and nailed him in the nose. He howled in pain but he didn't release me and then I felt the blinding pain as his fist connected a solid punch to my kidney. All the air left my lungs as he started dragging me back to the car.

  Trace's roar echoed through the alley and sent chills down my spine seconds before Dane's hold on me disappeared. I dropped to the ground as I attempted to pull air into my lungs. My back was on fire and my head was throbbing. Suddenly, strong hands wrapped around my upper arms and I flinched before I started wildly throwing punches and it wasn't until I heard Lucien's soft voice that I realized I was among friends and not a foe.

  "Ember?"

  Tears filled my eyes as I looked up into his worried ones and then I saw Trace, just behind Lucien. He was straddling Dane and just pummeling him in the face, over and over again. The rage I had seen in Trace that night in the gallery parking lot was nothing compared to what was pouring off him as he hammered into Dane's face. If we didn't pull him off Dane, he would have killed him. I saw Rafe trying to do just that but Trace was unreachable.

  Lucien gently lifted me to my feet and I gasped at the pain in my back that simple move caused.

  "We have to stop him," I whispered.
Lucien held me firmly as we made our way to Trace. I reached out and touched Trace's shoulder.

  "Trace, he's down."

  And just like that Trace's hand stilled as he looked up at me. He dropped Dane and moved to gently wrap me in his arms and still I flinched in pain.

  "We need to get you to the hospital, Ember."

  My face was buried in his chest as tears burned my eyes. My brain had yet to process the events of the evening and despite the pain shooting down my back all I wanted to do was go home, curl up in bed and have Trace hold me. I mumbled into his chest, "I'm fine, besides you hate hospitals."

  His finger touched my chin and lifted my gaze to his and though I could see the rage burning in his eyes when he spoke his voice was whisper-soft and patient, "Ember, love, don't argue."

  "Rafe and I will take care of the trash, Trace, you get Ember to the hospital."

  The trip to the emergency room had taken hours. I did not have a concussion but I had a bruised kidney. The doctor prescribed pain meds and lots of rest. Trace never left my side. Even when the doctor came to examine me, he refused to leave the room. Considering Trace was still fuming with temper I didn't blame the doctor for not pressing the point.

  Trace had called Rolling Acres and explained the situation. Chelsea would be moving in with us but she needed to be watched until we could come for her so she spent the night at the home of one of the administrators. According to Mrs. Peabody, she was very excited about having a sleepover.

  Lucien and Rafe dropped an unconscious Dane at the front gates of his family estate. They wanted to drag his ass into the police station but the charges would have been dropped by morning and we would have lost the element of surprise. Lucien didn't go into detail about what he was planning but his wheels were definitely turning on how to take down not just Dane but his entire fucked up family.

  Trace and I returned home at close to four in the morning. Once we were locked inside the apartment, Trace pulled me into his arms and just held me. I felt his powerful body shaking and broke down seeing him so undone. I fisted his shirt as I pressed my face in his chest and sobbed. It had been a horrific experience but there was a small part of my mind that acknowledged that this was as close to closure as Trace was going to get. He had been able to save someone he loved and once the rage settled he was going to realize that. His soft voice pulled me from my thoughts.