Fight It Out Series Box Set

by T M Kelly

  “What’s that? I couldn’t hear you.”

  I cleared my mouth. “It’s delicious.”

  “Thank you, baby.” He circled his hand behind my neck and pulled me closer to him. A sharp pain shot up my spine, but I ignored the feeling. “You need to apply a cold compress on your eyes all day. It’s hard to look at you like this.” He held the fork to my lips.

  “I’ll do it right away,” I said and took the bite he offered. The moment I finished the last bite, he moved the tray to the floor beside the bed.

  “Okay, you were treated like a queen. Now it’s my turn.” He moved his body under the covers and slid his hand over my abdomen. “Turn on your side.” I started to move my body, which took strength I didn’t have. “No, away from me. Your face is not sexy, baby.”

  I turned away and finally gave into the urge to cry. The moment he entered me, I screamed just like he demanded. I couldn’t afford to piss him off again.

  He moved in and out slowly with his mouth right beside my ear. “God, I love fucking you.”

  I reached my hand up and touched the side of his face. “I love being with you, too.”

  It was a lie. I actually wanted to say, “I miss making love to you the way we did when we first met.” He wanted to look at me then. It was a special moment we used to share together.

  Now he avoided eye contact and tried to hurry the process along.

  Where did I go wrong in my life?

  “Here,” Anora said and handed me a cold washcloth. “I don’t know if we can get the swelling down today.” She was holding another washcloth in ice water.

  “I have to. He doesn’t want to look at me like this.” The chill from the washcloth over my eyes had gone to room temperature. “Thank you for helping me.” I traded for her chilled cloth and we continued the process for a few hours.

  “Jenny, you know this is messed up, right?”

  “Yes.” I did. I just couldn’t figure out how to fix it yet.

  “Leave.”

  She said the words so easily, but I knew leaving would be dangerous. “He’ll find me. You saw what happened last night, and that was because I was out late.”

  “We’ll find a way to protect you. The two fighters who came over last night, I bet they would help.”

  “I can’t get them involved in this.”

  “What if they want to?”

  “Anora. What did you do?” She sat down in a chair next to me and started to fold the washcloth she was still holding several times. “Anora, talk.”

  “I went to the gym.”

  The washcloth dropped from my grasp. “What? Why would you do that?”

  “I asked them to keep it between us. The guy, what was his name?”

  “Malik.”

  “Yeah, he’s livid.” She reached her hand over to grab mine. “You two weren’t—”

  “What? No. I’m married, Anora. Give me more credit than that.”

  She put her arms up in surrender. “Sorry, I had to ask. The guy seemed invested in you. I was wrong to question your relationship with him.”

  “Yeah, you were.” I stood up and threw the washcloth into the sink. “I need to make dinner for Ray. Maybe you should go before he gets home.”

  “Jenny, I’m—”

  I placed my hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. We’re okay. I get why you did it. I do.” Anora leaned in for a hug. “I’ll figure it out, I promise.”

  The door clicked shut and my heart sank. I didn’t want to spend another night with my husband. The little I knew of self-defense didn’t help me last night. My life was a mess, and I had a feeling there was no way out.

  8

  The water felt so good I didn’t want to leave the small space just yet. I dipped my head back under the water and ran my hands through my hair. It was already noon and Ray wouldn’t be home for another five hours. There was a possibility I would be in the shower for that long. Then the water started to cool and I finally turned the faucet off.

  The moment I stepped out of the shower, I heard a buzzing sound. My phone was in the bedroom, so I quickly dried off and ran over to my side of the bed where the phone sat on the nightstand.

  Anora: Here:

  Have her meet at one at this address. 411 E. Tropicana Street.

  Me: What is this?

  Who was the original message from? Anora knew I didn’t want to leave the house anytime soon. I sat down on the side of the bed and waited for her to reply. My hair was dripping down my back, so I wrapped it up in the towel.

  Anora: You know who. I won’t write the person’s name here just in case.

  Me: But you gave an address, though?

  Anora: It’s not the final destination. You’ll know when you arrive what to do next.

  Me: You know I can’t leave, Anora.

  Anora: I saw you. It’s time. You can’t take what happened last night again. You won’t survive.

  Me: He didn’t mean it.

  Anora: Jenny. Wake up. Just go to the address for me. I love you.

  I set the phone back on the nightstand and walked into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror over the sink, I thought about my life with Ray. My mind wandered and I thought about how I missed the man he used to be. I felt confused by who he had become. He loved me. I knew he did. He just had a fucked up way of showing his affection.

  I touched my index finger to my left eye. The swelling never went down with the cold compress—if anything, it was worse. The cut on my right cheek was bleeding so I grabbed a tissue and another butterfly bandage. My fingers fumbled to change out the bandages and I had to carefully press down to stop the bleeding while flinching at the pain. After ten minutes I accepted defeat and plopped down on the side of the tub. I was holding a bloody tissue and I could feel the warm liquid drip down my face. I needed stitches. Yet, I couldn’t go to the hospital because they asked too many questions. The conversation with Anora ran through my mind. I looked at my hands resting in my lap, holding a blood-soaked tissue. I finally stood up and made my way back over to the nightstand to grab my phone.

  Me: I’ll be there.

  I didn’t wait for Anora to reply. Instead I dropped my phone in the gym bag I liked to use and made my way over to the closet to find something to wear. There were two small boxes I hid behind all my clothes. Actually, I was surprised Ray hadn’t found them yet. I had pictures of my family and small mementos that were special only to me. There was a medal from my first marathon sitting on top of the pile as I opened the first box. Just below the medal was a shamrock my best friend found and had laminated for me. She told me it would bring me good luck for the rest of my life. Lately, I doubted those words. I picked up both boxes and carried them over to place them in the gym bag. I wanted to make sure I took everything important to me just in case I never set foot in this house again. The thought of leaving my home and even Ray caused more tears to surface. I hiccupped and covered my mouth, too afraid to make a sound.

  The bag was packed tightly and I moved the phone to the back pocket of my jeans. I looked around the room, trying to think if I forgot anything. My wedding photo was sitting on the tall dresser. I ran my fingers over the glass surface and prayed Ray would accept my disappearance. I didn’t want to let myself think about what would happen if he tried to find me.

  As I walked over to the car, I felt the walkway stretching out in front of me. There were only ten steps from my porch to the car, and yet, I felt like I walked for five minutes before finally opening the driver’s side door. If Ray did have cameras hidden in the house, he was probably already on the way home at this very minute. I doubted the likelihood of cameras set up to watch my every move, but if Anora had that theory correct, my time here was limited.

  Anora did force me to take her vehicle. We knew Ray monitored where I went in my car because he mentioned a tracking device not too long ago.

  I knew I needed to start the car and pull out of the driveway immediately. Instead, I sat there in the driver’s seat unable t
o move. I jumped at a sound that happened behind the car and looked in the rearview mirror. A kid maybe about ten years old was kicking a soccer ball in the street. My nerves were on overdrive, and the thought of leaving scared the shit out of me. I pulled together all the strength left in my body and forced my hand to put the key in the ignition and turn the engine on.

  My hand was ready to put the car in park when another car slowed in the street near my driveway. Then the kid with the soccer ball moved out of the way and the car revved up its engine and drove off. I let out the breath that was held tightly in my chest.

  “You’re overreacting, Jenny.” Talking to myself never helped.

  The drive to the address would take about thirty minutes. When I checked on the map, the mystery location was just outside the city limits of Las Vegas. Before I left, I sent Anora another message and asked where exactly I was heading. She had no idea. Which meant I was going in blind.

  The GPS app on my phone told me I was only two miles from my destination. I glanced around, trying to figure out where exactly I was going. There were several plazas, stores, and restaurants. About 500 yards from the location, I noticed Malik’s truck parked out front by the street. My heart started to pound faster as I approached the driveway. It was a diner.

  I pulled into the place and Malik opened my door. “Jenny.”

  My face was hidden behind big round sunglasses, and there was a quarter-inch-thick stack of gauze covering the cut on my cheek. I had my hair over the make-shift bandage with my head tilted to one side. “Malik. Hi.”

  He never made an attempt to touch me. Instead, he used his hand to direct me over to his truck. “Jenny, this is Journey and Lincoln. They’re going to return Anora’s car. Is that okay?”

  “Um, sure.” I felt so uncomfortable. I glanced around. By the look of the building, the diner was old. The paint on the windows with the name of the place was chipped off in several areas. Only a few cars were in the parking lot. “I’ve never heard of this place?”

  “It’s new for me, too,” Malik said and walked around to the passenger side. “Is it okay to get your bag for you?”

  “Sure.” I stood motionless, unsure what to do next.

  Journey stepped up beside me. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. Well, freaking out but still fine.”

  “You don’t need to worry anymore.”

  “You don’t know my husband.”

  Journey nodded. “You’re right, I don’t. I’m sorry.”

  Malik had my bag in one hand. “Sorry Charlie couldn’t be here. They left for Liverpool. She’ll be back soon, though.”

  “Um, it’s okay. What now?”

  He set my bag on the seat in his truck. “I don’t want to say it out loud until we get into my truck.” He leaned closer to me. “Jenny, you’re bleeding.”

  I placed my hand on the bandage. “Yeah, it won’t stop. I’ve tried everything.”

  Malik didn’t say anything. He pulled out his phone and punched a few buttons. “Hey, Moe. Yeah, you busy? We need your help. Can you meet us at J’s place?”

  “Who’s Moe?”

  “One of the trainers at the gym.”

  Journey touched my arm, causing me to flinch. “Sorry, I’m a little on edge today.”

  “You don’t have to apologize,” she said and crossed her arms over her chest. “We’ll meet you back at J’s. Do you need me to get you anything?”

  I knew she was just trying to be helpful, but it wasn’t making me feel better. “No. Thank you, though.”

  “Come on,” Malik said, and we walked around to the passenger side. “The drive is only about twenty minutes.”

  Before I stepped up, I thought about what I was doing. What could happen if I walked away from Ray for good? Last night would be nothing compared to the fury he will possess when he sees I’ve left him. I tried to step up into the truck but fell back instead. Malik caught me before my ass hit the ground. The pain in my back and legs was being numbed with a heavy dose of pain killers. It was about time to take some more.

  “Jenny.” He sounded so worried.

  “I’m fine. My body is tight today.” He was such a gentleman and carefully placed me on the seat. I was lying. The pain up my spine felt like flames shooting up and down my back. He didn’t say a word. It was obvious he knew the truth. I knew I looked like a fucking mess. When he hopped into the driver’s seat, I turned to face him. “Why are you helping me?”

  “Don’t you want help, Jenny?”

  He asked a question with a question, and one I was too afraid to answer.

  9

  “Let me see what ya got there,” Moe said and sat down in front of me. He was older, maybe in his sixties with thinning, gray hair.

  “I tried a butterfly bandage but it obviously wasn’t working.” I tucked my hair behind my ear and carefully started to pull the gauze off.

  “Let me do that.” He reached up and removed the stack of gauze plastered to my cheek. “Is it okay to take the sunglasses off?” I hesitated before removing them. “There, that will be easier. I’ll need to numb the area and add a few stitches. It looks like that cut is pretty deep.”

  Malik was leaning against the door frame to the living room. He was staring at me. I started to wonder what he was thinking. I’m sure his thoughts all led back to one person: my husband.

  “When did this happen?” Moe said and reached into his bag.

  “Last night.” I cleared my throat and held back the tears. “Are you a doctor or something?”

  “Or something.” He laughed. “After a while the fighters get tired of going to the hospital. I know how to do a few quick stitches. Anything serious they have to make the trip to emergency.”

  “Is it going to hurt?”

  “Just this part.” He held up a needle. “I need to poke you about four times. You ready?”

  I nodded and closed my eyes. What he was doing was not necessarily painful. It just burned. “Please tell me you’re almost done?”

  “He lifted his hand. Now I am.” Moe patted my knee. “Give that a few to do its business. I need to go grab something from my truck. I’ll be right back.”

  Malik pushed off the door frame and walked over to sit down in front of me. I held my hand up. “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “You do?” He smiled. “I would love to hear.”

  “You want to beat the shit out of my husband.”

  “Well, yes, but that’s not where my mind was currently.”

  “Then where is it?”

  “Worried. Jenny, have you taken the time to fully look at yourself?”

  “Yeah, I look like my opponent just won a championship fight.”

  “Oh, good one.”

  “You like that analogy?”

  “Jenny, it’s what I can’t see I’m worried about.”

  I didn’t understand what he meant. “I’m taking some strong pain meds I found in the medicine cabinet. Actually, I’m due to take a few more.”

  “Where do you hurt most?”

  “My back.”

  Moe stepped back into the room. “All right, we should be all set. I just need to do five stitches.”

  “Do whatever you need to, Moe.” I touched the older man’s arm. “Thank you for this.”

  “Anytime, darlin’.” He grabbed the suture and a curved needle sitting on a special towel. “Okay, let’s get started.” Then he pushed the needle through. There was pressure but otherwise I couldn’t feel a thing. After about five minutes, he dropped his hands to his lap. “And just like that you’re all set.” He cleaned up the area and added a new bandage. “If you need me again, I’ll be home for the rest of the evening.”

  Malik touched the guy’s shoulder. “Sounds good. Thanks, man.”

  I stood up and walked over to the window to watch as Moe limped down the driveway. “So this is Julian’s guest house?”

  “Yeah, he bought the property several years ago.” Malik walked over to stand next to me. “I’m n
ot really sure why.”

  I turned to face him. “What do you mean?”

  “He hasn’t used a quarter of the rooms in his house and this guest house has never been touched.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s fourteen hundred square feet. It should be enough space for you.”

  “More than enough.” I laced my fingers together. “Will you be staying here, too?”

  He turned his head to the side and stayed silent. I watched as he made his way over to the sectional couch and sat down on the edge. “Do you want me to?”

  “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Ray can’t find you here.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “This place is wired and on a twenty-four-hour watch.”

  “It wouldn’t stop my husband.”

  He patted the cushion beside him. “Julian has a gym in his basement over at the main house.”

  “Are you planning to work out?”

  “With you,” he said and moved a strand of hair away from my face. “Were you able to use any of the moves we taught you?” The vision of last night plowed through my mind and tears fell without permission. “I’m sorry.” He stood up and walked to the door.

  “Don’t leave me,” I whispered and bent my head. Malik was showing kindness I hadn’t experienced in a while. When he’d moved my hair behind my ear, the touch warmed me. I hadn’t expected to feel something but Malik seemed different than what I was used to. He had gone out of his way to help someone he had only met a few weeks ago. “I’m afraid.”

  Malik walked back over and dropped to his knees. “Jenny.”

  I loved how he said my name. Finally, I lifted my head and looked into his chocolate-colored eyes. “Please don’t leave.”

  “Are you sure you want me here?”

  “Yes.” I reached out my hand to grab his. “I don’t know if I can trust anyone else.”

  “How do you know you can trust me?”

  His words made me laugh. “Because you did all this.”