Savaged Vows: Savaged Illusions Trilogy Book 2

by Jennifer Lyon

  Her heart tugged at the thought of leaving their home. “I don’t want to move. I love that house.” And they needed to be there for Noah.

  Nikki’s phone trilled, and she picked it up, listened and answered with, “Okay, buzzing you through.” Hanging up, she explained, “Pizza guy at the gate. He’ll be here in a minute.”

  “I’m starved,” Em said. “Pizza’s on me.” She pulled out her card and handed it to Nikki.

  “No, I can’t let you do that.” Liza reached for her purse. Her friends had given up their Friday night to commiserate with her over the Hayes video, and both had offered to have her stay with them. “I’m paying for the pizza.”

  After relinquishing her card, Em tugged Liza’s hand away from her purse. “Probably the last one I’ll be able to buy for a while, so enjoy it.”

  Confused, she eyed her best friend while Nikki answered the door. “Why? Is something wrong? Did you have an unexpected bill or some big expense coming up?”

  Em made a face. “I’ve been ordered to use my connection with you to get the TV station an exclusive interview for the San Diego Morning Show. I refused.”

  “What?” Nikki returned and set the box on the counter. “They expect you to betray a friend for a story?”

  Liza blurted out, “You’ve been getting pressured? You never told me that.” That hadn’t occurred to her, but it should have. “Why didn’t you say anything the two times I talked to you today?”

  Anger sparked in Em’s eyes. “Because I told them no. And this afternoon, I quit.”

  “Oh my God. No! If you need a story, we’ll figure something out.” She’d do anything for Emily.

  She dropped a piece of pizza on a paper plate. “My boss accused me of knowing you were married and pregnant. She said I had a golden opportunity to use that to break into reporting. When I refused, she said I’m not cut out for this job.” Em picked up her glass of wine. “She’s right. I’m not using you for a story.”

  All through college, Em had been hell-bent on becoming an investigative reporter. But after witnessing Liza’s attack, she’d begun having second thoughts. Seeing a crime up close had shifted her perspective and caused her to doubt her ability to deal with that kind of brutality as a reporter. Liza didn’t want to be the catalyst that pushed Emily into a choice on her career before she was ready. “Did you tell Ben?”

  “Of course. He’s okay with it.” She took a sip and added, “He knows I hated it.”

  “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together. In the meantime, I know I can help you find a job.” Ben was doing his residency, so he wasn’t rolling in money either. They had a nice condo, but it was a tiny one-bedroom.

  “You’re right. I’ll get a job somewhere and then worry about my next step.”

  Liza stood and hugged Em. “I never thought about what it cost you to keep my secrets.” Releasing her, Liza sat down and took a bite of her pizza while mentally reviewing her business contacts. “What do you want to do for work?”

  “Something that pays my bills. I don’t want to mooch off Ben.”

  She totally understood that. “We’ll get you something.”

  “Thanks, I feel better just talking.” Emily scooped up another slice of pizza.

  “Hello? What about what I want?” Nikki asked, her voice aggrieved in a teasing way. “I’ve been keeping Liza’s secret. I’m an awesome friend too.”

  Liza had to agree. She was damn lucky to have such good friends. And Nikki was clearly trying to lighten the mood. Getting into the game, she said, “What do you want?”

  “A rich rock-star boyfriend or husband and a cool little dog I can dress up and take with me everywhere.” She took a bite of her pizza.

  Liza pretended to consider that. “Do you have a rock star in mind?”

  “Nah, as long as he’s not old, I’m good.”

  Em rolled her eyes. “Girl, we need to work on your standards.”

  “I know, right? But I’m tired of being the fifth wheel.” She dropped her pizza crust and leaned on the counter, cradling a glass of wine. “You have Ben, and Liza has Justice. I’m just the perky girl with no date.”

  “And really bad first dates,” Em added.

  “Last guy?” She shook her head. “He just wanted me to be the designated driver for him and his drunktard buddies. I found out when I ordered a beer and he flipped out. He assumed I was underage.”

  Emily burst out laughing. “Only you.”

  “True story.” Nikki sighed. “Which is why I don’t sign up for dating services. Can you imagine? I’d end up as the getaway driver for a robbery and be totally clueless.” She dumped her remaining pizza in the trash. “How about a movie? We need a comedy.”

  An hour into the movie, Liza’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it and frowned in surprise. “It’s the San Diego Police Department.”

  Nikki muted the movie.

  “Answer it,” Em said.

  Was someone hurt? Or had her house been broken into? She’d set the alarm, so wouldn’t the company have notified her? Putting her phone to her ear, she answered, “Hello?”

  “This is Officer Claremont of the San Diego Police Department. Is this Liza Glasner?”

  “Yes. What’s wrong?”

  “Your father-in-law is Noah Cade, correct?”

  Her heart slammed into her throat. “Yes, is he okay? Did something happen?” He was at the PTSD transitional center. Wouldn’t they call her if he was sick or hurt?

  “There’s been an altercation at your house. If you’re close by, we can attempt to sort this out now. Or I’ll arrest both men and transport them to the station.”

  Confusion trapped her brain. Altercation? Like a fight? Wait, both men? “Who is the other man?”

  “Dillion Gibbs.”

  Her ex-boyfriend? Surging up from the couch, Liza shoved her feet into her shoes. “I’ll be right there. Give me ten minutes.”

  What the hell was going on? Why would Dillion be at her house? And why had Noah left the transitional center?

  But most importantly, was Noah okay?

  * * *

  Liza stared in absolute disbelief as the cop drove off, leaving her with the two men. One drunk and stupid, although he was rapidly sobering up. The other wary and uncommunicative.

  What exactly was she supposed to do now?

  “Dillion.” She turned to him first. “Why are you here?”

  Dillion shifted the bag of frozen peas he had pressed to his left cheek. Grass and dirt stained his dress shirt, his tie hung destroyed around his neck, and his eyes were bloodshot. “You didn’t return any of my calls or texts. I came over to talk to you.”

  Noah crossed his arms, stood back by the driveway, and muttered, “That’s not an answer.”

  Oh look, now her father-in-law could speak in complete and coherent sentences. When the cop was talking to him, he’d mostly grunted. Although he had told the officer his name, that Liza was his daughter-in-law, and even gave the man her phone number. So that was something. “I’ll handle this, Noah.”

  The older man leaned back against Justice’s Jeep sitting in the driveway, a stubborn expression on his bearded face that was almost exactly like his son’s. Noah was pissed. Well join the freaking club.

  Liza swung her gaze back to Dillion. “I didn’t answer your texts or calls because I didn’t want to talk to you. Do the math.”

  “Do the math? How about you show some gratitude. I could have had that lunatic arrested.” He pointed the bag of peas at Noah.

  Lunatic? Her fury notched up. “That’s my father-in-law. He has every damn right to be here any time he wants. This is his house!” God she was just so mad. This morning, she’d been sleep-deprived but happy, typing so fast on her book, the letters had raced across the screen trying to keep up with her. And Justice’s song was in the top one hundred on the charts. She missed him, but they were both working toward their goals and managing to stay close while physically separated.

  Then Hayes
dropped his video and her day was screwed from there.

  She stepped in closer to the man annoying her. “You ever call him a lunatic again, the cops will be arresting me.”

  Noah made a noise low in this throat, a snorty-growl thing that Liza pointedly ignored.

  Dillion, however, jerked his gaze to Noah, the flash of fear evident in his eyes. Clearly her ex was way more afraid of Noah than her. Dillion slapped the bag of peas against his face. “Fine. Whatever.”

  “Well? You’ve obviously been drinking, then you drove—” She looked around. “Where’s your car?”

  “I don’t drive when I’ve been drinking.” Some of his petulant arrogance drained. “Stacy Jo and I had a fight. We were out to dinner, and I kept checking my phone, and she got all bitchy and stormed out. I had a couple more martinis while waiting for an Uber.”

  Liza closed her eyes, fighting for any scrap of patience. “So you came here?” He and his fiancée had a fight, so of course the best way to fix that was to go see his ex. Totally rational.

  “You don’t understand. I was worried about you, Liza. Stacy Jo is jealous of you and got her panties in a bunch.”

  “Wait, what? Jealous of me?” She narrowed her gaze. “You dumped me, doesn’t she know that?”

  He dropped his gaze to the grass beneath his feet. “I broke up with her to see you first.”

  “You…what?” That last word came out like an owl screech.

  “We were sort of engaged when I first met you.”

  “Sort of engaged?” She sucked in a lungful of cool night air. “You know what? I don’t care. You dumped me in a hot second as soon as you found out who I am. And then you thought I’d still sleep with you.” She whipped her head around to see Noah’s blue eyes harden on Dillion.

  Perfect. She was handling this like a real champ. Now her father-in-law knew that disgusting little morsel from her past.

  “You need to protect yourself. Gene Hayes has a powerful legal team. I don’t know what their plan is, but you need legal representation.” Dillion fished his wallet from his pocket and slid out a business card. “This is the law firm I work for. If you aren’t sure where to go for representation, this firm is good.”

  “Oh.” The underlying purpose of his actions was clarified. “You’re here to drum up business for your firm.”

  “I’m here as your friend. Get a lawyer, Liza. A good one. If you don’t want this firm, I’ll put together a list of reputable candidates.” He waved the card at her. “No one there knows we used to date or that I even know you. I’m trying to help.”

  And she’d believe him why?

  “Look, I’m sorry I handled this badly.” He flashed another sullen look at Noah. “I’m not trying to start trouble, I just…” He twisted his mouth and looked away.

  “You what?”

  “I was an ass when I broke up with you, but I was hurt. You hadn’t told me who you were. I was angry that I’d broken up with my girlfriend—”

  “—who’d been your fiancée.” A plot twist Liza hadn’t known about. Until tonight, she’d have sworn Dillion hadn’t liked her that much. But he’d broken up with his fiancée to date her. “You never mentioned to me you’d been engaged.”

  He thinned his mouth. “Right. And you didn’t tell me that your mom was in prison. Or that you’d been raped. I mean…Jesus, Liza, we slept together.”

  “Shut. Up.” She glanced at Noah. The man pushed off the car, his entire body damn near twanging with the need to attack Dillion.

  Could this get any more unreal?

  “Sorry.” Dillion blew out a breath. “Let me get this off my chest. After you were attacked last June, I finally got what you were living with and that you didn’t tell me because you didn’t trust me.”

  Was he for real? She opened her mouth to set him straight.

  He held up a hand. “I know you’re going to say I broke up with you when I found out, but I was hurt. Really hurt. I had to hear it from my dad? He was livid and made me feel so stupid. I felt betrayed. I thought we had something only to find out you had a whole secret identity.”

  She’d have more sympathy for him if he’d told her that then instead of treating her like trash and wanting to keep her his dirty little secret on the side. Before she could form a response, he went on.

  “I never told anyone who you are, Liza, not a soul. Including Stacy Jo. She found that out on the news like everyone else. She went ballistic, realizing…” He dropped his hand, his shoulders bowing. “I’m still in love with you. I can’t do this, I can’t marry her. It’s you I love.”

  He what? Her feet grew roots, anchoring her to the grass, while her mind screamed denials. This wasn’t happening. Dillion was a child, wanting what he couldn’t have. The moment daddy told him no, Liza became the forbidden fruit.

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, wondering if Dillion was drunk enough to forget that fact. He hadn’t wanted her when he found out about her past, so why would he want her when Hayes loomed threateningly, her reputation was smeared more than ever, and she carried another man’s child? And Noah, oh my God, what was her father-in-law thinking after hearing all this? His opinion meant so much more than Dillion’s ever would. “Justice is—”

  A car screeched up and swerved into the driveway, the front wheels plowing into the grass.

  Liza swung around and squinted in the beam of the headlights. What fresh hell was this?

  A woman jumped out and stomped up to them.

  “Stacy Jo,” Dillion exclaimed, his brows knitting in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  The lights illuminated Dillion’s fiancée’s shoulder-length brown hair around a beet-red face. She jammed her hands on slender hips, the massive diamond glinting on her left ring finger. “I knew you’d run here to the gold-digging slut!”

  She jerked back, outraged at the audacity of the woman. “What is wrong with you people? I haven’t done a damn thing. You’re the ones making a scene on my front yard.”

  “You’re the one who lured him here!”

  Dillion blanched and tried to grab Stacy Jo’s arm. “Calm down.”

  She slapped his hand away and stabbed her finger at his chest. “You swore it was over! You already left me once for her, and now you’re doing it again. You’ve been screwing her the whole time, haven’t you? You’re a liar and cheater.” She whirled around, rage twisting her face. “And you’re a gold-digging, scheming whore. You’re married and still fucking my fiancé.”

  Too many years of having people scream insults at her and not being allowed to fight back stretched Liza’s temper. “Get out of my face. And while you’re at it, take your fiancé and get your damned car off my lawn. I was done with Dillion a long time ago. You can have him.” Liza spun around and stalked toward the house. She got three steps when something hard and cold struck her in the back.

  “Stacy Jo, no!” Dillion yelled.

  That woman had just attacked her? Oh hell no. Liza’s gaze caught on the hose lying in the grass. She scooped it up and pivoted. At her feet lay the broken bag of frozen peas.

  Stacy Jo stalked toward her. “Don’t you walk away from me. You’re trash, just like your mother. You’ll probably end up in prison like her. Oh I know all about it. I found the private investigator’s report Dillion’s father gave him when he told Dillion to dump your fat ass.”

  Liza heart beat too fast, her temper stretched too thin. “Shut up.”

  “Do you even know whose kid you got knocked up with?”

  Her temper snapped. Liza twisted the nozzle of the hose. Water streamed out right into Stacy Jo’s face.

  “Argh! You bitch!” She lunged, grabbing Liza’s arm, forcing it up.

  Cold water blasted her face, knocking her glasses to the side. It burned up her nose, making her cough as she fought for control of the hose.

  “Enough!” Noah roared.

  Dillion grabbed Stacy Jo, lifting her off her feet.

  Dropping the hose, Liza trembled from c
old and adrenaline as water dripped off her face and glasses. Through the film, she saw Dillion dragging a quieter Stacy Jo to the car. Huh, getting doused with cold water iced both their tempers.

  Had she really just done that? Gotten in a fight on her own front yard? This whole day was so ridiculous and twisted, she didn’t know if she should laugh or cry.

  Where was the hose anyway? She spun around and spied Noah by the front door, coiling the hose on the ground with his good arm. Another issue to deal with. Why was Noah here instead of at the transitional center?

  As she wrung water out of her hair, she caught sight of Em coming out of the house with a towel that she tossed to Liza, then moved to stand by a stunned looking Nikki. Hell, she’d forgotten all about Emily and Nikki. They’d shown up a minute after Liza had arrived. Em had gone in the house to get the frozen peas for Dillion’s face, and then taken Liza’s purse inside. Nikki must have remained outside to watch the show.

  After wiping her face and wrapping her hair in the terrycloth, she walked by her friends, opened the screen door and said, “Everyone in the house.” She appreciated Em and Nikki’s support, but they’d given the neighbors gathering outside enough of a show.

  Nikki and Emily filed past her. When Liza turned, Noah finished with the hose and limped the few steps toward her. She guessed his hip was hurting, which happened when you jumped a twenty-something man, pinned him to the ground and punched him.

  In his defense, Dillion had been pounding on the door and screaming her name. Neighbors had called the cops. Then Noah pounced on him, apparently believing Dillion was there to harm Liza.

  Un-freaking-believable.

  Dillion had been pretty toasted, but the fight sobered him up some. Well, that and the threat of getting arrested. Not a good thing for a man getting ready to take the bar exam. What a dumbshit. Seriously. But she didn’t care about Dillion, she cared about Noah. “Why aren’t you at the transitional center? Is something wrong?” He could have texted her if he needed something.

  “I saw the video. I was watching the house.”