Jesse

by Reina Torres

  “Then let me go, Randy. And you can show me how good.”

  When he went still against her she hoped that it was because he heard her. Once she was free, she would have more choices about how to act. How to get away.

  He shook his head. “That was before you let him touch you.”

  The way he said the words sent a chill through her body. “Don’t be ridiculous, Randy.” She wanted to tell him that he was wrong about Jesse, but she just couldn’t make herself lie. Couldn’t deny the most amazing thing that she’d ever shared with a man.

  A man she was head over heels in love with.

  She wouldn’t dirty the memory with a lie.

  “You’re drunk,” she continued to try to reason with him. “You’re not thinking clearly. I’ll go get us something to eat and bring it back. Okay? Does that sound good?”

  She tried to pull away and managed to get one arm free, reaching for her purse.

  “See, I can get us some pizza and then we’ll talk, okay?”

  His arms loosened enough for her to get a decent breath and a hint of hope.

  “Good,” she smiled, “what do you want on the-”

  He covered her mouth with his and shoved his tongue between her lips when she gasped in shock. The taste of alcohol on his tongue and his breath was enough to make her start to wretch.

  Randy shoved her away, but the distance didn’t help and she bent over in case her stomach had already made up its mind to empty itself. Randy cursed and shoved her back onto the bed. “Don’t you dare!”

  Her keys went flying and hit the wall somewhere in the direction of her feet. Etta’s brain was a little jumbled from the sudden up and down, but before she could even start to roll off the bed, he was there.

  On top of her.

  Sitting on her thighs.

  Dropping down onto his hands so he could kiss her. She swung her hand at his face, her fingers balled up in a fist, but he caught her wrist easily enough. “Randy! Don’t!”

  “Randy… don’t!” He laughed at her. “You can stop pretending you’re innocent. That boat has sailed. I know what you’ve done and you can let me have a taste.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not like that. Now go away before I scream for help and then you’re going to have a hard time explaining to the police that a Hollywood star had to pressure me into sex.”

  “That’s why I know you’re holding out for something. So, you don’t care about the Suttons? Fine. What do you want? A car? Hell, a decent dress?” His free hand swept under the edge of her t-shirt and closed over her bare breast. “I’ll buy you a whole wardrobe of silk and satin for a night.”

  “Stop!” Etta cried out when he gripped tighter. “I’m not… I’m not a hooker!”

  Randy licked at his lips as his hand left her breast and headed down over her belly. “No, but I’d pay good money for you to dress up like one.”

  She tried to get enough purchase on the bed with her feet to buck him off, but he was too heavy, her body pressed too deep.

  His mouth was on hers again and when he tried to slip his tongue in again, she started to wretch, making him turn away.

  “Please,” she gave him a tearful look, “don’t do this.”

  His hand grabbed her waistband and yanked on it, lifting her up an inch or so. It was that sudden movement that gave her an out. One chance, while he was distracted.

  She reached her hand up over her head toward the bedside table. She didn’t waste any time. She couldn’t. Etta Bradford had one chance to free herself and closed her hand around the one item that she needed at that moment.

  The base of the lamp made a satisfying ring as it hit the side of his head.

  He was hurt, but he wasn’t out.

  His hand grabbed for her waistband again, but his fingers dug into the flesh of her belly. “Bitch!”

  It only made her hit him harder.

  Again.

  And again.

  And when he finally lay still on top of her, she dropped the lamp to the floor and started to cry.

  JESSE

  He had to let his father drive the truck. His hands were shaking. His heart stuttering in his chest. And the edges of his vision had gone grey. “The bastard.”

  Jesse waited for his mother to argue over his language, but instead, Caroline took his hand in hers and nodded. “Damn straight.”

  Holt Sutton hadn’t spared the gas or worried over the speed limit as he drove from the ranch to the Gold Valley Police Department substation. The parking lot was overflowing when they reached it, but Holt wasn’t about to drive around the block looking for a space.

  He hopped a curb and went through a foot-high hedge, almost putting the truck on the back sidewalk of the station.

  “Go!” His mother would have turned to shove him out of the truck, but he was already gone, pushing through the back door with a shout.

  “Where the hell is she?”

  Officer Dan Planchet held up his hands. “Cool down, Jesse.”

  Jesse stopped right in front of him and stared him straight in the eye. “I’m cool. I’m just pissed too. Now you take me to her or do I need to drop you to the ground like I did when we were in high school football?”

  “Fuck, man. She’s in a holding cell, hey!”

  Jesse had the officer by the collar, dragging him toward the hallway where they had two holding cells, usually for drunks to sleep it off. After Frank’s death, Jesse had spent a night or two in those cells drying out and he remembered, vividly, what they smelled liked.

  “What the hell is your problem, Dan? Betty called me and said she’d been attacked!”

  The officer was fumbling for his keys. “She beat Randy Calhoun unconscious! You think I can ignore that?”

  Before he could unhook the keys from his beltloop, Holt was there, smacking his hand away. “Useless!” He had the key in a moment and tossed them to Jesse.

  Jesse picked out the one labeled HOLDING and was inside a moment later.

  “Oh God.”

  The stench in the cells was worse than he remembered, but all he could do was look at the woman huddled in a corner of the first cell, her head on her knees, her hair a tangled mess, and her sobs echoing off the cement block walls.

  His mom grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, calling over her shoulder. “Dan Planchet, you get in here and open this cell before I call your mother!”

  Etta’s head popped up at the familiar voice, but when she saw him and his mother at the bars she laid her head down and shook. “Go away… please.”

  Jesse held his mom close. He needed the reassurance. It was all he could do while Dan all but shuffled into the room and went through the arduous process of remembering which key would open the cell.

  Holt stood at the man’s shoulder, grumbling. “You better come back and work at the ranch, Dan. You were always good with the horses, but you’re a waste as a cop.”

  “Sorry, Mister Sutton. I was just doing what I was told.”

  Caroline clicked her tongue. “You’ve got a heart, Dan. You can’t tell me that girl belongs in a cell.”

  He found the right key and shoved it in the lock. “Sorry, Missus Sutton, but the Lieutenant told me to-”

  Yanking the door from Dan’s hand, Caroline was the first one in the cell.

  Jesse fought the need to rush in and pull Etta close. She’d been attacked and having him rush at her might do more damage than good.

  He heard his mother speaking softly to Etta, down on her knees beside her. She smoothed her hair back from her face and the reddened skin around her eyes was like someone had stabbed him in the gut, but it was the dirty tracks of tears down her face that made him want to find Randy Calhoun and torture the man to within an inch of his life… and then start over.

  “Thank you for coming.”

  Jesse heard her speak and looked down at Etta, who was now bracketed between his parents.

  “But I have to stay here.”

  His father gave her a gentle pat on
her arm. “No, you don’t, sweetheart. You were just defending yourself.”

  “I told the police,” she gasped in a breath that sounded more like a sob, “I told the police that I was, but I think… I think I might’ve wanted to kill him too!”

  Caroline Sutton, perpetual caregiver and mother figure, wrapped an arm around Etta’s shoulders and smiled at the young woman. “I don’t think anyone would blame you. I know I don’t.”

  Holt nodded. “I would have dug the hole myself to bury the body.”

  “I’ll kill him for you tonight if you want me to.”

  Etta looked up at him for a moment before she hid her face against her knees. “Oh, Jesse, don’t… you don’t understand.”

  “Then tell me, baby. Whatever happened, it’s okay.”

  Her tears started again and he knew he was making it worse. He just didn’t know how to make it better.

  “Come, Holt, let’s get her up and out of here. There are plenty of chairs in the waiting area. She shouldn’t be sitting on the floor.”

  Jesse wanted to touch her so badly, but that was his problem. Something he could fight back, like the urge to jump in the truck and go find Randy.

  When Etta stood, his blood ran cold. His parents each had an arm, and Etta… Well, Etta was holding her clothes on. Her t-shirt was almost hanging open over her breasts and the waist of her pants was stretched out. The dip it made on one side of her hand showed him exactly why no judge in this area would ever say she was guilty of anything.

  “Mom,” Caroline turned toward him and he nodded toward Etta, “he scratched her.”

  It was almost a mercy when his mother stepped in front of Etta to look at her injuries. If he’d looked at it for another moment, with the dried drops of blood on her tender flesh, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from murdering Randy.

  Etta was delirious if she thought that her protestations would dissuade his mother. “I’m fine,” was something only Caroline Sutton could say.

  “Now you come along with me, Etta-dear. We need to take you to the hospital.”

  As she walked Etta through the holding room door, Caroline nailed Dan Planchet with a glare. “Shame on you and your boss, Dan. Shame.”

  His mother meant every word that came out of her mouth, but just in case Dan had any mistaken impression about how mad Caroline was, as Jesse left the room just behind his mother, he laid Dan out with a right hook to the jaw.

  Holt came up behind him and added a little chuckle. “Worthless.”

  ETTA

  When she woke up the next morning, she was surprised that her wrist wasn’t handcuffed to the hospital bed. Squinting into the sunlight that made it past the thin layer of curtains she stretched a little and ached at the tight pull of her skin.

  Hissing, she reached down to feel for new blood in her scratches, but there was a thick bandage over the spot.

  “Hey now… don’t pull on that. The nurses just changed it about an hour ago. You’re healing very nicely.”

  “C-Caroline?” Etta blinked back the tears that sprang into her eyes.

  “Uh oh… no tears, either. You’re safe with us. You’re safe here.”

  Etta fought to sit up. “I have to explain. I have to tell you and the others. I have to tell Jesse.”

  Caroline got her to quiet down and sit her up all at the same time. “Nothing to worry about. What you have to understand is that whatever you think is wrong, it’ll be fine. For the Suttons, family is everything. And if Jesse hasn’t made it abundantly clear to you, you’re family.”

  She wanted to argue with her only because she needed Caroline, someone to know the truth about Randy before they heard it from him. They deserved that much and more.

  But the truth was all she had to give them.

  The door to her room opened as Jesse walked backward into the room, trying to push back at the wall of men in fancy suits and Randy Calhoun who was wheeled in by a police officer. The other officer was the one who had told Dan Planchet to put her in the holding cell.

  Any hope of staying out of jail disappeared. Randy had the support of the police. She was just a girl. And Randy Calhoun was every bit the big star who could get away with this.

  Before the officer could get to her, Jesse shoved him back. “Don’t do this.”

  “Jesse,” she had to stop this, “let him go. Don’t give him a reason to find charges against you.”

  The look on Jesse’s face when he looked at her almost broke her heart. He believed in her.

  But he wasn’t going to feel that way in a few minutes.

  “Excuse me.”

  She lifted her head to look at the men and found the suit at the back of the group walk through them with ease. He had a smile that reminded her too much of Randy’s to make her believe it was genuine. “I’m Norman Carter. The head of Casavarious Films. We’ve been the silent partners of this production since the beginning. We would have been happy to remain in the shadows and let the other production company take all the credit for this film.

  “But it seems that we’ve stumbled on a problem.” He turned and looked Etta straight in the eye. “You’re causing quite a stir. None of Randy’s other girl friends ever made a fuss like this. Did you have to scar him?”

  He sounded like he was chiding her for spilling her milk.

  “We can hide love scratches in his costumes, but his face?”

  “Love?”

  Etta heard Jesse’s roar and wished that he was close enough for her to grab onto his shirt, hold him back. “Jesse, please.”

  He turned around, staggering at the sight of her. “Yeah?”

  She held out her hand. “Come sit here with me. I need to tell you something.”

  He thought for a moment, his gaze turning back to the studio executive before he began to move toward Etta.

  “Please.”

  He nodded and moved closer.

  The executive cleared his throat and continued talking. “Now, Randy is a generous man and doesn’t want to see this young woman behind bars. He wants her to know that he’s terribly sorry for all of her struggles and hopes that she gets treatment for her battle with alcohol-”

  “Now, just you wait a minute!” Caroline wasn’t going to let that go.

  “Now, now… we have no intention of making that public knowledge.”

  Etta could see the headlines.

  DRUNK WOMAN ATTACKS HOLLYWOOD STAR

  “All we ask is that in exchange for our generous refusal to file criminal charges against Miss Bradford, you will have her banned from the property for the foreseeable future.”

  Holt scoffed at the very thought. “Over my dead body.”

  “Jesse,” Etta took his hand as he stood at the side of her hospital bed, “I think you should agree to it.”

  Narrowing his eyes at her, Jesse shook his head, making it clear what he was saying. “I’m not doing anything of the kind.”

  “Please, Jesse. I’m not going to stay anyway. I can’t be the reason for this to affect the family.”

  “She had good sense when she’s not on the sauce, eh?” The suit wasn’t going to let up. “If she doesn’t have an issue with going away then we don’t have an issue. All we want to do is make sure that Randy is safe while he’s on your property. I’m sure you can understand-”

  “And I’m sure that you can understand why we have to say no.”

  Etta turned her head to look at Jesse. “Don’t. Don’t do this.”

  Caroline gently touched her shoulder. “Please, Etta. Jesse knows what he’s doing.”

  “No… he’s going to make you lose the film. He’s going to take it away from you because of me. Because I told him no. Don’t let him ruin your family, the legacy all of you have built because you’re worried about me. I’m going to be okay.” She turned to look at Holt. “I can’t let your family suffer for me.”

  Holt’s smile was something like a big, gruff, teddy. “We’d suffer without you, Etta. We’d rather have you than that ba
g of wind any day.”

  The suit laughed out loud. “If you’re trying to hold out for more money or anything else. Think again. You’re lucky we’re not suing your family for his injuries.”

  Jesse leaned closer to Etta and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. “Just give me a minute to get rid of them, okay? We’ll explain everything then.”

  “Don’t,” she was begging him, “don’t do this. I can’t be responsible for you folks losing everything.”

  The three Suttons shook their heads and Caroline gave her their final words on the subject. “You won’t.”

  JESSE

  Turning back to the group of men crowding into Etta’s hospital room, Jesse gave him a grim look. “You’ve all had your say and now you’re going to hear from us.” Once he was sure he had everyone’s attention he continued. “We’ve had more movies made here than we have memory for, but there’s always been one thing that stayed true with each and every one.

  “We are a family. We don’t allow people to hurt the ones we love. And if someone tries, we will do what it takes to remind them that they tried to step on the wrong person. So, no. There’s your answer from the Suttons.

  “We’re also thinking that you should worry about Etta and not in the way you pretend to. If she wants to file charges against Randy, she will have our full support. I’m sure all of his fans would be shocked to hear how he treated a woman who had the courage to tell him no.”

  Norman Carter shook his head. “And how would people hear about this, son? This town isn’t exactly New York or Los Angeles. Who cares what happens out here?”

  “We have a radio station,” Jesse told him. “Friends of mine are on the air everyday and they have friends in those ‘big cities’ you’re so worried about. They’d love to report breaking news. Hollywood Star Abuses Beautiful Young Woman. It’s not a good look.”

  Norman grumbled under his breath, but it was Randy who spoke up to argue.

  “Look, this is all getting out of hand. So, I have a scar now! That means I can play the pirate or the military hero. Etta doesn’t have to leave. All she has to do is stay away from me. The ranch is big enough. There’s no need for charges on either side, just a good understanding of what we can all live with.”