Damien broke the silence with his venom-filled voice. “Did you really think I would share you with someone else, Victoria?” He gave her hair another yank to prove he had control of her. She spread her hands wider on the counter and made contact with the hot surface of the stovetop. On reflex she pulled back, but then her mind caught up and she realized she had just found her weapon. Knowing Damien was going to hurt her regardless, she really had nothing to lose.
She needed to get her hand a little closer to the sauce simmering on the stove, but without causing him to notice. She slowly closed her eyes in an attempt to make him yank on her head one more time, which would allow her to shift her arms in reflex. Sending a silent prayer up to whatever God would listen, time slowed down as she waited for his reaction. Thankful for the predictable yank, she extended her arm just enough to come into contact with the handle of the pan.
With his focus directly on her face, he must not have noticed. “How do you suppose we handle this little problem? Is it something you will take care of? Or should I?”
Anger, rage, nausea, and desperation filled her. Take care of it, she thought with disgust as her hand formed a tight grip around the handle. Bracing herself, she knew it was her only chance, even if she injured herself. It was far better than what Damien was threatening to do. Sucking in a shaky breath, she said, “I’ll take care of it, Damien.”
That evil smile was back on his face again. She took a moment to remember exactly how evil her husband really was just before she lifted the pot full of sauce and flung it in the direction of his face. His scream of pain was the first thing she registered, seconds before she felt the sting of the sauce scalding the skin of her shoulder and upper back. His hand released her hair as she felt the swift slide of the knife blade across her abdomen, immediately followed by sharp pain. Ignoring the pain, knowing this was her only chance, she braced her left hand on the countertop for leverage and spun herself around, letting the heavy weight of the pot in her hand guide her.
When the satisfying sound of her cookware making contact with Damien’s head reached her ears, she finally opened her eyes and watched. In slow motion, Damien fell into the counter opposite her, screaming in pain while trying to clear the thick white sauce from his face. Taking one more swing at his head with the pot, she almost slipped in the mess on the floor before righting herself. Her second swing didn’t make as satisfying contact as the first, but still had him stumbling backward.
Flinging the pot to the kitchen floor, Victoria took off at full speed toward the front of the house. She could hear Damien moaning in agony as the kitchen faucet came to life. Fumbling with the chain on the front door, it took her two tries before successfully swinging the door wide open. Darting out the front door, she wasn’t sure where she was going to go, but the sight of her neighbor across the street pulling into his garage caught her eye.
Not looking back, she started yelling in his direction, “Help! Please help me!” After getting out of his car, he came around to the back of it. She had caught his attention and he must have seen the urgency on her face as he dropped his briefcase and moved quickly toward her. She heard Damien yell her name, but she didn’t turn to look. When her neighbor reached her, she pleaded, “Please … help me. He’ll kill me …”
Feeling the strong arm of the man helping her wrap around her waist, she leaned into him as he pulled her quickly up his driveway and into his open garage. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard Damien’s voice again; he was getting closer. Looking back this time, she could see him running across the street toward the closing garage door she was trying to hide behind. Her savior gripped her tightly as they watched the door descend, blocking their view of her husband’s pursuit. The door met the ground seconds before a loud bang echoed through the garage, causing her to jump, and the other man to hold her tightly. “Don’t worry, he can’t get to you now.”
Damien began pounding and yelling as the man whose name she didn’t know began speaking into his phone. “We need help. I’m with a woman who was being attacked. We’re trapped in my garage, and her attacker is trying to get to us through the door. Yes, she’s injured, but I don’t know how badly. There appears to be blood on her front, but I don’t know if it’s hers or not.”
Blood? Her hand quickly went to her stomach as she looked down. When she registered the wetness of her clothes against her body, she pulled her hand back to see it was covered in blood. Shock began to overwhelm her as her body finally registered the pain from an injury she had forgotten she received. Shaking, she let her weight pull her to the ground. The man guided her as he continued to talk into the phone, coming down on the cold cement next to her.
His face swam in her vision as blackness began to fill the edges and cloud over him. She whispered, “No, not my baby … please …” before everything went black.
CHAPTER ONE
JASON scanned the crowd of people slowly filling the reception hall. Jake and Gillian had put together a great looking party, and he was looking forward to having a good night with his family. Spotting his friend, Mike, escorting Allie to a table near the front of the room, Jason made his way toward them. Wasn’t the wedding party supposed to sit together? Feeling confident that was the case, he followed them.
Stepping up alongside Allie, one of his oldest friends, he slipped his arm around her waist and squeezed just where he knew she was ticklish. He smiled as Allie jerked to the side and let out a squeal. He was still smiling when she turned and looked up at him. “Dammit, Jason! Never make a girl move like that when she’s been squeezed into a dress like this and is balancing on four-inch heels.”
Allie shoved him in the chest, but he didn’t move much. Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek, “Sorry, Al. Did I mention how great you look tonight?”
“Oh, you’re smooth. Direct me away from my annoyance by offering compliments,” she said with a smirk.
He shrugged. “It would only be wrong to do something like that if I were lying, and I’m not, so it’s a smart move on my part.”
“I would have to agree,” Mike said as he moved in close to Allie and pulled her softly against him. Jason watched when Allie leaned against Mike’s chest, sighing as he kissed the top of her head.
Jason was happy Allie had found a man like Mike to fill the empty spot in her life. When they all lost Marc almost six years ago, he never thought it was something he would see happen. But seeing how it had, he couldn’t be happier with the choice Allie made. Mike Lawson was one of the good guys—the kind you could easily get approval from big-brother types like himself.
Earlier in the day, he was with the two of them as Allie took a big step in her life and passed her late husband’s 1968 Camaro off to their nephew, Jonathan. It was a huge deal for her, and Jason was glad he got to be a part of it. Shaking off the nostalgia of the morning events, he moved on to the nostalgia of the events of the evening. His little brother’s wedding.
Accepting Mike’s offered hand, Jason shook it, saying, “Looks like it’s going to be a great party.”
Allie shook her head. “It’s a reception you nimrod, not a party. There’s a difference you know.”
Jason gave her questioning look. “Uh, it’s a group of people gathered together to celebrate an event. That sounds like a party to me,” he said jokingly.
Mike pulled out a chair for Allie and then took the seat next to her. Jason followed suit and sat opposite him while Allie continued, “Just remember: whenever you get married, you never want to call it that around your fiancé. It just makes you sound like you’re discounting the importance of it.”
Jason looked to Mike, who was smiling indulgently at Allie, love evident in his gaze. “Help me out here, Mike.”
Mike snorted a laugh as he picked up a glass of water and took a sip. “I don’t think so, man. Don’t try and toss me in the dog house tonight. I’ll pick Allie’s side anytime she’s wearing four-inch heels. Hell, I’ll even start a petition to help her prove her point.”
Jason shook his head. “Damn, man, whipped much?”
Mike smiled and nodded his head. “Hell yeah I am. Have you seen those shoes?”
Jason looked back to Allie’s knowing grin, then down to where her legs were crossed and one foot was bouncing in front of her. Taking in the shoes, Jason would have to concede. They were hot shoes. Not that he thought Allie was hot in them, because he didn’t view her that way, but he knew a sexy pair of shoes when he saw them.
Looking back up at Mike, he said, “I see your point. You get a pass today.”
Allie scooted her chair closer to Mike as he swung his arm around the back of it. Jason watched as she snuggled in closer to him, getting comfortable. Well, Mike might have a pass today, but Jason didn’t. “I still stand by my words—it’s a party.”
“Ask any chick in here if this is considered a ‘party’ and you will get a resounding hell no,” Allie said with confidence.
“All right half-pint,” Jason said with a smirk. He knew using her nickname would irritate her. It worked, so he continued, “I’m sure there’s at least one woman in here who will agree with my view. Care to make a wager?”
Allie’s eyebrow went up as she looked sideways at Jason. Mike huffed a laugh in Jason’s direction. “Hey man, remember what happened the last time Allie made a wager? You ended up singing karaoke.”
Jason waved off Mike’s warning, but didn’t take his eyes off Allie as she continued to smirk and give him a considering look. “I’m not worried. There’s no way she would let something like that go down at Gillian’s wedding.”
Allie scowled. “Damn, you’re right, I wouldn’t. But I didn’t think you would know that. Now I need to up my game.”
“Bring it on, half-pint,” he said, taunting her. She only smirked before leaning up and whispering in Mike’s ear. He smiled as she pulled away and looked up at him. Mike nodded at her, and then she turned her gaze on Jason.
“Okay, so here’s how it’s gonna go down. The terms are this: You can ask as many women you can find if this is a reception or a party. If you can find one who agrees with you, you win. If you don’t, I win,” she said.
“Okay. What are the stakes?” Jason said as he began to look around for the first woman he would approach.
“If I win, you have to be our table bitch for the night. If you win, I’ll be it.”
“What the hell is a table bitch?” Jason asked as he looked back at her.
“A bitch, plain and simple. We say jump, you ask how high. We want more champagne, you go fetch it. You know, the crap we normally make the kids do,” she said with a smirk.
“I really should know better than to make bets with you. Your ability to come up with some seriously creative terms is a bit diabolical.” Shaking his head once again, he added, “I agree to your terms, but I have one condition. No dancing. I don’t do dancing.” Putting his hand out, they shook before standing.
“You pick ‘em, gigantor. I can’t have you blaming my choice in women for your loss.” Jason only nodded his head as he made his way to the first woman he was going to ask, Allie close on his heels.
TORI was pleased with how smoothly things were moving in the kitchen. The salad plates had all been prepped and ready to go on time, and the wait staff had efficiently delivered them to all the tables. Now it was time to start serving the main courses. Without even looking up, she called out, “Main courses ready to drop. I need everyone front and center, please.”
The crew knew the drill and, after working together for the past six months, they all responded quickly. Just the way she expected. Looking up from the tray she was putting together, she addressed the staff. “You know what to do. The trays are marked with names and choice of entrée. It shouldn’t be too hard, just make sure you confirm the choice as you serve them. If you get a difficult one who claims to want something else, move along to the next one and let me know when you bring the tray back. I have extras. When you pick up the salad plates, please don’t stack them with the entrée covers, it only makes cleaning them more annoying.”
Giving everyone a quick glance. “Yes?” She received a few knowing looks, a few nods and few who seemed embarrassed since they were the culprits from the last job. Individual humiliation was never something she would do—addressing them as a group worked just fine. “Okay, grab your trays, and let’s get this show on the road. The sooner these people are fed, the sooner they eat cake, and the sooner your jobs will be done for the night. Nimble feet and steady hands please.”
Bringing her attention back to what she was working on, she could hear the staff moving about and collecting their trays. She felt her friend, Tessa, sidle up next to her before giving her a little hip check. “You know what? You are the nicest drill instructor out there.”
Tori didn’t have to look at her to know she was just giving her a hard time. Tessa thought she was too nice for being the team leader, but she wasn’t someone who thought being boss meant being mean. “I only said ‘please’ once. What more do you want?”
Tessa began placing the lids on the plates in front of them before they both started to stack them two high on the large tray to be carried out. “Personally, I think you should increase the volume of your voice and add some snapping. That would really get them fired up.”
Tori laughed and looked at Tessa, who gave her an evil grin and nod, encouraging her to go along with her suggestions. Shaking her head, she looked back down to make sure she had the tray ready before loading it at the bottom of the cart. Standing back up, she turned to Tessa and said, “Don’t you have a tray to offload? Go on, get to it.” She made sure to raise her voice a little and snap her fingers a time or two.
Tessa smiled as she moved away. Looking back over her shoulder she gave Tori a seductive look. “I think bossy Tori is hot.” Then she winked and walked away with her tray.
Her wait staff was beginning to come back in with empty trays. Tori stood there, assessing the activity—monitoring. Grabbing a rag, she wiped down the surface she had just finished using when a deep voice startled her. “Excuse me, can you help me?”
Looking up, Tori was taken aback by the giant of a man standing before her. Well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders that made the tuxedo he was wearing almost look painted on. His brown hair was longer on top and tapered closer to the head as it reached his neck. His hair trailed seamlessly into a tightly trimmed beard that cleanly outlined his strong jawline before ending at his thick, corded neck.
Her eyes made the circuit back up to his face and found a set of bright hazel eyes taking her in. As if she couldn’t help it, she dropped her gaze to a one-sided smirk that changed his expression from intense to playful. Moments later, his full lips pulled back to reveal a hypnotizing smile that threatened her ability to breathe and had her heart picking up its pace just a bit. The smile said something, but she didn’t hear it. Snapping herself out an apparent trance, she brought her gaze back to his eyes, which were also smiling at her.
“Hi,” the tux said.
Literally giving her head a shake, she slipped her professional demeanor back on and responded, “Can I help you with something?”
Again with his smile, he said, “I sure hope so.” Motioning with his thumb over his shoulder to the main room where the reception was being held, he added, “The people at my table are being a bit difficult and have asked me to come back and retrieve some salad dressing. Can I get some from you?”
She thought it was a bit odd, and she gave him a questioning look. “Difficult? Did my staff not give you any with your salad?” While awaiting his answer, she mentally tried to come up with another way to double check that the salads had dressing next time.
“No, the salads all had dressing on them,” he replied.
“Oh, okay. So then you just need more?” she asked as she moved to the side to open the refrigerator for the dressing.
“Yes, please. Can I have a few small cups? I’m sure that after I come back with one, Allie will send me back for m
ore,” he said as he shook his head and then mumbled, “It’s going to be a long night.”
Tori huffed a laugh at him, “It can’t be all that bad. You’re at a party after all.” Returning to the counter, she pulled a plate out and lined it with small serving cups for the dressing.
“What did you just say?” the tux asked, almost hopefully.
She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, trying not to get lost in those bright hazel eyes of his. “I said, it can’t be all that bad?”
“No, the other part,” he insisted, his tone laced with excitement.
“I think I said, you’re at a party after all,” she replied in a questioning tone, not sure what he was getting at.
“Exactly! Thank you,” he declared as his arms stretched out to his sides, giving her a glimpse of his impressive wingspan.
Still not quite sure what was going on, she raised her eyebrows as she said, “Glad I could help?”
Dropping her attention back to the dressing cups, she proceeded to fill them. A moment later he was around the counter and in her personal space. Momentarily startled by his size, she stepped back and looked up at him as he said, “Come with me, I need you.”
Tori choked on her words before clearing her throat. “Excuse me?”
He gave his head a shake and then smiled down at her with a laugh, “I’m sorry. Can you come out to our table? I need you to say that to my friend.”
“Okaaay,” she said as she moved over to rinse her hands off in the sink. “So long as it only takes a minute, and I’m not causing anyone any trouble.”
The tux smiled and nodded. “It will be quick, and you won’t be causing any trouble. In fact, you’ll be helping me.”
Love Required (The Real Love Series) Page 2
