Chapter 11
ELEVEN
JUSTICE
My body aches as I roll over, my eyes struggling to open beneath heavy, swollen lids.
I want to curl against Dylan’s side, but when I reach for him, I realize that side of the bed is cold.
I sigh and force myself to sit up, looking around the room.
Disappointment and shame settles deep in my bones when I realize he’s left me here alone without so much as a goodbye.
Is it for good? Is this his way of closing that chapter of our lives without having the decency to tell me?
I climb out of bed and wince in pain, deciding maybe a hot shower will work some of the soreness out.
Each swipe of the washcloth sets my skin ablaze with fiery aches against the deep purple bruises that mar my tender skin.
The absolute worst mark is the imprint of Harlan’s hand around my throat.
It’s noticeable at first glance that I’ve been battered.
I dress for the day then dig my phone out of my purse to call Luke.
“Where the hell have you been? Your car was found at the mouth of the holler with you nowhere in sight. Haven is worried sick,” he chastises without greeting.
I sigh and bite down on the bottom of my lip. “Can you come pick me up?”
“Where are you?”
“Montgomery Hotel. Text me when you get here and I’ll be right out.”
“Give me ten, and I’ll be there.” I’m thankful that Luke doesn’t question me further. I gather my clothes and wait for Luke to arrive. As promised, he’s here within ten minutes, waiting in the check-in lane as I exit the hotel.
I put my tote bag on the back floorboard then climb in the passenger seat. Luke reaches over and gently grips my chin, turning my face toward him. His eyes darken as a protective fury washes over his features.
“That bastard do this to you?” he grits out.
I nod, my lip quivering as I fight back the tears. Luke’s always brought my emotions to the surface; his empathetic nature to understand my despair is all-consuming, and I can see the anguish etched in the corners of his eyes.
“What happened, Justice? How’d you get here?” He waves toward the hotel.
“Luke, I… I’m not proud of the woman I’ve become. The choices I’ve made have a direct impact on Haven and Ezekiel. I’ve always tried to do right by my son, which is why Haven has raised him as her child, but it guts me to my core that he’ll never know the love his mother has for him.”
“Sissy, you did what you thought was best for him. I don’t fault you for that, and neither does Haven.”
“It’s my cross to bear, Luke. I tried to protect Zeke from his father, but it was only a matter of time before Harlan learned the truth.”
“Which is why his handprint is bruised around your throat? He beat you?” Luke’s tone darkens.
“I deserve his wrath. Harlan’s an abusive bastard, but he’s always been at the cusp of my demise. I’ve never been able to escape the hold he’s had on me, which is why I’ve spent the last six months trying to break free of his grasp for good.”
Luke’s brow cocks as he glances at me from his peripheral. “I don’t understand what you mean. Talk to me, Sissy. There’s no judgment here, but in order to save you, I have to know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“I was approached by an agent with the FBI and asked to be a confidential informant for the case they are building against Harlan and the people he works for.”
Luke shakes his head, his hand tightening on the wheel as he takes the sharp turn. “What did they offer you, Justice?”
“I’m so stupid, Luke. I played right into his good looks and broken promises, and he’s done nothing but use me. Harlan is untouchable. He nearly killed me last night, and if he finds out about Dylan and the FBI, I’m as good as dead.”
“Damn it, Justice.” The disappointment in his tone lashes at my already splintered heart.
“It was a mistake. I thought if I could get away from Harlan, I could raise Ezekiel. We’d be a family, and we’d all be safe.”
Luke parks the truck and switches off the ignition, then turns and grip my hand. I look out of the windshield and realize we’re at the diner. “Give me time to think. I’ll get this figured out, sis. For now, go home and see your son. Haven was worried sick when you didn’t come home last night.”
“I’m working, Luke. You do enough to take care of me. I can’t continue to let you down.”
He sighs, relenting on the argument he knows he will not win.
“Fine. I had your car towed to the house, so I’ll work on it this afternoon.
In the meantime, let me figure out a few things, but I want you to keep your distance from Harlan and this agent.
You’re crossing the line into a dangerous territory there’s no coming back from, Justice. ”
“I’m already there, Luke,” I whisper.
“There’s more?”
I nod, swallowing back the sob obstructing my airways.
“I-I’m pregnant.”
Luke pulls me into his side as the damn breaks, and that sob rends the air on a muffled gasp. I cry for all that I’ve lost and all I stand to lose. Shattered shards of the woman Harlan afflicted with his tainted hold on me.
I sit up and wipe my face, needing air to breathe. Rambunctious noise echoes through my head, a mental assault on my already splintered psyche.
“You’re stronger than this, Justice.”
“Thanks, Luke. You’re always there to pull me from rock bottom. I don’t deserve you.”
“You’re sure you’re good to work? If money’s the issue–”
I cut him off as I open the truck door. “I promise.” Luke follows into the diner and goes into his office as I go to the front, grabbing my apron from the hook in the hallway along the way.
“Hey, girl.” Tabbi waves as she bypasses me with a tray full of food. The sweet smell of pancakes and bacon hangs heavily in the air, and my stomach pangs with morning sickness. I get a cup of ginger ale and sip slowly, calming my nerves.
“It’s busy this morning,” I comment as Tabby rounds the counter.
“Yep. I’m glad you’re here finally. Which reminds me… These were delivered for you.” Tabby sweeps her hand toward a vase of poppies as she heads toward the kitchen.
My finger gently caresses the delicate petals, the vibrant red symbolic of the woman I once was.
The irony is not lost on me. I pluck the envelope from the pin and break the seal, but there’s no card inside.
I shake the contents into the palm of my trembling hand, decaying petals laced with a white powdery substance.
Alarm bells sound in my head, the sinister message understood, loud and clear.
It’s a warning that my time is coming to an end.
The sun dips behind the mountains, streaks of pink and orange painting the evening sky.
I carry the trash out to the dumpsters, then sit at the picnic table.
The diner closes shortly, and this is the first break I’ve had all day.
The fast pace allows me the time to not think; it’s when I stop that the invasive thoughts wreak havoc on me.
“My kitten didn’t come home last night. Where were you, Justice?” Harlan says in an eerie calm as he sits at the picnic table, leaving little space between us. He pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lights one up, drawing it to his full lips.
I’m taken aback by his presence, but somehow I manage to find my voice.
“You need to leave.”
“Left me for fuckin’ dead too, kitten.” Blowing smoke rings through his lips, he turns toward me and studies the confused look on my face. “Don’t act so innocent, kitten. Disappointment is written all over that beautiful face. As sure as I’m fuckin’ sittin’ here, you thought you’d killed me.”
“Holy hell, you have seriously lost your mind! I knocked your ass out because you fuckin’ took me against my will, Harlan! You threatened to kill me.”
“Kitten, what will? You’re all mine. I don’t have to ask to fuck that pussy.”
And that’s what he takes from my argument?
I push away from the table, suddenly needing air.
I can’t be near him. He doesn’t see me as his wife—the young girl he fell in love with.
He simply sees me as a possession. I hold no more value to him than the damn table he’s sitting at.
“You disgust me. I fuckin’ hate you!” I step past him to head inside, and his hand latches around my throat and slams my back against the building.
“Why the hell do you think you can just traipse away from me when I’m fuckin’ talking to you, Justice Faith! Now, I asked you once nicely, yet you’re forcing my hand to ask again. Where the fuck were you last night?”
“I don’t answer to you anymore, Harlan. I’m tired of running. I’m tired of fighting to survive.”
“Just tell me why you lied to me, made me believe you’d lost our kid. Why you hid his existence? You fuckin’ owe me that much, kitten.”
“I did it to protect him! That baby didn’t deserve the agony of being your son.”
“You didn’t even give me the chance to be his father, Justice. You stole that from me! We could have been a family.”
“You’re delusional, Harlan. You’re a criminal.
An abusive bastard. You’ve never been fit to be a father.
And this”--I motion between us–”we’re through.
I want you out of my life for good.” Harlan thrusts me against the wall, my head smacking against the concrete.
His strong hand wraps around my throat, and the air in my chest seizes as his fingers clamp tighter and tighter around my windpipe.
I attempt to squeal out a response—my lips moving with no sound to be heard. I claw at his rough, calloused hands as my feet dangle before the gravel.
“Left me for dead,” he seethes, his teeth clenched tightly as his jaw tics.
The depraved glint in his eyes is so expected, the fury that he unleashes with every strike of his hand, every harsh word that falls from his lips.
His grip tightens unforgivingly, the air in my lungs seizing and fighting for a release.
My head swims, and my eyes roll backward as I begin to lose consciousness.