Dangerous Lies(2)

I chewed my lip, staring at my green eyes in the mirror. Jake was right, she didn’t own me. If she wanted to drop me, she would have when I told her Martin, her son, had smacked me around for the last time and that I was meeting with a divorce attorney.

“She does love new manuscripts,” I agreed. “It has been three months since my last release, two since I’ve actually written.”

Jake sucked in a breath of air. “That’s a hell of a long time. If that twat of a woman doesn’t understand, then your ass can finally go Indie and make some really good money.”

I laughed. “I’ll let you run my marketing campaign.”

“Maybe if we meet face to face, you’ll actually listen to me and take my advice,” he scolded playfully.

“I listen, it just seems like a lot of work.”

“Well, Love, that’s how you become successful,” he chuckled.

“I know that, I mean taking the hit on splitting royalties was worth not worrying about it to me.”

“I get it, just think about it, okay?” He said sincerely, coming back to me visiting him. “I’ve got a spare bedroom that overlooks the lake. A change of scenery could help you get your groove back. So could spending time with a longtime friend.”

I smiled, warmth filling me. “Thanks, Jake. I appreciate the offer. I’ll think about it. We could even post a selfie together.”

“A backwards selfie. This mug must remain unknown,” he deadpanned.

“I still don’t understand how that works so well for you,” I joked with him.

Although, I did know why leaving himself a mystery worked. He was built from the back, strong and fit. There were a few shots where his jaw-line snuck in the photo, chiseled with a hint of stubble. It left women wondering and wanting. I had never allowed myself to want, because I was faithful to my husband. Keeping true faith to my marriage didn’t stop my mind from wondering about what he’d look like from the front. I’d tried to snoop around his social media accounts, clicking on a few of the other web pages of who had liked his photos or comments. He had so many, it became impossible to know who actually knew him or if they were loyal readers.

“I can’t show my face because of my top secret real life job,” he teased. I imagined him winking. He seemed like the kind of guy who would do silly things like that. Jake was wonderful via email and over the telephone. There was only one problem holding me back.

Like all of his fans, I had never seen his face. “Or because you don’t have eyes and a nose.”

He barked a laugh into the phone. “Glass eyes still count as eyes.”

Jake was the reason for a few of my beatings. Martin had run across some of our harmless email banter. That was the first time. Another time was when he read a steamy portion of a manuscript Jake had sent me. He took it completely the wrong way, leaving me with a black eye and bruised ribs. That was my last straw. I filed for divorce the next day.

I’d never told Jake about the physical abuse. He didn’t need to hear about that horrible part of my life, only the authorities knew. It was how I got away from him so easily, and how his parents didn’t completely blame me for our divorce.

“I’ll give you that,” I teased. “I need to get to bed. I might have to tell Sandra that I’ll be leaving the country.”

“Now that’s the spirit,” he encouraged. “I’ll look up flights for you.”

Holding back a yawn, I shook my head. “I’ll look them up on my phone once I get into bed.”

“Sleep. It’s 7:30 at night here. I’ll check before I hanker in to write.”

“Alright, fine. Screenshot them and send them my way,” I conceded, throwing my caramel hair into a messy bun and hanging up the washcloth. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Night, love,” he said, his New Zealand accent blending the two words together.

Hitting my sheets, I took a long inhale in and out of my nose. Being done with the courts and paperwork with Martin was a relief and a load off my shoulders. He’d anchored me for so long that I’d lost my way, but now, I was ready to start fresh.





Chapter Two





Hands clamped down on my shoulders while I was sprawled on my front, startling me awake.

“You got something to tell me?” Martin snarled in my ear.

My eyes flung open. “What are you doing here?” I croaked, fighting his hands. It was no use, he was stronger than me.

We were divorced, and he promised he’d never be in contact with me again. It was the only reason I declined the restraining order my lawyer strongly advised.

“Don’t ask stupid questions. You going to tell me why you’re being such a slut and running off to that pussy across the country?”

How could he possibly know I was contemplating a vacation? Let alone the same country as Jake. I’d only thought about it.

He dug his elbow into the center of my back and I gasped. “What? I don’t-”

Twisting his arm, he jammed his elbow further into my spine. “Don’t fucking lie to me. I know you were cheating on me, you cunt. How many times have you slept with that son of a bitch?”

“None!”

Martin had me pinned to the bed, straddling me. My wrists were captured with one hand, and moving was impossible. Tears burned my eyes, my lungs screaming at me from the pressure.