Breaking the Violence (Hard Drive Series Book 3)
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Published by The Hartwood Publishing Group, LLC,
Hartwood Publishing, Phoenix, Arizona
www.hartwoodpublishing.com
Breaking the Violence
Copyright © 2017 by Tricia Andersen
Digital Release: March 2017
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Breaking the Violence by Tricia Andersen
Finding the woman of his dreams in a burning car, Mark Jacobsen figures he’ll never see her again. As consolation, he buries himself in preparing for his first professional MMA fight. When she shows up in his ER with bruises, he discovers that her ex-husband is abusing her. He helps her find courage as he falls in love with not only her but her son. But how far will her ex go to keep her? Is Mark’s love great enough to put his life in danger?
Lexi Mills isn’t sure how much she can trust Mark Jacobsen. Years of torture from her ex-husband makes her wary of all relationships. But the gentle teddy bear of a man begins to break down her walls. Can she find love with the full time doctor and part time MMA fighter? Or will her ex end her life before she finds out?
Dedication
Thank you to Keoni Koch and my brothers and sisters at Hard Drive Mixed Martial Arts. You’ve helped me through some of the hardest, darkest moments of my life. You’ve been there for me and it means everything to me. Thank you for helping me find the courage to write this book. I love you all.
This is for Jake and Amanda. Thank you for your encouragement, for the kicks in the butt (both figuratively and literally) and for being such incredible inspirations for Mark and Lexi.
This book is dedicated to all those who have found themselves in an abusive relationship. I hope it helps you to find courage to get free and find the life you deserve. You have my love.
Chapter One
It just didn’t make any sense. Life was completely unfair.
The reflective paint dotting the dark Minnesota highway was the only thing pulling Mark from his self-pity. He rubbed his unshaven chin as he shook his head. Rico Choate, the Rico Choate, the womanizing MMA bad boy, was now happily and blissfully married. Married. To one woman forever. It wasn’t that Mark didn’t like Avery. He loved Avery like she was his sister. But Rico, who went through women like he went through mouth guards, found love, and Mark couldn’t even get a date.
Not to mention the tux that was wrapped tight around his large frame was nearly choking him out. It was almost as bad as that rear naked choke Rico… Mark huffed. Life sucked.
He felt a hand tug violently on the arm of his coat. “Mark, are you awake?”
Mark looked over at Dan, his best friend. The blond’s green eyes were wide behind his wire rimmed glasses. “Yeah. Why?”
“You’re weaving all over the road, dude.”
Mark’s eyes shot up at the road as he yanked the steering wheel to guide his truck back into his lane. “Sorry, man.”
Mark didn’t have to glance over to know Dan was watching him. Dan and Mark had been inseparable since they were toddlers. They went from preschool to college together. They moved from Iowa to Minnesota together. They joined Hard Drive together. If it weren’t for the stark contrast in their appearance, they could easily be mistaken for brothers. They were closer to each other than any of their blood relatives. And Dan always knew when something was bothering Mark. “Want to talk about it?”
“No,” Mark snapped.
“It’s an hour to Minneapolis and I don’t know about you but I’d like to get there alive. So talk.”
Mark glared at Dan. Typically Dan was quiet and reserved. Where did that outburst come from? Mark sighed. “Rico.”
“What about him?”
“I’m a great guy. I’m good looking. How did Rico Choate, Mister-I-hate-commitment-and-must-sleep-with-a-different-female-every-night, get his happily ever after before I did?”
Dan shrugged. “He found Avery.”
“I know he found Avery. Duh. I don’t…”
Something bright in the darkness along the side of the road caught Mark’s eye. He frowned. It looked like fire. He sped up to get a closer look.
“What is that?” Dan questioned.
“I don’t know,” Mark puzzled. “It looks like…” His heart slammed in his chest. “A car is on fire.”
Mark raced down the road and then crossed the other lane to park a safe distance from the flames. He leapt from the truck as it came to the stop and raced to the blazing vehicle. The click of dress shoes on the pavement behind him told him Dan was on his heels. Mark raised his arm over his face to shield himself from the intense heat as he carefully approached, scanning the inside for any occupants. His heart seized again as he flew into his normal role―that of an ER doctor. “Dan, there’s two people inside!”
“What do you want me to do?” Dan requested.
Mark glanced briefly behind him at his friend. The question wasn’t a demand for an answer to a hopeless situation. Dan was actually in stance like he was in the octagon. He was ready to fight, waiting for orders, but Mark wasn’t about to put him in danger. “There are less flames over on the passenger side. Get whoever is over there. I’ll get the driver’s side.”
“But the fire…”
“Dan, I’ve trained for this. We don’t have time to argue. Go!”
Mark didn’t look to see if Dan obeyed. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, he dove into the flames, covering his large hand with his coat jacket to yank the handle of the car door. In one smooth motion he dipped into the blaze to pop the seat belt and then scoop the small body into his arms. The heat seared his skin as he stepped free from the car, holding the driver to him. Mark’s exhale held a sigh of relief as he saw Dan retreating to the truck with a man slung over his shoulder. He sprinted carefully behind the truck to find Dan gently lying the unconscious man on the ground.
Mark slumped to the ground, still cradling the small body to him. His large hand against the driver’s back felt the steady rhythm of a breath and heartbeat. “Is he alive?”
Dan leaned his ear over the man’s mouth. “Yeah, he’s breathing. It’s shallow but it’s there. I’m calling 9-1-1. Have any idea where we are?”
Mark let loose a hopeless laugh. “Nope. Middle of nowhere Minnesota. We’re about twenty minutes from the lodge.”
He looked down at the person in his arms. If the fire hadn’t stolen his breath, it was gone now. His eyes gazed down at the soft, delicate face marred with streaks of soot. Long, silky golden hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her pink lips puffed out air greedily. She was tiny in his arms. Mark swallowed hard. Of course this would be his luck―find the woman of his dreams in a burning wreck.
“Mark,” Dan interrupted his thoughts.
“What?”
“Your coat. You’re smoldering.”
“So much for my deposit.”
“Yep. You can kiss that good-bye. Good luck explaining it to Rico.”
“Fantastic.”
The sound of sirens echoed through the dark. That noise was shattered by the loud bangs of one tire after another exploding. The fire raged behind them as the gas tank was engulfed. Mark shuddered as he peeked around the nose of the truck. Moments ago this beautiful woman was sitting where now there was a ball of flames. His attention was pulled away by the flashing lights of the fire truck. Dan stood to motion some of the firemen to them as the rest tugged the hoses from the truck to attack the blaze.
A couple of the firemen hovered over Mark cradling the woman in his arms. Silently he rose to his knees and laid her on the ground for them to take care of her. He watched them dumbfounded for a moment then shook his head to clear his thought. I’m a doctor. What’s wrong with me? He cleared his thoughts as he kneeled beside them. “What can I do?”
“Nothing, sir. We have this under control,” the smaller of the two fireman assured.
“I’m an ER doctor at the University of Minnesota Medical Center,” Mark insisted.
The taller of the two scanned him from head to toe. “What is your assessment, doctor?”
“Her breathing is shallow. She needs oxygen. I am assuming that her friend will need it too. There are minor burns. As far as vitals go, I’m a little short on equipment,” Mark answered.
“We’ll get her back to our vehicle and check those. Thank you, doctor.”
“Is there anything else I can help with?”
The smaller firefighter spun around on his knee with his mouth open, obviously ready to give Mark more instructions. His words were cut short by an approaching voice. “Baker, I see you’ve met Mark Jacobsen, one of the best ER docs in Minneapolis. He could probably teach you a thing or two.”
Baker smiled. “We’ve got it from here. Thank you, Doctor Jacobsen.”
“Anytime.”
Mark slowly rose to his feet, turning toward the voice. A smile spread across his face as he reached out his hand. “Nate, it’s been too long.”
The redhead with close cropped hair shook his hand. “Likewise, man. I need to get down to the Cities and see one of your fights.” Nate glanced around at the scene. “What happened here?”
Mark motioned over to Dan. “Dan and I were at the resort at a wedding. We were driving home when we came upon,” he pointed at the blazing car, “that.”
Nate reached out to shake Dan’s hand. “Dan, long time no see.”
“Likewise,” Dan responded quietly.
Nate cocked an eyebrow at both of the men. “Wedding at the resort? Wasn’t Rico Choate getting married there?”
Mark fought back his eye roll and swallowed back the sigh. Seriously? “Yeah. Rico and his wife Avery are a couple of our best friends. We were groomsmen in the wedding.” He was distracted from Nate’s curiosity as the newly arrived paramedics gently lifted the woman onto the gurney. “Nate, do you know who she is?”
“Never seen her before. Unless she has identification on her we’ll have to wait until she wakes up.”
“Could you call me and let me know?”
Nate shook his head. “You know I can’t do that, Mark. You can’t either when you’re in the ER. Privacy laws.”
Mark exhaled slowly. “You’re right. Don’t know what I was thinking.”
Nate said his good-byes to Mark and Dan and then joined his men battling the flames. Mark watched as the woman and her companion were swept into the waiting ambulances. With a blare of sirens the vehicles raced into the dark night.
Mark growled, frustrated. He should have figured. There she was, the woman of his dreams, and he would probably never see her again.
It was official. Life sucked.
»»•««
It was well after midnight when Mark dropped Dan off at his condo. Temptation beckoned him to take his best friend up on the offer to crash on his couch for the night. However, the last time Mark did that he could barely move the next morning. With a subtle groan he declined and wished Dan good night and then finished his drive to his own townhouse. He barely managed to peel off what was left of his tux and make it to his bed before falling asleep.
His sleep was restless. He dreamt of the fire and of the blonde woman he’d found inside. For the first time in a week he was able to get a full night’s sleep and the woman of his dreams was waking him up. Morning came too early. Mark sat up in his bed with a sigh as the morning light filled his room. He might as well get up, get dressed, and head to Hard Drive.
A few fighters were stretching on the mats when Mark walked into the gym. Dan was sitting on the bench digging in his bag. He pulled free his glasses case and slipped the glasses from his face. After tucking the case back into his bag he grabbed his gloves and wraps and zipped the bag closed. Mark frowned. Why didn’t Dan get contacts? Shaking his head he approached his friend.
“Thought you’d be sleeping in,” Dan greeted.
“I couldn’t get a decent sleep,” Mark admitted.
“Me neither. My adrenaline was going hard after the fire. It was hard to settle in.”
Mark sighed. It wasn’t the adrenaline. It was the mystery blonde that stole my heart. “Yeah. Tell me about it.”
Footsteps on the walkway above them caught their attention. Max’s voice echoed over the gym. “Hey, guys. Have you seen Mark and Dan?”
The fighters on the mat pointed under the walkway to where Mark and Dan were. Max chuckled. “Hey gents, can I see you up here for a sec?”
Dan tossed his bag under the bench and stood. Mark led him up the stairs to the office. Stepping inside, they found Chloe, Max’s wife and co-owner of Hard Drive, typing away at her computer. Max plopped down in the easy chair in the corner. He rustled his hand through his dark hair as Dan and Mark settled on the couch.
Chloe spun toward them in her office chair. “Did you see that car on fire last night on the way home?”
Mark let go a half-hearted laugh. “You could say that.”
Chloe frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
Dan elbowed Mark in the side. “Super Mark here stopped to check it out. He found two people inside and we got them out.”
Mark winced at the thought of his mystery woman. He looked up to find Chloe’s hazel eyes studying him. He sighed. Nothing got past Chloe. Ever. She had to notice his reaction. The hint of a grin on her face told him she would be finding out what it meant.
“Can’t keep the super hero in Mark down, can we?” Max teased.
Mark glared at Max. “You would have done the same.”
“You’re right. But all that comes naturally to you. The rest of us become bumbling idiots. Remember Rico’s leg when he screwed up his ACL in his fight? Dan and I were useless. You were cool as a cucumber.”
Mark’s thoughts of the woman in the blazing car were quickly replaced by the memory of Rico’s fight in Las Vegas, the night his knee was so torn up inside that he couldn’t walk. It was the night Phoebe, Rico’s psycho ex-girlfriend, stole the ring Max planned to propose to Chloe with and nearly broke them up forever. “No, the bumbling idiot was Rico for not getting in the ambulance like I told him to. Did he think his leg was going to heal itself in the shower? Moron.”
Everyone in the room laughed at Mark’s musings. Dan rubbed his glasses-free eyes. “So what’s up, Max? Why did you call us up here?”
Max’s eyes jumped from one man to another. “You both have very impressive amateur records. No losses between you. Mark, you have seven wins. Dan you have four.”
“True,” Mark acknowledged. “What about it?”
Max smirked at him. “How would you guys like your first professional fight?”
Mark’s eyes flew
open wide and his mouth dropped open. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Dan’s reaction was the same. “Pro? Like you and Rico.”
“Exactly. You’re both ready and you deserve the shot.”
“So, are you going to go find us a fight?” Dan questioned.
Max laughed. “When have I ever worked like that? I already found it. There’s going to be a big event downtown in ten weeks. I already got fights for Rico and me defending our titles. The promoter asked if I knew anyone else that could fight professionally. My thoughts went to you two. All you need to do is sign the contracts. Which, of course, I have.”
Mark sat back on the couch, stunned. His first professional fight. It would take a lot of time and commitment, nearly impossible with twelve hour shifts at the hospital. But he would never get a chance like this again. And maybe working and training non-stop would help him forget the beautiful woman who got away. “I’m in.”
“Me too,” Dan chimed.
“Great.” Max stood up and crossed over to the desk, pressing a kiss to Chloe’s lips as he picked up a couple of stacks of papers from beside the computer. He crossed over to the couch and handed a packet to each men. “You know the routine. Sign them. Get them back to me. Make sure your blood tests are up to date.”
“Aye, aye captain,” Mark retorted as he rolled his papers up in his hand. He stood and made his way to the stairs. Dan and Max were right behind him, ready to get to the mat to practice.
Mark, Max, and Dan threw themselves into training, spending hours at Hard Drive sparring and grappling. Going from work to the gym to bed melted the days together for Mark. He couldn’t even figure out which day he was on. He was exhausted but feeling stronger, and he knew without a doubt he would be ready for this fight.
Saturday announced itself with the slamming of the glass door at the gym. Mark looked up from the mat where he had Dan pinned in side control. Rico stood in the doorway, a smirk spread across his face. Avery slipped into the gym beside him.