Breaking the Violence (Hard Drive Series Book 3) Read online

“I’m back, Rico announced smugly.

  It lasted only a moment. Avery dug her elbow into his ribs then signed, You’re back?

  Rico shot her an apologetic smile to his deaf wife. She had lost her hearing in Afghanistan while serving with the Marines, yet she seemed to have an uncanny ability to understand every stupid remark her husband said. I mean we’re back, Rico signed.

  Avery glared at him for a long hard moment before she spun on her toe and stormed toward the locker room. The entire gym could hear her grumble about her self-obsessed, arrogant husband the entire way. Mark laughed as he sat back, letting Dan up.

  “Honeymoon over?” Mark chuckled.

  Rico stood dumbfounded as he stared at the empty hallway where his wife once was. He shrugged. “Nah. Honeymoon is still in full force.” He winked at Mark. “We’ll make up when we get home.”

  “Yeah. TMI, Rico. TMI.”

  Rico toed off his shoes and dropped his duffle bag on the bench. Striding across the mats he dropped next to Mark and Dan. “So what did I miss?”

  “You have a title fight,” Dan informed him.

  “Naturally,” Rico returned. “Anything else?”

  “Dan and I have our first pro fights,” Mark told him coolly.

  Rico grinned at him. “About time.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean that I think you both should have been fighting pro for a while now. You are both really good. You deserve this.”

  Mark felt his cheeks warm a little. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The last thing he needed to do was blush in front of his friends―he’d never hear the end of it. “Thanks, man. From you that means a lot.”

  “Yeah. You may change your tune when I kick your ass.”

  “Go ahead and try, Mr. Choate. You’ve been honeymooning for the last week. Some of us have been grinding.”

  “Natural talent. Can’t deny it. Let me stretch and I’ll demonstrate.”

  Mark laughed. “You’re on. Go stretch, pretty boy.”

  “Do you know why I’m pretty?” Rico motioned around his face. “No one lands a punch.”

  “Really? Those scars over your eye came from where? Gremlins?”

  “Yeah. Gremlins. Gremlins in gloves.” Rico was still chuckling as he leaned into his stretch. His head flung forward from the impact of a pair of gloves across the back of his head. Avery stormed past, still grumbling.

  “Dude,” Dan laughed. “You married one.”

  “Yeah.” Rico watched Avery stomp up the steps to the office, a wicked half smile on his lips. “I don’t mind when the gremlins look like that. They can hit me anytime.”

  Both Mark and Dan groaned as they stood to leave Rico to his stretches. The last thing they needed was a play by play account of Rico and Avery’s honeymoon. And they knew Rico would be happy to share.

  Despite the fact that Mark spent the entire week resenting Rico and his perfect new life, he was happy his friend was back in the gym. Dan and Max always proved a challenge when Mark rolled or sparred with them, but Rico was unique. He wasn’t lying when he said he had natural talent. He had been fighting since he was a kid and could see what his opponent was about to do before his opponent even thought it. Rico was the measuring stick Mark needed to reach. And in the next few weeks he would.

  They grappled and sparred for hours. As the orange sunset filled the gym with an amber glow, they slowly stretched and made their way to their bags. Mark gently patted Avery on the back before he signed to her, telling her how great she did. The little blonde Marine held her own against all the guys, especially him, even though he was twice her size. She grinned proudly then spoke. “Thank you.” She scampered off to put her gear in her bag as Mark zipped his up.

  The entire group made their way to their favorite diner, the Twin Cities, like they usually did after a training session. While they waited for their food Avery narrated the week she and Rico had shared, gushing about canoeing on the lake, touring the small town nearby, and sitting at a bonfire outside their cabin every night. She nearly got through her story before she noticed her husband mouthing “and had sex” to the rest every time she took a breath. She elbowed Rico in the ribs and crossed her arms over her chest while everyone else burst out laughing. Rico pulled her close to press a kiss to her temple, but when she snarled back, he started to apologize.

  Mark said his good-byes and trekked out to his truck to head home for a quick nap before his shift started. He took a quick shower to get the gym grime off him and crawled between the sheets. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax. His mind immediately snapped back to the inferno and then to the mystery blonde he let slip through his fingers. Each time he had tried to sleep in the last week, the scene kept him awake. He should have gone with her instead of letting her slip from his fingers. Not that she wasn’t with another guy who was probably her boyfriend. Or husband.

  Still, Mark wanted a shot. And would never get one again.

  Before he knew it, his alarm went off. Mark sighed heavily as he crawled out of bed and tugged his khaki pants on. Buttoning his dress shirt, he glanced at himself in the mirror, noticing the dark rings growing beneath his eyes. He hadn’t had this little sleep since he left medical school. He desperately needed to get himself under control. He grabbed his truck keys from the top of his dresser and shuffled his way to his truck to get to work.

  Chapter Two

  Mark patted the little boy on the shoulder and looked up at his anxious mother. “It’s a simple break, Mrs. Crandall. Sam’s arm should heal nicely. I’ll be back in a few minutes to set it and get you on your way.” He winked at Sam. “What’s your favorite color, big guy?”

  Sam scanned Mark warily as he clenched his wounded arm to himself. “Green.”

  “How about neon green? Toxic ooze green?”

  Sam giggled. “Okay.”

  “Great. One ooze neon green cast coming up.” Mark nodded to Sam’s mom and opened the door to step outside, chuckling to himself. Yeah, the late nights wore on him, and he’d seen things in the ER that would give him nightmares for life. He’d been offered countless opportunities to practice sports medicine which would give him day hours and less stress. But it was moments like these that reminded him he was exactly where he was meant to be.

  He stopped dead in his tracks as he reached the nurses’ station. The presence of three police officers standing guard outside a room was never a good thing. He cocked an eyebrow at the redheaded nurse sitting at the desk as he jabbed a thumb in the direction of the officers. “What’s up, Joan?”

  The nurse sighed. “They suspect domestic abuse. Ex-husband dropped off the kid then took a swing or two at the ex-wife. She swears it didn’t happen but the evidence says otherwise.”

  Troy, the college student shadowing Joan for the past semester, popped from around the corner, his brown eyes wide. “It’s Lexi Mills,” he murmured.

  Mark laughed. “Sorry, Troy. I have no idea who Lexi Mills is.”

  “The bestselling sci-fi writer. Haven’t you ever read And Then There Was One? They’re talking about making a movie out of it.”

  “Can’t say that I have. Why don’t you come help me set a cast?”

  Troy screwed his face up at Mark. “You wouldn’t know anyone famous if they came up and hit you on the head.”

  “Ever heard of Max Thomas or Rico Choate?” Mark countered.

  “The MMA fighters? Yeah!”

  “My best friends. And for the record they have hit me in the head. More than once. It explains a lot. Now how about that cast?”

  Troy scuttled away to get the materials. As he disappeared, Mark shouted after him. “Green! Get green! The neon stuff!”

  Joan laughed at Mark as she handed him a folder. “I can’t wait for the semester to be over. He’s driving me nuts.”

  Mark chuckled with her. “So my next patient is Ms. Mills?”

  “Yep. I’ve gotten her vitals already. She requested a female doctor but there are none available. So I’m sendin
g in the resident teddy bear.”

  “Teddy Bear? Really?”

  Troy reappeared, his arms full of supplies to set a cast. Mark waved him down the hall to Sam’s room. He turned to give a thumbs up to Joan as she called after him, “Be quick about it, Mark!”

  It took no time to set Sam’s arm. It would have been quicker had Troy not bumbled around with the casting material. Sam seemed entranced with the idea that his friends could sign his new, green cast. Mark smiled, listening to the little boy list the friends he wanted to autograph it first as he and his mother disappeared down the hall.

  Mark took a quick glance at the file outside the guarded door. He could feel the eyes of the officers scan him warily as he did so. With a polite smile, Mark waved them aside and grasped the door knob, pushing the door open.

  His heart slammed in his chest and his breath caught in his throat. The beautiful blonde who had haunted his dreams and plagued his thoughts was sitting on the gurney, her big blue eyes wide as she stared at him. Instead of soot streaking her face, her perfect porcelain skin was beginning to discolor to a blackish blue tint.

  He shook himself to his senses and smiled at her. “Hello, Ms. Mills. I’m Doctor Jacobsen. What seems to be the problem today?”

  “Nothing,” murmured Lexi. “My neighbor overreacted.” She stared at him with wide eyes. “I asked for a female doctor.”

  “Unfortunately we don’t have any on staff at the moment. Is it all right if I check the bruise you have there?”

  Before Lexi could answer him a small voice behind Mark whined. “Mommy, when can we go home?”

  Mark turned slowly. Sitting in the chair was a small boy who couldn’t be more than five years old. His big green eyes took in Mark’s large towering figure in amazement. Mark kneeled beside him and offered his hand. “What’s your name?”

  “Logan,” the boy said softly as he shook Mark’s hand.

  “Well, Logan. My name is Mark. Is it okay if I check your mom over? Then you’ll be ready to go.”

  Logan nodded enthusiastically. Mark rustled his blond hair as he stood. As he turned back to Lexi he met her awestruck face. “Mark Jacobsen?”

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  Lexi looked away for a moment. It broke Mark’s heart and set off his protective nature. “I was in an…accident…last week. I asked to read the report. The local fire chief wrote that my friend and I were rescued by a Mark Jacobsen and Dan Johannson.” Her voice grew weak. “I knew your voice was familiar.”

  Mark forced a smile on his face. “Yep, that was me and my best friend. We were coming home from a wedding. I hope your boyfriend is all right.”

  Lexi shook her head. “He’s not my boyfriend. He just took me out on a date. After what happened I doubt we’ll ever go out again.” She smiled. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “Happy to help. Now, can I check out that bruise?”

  Lexi didn’t object as Mark took a step closer, but he did notice her shrink away as he reached out to touch her. “I won’t hurt you,” he soothed.

  She gave him a half-hearted smile. Mark gently lifted her chin, examining the quickly darkening flesh. He noticed her wince when he ran his finger along her chin bone. “I don’t think it’s broken.” He slid the sleeves of her T-shirt up to find more bruises. “How did this happen?”

  “I fell,” she murmured.

  Mark looked into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Why would I lie?”

  “I don’t know. To cover for someone not worth covering for. These injuries aren’t consistent with a fall.”

  “I fell,” Lexi insisted.

  “Ms. Mills, if you fell, why aren’t your knees bruised?”

  Lexi’s eyes flew open wide as she looked down at her bare knees. Her eyes were hard as she looked back up at him. “I’m done here.”

  “Well, I can’t keep you.” Mark reached into his medical coat pocket and retrieved a business card. “If you need anything, even to talk, please call me. I can help.”

  Lexi laughed sadly as she stood and took the card, shoving it in the back pocket of her shorts. “I doubt it.” Without another word she reached out her hand for Logan. The little boy hopped to his feet and took his mother’s hand. Lexi pulled the door open and stormed from the room with Logan following behind.

  Mark shook his head as he wandered to the nurse’s desk. The woman of his dreams being hurt by another man? The whole idea enraged Mark. But there was nothing he could do about it, not to mention she didn’t seem very happy with him for doing his job. So much for first impressions.

  Troy glared at Mark with his arms crossed over his chest. “So, did you get Lexi Mills’ autograph?”

  Mark threw the file he held on the desk as his temper rose. He felt a hand on his arm.

  “Troy, the patient in room twelve just kicked over his bedpan. Go clean it up. Now,” Joan ordered.

  Troy’s face twisted in disgust as he stomped off. Mark exhaled slowly to calm himself. “Good save, Joan.”

  “That’s why I’m head nurse and run this place.” She gazed at Mark concerned. “What’s up, big guy? Want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  “You talk to me about everything.”

  “Not this.” Mark scooped up the chart for his next patient and rushed down the hall, feeling a pang of guilt for avoiding Joan. Yes, he talked to her about everything. But how was he going to explain that Lexi Mills was the woman he saved from the burning car, the woman that had filled his thoughts and dreams for an entire week? And she hated him for doing his job? With a hopeless sigh he opened the door to the exam room. He needed to get Lexi out of his mind, because his night was far from over.

  »»•««

  Mark walked wearily to his car in the hospital parkade. The bright early morning summer sunlight burned his senses. He took a long sip of coffee and pressed the key fob to unlock his truck. A couple of hours at Hard Drive to train and wear himself out and then off to home where his bed waited for him. He couldn’t wait to crawl beneath the covers and sleep.

  He sipped his coffee as he maneuvered through the early morning traffic. His thoughts kept returning to the night before. Lexi Mills. His mystery woman had a name. And a son. And an abusive ex-husband. Mark growled as he set his coffee in the cup holder. A deep burning in his gut he saved for the octagon came bubbling to the surface. He didn’t know the guy, but Mark wanted his blood for hurting Lexi. Not that he would ever get to see her again.

  Mark pulled himself from his thoughts a split second before a Jeep slid in front of his truck. He slammed on the brakes and laid on the horn. A moment later as the Jeep sped down the interstate he recognized the vehicle. With an irritated sigh Mark sped up to the interstate speed limit again and signaled for his exit.

  Rico greeted him with a cheesy grin in the Hard Drive parking lot. “Slowpoke.”

  “Death wish. You do realize I’ve been up all night, right? My reflexes aren’t top notch.”

  “So you’re saying I’ll be taking you down all day. Or at least more than usual.”

  Mark smirked at Rico. “Rico, I don’t need lightning reflexes for you. You may drive fast. You grapple slowly. Like a turtle.”

  Rico glared at him as Mark laughed. He reached into his truck to get his bag and followed Rico into the gym.

  Mark wrapped his hands and then sat on the mats to stretch. He let his mind relax as he leaned deeper, feeling his muscles pull just the right way. His eyes opened to watch the others in the gym. Rico, Max, and a few less consistent fighters were doing the same thing he was. Mark slowly exhaled as he straightened and reached over his head.

  The piercing sound of an ambulance siren shattered the morning peace in the gym. The other fighters startled, panicked at the sound. Rico and Max together shot a menacing glare at Mark. Shrugging, Mark hopped to his feet and raced to his bag.

  “Dude, you need a new ring tone,” Rico grumbled.

  Mark waved the comment off as he reached in to grab his p
hone. He stared confused at the number. It wasn’t one he recognized.

  “Answer the stupid thing before we go deaf!” Max barked.

  Mark hit the button and lifted the phone to his ear. “Doctor Jacobsen.”

  There was silence. Mark was puzzled. “Hello?”

  “Umm…hi. This is Lexi Mills.”

  Mark’s heart slammed in his chest and his throat went suddenly dry. He swallowed hard. “Good morning, Ms. Mills. Can I help you with anything?”

  Lexi’s voice was soft. “I wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. It was a…well, rather long day. And please, call me Lexi.”

  “As long as you call me Mark, sure. Do you want to talk about it?”

  There was another pause. “Not right now.”

  “All right.”

  “I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me and for saving my life. I don’t know how to repay you.”

  “There’s no need to repay me.”

  Mark could almost hear her blush over the phone. “Thanks.”

  “Lexi, I am probably out of line for asking this but could I take you to dinner?”

  There was a long silence. “That is a sweet offer. But no. I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m sorry.”

  Mark’s heart fell into his stomach. “No worries.”

  “Anyway, thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Mark listened to the line go dead before he tossed his phone back in his bag. There it was. The woman of his dreams had no interest in him. Such was his life.

  “Mark.”

  He looked above his head into Chloe’s smiling face. She continued, “Come up here. And bring your phone.”

  Mark dug his phone out of his bag again and trudged up the steps. He barely got through the door of the office before Chloe snatched it out of his hand. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched her plug it into the cord coming from her computer. Chloe typed quickly on the computer keyboard and tapped on the face of the smart phone. With a grin she handed it back to him. “Now you’ll stop scaring the crap out of us. It sounded like the ambulance was in the gym.”