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

  She smiled contentedly as she stepped out of the store into the warm sunshine. She had slipped out of Mark’s townhouse a little early to do some shopping, leaving her own personal teddy bear to snooze happily alone. She wanted to pick up Logan and head back to his place to make him a special dinner while he was at Hard Drive.

  He was the best thing to happen to her since Logan had been born. He gave her courage to take back her life. She had ignored Derek’s calls for over a week. Not that he didn’t leave messages, vulgar and vile. But for the first time in years she wasn’t looking over her shoulder every time she left the house.

  As she was pressed up violently against the driver side door of her car, she wished silently to herself that she had looked over her shoulder this one last time. The plastic bag slipped from her hand. She could hear the glass jar inside shatter.

  “So you think you can avoid me, huh?” Derek growled in her ear.

  “Please, Derek. Just leave me alone,” Lexi begged.

  She heard him heave a heavy sigh. “Why can’t you see why I’m doing this, Lexi? I love you. The thought of being without you makes me want to kill myself. I tried when you divorced me. You don’t want me to die, do you? Because if you stay with him, I will.”

  Lexi started to shake. Of course she didn’t want him to die. At one point he had been the love of her life. But give up Mark, a man who truly loved her? Or did he? Her thoughts were a mess. All she could do was shake her head no.

  “That’s my good girl. Let’s go back to my place and talk. We can work this out.” Derek let up his pressure on her and wrapped his hand around her arm. Lexi’s nerves quaked. She stared at the trail of pasta sauce weaving a path out of the plastic bag and along the cement. She startled when Derek led her away to his car.

  “Derek!”

  Both Derek and Lexi’s heads shot up at the sound of his name. Two very large men snaked around the parked cars and made a beeline for them. “You son of a bitch! I know what you did to my car!”

  Lexi froze in her tracks as she stared at them in fear. Her feet scuttled across the ground as Derek yanked on her arm. The scene around her blurred. When she focused again, the two men were barreling down on them. She felt the pressure of Derek’s hand on her hip as he nudged her to shield him from them.

  “Just stay there, Lexi,” he warned from behind her. She tried to pull away, but he repositioned her in from of him. The pain from his fingers digging into her flesh forced her to obey.

  Lexi watched in terror as the men grew closer. When they were just a few feet away, Derek shoved her at them and ran. She let out a scream as a body flew by her. A pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground.

  She looked up into the face of the scarier of the two men. He smiled at her. “No worries, luv. My ma taught me to never hurt a woman. It’s too bad that bastard Derek didn’t learn the same thing. Are you all right?”

  Lexi steadied herself on her feet even though her knees felt like they were on the verge of collapse. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Fantastic.” The man gave her one last grin before he took off after his friend and Derek.

  Lexi watched him until he disappeared behind the supermarket. Then, trembling, she made her way to her car. She scooped up the sack of groceries lying on the ground, opened the car door, and set them on the floor of her backseat. She’d deal with the mess later. She glanced around at the eyes watching her. She couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Pity? Disgust?

  It didn’t matter. She had seen it all before. She hurried to the driver’s door and slipped inside. She pulled out her cell and stared at it. She should call Mark. Her finger hovered over his name on the speed dial. Then she cleared off her contacts from her screen and opened a browser. She typed in the search engine looking for a website. When it prompted up a phone number, she hit dial, pressed the cell to her ear, and waited.

  “Hard Drive,” a male voice on the other end announced.

  “Chloe…” Lexi’s voice trailed off. What was Chloe’s last name? She totally forgot it.

  The guy on the other end never noticed her confusion. “Hang on a sec. Chloe!”

  There was a noisy pause for several seconds. Finally a female voice popped over the phone. “Chloe Thomas. How can I help you?”

  Thomas. That’s it. “Hi, Chloe. It’s Lexi.”

  “Hey, Lexi. What’s up?”

  “Remember that offer you made? To help me learn self defense?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’d like to take you up on it. I’ll pay you.”

  There was silence. “Did Derek try something?”

  “Yeah. He tried to convince me that I still loved him. He threatened to kill himself. Then he put me between him and two guys who wanted to beat the crap out of him. He used me as a shield. I’m tired of being scared.”

  “I don’t blame you. Yes, I’ll train you. And you get the friends and family discount. It’s free. How’s tomorrow night at eight o’clock sound? I’ll have Avery join us.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “Awesome. See you then. And Lexi?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Please stay safe. Go to Mark’s.”

  “I’m headed there now.”

  “Good. See you later.”

  “Bye.” Lexi hung up the call and flipped the key in the ignition. She sped down the road toward home. Taking a deep breath as her nerves quaked, she scrambled to think of what she would tell her parents. I don’t need their disapproval right now. I need to get Logan and go. I need Mark right now. The sooner I can get to him the better.

  She pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the car, heaving a sigh of relief when she found her mother and Logan in the flower bed in the front yard. She forced a smile on her face as she reached out for her son. “Come on, sweetie. We have to go.”

  Her mother frowned at her. “What’s the hurry?”

  Lexi’s mind raced. Suddenly she remembered the grocery sack on the floor of her car. “I’m making dinner for Mark. I want to surprise him when he gets home from practice but I need to get started.”

  “Mark!” Logan jumped to his feet and skipped to Lexi, wrapping his little hand around hers.

  Lexi’s mother cocked a grin at her. “That Mark is a lucky fellow.”

  “I think I’m the lucky one, Mom,” Lexi admitted. At least I hope I am. I thought I was lucky to have Derek too.

  “Well, I’m glad you have him. He’s a pretty good guy.”

  “You’ve barely met him.”

  “Yes, but he was a perfect gentleman the night we went for supper. And the way he looked at you? It was easy to tell that he adores you.”

  Lexi felt her cheeks heat up. “Speaking of Mark, we should go.”

  “All right. You two have fun. We’ll see you tonight.”

  Lexi and Logan waved good-bye before she helped him into his car seat. Her nerves calmed themselves as she listened to him babble. He had been her salvation. It took Logan being born for her to see how horrible Derek was. He was her shining light in the hell she was living in. That Mark seemed to love him almost as much as she did made the man that much better in her eyes.

  Mark was standing in the doorway as she pulled up to the curb. Before she could open the door he was standing there.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. She could hear the anxiousness in his voice. “I tried calling and texting a dozen times.”

  “Oh.” She felt her cheeks warm again. “I put it on silent while you sleep so my calls don’t disturb you. I guess I forgot to turn it back on.”

  His brow smoothed again. “That makes sense.” He opened the rear door. “Hey, big guy. Want to come in? Kinnick misses you.” He frowned again. “What’s with the mess in the bag?”

  Lexi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I wanted to surprise you and make you dinner. Derek showed up out of the blue and knocked the bag out of my hand.”

  “Aww, Lex.”

  “I know the whole idea is stupid.”

  Mark open
ed her door and tugged her up into his arms. “It’s not stupid. You’re not stupid. I love that you thought of me like this. You’re my angel. But no dinner is worth your safety, baby.” He glanced back at the sack once more. “Is that pasta sauce?”

  “Yes. I wanted to make you lasagna.”

  It was Mark’s turn to blush. “I can’t have it. Not tonight anyway. It’s fight camp. I’m cutting weight.”

  Lexi felt her heart fall. “Oh.”

  “But if I replace the jar of sauce, can you make it Saturday night? I’ll have it for my cheat meal.”

  Lexi nodded. “Absolutely. I would love to.”

  “Awesome.” Mark dipped his mouth to hers and took it captive. The kiss made her heart skip a beat. Her hands wandered behind his neck to pull him closer. He deepened the kiss.

  “Mommy. Mark. I want to play with Kinnick,” Logan whined.

  Lexi broke the kiss with a sigh. “Sorry.”

  Mark chuckled. “No worries. I’m sure the fur baby will be calling for us pretty quick too. Should we go in?” He unfastened Logan and helped him out of the car, holding his hand tightly. Lexi laced her fingers between those of Mark’s free hand. The smile he gave her made her insides glow. This was exactly what she wanted, a family just like this. She just wished she knew how to keep it.

  »»•««

  There were only a few people left when Lexi stepped into Hard Drive. A couple of muscular guys, the type she would see preparing for a body building show, told her good night before they slipped out the door, each carrying a heavy duffle bag over his shoulder. She lifted her head as she heard her name called. Chloe stood above her hanging over the railing across from her office.

  “Kick off your shoes and get comfy. I’ll be right down,” Chloe called.

  Lexi nodded in response before taking off her shoes and nudging them under a bench. A couple more guys passed her and wished her good night. She stood alone in the cavernous gym. She gazed at the punching bags, the racks of gloves and other various pieces of equipment, the vinyl-covered mat that covered the floor and the pads on the walls. She blew out her breath slowly. Was she getting in over her head?

  The door behind her flew open. Avery rushed in, juggling her giant duffle with her. The bag had to be half the size of the woman. “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized. “Rico and I…well…”

  Lexi made sure to face her so Avery could read her lips. “What were you doing?”

  “Don’t fall into that trap,” Chloe warned as she descended the staircase from the office. Her feet still managed to make a soft ping with every step she took on each metal stair. “Rico and Avery just got married. They’re still enjoying their honeymoon. And they have no problem telling you each juicy detail.” She shivered for effect.

  “No one told you to keep your bedroom life private,” Avery responded with a pout.

  “Max and I are discreet. We don’t think any of you want to hear about our sex life. And yes, we do have sex. Frequently. A lot.” She cocked a grin when Avery squirmed uncomfortably. “See?”

  “Point made.”

  Chloe laughed as she waved Lexi over. “Come on, Lexi. Let’s find you some gloves and shin guards.”

  “Shin guards?” Lexi questioned. “Why do I need shin guards?”

  “Because it really hurts to get kicked in the shins.”

  “Kicked?”

  “We’re going to start with kickboxing.” Chloe mulled over the pile of gloves on the floor. She plucked two from the pile and then chose a pair of shin guards. She handed them to Lexi. “Here. Put these on. Avery can show you while I straighten this up.”

  “All right. Thanks.” Lexi hugged the equipment to her chest and walked to where Avery was settled on the mat. She carefully followed what Avery did as she strapped on the shin guards and gloves. Avery chuckled as she reached over and fastened a wayward strap around Lexi’s leg.

  They both turned as Chloe approached them, her own hands and shins covered. Behind her sat a row of perfectly arranged gloves on the rack.

  “They’re capable of cleaning after themselves,” Avery griped.

  Chloe shrugged. “Who needs kids? I have twenty or thirty fully grown ones I pick up after every day.”

  All three women laughed as Avery and Lexi stood. Chloe motioned to Avery to stand opposite of her. “I’m going to show you what I want you to do. Then you can try with Avery and I’ll watch. Okay?”

  “Sure,” Lexi agreed.

  Chloe faced off against Avery and dropped into her stance. She threw a punch slowly into Avery’s glove from her forward facing arm. It landed with a soft thud. “That’s a jab. This,” she said as she threw a punch with her other arm, the one on the side of her back leg, a little more powerful than the first, “is a cross. Right now we’re only working on the jab. If it looks good we’ll throw them together.”

  Lexi nodded as she traded places with Chloe. She didn’t know how long she kept throwing that one kind of punch. Each time Chloe would point something out to correct or even adjust Lexi’s arm. Avery had the patience of a saint to hold her arms like that for that long. After each jab she nodded and offered words of encouragement. Lexi’s muscles started to feel like lead weights. Chloe instructed her to try the cross but it could have only been minutes before she stopped her for the night.

  “I didn’t realize this was so hard,” Lexi mused as she tugged her gloves off.

  “You’ll be sore tomorrow. And the next day,” Chloe advised. “But you’ll get stronger and used to it. When you get the technique right, it’ll be effortless.”

  “Have you fought?”

  “No. Neither of us have. But we should be soon.”

  Lexi dropped to the mat to pull the shin guards off her legs. “Who taught you to fight? You’re so good. You must have been doing this for years.”

  Avery pulled a glove off and unwrapped her hand. “Our husbands taught us. Granted, I learned quite a bit when I was in the military. But for the most part, Max trains Chloe and Rico trains me.” She grinned at Chloe. “Wow. Look at us, Chloe. We’re not using our shin pads.”

  Chloe sauntered over to the two women. Like lightning she threw a leg kick at Avery. The sound of plastic striking plastic echoed through the building. “I like to be prepared.”

  Avery hopped on one foot for effect then pulled her shin pads off. She settled on the canvas beside Lexi and hugged her knees to her chest. Chloe sat beside them. “And I’m sure, when you’re ready, Mark will train you.”

  Lexi let loose a nervous chuckle. “I doubt I’ll ever be ready.”

  Chloe frowned at her. “I don’t mean to pry. How long were you and Derek together?”

  Lexi sighed. “Two and a half years. I thought he was charming in a bad boy sort of way. My parents hated him. Maybe that added to his appeal. At first we only were fooling around. But then I started to fall for him. We were hardly ever apart.”

  She crossed her legs beneath her and continued. “He became more possessive. He laid into me if a guy looked at me when we were out. He kept me from my family and friends. He started calling me stupid. He told me no one wanted me but him. He had his family and friends check up on me all the time. He tried hitting me a couple times. One time I stopped him. The second time I wasn’t so lucky. He blamed me for the way he treated me. And then…”

  “Then what?” Avery questioned.

  “We were having sex one night. The condom broke. I pulled away and told him we had to stop. I didn’t want to get pregnant. But…”

  Chloe rose to her knees and crawled to Lexi. She hugged her tight. A sob escaped Lexi’s throat. Chloe rocked her gently. “Let it out. I know how you feel.”

  Lexi’s brow wrinkled as she looked at Chloe. It made a stray tear slip down her cheek. “You too?”

  Chloe shrugged as her eyes glistened. “Prom night.”

  Lexi hugged her back just as hard. She smiled as she felt Avery embrace them both. Lexi didn’t know when they let go of each other. She just knew her arms hurt wor
se.

  “When did you marry him?” Chloe asked quietly.

  “Shortly after we found out I was pregnant. I don’t know why but I was still in love with him despite what he did. I thought maybe being with me would change him. We ran off and eloped. My parents were devastated when I moved in with him. But then Logan was born and I realized the little guy needed me to protect him. And the biggest threat to his safety was his own father. After a huge fight I moved back in with my parents. Derek lost it. He grew even more violent.” Her voice grew silent for a moment. “He almost beat me to death. I was in the hospital for two weeks. He was arrested and I filed for divorce.”

  “Lexi, I’m so sorry you went through all that,” Chloe murmured.

  “I try to keep it in the past, especially now that I’m with Mark. But I’m scared he’ll be the same way.”

  “Oh, Lexi. Trust me. We both know him and he’s not. He is the sweetest, gentlest guy you’ll ever meet. He’s even so gentle Max questions putting him in the octagon. Fortunately, the big teddy bear turns it on when he gets in there.”

  Lexi’s eyes grew in panic. “You won’t tell him, will you? I think I’ve told you more than the therapist he took me to see.”

  Avery hugged her again. “Of course not. That’s your conversation to have with him. Thank you for trusting us enough to share with us.”

  Lexi squeezed her back. “I’m glad I did.”

  Chloe stood and offered her hands to pull the other two to their feet. “It’s getting late, you two. Let’s go grab a bite to eat. I’m starving and I’m not in the mood for salad. Which is probably what the guys are eating.”

  Avery laughed. “Probably together at my apartment. And they’re griping. So let’s go get pizza.”

  “Sounds great,” Chloe chimed in.

  “Let me call my parents. They’re watching Logan. I’ll see if they can watch him later,” Lexi replied.

  “Let’s go get him and bring him with,” Chloe suggested. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Okay.”

  Lexi watched as the other women returned to their bags to pack their things. She felt her heart glow. It had been so long since she had friends, she had forgotten what it was like. It was nice to have a couple again. She tossed her things in her duffle, toed her shoes on and hurried out the door after Avery so Chloe could lock the door.