Code 3: Finding Safety (6 page)

Seventeen

Mark’s been watching the house as closely as he can.  Since she lives on an isolated dirt road, it’s hard to get close enough without being spotted.  He follows her to work, home from work, the store and anywhere else she goes.  His entire life revolves around Leanna.  He sleeps in his car, hidden behind shrubs and in full parking lots. 

He takes a long drag off his cigarette.  The cherry sparks a hot, red glow with the inhalation.  He holds the smoke in his lungs until he can’t anymore and then he begins to slowly exhale.  He glances at the clock on the dashboard. 
Not too much longer and the bitch will be home where she belongs,
he thinks as he takes one more drag off his cigarette before extinguishing it in his already-full ashtray.

He works his cell phone out of his pocket and speed dials his father.  “Yeah, get the place ready.  I’ll be leaving with the bitch soon,” he quickly says before ending the call. 
Yeah, I’ll have that bitch in my grasp soon and, if she lives through what I have in store for her, she’ll think twice before she ever decides to leave me again and take MY hard earned money with her and play house with a fucking donut chasing pig!

He gets another cancer stick from his pack and places it between his lips.  Holding it with his teeth, he lights it and takes another long drag from it before he starts his car. 

Eighteen

Leanna bounces down the stairs just as James pulls in the driveway.  She takes a deep breath to calm the butterflies that are fluttering around in the depths of her stomach.  James makes her feel things she hasn’t felt in—well, ever.  Her daddy always told her that she would know it when she met the ‘one’ but she thought she’d never know that feeling after settling with Mark.  Now, she knows what her daddy was talking about. 

“Are you ready?”  James shouts as he opens the front door, not realizing Leanna’s already there.  “Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t know you were…wow, you got ready quickly.”

Leanna blushes.  “Yeah, I’m not a high maintenance type of woman.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that,” he gives her a peck on her cheek.  “Let’s head on out.  I have some people I’d like you to meet.”

Leanna follows James out to his truck.  She trusts him more than she’s trusted anyone since her daddy.  He could blind fold her and not tell her where he was taking her and she’d follow him with little to no anxiety in the wake.

“Now, I’m introducing you to the two of my greatest friends.  I think you’ll like them,” James heads down the dirt road toward the bar and grill that he’s favored since he was old enough to drink. 

“I’m sure I will.  I haven’t found anyone that I don’t like, aside from Rebecca,” she cringes at her name.  Rebecca is the only woman she’s ever met that invokes jealously.  Mark’s cheated on her numerous times and she never even felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Oh, well, these guys couldn’t stand Rebecca.  They tolerated her for my benefit but if you get them started on her, they will call her all sorts of messed up names like Twat Waffle, Dick Warmer, Walking Talking STD, amongst other things.”

Leanna tries and fails miserably at containing her laughter.  “Twat Waffle!  Now that’s a good one!”  Tears prick her eyes as her laughter turns into one of those ugly laughs, fully equipped with the snorts.

James glances over at her and chuckles too.  “Yeah, they are rather funny nicknames.”

Leanna’s just recovering from her laughter when they pull up outside the bar.  The parking lot is full and she can hear the thumping of the speakers inside.  Crowds have always made her nervous and tonight is no exception.  Social anxiety is what the internet called it. 

James exits the truck and makes his way to the passenger side.  “Come on, gorgeous.  I promise, you’ll have a great time.”  His arm wraps around her waist and he leads her inside.

Two handsome and well defined men sit at the back of the bar, beer in hand.  James guides her by the small of her back to the two men.  “Leanna, I’d like to introduce you to Travis LaShay and Wyatt Jones,” James pulls out a chair for Leanna.

Travis has very defined arms and, from what she can see from his tight shirt, defined chest.  His hair is military cut and light brown.  His face is chiseled and fit his gorgeous blue eyes perfectly.  A woman could get lost in those baby blue eyes.

Wyatt is also well built but he has wavy blonde hair and green eyes to accent his gorgeous face.  Both men are well in their thirties but their faces are smooth and don’t look a day over twenty-two.

“Nice to meet you,” Leanna says as she sits down.  “I’ve heard a lot about you.”  Of course that last line wasn’t true as she hadn’t heard of them until today but they don’t need to know that.

“We’ve heard a lot about you too,” Wyatt winks toward James with a shit-eating grin on his face. 

Travis nails Wyatt in his ribs, sloshing some beer out of the top of the bottle.  “What?  You know it’s the truth.  Ol’ James over here talks about nothing but this girl,” a genuine smile spreads on his face and relaxes Leanna yet embarrasses her at the same time.

“I hope you don’t mind, but we ordered you two a beer to start off.”  Travis gestures to the bottles in front of them.

“Thank you,” Leanna nods as she takes a sip of the beverage.  The beer is a bit warmer than she prefers but she’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.   

“So, what brings you to Austin?”  Travis questions before taking a long pull on his Bud Ice.

Leanna looks toward James.  She doesn’t know what he’s told Travis and Wyatt, if anything.  On top of that, she doesn’t want to share her past with strangers. 

James’ eyes indicate that he’s told the boys nothing about her past.  “Well,” she looks back toward them, “I just wanted a change from the life that I had.  I didn’t have anything tying me down in Georgia, so why not?”

“Hmm, a Georgia peach,” Wyatt says while wiggling his eyebrows.  “Oww,” he jumps.  “Why’d you kick me, James?”

Leanna giggles at Wyatt.  He reminds her of a pubescent boy; horny as hell yet funny too.

“How did you get from Georgia to here,” Travis inquires.  “I mean, of all the awesome places in the United States, why Austin, Texas?”

Leanna takes a very long swig of her beer and swallows hard.  “Well, when I got to the bus station, I didn’t have many destinations to choose from and I don’t think I’d fare well in a large city.  Austin was on the board and I jumped on it.  It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.”  She smiles as she looks over at James.

“And I’m glad she picked Texas or else I’d never have met her,” James kisses Leanna on her cheek.

“Gag,” Wyatt says making the motions of gagging himself with a knife.  “What is it with falling in love?  It’s like a man falls in love and he loses his balls.”

Another kick under the table makes him jump.  “What the fuck!  Quit doing that shit.  You’re going to break my fucking shin and then how will I work?”

The table erupts in laughter at Wyatt’s pain.  “What do you two do for a living?”  Leanna asks once the laughter dies down.

“I’m a sharp shooter for the SWAT team.  Best career choice I’ve ever made.  All the girls practically throw themselves at me.”  Wyatt’s response was loaded with pride and joy.  Clearly he’s the man-whore in the friendship and doesn’t feel ashamed by it in the slightest. 

Travis rolls his eyes at his buddy’s choice of words.  “I’m a firefighter for the Austin Fire Department.”

Leanna decides to join in with the sexy talk.  “Oh, with careers like that, I’m sure you have pussy thrown at the both of you left and right.” 

James sits back in his chair while Travis stares at her as if she grew a second head.  Wyatt, after his initial shock wore off, hoots and laughs and slaps the table.  “Holy shit man, I love this girl already.  She’s a lot better than that dick sucking bitch you married, James.” 

“Oh, you mean that Douche Puddle?”  Leanna adds in on the nicknames for Rebecca.  Her face changes multiple shades of red at her nickname for her. 

The table erupts in laughter again, this time causing the guys to wipe their faces of tears.  Leanna, the only one with self-control, waves down the waitress and shakes her bottle in the air to indicates that they’d like another round.

“You better hold on to this pretty little thing, James, because if you don’t, I’m going to snatch her sassy ass up,” Wyatt adds before finishing off his beer.

James wraps his arm around her and brings her close to him for a kiss.  “Oh, I don’t plan on ever letting her go.  She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”  He says the words, never taking his eyes off of Leanna. 

Alabama’s song,
God Must’ve Spent a Little More Time on You,
begins to play through the speakers just as the waitress drops their drinks off.  Leanna picks her up to take a pull when James grabs it from her hand and pulls her up.  “Let’s dance,” he whispers as he guides her to the dance floor. 

Their bodies sway together.  Her head rests on his chest with arms around his neck.  He pulls her close to him.  He softly sings the lyrics in her ears.  “…your love is like a river, peaceful and deep…when I look in your eyes, I know that it’s true.  God must’ve spent a little more time on you.”

Leanna feels tears forming in the corner of her eyes.  Listening to James sing as his heart beats at a steady rhythm under her head makes her feel safe and loved and…comfortable. 

“Leanna,” he says as the song comes to an end.  “Will you file for divorce from your husband?  I want to make you mine, but he’s the final piece of your past that needs to be dissolved.”

Leanna hasn’t even thought of filing for divorce from Mark since she arrived in Austin.  She never wanted him to know where she was and when you file for divorce, your current address is public record.  Also, now that Maryanne told her that he left shortly after she did, she’s more worried that he’ll find her.

“What’s going on in that mind of yours?”  James asks as a new song begins to play.

“Nothing.  Everything.  Oh, James, there’s something I need to tell you.  I called Maryanne today and she…” tears swell in her eyes and he voice begins to crack.

James pulls her from his chest and lifts her chin toward him.  “What did Maryanne tell you?”  Sympathy pours out of his eyes.

“She said that Mark left town not too long after I left and he hasn’t been seen since.  She fears that he found out where I went and is stalking me—hunting me like prey.”

She feels every muscle in James’ body stiffen.  His face has turned from concern to pure anger, but she knows it’s not anger toward her.  For once in her adult life, she’s not afraid of a man’s anger.

“Leanna, you need to listen to me and you need to trust me.  I won’t let any asshole ever hurt you again and, if he wants to get to you, he’ll have to get through me first.  I’m never going to let anyone ever hurt you again.”

For the first time since her daddy passed away, Leanna truly feels loved and safe with a man.  A smile overrides her fear as she lays her head on his chest.  James wraps his arms around her waist and sways as the words of the song sounds. 
Could I have this dance, for the rest of my life?  Could you be my partner every night?  When we’re together, it feels so right.  Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?

Nineteen

The days come and go and James and Leanna have slowly fallen into a steady routine.  Their shifts are completely different and they only have a few hours together on any given day.  Today is the first time in more than two weeks that they both have more than twenty-fours off at the same time. 

Leanna’s shift ended and she heads straight for home.  She’s exhausted but she can’t wait to see James when she gets home. 
I don’t think I’ve ever felt this excited to see someone in….well, in forever.  This is how love is supposed to be; how it’s supposed to feel.

She turns into the long driveway and parks behind James’ pick-up truck.  Her car isn’t something new and shiny, but it gets her where she needs to go and it didn’t cost her a thing.  It was James’ mom’s car and he could never bring himself to sell it after her passing. 

She shuts the car door and heads up the porch.  Patches is barking and whining behind the door.  He lunges at her as she swings the door open.  “Okay, okay, Patches.  I’m home,” she says as she scratches the pooch behind his ears.  “I’m happy to see you too, boy.”

“Patches, let her get inside before you pounce on her,” James chuckles from the kitchen.  “I hope you like spaghetti.  It’s all I know how to cook aside from grilling up a mean steak or two,” he smiles at her. 

“I love spaghetti,” she says as she places her coat and purse on the rack near the door.  “Do I have time to head upstairs to change before supper?”

“You sure do ma’am.  It will be ready in about ten minutes,” he winks at her before she disappears up the stairs.

James had moved all of Leanna’s things into his room yesterday and they are still working out where everything goes.  He gave her half of his closet space and they split the dresser drawers between the two of them.  After she opens and closes several drawers trying to find her things, she dresses in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before bouncing back down to the kitchen.

James has the table set and is putting the final touches on the meal when she rounds the corner.  “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” she exclaims.  “Can I help you with anything?”

“Nope, I got it all.  You just sit down and start filling your plate,” he places a tall glass of iced tea before her.

Leanna begins to fill both of their plates with spaghetti and sprinkles some shaky cheese over the top.  She begins to twirl a fork full of the pasta as James takes his seat.  “Thank you for preparing my plate,” he shoots her a smile before digging in himself.

“You’re welcome.”

After a few moments, James breaks the awkward silence hanging between them.  “So, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Leanna looks at him, questioningly.  “Go ahead,” curiosity coursing through her.

“What happened to your parents?”

Leanna gulps while placing her fork on the plate.  She’s never talked about her parents’ passing, not to anyone, not even her beloved Maryanne.  She feels sweat beading across her forehead as her stomach begins to roll and rumble with nervousness.  “They, ummm…they were killed in an auto accident when I was fifteen.  I was staying the night with a friend and ended up getting sick and I wanted to go home.  I called them to come get me even though we were having a wicked snowstorm.”  Leanna takes a deep breath as tears begin to fill her eyes. 

“They were only a few miles from the house when my dad hit a patch of black ice and lost control of the car.  They skidded into the ditch and into an old Oak tree.  Mom was killed instantly but my dad…he tried to get help but succumbed to the elements just a few feet away from the car.”

She looks up at James through dampened eyelashes.  His face has dropped with sorrow and empathy for Leanna.  “I’m sorry, honey.  I…” his words trail off. 

Leanna hates when people feel sorry for her.  And she hates when she gives them a reason to feel sorry for her, like crying over something that happened a decade ago.  “Thank you but I’m alright.  Some people lose their parents when they’re a lot younger than I was.  At least I have the memories,” she smiles as he touches the side of her head, indicating that her memories are stored safely in her brain.

“You are so very correct,” James acknowledges.  “I lost my parents a few years back in a freak accident.”

Leanna lifts her fork to her mouth but pauses at James’ revelation.  She knew he’d lost his parents but she didn’t know how or when.  Her fork tings as it rests against her plate.  “What happened?”

James lets out a heavy sigh, “well, they were camping in the Rocky Mountains…well not really camping but vacationing in a cabin up there.  Ma was in the kitchen starting breakfast.  She turned the stove on and stuck a match to light the burner.  As soon as the match lit, the cabin went up in flames.  Apparently, there was a gas leak that went undetected and all it took was that one match.”

Leanna, horrified, can only ask one question.  “Where was your dad?”

“He was in the living room.  Knowing my dad, he was getting ready to go get some firewood so he and mom could lounge by the fire all day.”

Leanna notices a tear escape from James’ eye and travel down his cheek.  She reaches out and takes his hands in hers.  No words are exchanged between the two of them but peace fills the tiny space.  They are two broken souls who found each other out of nothing but darkness.