Desired (19 page)

Ella sighed in utter relief. “I’m so happy that you called.”

She’d known Derek from high school, so he wasn’t a stranger. In fact, Derek was likely her only friend left in Savannah, which was a damn depressing thought. He was nothing more to her than her lawyer.

Derek said in a tight voice, “I apologize for not calling sooner. I had cell phone issues and didn’t get your e-mail until this morning, and when I got your telephone message, it didn’t sound urgent. Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, knowing deep down that wasn’t true. “Rory hasn’t made contact since Monday, but please tell me things are moving along with the divorce.”

Derek hesitated. “First, if Rory contacts you again, call the police there in Vegas. He’s under a restraining order and is breaking it. We want to ensure you are safe. Understood?”

“Yes,” she lied, leaning a hip against the counter. The last thing she wanted to do was call the police. Kyler would learn about Rory, and that was shit she didn’t want to follow her or to have to explain. Deep down, she knew she should tell Kyler that she was still married, but she decided her past was hers.

In her heart, she was long divorced, and she didn’t have an ounce of love left for Rory.

Once the divorce was finalized, she’d tell Kyler that she was once married. Right now it was too raw and still very real. “But about the divorce, please tell me you’ve gotten somewhere with this. It’s been nearly six months since we served him.” With uncontested papers that she knew Rory still had, but had refused to sign. He’d gotten himself a good lawyer. That’s when things became complicated. “I need this to all go away. ASAP.”

Derek made a disgruntled noise. “I’m afraid his lawyer has been dragging his feet. As you know, the judge granted Rory the time via mediation to get into treatment and counseling.” He paused and then added with a firmer voice, “However, since Rory has made contact with you and clearly skipped out of treatment in Savannah, I’ll go ahead and file a motion with the judge. He has broken the terms set out in the mediation agreement, and that is grounds for us to move ahead with this.”

“Thank goodness,” Ella exhaled, shutting her eyes in relief.

Derek continued, “If Rory is not back in Savannah once the paperwork goes through, the judge will grant the divorce in absentia, should he not be found in a timely manner. I know having him in Vegas may have frightened you, and I’m sorry for that, but this is a solid way for us to force the judge’s hand. Rory’s lawyer cannot dodge this one.”

Rory’s fancy lawyer had been doing everything he could to drag out the divorce. Ella believed that was because Rory was trying to find a way back into her life. But she didn’t love Rory anymore, she hated him. She wanted him to stay in her past and she wanted to move on.

Was that really so much to ask? “Okay. Great,” she replied, the tightness in her chest that never went away easing slightly. “When should I be expecting your call?”

“In a couple weeks or so,” Derek replied. “I know you want this over as quickly as possible, but these things sadly take time. I don’t doubt in the least Rory’s lawyer will try another way to stop this, but I promise that I will do everything I can to make sure we get the divorce finalized.”

Ella sighed. “Thank you, Derek.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied in a soft tone. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Goodbye.” Ella hung up the phone, nearly sagging against the kitchen counter. It was weird how sometimes a negative could be turned into a positive. Rory coming to Vegas was quite possibly the best thing that had happened, because he’d violated the mediation agreement.
Yet it was hard to see any of this as a positive. She wanted to be far away from all the hell that had clouded her life.

She wanted Rory gone from her life … forever.

Blowing out a long breath, she placed her cell phone in her purse. Not wanting to be late for work, she took the stairs in her condo and was out of breath by the time she made it down to the parking lot.

She approached her cherry-red Volkswagen Beetle, appreciating the clouds covering the Vegas sun. Her heart hammered from the jog down the stairs, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

As she reached her car a sudden sense of fear engulfed her and she stopped by the driver’s-side door. Feeling watched, her hand shook as she reached into her purse and took out her keys, attempting to unlock the door.

Goose bumps prickled on her neck, and she glanced behind her, the sense of fear now real and warranted. Rory approached with long strides, his gait somewhat wobbly, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“You fucking bitch,” he snarled, closing in on her. “I told you to come see me last night. You did this to yourself.”

His words were slurred as he staggered toward her. Ella gasped, hurrying to unlock the door, but her shaky fingers couldn’t land on the button. Then he was there, grasping her arm, and she cried out in pain.

He spun her around, and his eyes were wild, lost in rage. A scream hung in her throat, the fright making it silent. As he slammed her against the car, the beer on his breath brushed across her face, and she managed to press the unlock button. Desperate to get away, she kicked his shin, and he stumbled back.

“Dirty slut!” he roared, reaching for her.

Ella gave him a hard push, not being that frightened woman anymore. He would not hit her again. Not now. Not ever. He fell back on his ass, and in that moment, Ella opened the car door.

She nearly dropped into the seat when his arms wrapped around her waist, and she managed to scream, “Help!”

Terror sent ice in her veins and her heart hammered in her ears. Knowing she had to get
away, that no one was there to help her, she elbowed Rory,
hard
. His groan echoed around her, as she broke free and dropped into the seat with a gasp.

With eyes so dark and full of rage, Rory reached in through the door, but she grabbed the handle, and, using all her strength, she slammed the door closed on his arm. “Fucking bitch!” he roared.

When his arm was clear, she slammed the door shut and locked it. Loud bangs shook her world apart as Rory screamed obscenities, hitting the window with enough force she thought it might break.

Her hand shook as she attempted to get the keys into the ignition. The second the car started, she grabbed her cell phone out of her purse and shut her eyes. Needing to get away from the loud noise around her, she screamed, “I’m calling the police.”

Then the banging on her window stopped.

She opened her eyes, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Rory staggered back, the rage cleared from his gaze for a second. Still, the Rory she had known didn’t stand there. The drunken maniac did.

Ella put the car in gear and hit the gas pedal. Her insides quivered as she looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Rory running in the opposite direction, clearly taking her threat seriously.

Gasping and shaking, she kept driving until she’d put a mile between them. Then she pulled over to the side of the road. After putting the car in park, she dropped her cell phone to the seat, knowing she’d never call the police. She prayed Rory would be scared enough to leave now, as he suspected that the Vegas police were after him.

She ran her hands over her face, attempting to control the shakes of her body.
God, when is this going to end?

Kyler …

I need you …

As much as she wanted to call him, she hated the thought of his knowing about her past. Sometimes she wished she could vanish. Leave it all behind, and be free from all the pain that seemed to follow her. She missed her family with an ache in her chest that bled. Feeling more alone than ever, she dropped her head into her hands and a sob broke from her throat.

You are alone …

At a little after three o’clock, Kyler pulled his cruiser into the parking spot. He cut the ignition, staring at the station, knowing he had to do something about Ella. She wasn’t talking to him. After breakfast, he’d tried numerous times to ask a few personal questions, and she’d completely shut him out.

I don’t want a serious relationship
, she had told him.

Too bad for her he wanted exactly that.

He’d waited a long time to find Ella. Now that he’d found her, he wanted to love her. Only problem? She wouldn’t drop her emotional walls for him. She was clearly content in her decision to keep things casual between them, but he wanted to break down that damn wall. Embracing her challenge to gain new adventures was one thing. Running from pain to escape was something else entirely.

He wouldn’t allow her to use him as a way to hide from her heartache.

Dealing with it, yes. Getting over it, yes. Ignoring it, not on his watch.

He clenched his jaw and stepped out into the cloudy day. Each step he took toward the station brought more tension. He cared for Ella, of that he was sure. But he couldn’t allow her to avoid him.

He deserved more.

Hell, she deserved more.

If he thought she couldn’t care for him in return, he’d walk away before he got in too deep. But he saw the possibilities of a future. His heart told him to stay.

As he entered the station, the noise of the bustling office stormed across him. To his left, a drunken fool was being contained by two police officers. Kyler continued on and used his security card to enter the office. On his way through the hallway, passing the Drug Unit, his mind raced as he tried to piece her together.

Abuse
.

Knowing that, he thought over his plans for her first scene. Part of him wanted to refuse to let her become a Club Sin member until he understood more about her, but the other part knew that wasn’t his decision to make. If Ella wanted to become a Club Sin member, the choice belonged to her. But how he handled her in the scene was up to him. And how could he add pain
to her pleasure to take her higher? How could he demand she tell him what had happened to her?

As he reached his cubicle on the far left side of the office, he waved to his fellow cops, some at their desks and others on their way out the door. Fuck, he’d never been so happy to be stuck in the corner, where he was alone.

His hand gripped his chair with far more strength than he’d intended, yanking it out from under the desk and hitting his boot. Dropping down into his seat, he grumbled, “Get it together, Morgan.” Then he powered up his computer.

As the screen lit up, a soft voice said, “Got a call from a friend in Savannah. He’s asking me for a favor.”

Turning to the new rookie on his team, Kyler asked, “What favor?”

Maggie brushed a hand over her dark hair pulled tight in bun. Her light brown eyes were unsure, and she shifted on her feet. An uneasy look he’d seen from many rookies crossed her face. “He’s got a friend under a restraining order and has asked that we keep an eye out for him. If we bring his friend in, he’d like us to call him before we process the paperwork.”

Kyler snorted. “If he has a restraining order and he breaks it, he’ll be arrested.”

Maggie’s expression became pinched. “I agree and told him this, but also said we’d see what the situation was. Of course, I’m not asking you to look the other way.”

As her supervisor, this favor had to go through Kyler, and he didn’t doubt Maggie’s heart. She was a damn good cop and she wanted to do right by her friend. He also noticed her guarded eyes having to ask Kyler this request. “Who is the friend to you?”

“Someone I became close with at the academy.”

“Good friends, then?” At her nod, he continued. “All right. As long as nothing happens to the woman in question, we’ll do as your friend asks.”

Maggie handed him a document. “Thanks. I owe you.”

Kyler nodded. Then, as Maggie strode off, he looked down to the document. He scanned over the picture of an inebriated-looking man on the mug shot, then read the details. His gaze froze on the person who’d issued the restraining order, and only important information stood out.

Ella Snow, wife of the accused, refused to press charges. Protection order in place. Domestic violence. Savannah, Georgia
.

Kyler’s hand shook as he gripped the paper. Everything he had wondered about Ella suddenly made a whole lot of sense. How bizarre for this to surface at his precinct, but lucky that
it did. He’d wanted some insight. Now he had it, and he almost wished he didn’t.

Ella’s married?

That little bit of news bothered him, but not as much as knowing that she was abused by her husband. A muscle in his jaw flexed, fury spreading out through his veins. Pretty big truth not to tell him, yet he fully understood why she’d kept silent about it.

Her husband—a man she’d loved and trusted—had hit her.

Christ
, Kyler had smacked her ass the first time he’d been with her, something he now regretted. He tried telling himself that his swats had been light and she’d enjoyed it, but had he known what he did now, he wouldn’t have used such intensity.

His chest tightened as he placed the document down on his desk, then he turned to the computer. He opened the NCIC (National Crime Information Center database) and plugged in the driver’s license number of her husband, Rory, mentioned on the page.