Open Wounds (Damaged Souls Book 2) (5 page)

“It wasn’t really a race, thing. It was more of a damaged souls recognizing each other, kind of thing.” Lexi confessed, knowing that if Dom knew what he looked like when Lexi first met him, she wouldn’t have looked at him twice.

“Well, you two definitely look good together, and I can tell you’re happier. You smile a lot more now. I’m glad.” Dom said sincerely.

“Thanks, Dom,” Lexi said, her face heating up with embarrassment.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Dom exclaimed as she went into her purse and pulled out an envelope with fancy writing on the front. “I wanted to invite you to my wedding. It’s in two weeks, and you and Sloan are welcome to come. I know its short notice, but we finally decided to stop worrying about everyone else and did what we wanted to do. So the ceremony and reception will be a bit smaller than we started out with. Only immediate family, and close friends.” Dom explained as she handed Lexi the invitation.

“Me? But you barely know me.” Lexi said looking down at the beautiful calligraphy.

“Oh don’t be crazy! Of course, you’re invited. I know we’re not super close or anything, but I like you. Besides, it’ll be a great way for you and Sloan to meet some people, and get your names out there. One thing is certain about high society people they are always looking to remodel and then redecorate their homes out of pure boredom. So with his skill at renovating, and your paintings to fill their walls, you both could make a killing! I’m not taking no for an answer.” Dom coerced Lexi.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Lexi conceded, barely containing her laughter at the tenacious woman. “We’ll be there.”

~~~

“There is no way in hell I’m going to some high society wedding! I left that kind of life behind years ago, and I don’t plan on going back. I’d rather be water-boarded.” Sloan said adamantly, later that evening.

Lexi brought up the subject sitting in bed while she massaged the circulation back into his left arm, and the left side of his back and neck. He often lost sensation on his left side, from where he had been hit by shrapnel during combat in Afghanistan, especially after a long day of work. Massaging him often helped get the blood flowing again.

“But Sloan, it really is the perfect opportunity to get our names out there. Don’t you want your name to flourish? Besides, it’s not just you that you need to think about now. You now have a crew of men that would follow you to the ends of the earth, like Robin Hood’s merry men. They need to get paid too.” Lexi implored.

“God! I really can’t stand stuffy rich people. I was so glad to get away from that lifestyle.” Sloan continued stubbornly.

“Sloan, you have to come with me! I know that Aaron is going to be there and if you’re not, I’ll have to deal with him all night.” Lexi pleaded.

“Who? That dick you went on the double date with?” Sloan said with a scowl.

“One and the same,” Lexi said with a raised eyebrow, knowing she had him.

“Fuck! Fine. I’ll go. But I don’t have to like it.” Sloan pouted like a little boy.

“At least we’ll be together. We can make fun of all the stuffy rich people together.” Lexi held back her laughter as she brushed back his hair with a gentle finger and planted a soft kiss on his temple. “Come on. Let’s go to bed, grumpy.”

Chapter 5

Eye of the Tiger

Lexi tossed and turned in bed, her sleep restless and a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She slowly opened her eyes, taking a moment to adjust to the semi-darkness. She flopped onto her back and stared up at the sheer canopy. A loud click made her glance at the foot of the bed quickly.

There at the end of the bed stood Eric. His arm was extended and in his hand he held a gun that glinted dangerously in the moonlight streaming from the window. Most of his large, stocky frame was in shadows, but she could see his face clearly. And his already sinister gray eyes, glowed with pure evil.

“If I can’t have you…no one can.” Eric’s voice rumbled darkly.

“NO!” Lexi screamed as she sat up rapidly, held out her hands protectively, and squeezed her eyes shut.

An ear deafening bang, rang through her ears and she screamed. She heard Sloan’s voice shouting her name from far away as if he was in a tunnel. And she felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her.

Lexi’s eyes flew open and instead of darkness, the room was filled with bright morning sunlight. The foot of the bed was empty, except for Tank, who was staring at her with ears pricked, at her ear piercing screams.

Finally realizing that the danger was only in her nightmare, as she looked into Sloan’s worried face, Lexi’s screams finally subsided. He rubbed her shoulders and arms soothingly. Gradually her breathing went from near hyperventilation to slower rasps. But the tremors coursing through her body, failed to diminish.

“Wanna talk about it?” Sloan asked hesitantly.

“It w-was Er-ric. He w-was at th-the f-foot of the b-bed. He had a…a g-gun.” Lexi forced the words past the uncontrollable shakes.

“That’s it! I’m teaching you some self-defense, starting today.” Sloan ground out in helpless frustration. “It’s Sunday and the guys aren’t coming today and I was going to work on the house a little by myself, but this is more important. And we’ll continue to practice each day after the crew leaves for the day, until the moves become second nature.”

“But h-how is self-defense g-gonna help m-me with a g-gun pointed at my f-face?” Lexi asked, equally frustrated.

“For now, if I can train you to protect yourself, that alone will give you more confidence. And at the very least a sense of comfort that your safety isn’t completely out of your hands. It might give you some peace of mind.” Sloan said passionately, gripping her hands in his tightly. “And as to the other problem, like I said before, we can get you a gun and I’ll make sure that you know how to use it.”

“O-okay,” Lexi said nodding her head and blowing out a deep calming breath.

“Come on. Let’s get dressed. Put on something comfortable and easy to maneuver in.” Sloan instructed as he slid out of the bed naked.

“Alright,” Lexi said to his back as he walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Her eyes traveled up and down his bare backside in admiration. Never able to get enough, even in crisis.

Sloan walked back into the bedroom to get dressed. Tank jumped out of bed and sat obediently in front of him as he pulled on his jeans and slipped his feet into the flip flops Lexi had gotten him. “I’ll be outside waiting for you. This big guy has a date with a patch of grass, in his near future. And I shouldn’t keep him waiting.” Sloan joked before winking at her, and leaving the room with the big black Shepard at his heels.

Lexi closed her eyes, took another deep breath through her nose, and expelled it quickly through her lips. Steadying her jittery heart, before walking into her closet. She hurriedly threw on a pair of black yoga pants, a bra, and a yellow tank top. She stuffed her feet into her only pair of tennis shoes.

Once dressed, she walked into her master bath that still left her breathless. She brushed her teeth, then fluffed out her afro, before securing it back with a hair-tie into a big curly puff. Feeling that she was as ready as she’d ever be, Lexi headed downstairs and out back. She stopped on the top step of the back porch, mesmerized by the sight before her.

Sloan and Tank were playing a game of fetch while waiting for her outside. Sloan hadn’t put on a shirt, so the morning sun shone down upon his naked chest and back. Lexi delighted in the rises and valleys of his muscular form, moving and flexing as he threw a stick for Tank. His jeans hung low on his hips, showing just a peek of the very top of his rock hard ass in the back. And in the front they hung just so, where Lexi could clearly see the sexy muscles that lead from his sides, down to his groin.

Tank grabbed the stick after Sloan threw it several yards away, and he sped back over. Passing Sloan, he ran up to Lexi with the stick, ruining her secret appraisal of Sloan’s stunning body. She bent over, grabbing the stick from his mouth and throwing it as far as she could, and he took off.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not teaching you
that
kind of wrestling. In fact, you already know how to wrestle like that…very well.” Sloan grinned at her as he strode over to the porch steps where she stood. Standing at the bottom of the steps, Sloan rose his face up, waiting for a morning kiss. Lexi leaned down and gave him a quick, but soft kiss on his full lips. “Now, it’s time to get serious. Come on.” Sloan stated, grabbing her hand and leading her out into the grass.

“I honestly don’t know if this is gonna work. I’m not the most athletic person on the planet.” Lexi said doubtfully.

“Don’t worry about how fit you are. You’ll have some strength behind your punch, I’m sure.” Sloan said confidently. “Especially when you’re scared, and adrenaline is pumping through you. Besides, a lot of it is the element of surprise. Most men aren’t going to expect someone as tiny as you to fight back, and in the right way too. All the better for you to knock them on their ass.

“Now, I’m not going to teach you a bunch of combat moves. That would be pointless because you won’t be able to remember them all, in a moment of panic. So I’m going to teach you some basic moves that will incapacitate long enough for you to run and get the hell outta dodge. Got it?” Sloan explained.

“Got it, Sensei,” Lexi answered with a grin.

“Alright, Lexi-chan,” Sloan smirked.

“Lexi-chan?” She asked curiously.

“I was stationed in Japan for a few years, so I know a little about their language. They add –san to the end of boys’ names, like in the movie
The Karate Kid
. You know, Daniel-san. The girls get –chan added to the end of theirs. So you would be called Lexi-chan by a teacher.” Sloan informed her as he grabbed her shoulders, and positioned her to face him straight on.

“You learned a lot in the Marines. I’d love to know more about your experiences.” Lexi said, honestly.

“Oh, you’re about to get a firsthand lesson in some of the things I learned.” Sloan smiled one last time before his face turned completely serious. Lexi took notice, the look of authority making her stand a little straighter. “Now, it’s time to get serious. This is no joking matter. If you’re ever in a situation where you need to use these maneuvers, it’s usually a matter of life or death. And as far as I’m concerned…death is not an option.” Sloan’s silvery blue eyes were dead serious.

“Understood.” Lexi nodded nervously.

“Good. Now let’s begin. Before I teach you any moves, first I wanna know how you hit. How hard you can throw a punch.” Sloan stepped back and held out his hands palms out. “Now punch my hand, so I can see how you punch,” Sloan order.

Lexi balled her hands up into tiny fists and punched as hard as she could, which wasn’t nearly as hard as she’d hoped. Sloan’s hand didn’t even budge. She scowled at the offensive palm, and a slight glimmer of amusement passed over Sloan’s face.

“Don’t be discouraged. Most people who aren’t trained in combat, martial arts or boxing have a hard time putting power behind a punch. And I did this as an example of why trying to punch or fight your attacker will be useless.” Sloan educated her. “What I want to do, is to teach you how to inflict the most pain, in a short amount of time, so you can get away to safety.”

“Alright. No punching. No fighting. Worthless. Got it.” Lexi rattled off.

“Good. Now, we’re going to go over three common types of attacks. First, is the frontal attack. If a man is coming at you from the front, the quickest and easiest way to inflict pain, is to hit him in the neck at the carotid artery.” Sloan instructed as he took her hand and flipped it over palm up, and traced around her palm with a gentle finger. “Use your palm to hit the artery as hard as you can.” He explained, running his index finger from the base of his ear down to his shoulder, pointing out where the carotid artery was located. “This will hurt like hell, and stun him because it’s unexpected. And if you do it hard enough, it could at least bring him to his knees, and give you time to run.” Sloan said as he took a few steps back from her. “Now, I’m gonna come at you. And I want you to hit my neck, with light force this first time. Okay?”

“Okay,” Lexi answered nervously.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Sloan advanced towards Lexi without hesitation. But instead of standing her ground in order to hit him, she stumbled back in fear, ducking her head, and raising her hands palms out to protect her face. Her damaged and abused soul, surging to the forefront.

Seeing her cower in fear ripped Sloan’s heart in two. He instantly stopped walking and relaxed his menacing stance.

“Alexis. It’s okay. Look at me.” He commanded softly.

Lexi looked up at him and saw that he had stopped. She slowly lowered her shaky hands to her sides. She let out a huge breath, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. And bowed her head again in embarrassment.

“Alexis, it’s me. I would never actually hurt you. You know that, right?” Sloan asked.

“Yes, I know,” Lexi answered, unable to look up to meet his eyes.

“Okay, so I think I know the problem. The minute a man acts aggressively towards you, you instantly revert back to the times you were abused. Instead of fight or flight, you lay down and take it. Am I right?” Sloan asked gently.

Lexi nodded her head quickly, unable to speak around the lump in her throat.

“What you fail to realize is that, you deserve better than to be used and beatup on. You’re a strong, beautiful woman, deserving of kindness and love. And the sooner you start realizing that, the sooner you’ll get pissed off when
any
man treats you with anything other than respect.” Sloan walked cautiously up to Lexi, and placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face up to look at him. Her eyes glassy with tears. “Now it’s time to get angry. Just like when we tore down the wall upstairs, take that bottled up anger and hurt and use it. Get mad. Get fucking furious! Fuck your father! Fuck him for taking your mother from you! Fuck every coward that laid a hand on you!” Sloan shouted as he backed away from her. “Scream, cry or cuss. Whatever you need to do, but get fucking angry! It’s your right.” He ground out.

The tears that trembled on the edge of her lids spilled over and ran down her flushed cheeks. A fiery ball of hatred and fury began to grow in her belly. It built momentum until it spread through every inch of her being. Her vision turned red, as she saw Sloan started to advance towards her. And she unleashed her rage.

“FUCK YOU!!!” She screamed as she brought up her open palm and slammed it down on the right side of Sloan’s neck with all of her strength.

Sloan instantly fell to his knees, stunned. He collapsed onto his side, holding onto his neck and hissed through his teeth.

“Oh my God! Sloan! Are you okay?” Lexi cringed as the red haze cleared from her eyes, and she knelt in front of him.

“Shit, woman! I didn’t think anyone so small, could do so much damage.” Sloan grimaced while rubbing his tender neck. “I guess it’s my fault. I was the one to get you all riled up. Just remember this, if you find yourself in a sticky situation. If you do, you’ll have absolutely no problem getting away. Sheesh!”

Lexi squeezed her lips together, trying to keep from laughing at the situation.

“Go ahead. Laugh. I’m sure I look ridiculous.” Sloan grinned reluctantly.

“I’ve never been through so many emotions, within the span of a few minutes, in my entire life.” Lexi sighed heavily. “Alright, what’s next? That is unless, you want to call it a day?” Lexi quickly switched gears, at the wary look on his face.

“No, no. When I say I’m going to do something, I’ll do it.” Sloan said reluctantly.

Lexi stood up and held out her hand to help Sloan up. He grunted and moaned as he got up, milking it for all it was worth. Lexi raised a brow at his antics.

“Alright, alright. Enough with the theatrics. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard, ya big baby.” Lexi scolded playfully, as he scowled back at her.

Sloan took a deep fortifying breath before continuing. “Okay. The next thing we’re going to work on is the throat grab.” The instant the words were out of his mouth, Sloan could see that that Lexi had experienced that particular brand of punishment, firsthand. It was almost as if the color had drained from her face. “This happened to you before? He choked you?” Sloan asked, and she just nodded in response. “So then, this next move is going to be extra important to you.