Trusted Page 7

  I go upstairs and walk into the kitchen, kicking my shoes off on the way, grab the Jack Daniels out of the cabinet and a glass and pour a two finger shot. I drink it fast and shudder as it moves down my throat, warming up my body, but I really needed that. I hear the bell at the back door, so I start to walk there, out of my apartment and down the small hallway past the offices. Harley must have forgotten his key. “Did you lose your key?” I ask as I open the door. My eyes close as I’m pushed back into the wall, the air being knocked out of me and when I open my eyes, my nightmare begins.

  “Hey, sweet thing. I told you I’d have you.” I squeeze my eyes close when his mouth smashes against mine, my hands pushing hard against his chest and my legs struggling to try to kick him, but he overpowers me with his strength. He’s about four inches taller than me and almost as muscular as Rider, so I know I don’t have much of a chance. I open my eyes when his mouth releases mine, and his hand grabs my upper arm. He begins to pull me, half drag me, down the hall as I push back with my feet to stop him, but then he pulls on my arm harder.

  “Ow, Drew! Let go! You’re hurting me!” I keep struggling and digging in with my feet, but he pulls me through my front doorway. I grab the door frame, squeezing tightly as I continue to try to move away from him. His head turns and he smirks as he tugs even harder, making me release my grip, and he pulls me over to the couch, yanks my arm so hard I fall onto it, and he’s over me in an instant.

  “I wouldn’t hurt you if you’d stop fighting me and let me have my way,” he chuckles as I struggle. I hit his face, scratching his skin with my fingernails as I move my legs wildly. He stops laughing and slams his fist into my cheek, and I see stars. “Bitch! I was hoping to do this the easy way, but I guess you’re not gonna help me out.” He grabs both my wrists in one of his large hands and starts unbuttoning my jeans with the other.

  “NOOOOOO!” I scream, my body moving around, making it harder for him. His fingers keep slipping off the button with my movements, and he snarls at me.

  “I really want you conscious for this but if you don’t stop struggling so much, I have no problem with smacking you around more.” I fight harder with his words, and his fist connects right on the same spot he hit before. My eyes close as tears fill them, and I wince with the pain. “Finally!” My breathing is heavy in my excursion, my eyes opening as I feel him yank down my jeans, his hand lifting me to allow them to pull down further and when I look down I see my panties are still on. He slides down my body, pulling my wrists until my arms are stretched, and removes my jeans completely. I kick him hard with my foot into his stomach, but he laughs and my eyes spread wide when his hand takes ahold of my panties from the side.

  “NO, DREW! Please…. Please don’t do this! Don’t….” I feel the sting as he pulls them so hard they rip off and my eyes close again in fear of being raped.

  I lay here shivering, my body shaking in fear. It’s weird what your mind thinks of during something so vile, so horrible. What flashes in my head is how I’m about to lose my virginity and how I wish it was to someone I loved, someone who loved me.

  I feel his hand covering me in the place no one but me has ever touched, and I cringe as I start to fight him again with a renewed sense of survival. His hand begins to move, and suddenly his weight is lifted from me. I open my eyes quickly and see a fuming Harley, his hand around Drew’s throat. Drew’s dangling from his hand against the wall across from me, his hands covering Harley’s and his legs swinging out. Harley turns his head and I see his eyes are wide with rage, his face red and the look of anger encasing his face. “Call the police. Now!”

  I sit up, reach down and grab my jeans, putting them on quickly and fumble in the pocket until I pull my phone out. I make the call giving the police my address and how to get here through the alley, and I turn to Harley. I see his hand squeezing harder. Drew’s face is beet red and starting to turn blue. “Don’t kill him, Harley. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Harley turns his head to me, his face full of concentration, and then it appears to soften a little. I look at Drew and see Harley lessen his hold a little. Drew starts coughing and choking.

  “I’m just detaining him. Don’t worry.” His voice is rough and raspy, but his eyes soften as he looks into mine and then down my body. He looks back into my eyes, and his brows crease in worry. “Did he….?” I can only shake my head, my eyes filling with tears and my body still shivering. He turns his head at Drew and growls, “You better be glad you didn’t complete what you started doing or you wouldn’t be alive right now feeling my hand around your neck. Trust me, it can squeeze the life right outta you.”

  Our heads turn when three police officers come running in with their guns drawn. A large officer steps to Harley and Drew takes a look at the situation and grabs Harley’s hand, then the other, pulling them behind him and putting cuffs around his wrists. Drew falls to the ground gasping and another officer runs over to him. “NO!” I yell as I stand, but another officer, who put his gun away in his holster, walks over and lays his hand on my shoulder, making me sit back down. I turn my head and watch as the officer holding Harley pushes him against the wall next to Drew, Harley’s face winces and turns to the left as the officer searches him. “Wait!” I turn my head to the officer behind me, my brows creasing and anger from within me starts to rise. “He saved me. You don’t understand. Stop it! Let him go!” The officer behind me looks over across the room, back at me then over at the other officer.

  “Thompson!” The officer stops and turns his head. “Let him go. Langley, cuff him,” he says to the officer by Drew and then points at Drew.

  “No, I’m the innocent one here! He…. He tried to kill me. You saw,” Drew spits out, still coughing and gasping for air as he looks one by one at the different officers. “You all saw.” One officer pushes Drew over, pulls his hands behind his back and places cuffs on his wrists, Drew yelling the entire time.

  The officer behind me walks around the couch and sits down next to me. I’m too preoccupied with watching the other one taking the cuffs off of Harley. Harley rubs his wrists and then turns and walks over to the couch, sitting on my other side.

  “Are you okay?” he asks gently, with his hand covering the side of my face, his thumb softly rubbing against the bruise that’s already formed there. I nod, but the tears that had been welling up finally spill over. The look on his face is so caring, so sweet that it makes me want to crawl into his arms. He looks up at the officer and his face changes immediately to anger. “Get him outta here and ask your questions. Can’t you see she’s hurt and shaken up?” The officer nods and Harley looks back at me, his face tender once again. “Did he hurt you anywhere else, Pearl?” I shake my head, my chin beginning to quiver.

  “I’m sorry, miss.” He looks over at Harley and nods. “You too, sir. We jumped to the wrong conclusion.” He looks at me again and takes out a small note pad and pen. “Please give me your full name and then can you tell me what happened? Take your time.”

  I told him my name and explained how Drew was drunk and that he was trying to come on to me at the bar. I then told the officer how he must have followed me up here and attacked me when I answered the door. I painfully began to tell him the details of the attack. “Then he…. He ripped off my panties and…. He tried….” My breathing is rapid, and my tears are streaming down my face. I feel Harley take my hand, covering it with his, and he squeezes it.

  “Pearl. Take a deep breath, baby.” I look up at him, sniffling and panting, and then take a deep breath. “That’s it. Another.” I take another one, and my breathing starts to slow.

  My head turns back to the officer and see him writing. “He didn’t rape me, but he was going to. He would have if Harley hadn’t gotten here in time.” I squeeze Harley’s hand and feel him return it.

  “Very good. I’m sorry this happened, Miss Dunway. I’m assuming you want to press charges?” He looks at me and then at Harley and I turn to Harley, who gives me a small nod.

  �
�Yes.” Harley nods at me again and I turn to the officer. “Yes. I would.”

  “I will create a statement and you can come to the station in the morning and sign it. Do you need medical assistance, Miss Dunway? Would you like me to call an ambulance? Call anyone for you?” My heart beats faster again when I think about having to call Dad, and I shake my head quickly at the officer. He looks over at Harley and again Harley nods at him, then the officer stands. “Make sure you come to the station in the morning. The statement will be ready for you to sign so you won’t need to be there very long.” He nods at me and then turns, following the other two officers through the doorway. Drew’s head is down, but he looks over at me with a look that could kill.

  Once the door closes, Harley is quick to stand and walk over locking it and then jogs back to my side. His arm moves around me as he sits. I throw my arms around his broad shoulders, and sob into his chest soft but steady. With one of his hands rubbing my back the other cups the back of my head, and I feel safe with his warmth and gentle touch. “I would have killed him, if he would have raped you. He wouldn’t have deserved to live. Fuck!” His anger would scare me, but now I know it’s because of his protection of me. “No one deserves to treat a lady like that. No one deserves to be mean and vile to anyone.” My crying dies down and I feel exhausted. “If I hadn’t been here…. If I hadn’t come in when I did….” I feel his body shiver, and I look up at him, his eyes looking ahead, staring out over me.

  I reach my hand up to his face, laying it there gently, and his eyes blink then move to mine. “But you did and I’m ok, thanks to you,” I whisper, a tear falling slowly down my bruised cheek. We stare into each other’s eyes until he finally breaks contact.

  He releases his hold, and my hand slides down his face as he stands, my eyes following him as he starts to walk towards the kitchen. “You need ice.”

  I nod and sniff a little. My body shivers as I think of what could have happened. I better call Dad before he somehow hears about this. I dig into my pocket, pull out my phone and find him in my contacts. He’s gonna freak, but I need my daddy.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  I grab a few ice cubes and slam them into the dishcloth. Damn, I wanted to kill that fucker. I take more ice cubes and slam them into the cloth and stop, looking down at my hand. It’s shaking and cold. After closing the freezer door, I pick up the makeshift ice pack and walk into the living room, but stop in the dining room when I hear her voice.

  “Yes, Dad. I know you would but I’m ok. Yes, he’s staying here, at least for now. Okay, maybe you can meet him soon. I know. Well, Emerson had to go home to take care of his mom, but I know he would be here if he could. Okay, tell Mom I’ll see her tomorrow. You too.”

  I would be jealous of Emerson, but I’ve heard Pearl, Stormy and Bo talk about him and how he’s a bodyguard for her mom and dad. I watch as she lays her phone down on the table, her hands then cover her face, and I see her body shaking with her cries, but no sound comes from her. She’s trying to be tough, strong, but I know better. I slowly walk to the couch, and she removes her hands, wiping away tears, when I sit down. “Here.” I bring the ice up to her cheek, and her wet eyes look into mine as I press it gently against her skin that’s already turning a light purple. “You don’t have to try to be so strong,” I whisper.

  Her eyes search mine and a single tear slowly moves from her eye and down her other cheek. “He could have…. He almost….” Another tear leaves her eye, and I nod slightly. “He would have taken my virginity.” My mouth opens slightly, my eyebrows lower and my heart begins to beat faster. Fuck! I had no idea.

  I blink and close my mouth as my brows crease further. “I wanted to kill him, make him pay for hurting you but had I known…. If I would have known that, I would have….” She presses two fingers against my lips, and my eyes close with her soft touch.

  “Hold me. Just…. Just hold me, please, I….” I open my eyes and see her pleading to me. I set the ice down on the table and take her in my arms. Her body shivers and she lets out a deep sigh. “You’re so quiet, so private and yet you didn’t hesitate to help, didn’t think twice and I…. You act so mysterious, like you have so many dark and hidden secrets but then you’re so kind, so tender and so caring.” Her head moves up from my chest. Her eyes look up at me and my heart beats for a different reason. “You can’t be all that bad, Harley. You can’t be and want to help others like you do.”

  I shake my head a little and my mouth turns into a small smile. “Shhhh. There’s things you don’t know. Things that would make you think differently of me. Things that would make you run from me. But…. It’s so selfish of me for not wanting you to know. Not wanting you to run. I’m not the good man you think I am, Pearl.”

  Her eyes blink a couple of times as she continues to look into mine, and her lips turn into a sad smile. “I don’t think you’re a bad person. You can’t be.” She lays her head back down on my chest, her arm moving around my waist and indecisively my hand moves to hold the back of her head, her hair so soft, and her body so fragile. I lean further against the back of the couch, her body following mine, and I stare across the room at the dark TV screen and lose myself in her warmth. I can hold her all night, if I need to. I can be here for her, if that’s what she wants. But she’s wrong in her thoughts of me. As we sit there and her breathing becomes light all I can think about is the time I have right now, holding her, comforting her for as long as she’ll let me.

  “No. Ungh. No.”

  I’m jostled awake by her movements.

  “Stop! Don’t!”

  In my sleepy state, my eyes look down at her head moving back and forth against my chest. Her hand is flat and pushing against my stomach, but her struggles are not enough to wake her. My arm must have fallen from her shoulder when I fell asleep, so I put it back around her, holding her tight and her movements slowly stop as she snuggles into me. My other hand covers her arm, and her hand relaxes on my stomach as her head stops moving. I hear her sigh and then still in my arms. I look up at the ceiling and know she’s reliving what happened and wish there was something I could do to take the fear away. “Harley.” My eyes snap down to her when I hear her breathe my name and my heart is full, my feelings for her swell inside me, and I wonder if someday I can be whole for her. I wonder if I can ever give my love again without guilt. If I could, it would be only for her.

  “Pearl.” Her eyes open and blink a few times, then she sits up and throws herself into her mother’s arms. Her face buries into her shoulder, and I turn my head from the tender moment. I start to open the door but stop, not turning around, when I hear my name.

  “Harley!”

  “You need time with your mom. I’ll be back.” I don’t wait for her response as I walk out of the door and close it behind me. She needs this time, and I won’t stand in her way. I wish I would have had someone to help me through the rough times. Well, I did have Macy, and she at least tried, but it wasn’t the same as having a parent, who loved you, be there for you. I walk down to the coffee house, order myself a cup of coffee and sit down at the high table in the back. Going through that with Pearl last night brings memories into my mind before I can stop them.

  “Mr. Sanders, we were able to save your baby but weren’t able to save Venice. I’m so sorry.”

  I look at the doctor, but the sounds of his words are clouded in my ears. Venice? Dead? I watch as he walks away, my legs give out on me, and I sit in the nearest chair. We were going to get married soon. I promised she and our baby would have my last name, and that we’d always be together. My eyes fill with wetness, my brows lower as my lips quiver. It’s because of me. She would be alive if not for me. Bad things happen to those around me, those who get close to me. This shouldn’t have happened. I should have left. She would still be alive. Why? Why her?

  “Hey, aren’t you the guy in this article?” A man’s voice shakes me from my grief, and I look at the paper he’s holding and look where his finger is pointing.

&nbs
p; The police responded to a call at an apartment located over the Hot Rocks bar where owner, Pearl Dunway, was attacked. An employee at the bar saved the day by apprehending the violator before harm could befall Miss Dunway. The perpetrator is being held and a hearing will be set. Reports are indicating that the employee, Harley Sanders, was the person who detained the suspect before the police arrived. There is no known information about the mysterious Harley Sanders at this time.

  “Uh, no. You have the wrong person.” I pick up my cup, stand and walk around him.

  “But you’re the bartender at Hot Rocks and I’ve heard people call you by your name. I’ve been there a few times. You should be proud that you helped her.”

  His voice is close behind me, but I keep walking fast, throwing my cup into the trash on my way out the door. I barely turn my head to see if he is gone as I continue down the street. My heart is racing as I walk across the street, and I keep walking until I round the corner and see my truck. After unlocking the door, I get in, reach for my pack of smokes and light one up. I feel a little sense of calm as I inhale deeply, staring out the front at nothing and then blow out the smoke. I don’t know what to do. Do I stay? Do I go? My heart wants me to stay, but my mind says I should go. What if that reporter keeps digging until they find out about my past? What if every horrible nightmare is let loose and Pearl finds out everything? She’ll run from me. She’ll hate me. I can’t be around when that happens. It will kill me. I throw my smoke out the window, then close my eyes. Opening the truck door, I get out and snuff out my smoke with my boot, then pick it up and put it in my pocket, get back into the truck, buckle in and start my truck. Turning the truck around, I look both ways on the street and pull out.