Rock Me Deeper (Licks of Leather #5) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,32
if she doesn’t?
I had six hundred dollars left from the thousand I’d borrowed from Syd’s wallet. If I combined that with the four hundred I’d managed to put away in savings, I could survive the next few months until the tourists returned. Diamond City was a vacation paradise for fishing and family vacations. Cleaning toilets, changing sheets, and vacuuming wasn’t a job I particularly wanted, but if push came to shove, I could find work as a maid at one of the dozen hotels and lodges lining the lake…if the owners were willing to hire a former juvenile delinquent.
Shoving my insecurities down deep, I started brewing a pot of coffee and grabbed a box of oatmeal from the pantry. Dragging down a bowl, I heard a loud knock at my front door. I tugged the cuffs of my robe over my wrists, crossed the room, and flipped back the lock. I turned the knob and partially opened the door, making sure to keep the bruises on the right side of my face hidden.
Trudy stood on the stoop, hands on her hips, brows arched high, and lips pressed in a tight, thin line. “So, the rumors are true. You really did decide to come home. Tell me, were you planning on coming back to work? Planning to tell me what the hell happened to you out in LA? Or were you just going to sit around in your robe all day watching soap operas, eating bonbons?”
Trudy never held back. She said what was on her mind without filtering a thing. It was one of the many reasons I admired her.
“I just made a pot of coffee. If you’d like to come in and join me for a cup, I’ll be happy to answer your questions.”
“I would. It’s a lot better than standing out here freezing my nipples off.”
I smiled and pulled the door open wider.
As she stepped inside, she saw my bruises and did a double take. “Holy chocolate fuck-nuggets, what the hell happened to your face?”
“It’s been a rough few days. Let’s go sit in the kitchen. I need coffee.”
“You look like you need to see Doc Everly. Who the hell beat the shit out of you, Caris?” Trudy asked as I poured us each a steaming mug and joined her at the table.
The sudden concern in her voice eased my angst, but the fact that Trudy knew I’d been beaten ignited a million questions.
“Not many people know that Darrell ain’t my first husband,” Trudy announced as if reading my thoughts. “I quit high school when I was seventeen. I was young, stupid, and thought I was in love, so I ran off with this badass biker named Hoss. He was a badass, all right, but I didn’t know just how bad till after we’d been married by a justice of the peace in Salina, Kansas.”
I quietly sipped my coffee and listened as she spilled her secrets.
“The first time he hit me, Hoss told me he hated to hurt me, but I’d stepped out of line. Then he promised he’d never slap me again.” A sardonic scoff rolled off her lips. “He kept that promise. He started using his fists and beating me instead. Six months later, I ended up in the ER and nearly died. I finally told the doctor what Hoss was doing.”
“Jesus, Trudy. I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“I’m not. That doctor helped me move into a safe house. All the women there were like me, with one exception. They were the strongest, most determined, and most remarkable women I’d ever met. Most had endured years more abuse than me, but they didn’t let the past define the future. They worked their asses off and rebuilt their lives, found happiness within themselves instead of from some damn man.”
“And you did the very same.”
“I did. Now tell me, what’s the name of the sack of monkey spunk who used you for a punching bag?”
I opened my mouth to repeat the story I’d told Betty and Herb but snapped it shut when Trudy held up her hand.
“The real story, not the bullshit one Betty Warner is telling every living soul in Diamond City,” Trudy stated, before nodding toward my coffee cup.
Glancing down, I bit back a curse when I saw the sleeve of my robe had slid back, exposing the ugly scab on my wrist.
I sucked in a deep breath and spilled the truth…as much of it as I could.
Chapter 7
Syd
Smile pasted in place, I stood beneath the blistering spotlights,