The Tornado Read online

  “It felt like my body was blown open, my body was ringing all over. He was standing over me and he said ‘Are you bleeding, Juliet? Are you bleeding? If you don’t answer I'm gonna blow your fucking head off.’ I never moved, never answered him…And he nudged me with his foot…and then…he just kicked. Over, and over, and over again—it felt like he would never stop kicking. When he finally got done kicking, he squatted down to where my head was and he picked my ponytail up, to pick my head up off the ground…” I heard her swallow hard. “…And he got real close to my face and got his gun out, pressed it so hard in my face I swore I could feel heat coming off of it. I remember seeing his eyes just staring at me…He didn’t leave until I was knocked unconscious but not before…" I glanced at her face again, feeling sickened, and waited.

  I knew it would haunt me, but I waited for it.

  She slid her eyes back to me and stared right through me. "He raped me with his gun," she whispered.

  Abruptly, I rose from the sofa and placed my hands on my head. I didn't know what I was doing; I just needed to move. Bile rose in my throat and remorse and sorrow, for her, slammed into me like a freight train. It all made sense now—her fear, her dislike of being touched, or being close to people, her anxiety and panic…

  Her self-inflicted wounds.

  I turned to face Jewel. She wasn't looking at me. She was still staring off into space, but her face looked strangely calm.

  "Jewel," I croaked. She turned her head slowly to meet my eyes. "I'm not good with words," I went on, clearing my throat, struggling for the right thing to say. I knew I'd never find it. "But I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry that happened to you. I wish—I want to help you. Somehow."

  "I—I can't have kids," she interrupted quietly, one final confession. "I'll never be able to have children. He took that from me." A single tear dropped down her cheek, but that strange calm on her face never wavered. I found I couldn't look away from her face. I had no words for her; even if I had, there was nothing adequate to tell her. Nothing to describe how terribly sorry I was.

  I moved slowly to the couch and sat down next to her. She continued to watch me, her eyelids heavy with sadness I would never know, watching me in a curiously detached manner. I slowly reached out and took her small, cold, trembling hand, clasping it between mine and squeezing gently. I didn't know what else to do.

  As if that one, simple gesture proved to be just too much, Jewel's face crumpled and she burst into tears. She dropped her head into her other hand and I sat silently at her side, staring down at my lap, squeezing her hand in both of mine as the sounds of her personal Hell—her utter torment, tore through her—ripped into me, and shattered the walls. I continued to hold her hand as her sobs died down and eventually quieted. The silence in the apartment was punctuated only by her soft sniffles.

  "Let me grab you a tissue," I said, recalling the ones I'd seen in her bathroom earlier. I grabbed several and brought them to her. She wouldn't meet my eyes as she took them, but I saw that her face was red, her eyes and lips puffy from the tears, and I walked to the window, giving her my back and also some privacy to clean herself up. I heard her blow her nose quietly and clear her throat.

  “Did they catch him?” I asked quietly, turning around.

  She looked at me for a long time. “Yes… It took about three months. I was unconscious from the beating and blood loss by the time he left my apartment. When I came to, I called 911 and they did a rape kit on me at the hospital. Eventually, they found a match to his DNA, and they eventually caught him. They caught…Jackson James.”

  A shiver ran through me then as if someone had walked over my grave. I remembered clearly when I’d heard the news about Jackson James. Hell, every one had heard of the serial killer who’d violently raped and murdered six women in New York last year. I also remembered that there was only one survivor.

  And I was looking at her.

  “It turns out he'd done this to six women in the Tri-State area,” she continued, shakily. “Other dancers and singers. I was just the only one that lived to tell the story.” I sighed, closing my eyes. "Sorry," she whispered hoarsely.

  I knew anger was written on my face as fury flamed in me, but it wasn't for her. Her bloodshot, puffy-lidded brown eyes widened in fright and she cowered slightly back into the cushions.

  "You're sorry?" I growled. "Why the fuck should you be sorry? You didn't ask for any of that to happen to you. You didn't do anything wrong, Jewel. Not a goddamn thing. So don't you dare ever be fucking sorry."

  "I'm so—" she started, then bit her lip, catching herself. I shook my head and crossed the room back to the couch. I sat down hard and turned to face her.

  "I didn't mean to sound like I was pissed at you," I said, more quietly. "I'm just angry. Real fucking angry at what that sick son-of-a-bitch did to you. And I don't want you apologizing for anything. You understand?" Jewel lowered her eyes but bobbed her head. I laid a hand on her ankle and she twitched like she wanted to jerk away from me, but I kept my hand where it was.

  “I know I’m a basket case. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore…”

  "Jewel,” I said, doing my best to control the anger still simmering inside me, “since my best friend died saving me, I’ve never had anything in my life worth fighting for, worth saving for. And I’ve spent my whole life fighting in the ring, since—thinking I was too hard to beat, too hard to feel. And then this kid, this little kid, comes out of nowhere, and is the first to knock me out of my ring. Of my world. You, Jewel, you are what’s worth fighting for, worth saving for—so this shit stops now. I mean it." Jewel didn't respond so I tightened my grip on her ankle, ever so slightly. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to get her attention and let her know how serious I was. "I'm not fucking kidding, Jewel. Promise me."

  Her brow deepened so I reached out and tilted her chin up with my index finger, forcing her to look at me. I lifted my eyebrows in a silent repeat of my question, my eyes narrowing slightly to let her know I was deadly serious.

  She inhaled deeply and looked me in the eye. "I promise," she breathed out, and I trusted it. I nodded in acknowledgment and moved my hand to smooth her hair back away from her face.

  "Good," I replied, dropping my gaze back to the rug and clenching my fists together. "As long as I’m alive—I won't let you hurt yourself. Not on my watch."

  I bit my lip as I felt my emotions, anger and sorrow, stirring at the thought, and it made my breath come faster and my heart beat harder.

  “Come here,” I ordered gently, removing the cushion from between us. Her eyes, her sad beautiful fucking eyes, met mine, as I pulled her gently toward me, leaning back, so she could cuddle up to my side.

  It felt right. Felt natural. No awkwardness. No second-guessing. Like we’d done this a million times before. My hand dropped to her hair, brushing the strands through my fingers. I felt the tension leak out of her as she relaxed against me. After another long moment, I realized she had fallen asleep against me, her breathing deep and even.

  I didn't want to move. Ever. I was never going to leave her side.

  I managed to wedge my hand into my back pocket and pull out my cell without disturbing her. One-handed, I quickly typed a message out to Connor.

  ‘Not coming back tonight. Lock up for me. Keys are in the top desk drawer. If you lose them I will end you.’

  I hit the send button and then silenced my phone, tossing it on the cushion beside me, and settled back. I adjusted myself to allow Jewel to be more comfortable, and then reached behind my head, grabbing the throw blanket draped over the back of the couch. With minimal jostling, I managed to unfold it and then draped it over her. Once it was in place, I wrapped my arms around her and closed my own eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

  When the time was right, when I was declared champion of Ithaca, I was going to hunt down that sick son-of-bitch and kill him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Her

  “BARKEEP!�
�� Ruby called, waving me over.

  "Wench!" Alexis shouted and I rolled my eyes, sliding behind the bar.

  Tonight was my last shift at Trinity’s. I’d been working myself into the ground with three jobs. I guess since meeting Asher, I’d realized I’d only been living for the future and not the present, that I needed to make more time for friends and my passion—dance.

  I couldn’t explain why I’d told Asher everything the other night. But I didn’t regret it. Ever since I’d told him, I’ve felt different somehow. For the first time, in a long time, the oppressive weight of my dirty little secret had lightened. There’s something in Asher Prince that made me trust him. And it was like I had to rid myself of that sickness. I guess I realized in that instant that I couldn’t heal if I let it rot inside me.

  "Yeah, yeah," I said, waving them off. "Let me guess—raspberry margarita, blended sugar on the rim for Ruby, Cosmo for Alexis because she can't let Sex and the City go, and Chardonnay for Rachael." I lifted my brows at them and received another round of grins, and I knew I'd gotten them right.

  "But first," Alexis said dramatically, lifting a hand, "a round of shots, including one for our fair bar wench. Patron, if you please."

  "Aw, man," I groaned. "No! Anything else! Whiskey? Vodka?"

  "No," Alexis said stubbornly. "Tequila!"

  I sighed heavily and poured out four shots of tequila and slid them around. The girls all fixed up their hands with salt and lifted their shots into the air.

  "To Jewel," Alexis said, smiling at me. "For making leaps and bounds and living this much closer to her dream."

  "Hear, hear!" Rachael exclaimed.

  "Word," Ruby added with a nod.

  I smiled and waved dismissively. "Down the hatch."

  Taking the shot, I shook my head quickly to focus, and set about to making all of their drinks.

  Ruby smirked at me. "So, when’s your man getting here, Jewel? He’d better be bringing his friends. Been waiting long to get my hands on some big, beefy fighter action."

  "Well, if you’re waiting on 'my man'," I shot back, making quotations with my fingers, "you’re going to be waiting a long time since I don't have one." I set their drinks before them.

  "Here you go with that shit again," Ruby said, rolling her eyes.

  "Oh, you mean Asher?" Alexis teased, nudging Ruby with her elbow. "Yeah. The whole family is very anxious to meet him tomorrow."

  I still didn’t understand why Asher hadn’t run for the hills. Why the hell would he want to burden himself with a crazy, damaged shell of a girl, when he could find someone who really had her shit together?

  "Yeah, tonight doesn't count," Rachael chimed in. "I'll be nice when he gets here but the gloves come off tomorrow."

  "Oh, come on, Rachael," I whined. "You guys seem to forget I'm not thirteen anymore!"

  "You will always be the baby," Alexis said evenly. "And as your big sisters, we are obligated to torture and torment every guy that's unfortunate enough to fall for you."

  "Oh, he's fallen, all right," Ruby said firmly.

  "What?" Rachael spat. "What's that mean? Are they sleeping together?" She glared at me. "Are you sleeping together?"

  "What?" Alexis chimed in. She glared at me too. "When did that happen?"

  "No!" I insisted, patting the air. "You guys, chill! We're not sleeping together, for God's sake. We've never even kissed."

  "Why not?" Ruby exclaimed. "Have you seen those lips? It breaks my fucking heart you saw him first. His lips are off the chain. I'd take some of that."

  "Ruby!" I yelled, laughing at my friend's outrageousness.

  "I have to agree with that," Alexis added. "He does have amazing lips."

  "Oh, I'm sure Vinnie would be so pleased to hear that," I said sarcastically,

  “Oh, I think he would be. You know how much he’s obsessed with MMA. And The Tornado is his favorite. You don’t think he’ll leave me for Asher, do you?” she laughed.

  "He doesn't like the Red Sox, does he?" Rachael added suspiciously. "You know Daddy will not like that."

  "I don't know," I asked, mystified. "What does that matter?"

  "’What does that matter?’" Alexis repeated, amazed. "Are you kidding me?"

  "Did you not grow up in the Mucciarone household?" Rachael added.

  I waved my hand impatiently. "I know Dad loves the Yankees," I said, "but I just don't think he would let that sway his opinion of some guy—"

  "Do you remember David Morelli?" Alexis interrupted.

  I vaguely recalled my oldest sister's high school boyfriend. "I guess," I replied with a shrug. "What the hell does that—"

  "We broke up right before prom," Alexis said, "because Daddy found out he was a Sox fan. Okay? He's very serious about it."

  "Well, I'll be sure to coach him on the acceptable sports teams in the family," I retorted.

  "Do that," Alexis said evenly, sipping her Cosmo with gusto.

  "Meanwhile, I believe it's time for another round of shots!" Ruby yelled, looking at me pointedly. I groaned as my sisters took up the chorus and reluctantly retrieved the bottle of tequila from the shelf.

  "Make it five," Rachael called. "You're taking two! One right after the other."

  "What are you guys doing to me?" I asked, pouring out a fifth shot. I kept two and slid the remaining three toward my sisters and Ruby.

  I sighed and downed the two shots quickly, eschewing salt and limes as I gulped down the fiery liquor. I swallowed hard and tried to keep a straight face.

  "Hey, Mac!" I heard a voice call and glanced over. I felt a slow smile spread over my face as I saw Connor leaning over the bar, grinning at me. Behind him, I saw Leon, Bailey, and Asher. Asher’s full lips slowly pulled into a half-smile when we locked eyes.

  "What is this?" Connor asked. "Drinking on the job?"

  "Blame these heathens," I said, gesturing toward my sisters and Ruby. "And my boss. He has insisted on sending me out of his club with a bang!"

  "I don't believe we've met," Connor said smoothly, turning to the other girls. "Connor. Asher's second-in-command." I heard Ruby giggle.

  "Nice to meet you," Rachael replied. "I'm the older sister."

  "I'm the oldest sister," Alexis added, giving Connor's hand a delicate shake.

  "And I'm the best friend," Ruby said, taking Connor's proffered hand next.

  "Mm," Connor said, smiling at Ruby indulgently. "Such beautiful ladies. Birds of a feather." He didn’t take his eyes off my best friend. “How you doin’?” he said in a deep, husky voice.

  “Really?” Ruby said, hand on hip. “You think that cheesy line is gonna work on a classy girl like me?”

  This was an accident waiting to happen, I thought, and almost shut my eyes. It was so painful to watch. “Don’t you worry, baby. I’ve got plenty of moves I’m sure will work on you—”

  “Leave the girl alone,” said a deep, sonorous voice.

  "The man of the hour," Ruby said, looking at me with a smirk.

  Hearing his cue, Asher made his way past his brother and Leon to step beside my sisters and Ruby. “If he’s bothering you,” Asher said to Ruby, grabbing Connor by the shoulder and making him wince, “I’ll be more than happy to throw him out.”

  “What a sweetheart you are,” Ruby replied to Asher, sending a sly grin my way. “But I can fight my own battles, hun. I’m pretty sure I could eat him alive.”

  “Oh, please, baby. Please do,” Connor begged jovially.

  Ruby rolled her eyes, but I could see she was attracted to Connor’s build and pretty-boy features.

  “I take it you’re the famous Asher everyone’s talking about,” Rachael said.

  Asher extended his hand to offer my sister his hand. "Hi, I'm Asher."

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm aware of that," Rachael replied, her eyes moving over him appraisingly. "Nice to meet you, finally."

  "You must be Rachael," Asher said politely.

  "That's me," Rachael said, sipping demurely at her wine. "I would grill you now,
but it can wait until tomorrow. I don't want to scare you off before you come over."

  "Uh…thank you," Asher said, bobbing his head in appreciation while shooting me a quick wink.

  "Okay, okay, Rachael," Alexis said, pressing my sister's arm. She smiled charmingly at Asher. "It's good to see you again," she said graciously.

  "Thanks, you too," he replied. "So are you also going to wait to read me the riot act?"

  "Of course," Alexis said. "I prefer to let my victims squirm." She smiled innocently and Asher laughed.

  "Hey, I get it," he said, lifting his hands in the air. "I like overprotective siblings."

  "Speaking of siblings," Bailey spoke up. "You gonna introduce us, brother?"

  "Oh, sorry," Asher said hurriedly, reaching behind him for his brother's shoulder.

  "What's with you forgetting about me all the time?" Bailey asked, then smiled at my sisters, reaching out to shake their hands, and then Ruby's. "It seems to happen around beautiful women, apparently."

  His compliments went over well, and conversation quickly fell underway. I drifted in and out of their conversation as the crowd at the bar picked up. Between my sisters and Ruby, and the clientele that found out it was my last night, I was plied with various shots and drinks. I was definitely starting to feel the shots.

  While pouring a glass of red wine for a patron, my eyes strayed to Asher, who was leaning on the bar, listening to Bailey’s humorous story. He looked incredibly good, dressed in a charcoal-gray button-up, the sleeves pushed to his thick, powerful forearms, and dark jeans. I suddenly felt wetness on my hand. I’d overfilled the wine glass and it sluiced down the sides.

  "Shit!" I hissed, stopping myself. I grabbed a fresh glass and poured it out properly, serving it with an apologetic smile. I glanced over again and saw that while Asher's face was still tilted toward the bar, his eyes had lifted to me and he'd caught my little accident. He flashed me a quick, full smile, letting me know he'd seen the whole thing, and then looked away.