The Battlefield Series 1: Let It Go (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  * * * *

  “So you think this is over? You seriously think that son of a bitch won’t come after you to finish the job?” Brooklyn asked Antonia over the phone.

  Antonia needed her sister. She should have left town months ago, hell, two years ago when Brooklyn finally left New York. Instead, Antonia fell for Ray’s charms and his empty promises of love, wealth, marriage, and family. Lies. They were all lies to take her virginity, to claim ownership of her body and manipulate her into thinking that she was nothing without him. Brooklyn had been right all along. Ray kept Antonia close, like an ornament and possession instead of a lover, a friend, someone he respected.

  He didn’t respect her, though. She tried to hide the abuse from Brooklyn, the negative feelings that now consumed her and had caused the situation tonight. The moment Ray pushed for her to take the drugs, she knew it was over. Antonia had pretended to swallow the pills, and she would never forget his wicked smirk, or his behavior, as she pretended to be high, strung out on drugs, and oblivious to his true intentions.

  Antonia was crying. She felt like a worthless piece of garbage and she’d nearly wound up dead tonight. It was over. It was time to escape, and the only one who could help her, the only person she trusted, was Brooklyn.

  “Are you listening to me? Shit, Antonia, what aren’t you telling me? Come on, baby girl, talk to me, please. I need to know what happened and how I can help.”

  Her sister was so pissed off at her. Antonia knew she should have told Brooklyn earlier and confided in her about the abuse. Brooklyn would surely understand. She had been a victim of abuse herself. Verbal, maybe even physical, as their mother’s boyfriend, Owen, was always trying to get Brooklyn into bed, and Brooklyn was fighting him off and keeping him clear of Antonia. All the while, their mom would lay strung out on drugs or some kind of sedatives Owen had given her to help with her so-called “anxiety issues.” She was a damn addict, and Antonia didn’t want to end up like one, too.

  Ray was no different than their mom’s boyfriend. Just like Owen, Ray put Antonia down and manipulated her into thinking she needed him. Today was the final straw.

  “I don’t know what to do. It’s bad, Brooklyn. Things have been bad for a while. I thought I could change him and make him see that I was all he needed.” She cried as she held her sweater tight against her body. Her dress was ripped, and the knife cut would surely leave a lasting scar. The only positive was that they hadn’t raped her. Ray had wanted to share her in some sort of orgy with two other women and with other men. That wasn’t her thing. She was straight and she thought she loved Ray and he loved her.

  “How could I be so stupid?” She sobbed as flashbacks of the night snapped into her head. The hand moving under her dress, the fingers against her mound and her breasts, and the forceful way that man kissed her. Ray had watched but then sucked face with another woman right in front of her.

  “Listen to me. Do you need to get out of town? Is it that bad?”

  “Yes.”

  “Shit. Are you hurt badly? Do you need medical attention first?”

  She sniffled.

  “Antonia! Listen to me and get tough. Ray is into bad shit. He’s armed, he’s dangerous, and he thinks of you as his possession. He will come after you or send his shitting thugs. Now, I can’t hop on a plane and get to you in time. You need to be strong and get to me. I’ll meet you halfway. You pack whatever you can fit into two suitcases. You hit the stash, the emergency bag that I told you never to touch unless you were in deep shit or I called you and told you to touch it.”

  “Oh, God,” she cried, feeling sick with worry. Her sister was right. Ray was going to kill her, or at minimum, beat the living hell out of her and then punish her for embarrassing him and taking off. She had no choice. She wasn’t going to have oral sex with women and watch them fuck her boyfriend. She wasn’t going to lay there and let other men, strangers, take from her body and do whatever they wanted like she was a whore. She loved him, damn it. She was faithful to him, her one and only lover, and then this happens?

  Why didn’t I leave him when I suspected him of cheating on me? Why?

  Antonia was tired of feeling like shit, of being treated like shit and living in fear of Ray’s next assault or sick demand. She pressed the compress to the knife wound, a deep cut along the underside of her breast.

  “Antonia, God damn it, listen to me and get your shit together. It’s do or die. I got the fuck out of there and now it’s time for you to do the same thing. Put him behind you. Put all the fucking mistakes, all the guilt behind you and leave it there. Now, are you fucking hurt or not?” Brooklyn raised her voice even louder.

  “Nothing I can’t take care of myself,” she said then clenched her teeth and tried to make her anger at the situation, at Ray, take the lead here. She needed something to help her to fight and to leave. The thought of being so stupid and of letting him do the things he did to her had her feeling like she would never have a normal life. No man would ever want used goods. A woman whose body was now scarred by Ray.

  He planned that. He knew what he was doing. He never cared about me. Never.

  “I’m packing my bag. Send me the information. I’m done with this life. I’m done feeling like shit. I need you, Brooklyn. I need you so badly.”

  “I know, baby girl. I told you I would always be here for you. Now be strong. Be brave and get the fuck out of town. I’ll send you directions. Grab that stash, pack what you can, watch your ass and make sure no one is following you, and leave now. Keep me posted,” Brooklyn said to her.

  * * * *

  Brooklyn hung up the phone and then lowered her head to her desk in the back office of the Filling Station. She slammed her fist against the wooden desk. She felt sick to her stomach. She told Antonia a year ago to leave New York and to get out from under Ray’s lies and his grasp. He was a manipulative bastard. She would never forget that smug expression on his face when she asked Antonia to come with her and Antonia chose to stay with Ray. The sicko looked triumphant, and Brooklyn knew in that moment that the decision would come back to bite Antonia in the ass.

  Ray was scum. Why her sister couldn’t see it, she didn’t know. Maybe because Antonia loved him, gave him her virginity, and was always searching for a place, for home, for love or anything close to it. Brooklyn gave up on love years ago as the realities of life and what men really wanted prove her right time and time again.

  Her sister had been so needy and desired love, attention, and the protection of a man. Brooklyn, however, learned years ago that men were pigs with agendas. They would lie to, manipulate, seduce, and shower a woman with gifts just to get them into bed. Her mother’s boyfriend, Owen, had made a lasting impression on her. Brooklyn tried unsuccessfully to get Owen, and what he had done to her and tried to do to Antonia, out of her head.

  Brooklyn longed for those days in her early childhood when she would spend time at her dad’s shop, his gas station and convenience store right on the corner of the block. He worked so hard, day and night. It eventually put him in his grave when his heart gave out. Then their mother began a downward spiral. Brooklyn took care of Antonia, and then one day Owen showed up arm in arm with Mom. One look in her mother’s eyes and Brooklyn knew their mom was lost forever, and Owen had looked at her and Antonia like he’d just hit the jackpot.

  She swallowed the bile back down her throat and winced at the sting. That was one man she wished she could have killed, but he wouldn’t have been worth the jail time and her focus had been on Antonia and what she needed to do to survive.

  When Brooklyn turned eighteen, Owen had really put the pressure on to get her into bed. She was well-endowed and had an hourglass figure and long, thick brown hair and bold green eyes. Antonia was the spitting image of her but a smidgeon shorter, around five-foot-four, whereas Brooklyn was five-foot-six.

  Brooklyn could remember the feel of his hands on her. The heaviness of his body and the stench of alcohol on his breath. He’d caged her in against th
e hallway wall in the corner by her bedroom. She had gotten home late from work and was exhausted. She couldn’t wait to shower and get to bed, but as she got home and heard the music playing and her mom laughing, sounding drunk, she had been angry. She figured her mom was in the bedroom with Owen, and as she rounded the corner, she never saw him there. He grabbed her, shoved her up against the wall, and immediately held her firmly so she couldn’t move.

  Brooklyn tried to shake the thoughts from her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and then rubbed her temples. Flashbacks of that time, and then the following night, went through her mind.

  Again, she’d gotten home late. She was working to save money for the community college. She needed to get out of the house, but she couldn’t leave completely because of Antonia. When she got home, she heard the music again, and as she slowly made her way down the hallway, prepared for Owen this time, he wasn’t there. She glanced into her mom’s bedroom. She was naked on the bed, and there was another guy there, drinking from a bottle of vodka. Her stomach ached. She felt the anger pool in her belly. Where was Owen? Was her mom done with him? Who was this guy?

  “Who are you?” he called to her, smiling and looking her over.

  Her mother rolled her head to the side, half smiled, and lifted one arm. Brooklyn was disgusted with her—ashamed, angry, saddened by the sight.

  “Brooklyn,” she said her name and the guy stood up. He was naked, too, and she turned away and then heard voices from her sister’s room.

  The panicked feeling was immediate. She hurried to the door, turned the knob, and froze in place. Owen had his pants down and was pulling Antonia’s hand toward his crotch. She was crying and Brooklyn lost it.

  She ran toward him screaming like a madwoman and shoved him away from Antonia.

  Her sister was crying, shaking, and Brooklyn didn’t even want to think about what could have gone down if she had been even later coming home from work.

  Owen was drunk, he could hardly get up from the floor, and he yelled at her and then laughed.

  “You stay away from my sister. If you ever try to touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you!” she screamed at him. She lifted Antonia up and carried her from the bedroom. She went to her room and locked the door, pulling the chair from the small desk under the knob and then dragging the dresser along with it to place in front of the door next.

  Antonia cried and Brooklyn hugged her as she held her on her lap.

  “I’ve got you, baby girl. I won’t let him near you ever again. I’m going to take care of this. I promise.”

  Brooklyn heard the knock on her office door and she quickly wiped her eyes and then cleared her throat.

  “Come in,” she said. The door opened and Amber was standing there. She was a sweet woman, twenty-four years old, who lost her husband of two years to a roadside bomb in Iraq. She had a baby to support and rent to pay on a small place right down the block from the restaurant. Brooklyn hired her a year ago and she hadn’t regretted it yet. Amber had become a close friend, just like most of the other women who worked at the Filling Station.

  “What’s going on?” Brooklyn asked her.

  “Carina wants to know if you need her to order those special shots in the vials the ladies seem to like so much? We’re running low, but only on the passion fruit, not the lime twister.”

  “Yeah, tell her to go ahead and order a bunch more, but before she calls Smitty with that order I need to add a few things.”

  “Like?” Amber asked and smiled.

  Brooklyn smirked.

  “I have a few ideas for Friday night’s ladies night. I’ll let you know what I decide on.”

  “This is great. Hey, are you okay? Your eyes look a little glassy. Is Antonia okay?” Amber asked and then closed the door before moving further into the office and near Brooklyn’s desk.

  Brooklyn exhaled and gave her a small smile. Amber, Carina, Lori, and Chloe had become good friends over the past two years’ time. They had a lot in common and sort of troubled pasts that made an invisible bond. She’d shared her fears for Antonia with them, and they knew Antonia rarely called. Amber had to have assumed something was up.

  “She’s headed here. She has to leave New York,” Brooklyn said and then stood up from her desk chair.

  “Oh, God, what does she need? What do you need for me, for us to all do?” Amber asked and Brooklyn swallowed down the lump of emotion. She had to be tough. That was her way of life now and forever.

  “I appreciate the offer of help. I think she should be okay. She’s going to drive a few hours to catch a plane and then hop on a train out here. That will take some time. As soon as I know what station she got the ticket for, I will plan on meeting her. It will be late tonight, so Carina and Ledger will have to close up for me.”

  “Whatever you need. I can have the babysitter keep baby Ella overnight if you want me to come with you,” she offered.

  Brooklyn smiled and placed her hand on Amber’s shoulder. “That’s so sweet of you. I wouldn’t ask you to do that. You miss baby Ella so much during the day. She needs her mamma. I’ll be just fine. You know that.”

  Amber gave her a soft smile.

  “You are amazing, Brooklyn. You always are ready and willing to help even a stranger. Your sister will be a lot better off here in Repose than in New York and dating that abusive boyfriend of hers.”

  “I know. I just wish she’d figured it out sooner.”

  “Did he hurt her?” Amber asked.

  “I don’t know how badly. She said she could handle it. I’ll see when she arrives.”

  “Well, I’d better get back to work. Want me to tell Ledger about staying late?”

  Brooklyn smiled. “I’ll talk to him.”

  She watched Amber leave and then thought about Ledger. He was a good guy, an amputee who lost part of his leg while serving in the military. He was a great bartender and a reliable employee. Plus, he seemed to have a thing for Amber, and so did his brothers Jed, Jaret, and Kye, but Jed and Jaret were active duty and constantly disappearing for secret assignments that Brooklyn had heard were dangerous.

  She had a feeling that, despite Kye and Ledger living in town, with their brothers being active duty and Amber losing her husband in combat, Amber stayed clear of all of them. Brooklyn would catch Ledger watching Amber, and he was always offering to help with baby Ella or with any problems at the very small cottage she rented.

  Like Brooklyn, Amber had left her home to start a new life and to put all the sadness from her past behind her. Brooklyn now hoped that her sister, Antonia, could do the same.

  She smoothed out her black skirt and adjusted the white blouse she wore today. She was dressed classily and conservatively because she’d had yet another meeting with the town zoning board this morning. When she purchased the building and the land from one of the old-timers, she had hoped to one day be able to expand on the place, and now she had the opportunity to. Repose was a quaint little town, not too far from a much larger town called Turbank. When she’d first arrived in Texas two years ago, the locals thought she was out of her mind purchasing an old, run-down gas station and convenience store. She had vision, though, and just the right amount saved to start making her dream a reality. Now, with her sister coming to live here, she hoped Antonia could make a new start as well.

  She learned quickly that Repose was a town that was close knit and also supportive of women. The men of the town, who completely outnumbered the women, took it upon themselves to be sort of like guardians or protectors. She knew she didn’t need any man to protect her or watch over her, but the idea gave her comfort when she’d been new in town starting a business venture on her own, and hoping that the last thing she’d needed to worry about were some men trying to take control of her life or manipulate the situation. She’d been on guard with every type of business owner and supplier she dealt with at first. Then it became obvious that those suppliers—like the lumber company, the construction contractors, everyone she came across—were
legitimately sincere and supportive.

  It made her wish she’d grown up in Repose and had friends like the ones she’d made in two years’ time.

  Brooklyn locked the door to her office and then headed down the hallway and toward the bar. Next week she had to start scheduling to meet with various contractors to see who would win the bid on the new construction for the Filling Station In the past, she’d done a lot of the small jobs and then had Ledger hook her up with a few retired soldiers who were out of work and needed jobs. However, this construction had to be done professionally. She needed experts for the ideas she had.

  When she thought about speaking with Jagger Cartwright, an engineer and construction specialist, she got nervous and felt intimidated. He and his brothers were retired from the service, like the majority of people living in and around Repose. From what she heard, Jagger and his brothers were pretty intense men and most stayed clear of them—especially Finnian, his brother whom she had yet to meet, which was weird, being that she’d opened the place a year ago once the renovations were done. He was also on the town board and a no-show for the meeting she had with the board earlier today. It made her wonder if the man was avoiding her or didn’t like her, but they’d never even met. She shrugged her shoulders and continued through the bar, taking in the sight of the crowd. It was a good night, as usual.

  She heard the low whistles as she glided past a few regulars. Bucky, Skins, Teeter, and Hobbs all eyed her over and smiled widely.

  “Hey, gorgeous, we thought we weren’t going to see you again,” Bucky told her and raised his half empty beer mug toward her.

  She chuckled.

  “You work too hard, Brooklyn. You can’t stay in that office for hours. It isn’t good for you,” Skins added and winked.