Too Hard to Break (5 page)

Those two little words undid years of pain and confusion. A
dam broke inside me and I had to bury my face in my hands as I wept. Warmth
against my side and her flowery perfume told me Cheryl had moved to my side of
the booth. She wrapped one slender arm around my shoulders and hugged me close.

“If I ever thought for a minute I was strong enough to
protect you from him, I would have, Elle. I-I just didn’t know how. Mamma would
talk about him taking care of you and pass off his abuse as a small flaw…as if
he couldn’t help it. I was always so afraid to go against her. For that, I’m
truly sorry.”

Her confession was whispered against my hair as she rocked
me gently from side to side. I sniffled and got myself under control before
replying. “I know. I wasn’t strong either. I just…let him be so horrible to
me.”

She nodded against me and hugged me tighter. We stayed that
way a few more minutes until I was able to breathe without hiccupping. I dried
my eyes with a napkin and she moved back to her side of the table. Her dry eyes
weren’t a surprise and I didn’t hold it against her. My very makeup-clad sister
had perfected keeping her emotions under tight control to save her mascara and
her sanity. She had to after living with our mom for so many years. I’d once
asked her why she didn’t move out and the look of fear and horror on her face
spoke volumes. I often prayed one day she would find the strength to break
free. Maybe I could be a good example in that regard.

“So…Hank is nice?” she asked.

I laughed out another sob and nodded. “Oh, yeah. He’s
perfect.”

“Not bad-looking either.”

My brows shot up and I looked at her. She smiled and
finished her fruit.

“I saw the two of you grocery shopping a couple of weeks
ago. I didn’t want you to think I was spying so I didn’t go up to you. But
damn, girl, he is hot.”

I laughed and ate a grape. “Yeah, he’s hot and sweet and
everything a true gentleman should be. He makes me dinner every night too.”

“Really? Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who knows
how to cook. Or at least not one who admits it.”

I smiled. “Yeah, me too.”

She sighed and took the check when the waitress placed it on
the end of the table.

“Well, at least I know you’re eating. You lost so much damn
weight at Declan’s. I thought you might up and disappear.”

“There’s definitely no threat of that now. I think I’ve put
on ten pounds since I moved in with Hank.”

She laughed. “As if that would matter on your skinny hide.
Anyway, I gotta get back or Mamma will send out a search team.”

“Did she know you were meeting me?”

She bit her lip and gave me a sympathetic look that was all
the answer I needed. Of course Mom hadn’t known, or else she would have
forbidden it. She hadn’t spoken to me since finding out I’d left Declan.

“You know how Mamma is, Elle. She can hold a grudge like
nobody’s business and she took to Declan from day one. Men have always been her
weakness.”

She whispered the last part as if afraid to admit it to
herself. I wondered how bad things had gotten and wished I could ask her, but
knew she would never tell me. She might be older, but our mom had a hold on her
that might never be broken.

I just nodded and finished my water. “I know. I just wish
she would remember
I’m
her child, not Declan.”

Cheryl sighed and grabbed her designer purse before scooting
out of the booth.

“That man can charm the pants offa anything, I swear. And
you know he always shows up at the house with her favorite cookies.”

I laughed and shook my head. That was our mom, willing to
forgive any man who arrived bearing gifts.

“I know. It’s okay, really. But I’m not going back to him
this time, Cheryl, and it honestly has nothing to do with Hank. I just can’t be
Declan’s punching bag anymore.”

I stood and followed her to the cash register. We remained
silent as she paid and then walked out of the diner together.

“I understand, sis. I’ll stop listening when Mamma talks
about him. And when he shows up I’ll make sure not to say anything about you.”

I hugged her. “Thanks, sis. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. See ya later?”

“Sure. We’ll do this again soon.”

She smiled brightly, showing off the perfect teeth that had
helped her win more than one beauty pageant. I watched her get into her red
corvette and drive away, knowing she would only be as strong as Mamma allowed.
Well, one of us was finally free at least. And I was going to enjoy it to the
fullest.

Chapter Three

I drove past Sean’s house on the way back to Hank’s and
again ticked off all the advantages. It was a nice two-bedroom with a decent
yard and friendly neighbors. The area was low on crime and seemed quiet enough.
A glance at my odometer as I pulled into Hank’s driveway showed I’d only gone
five miles. So really, I wouldn’t even be very far away from him. That might
not be so good if his new girlfriend was a serious thing. With a sigh I turned
off the ignition and was about to open my door when the sunlight was blotted
out by an unexpected shadow. I flinched and looked up to find Declan staring
down at me.

It was reflex to hit the auto-lock button but unfortunately
he was quicker and grabbed the door handle just before the locks engaged. I
grabbed my handle and tried to hold it shut. He wasn’t a big guy but it didn’t
take much to overpower me and he was able to yank the door open. I unclipped my
seatbelt with one hand while grabbing my purse with the other, intent on using
it as a weapon. He jumped back and held up his hands.

“Wait! Baby, wait a minute. Please.”

I froze, turned to fully face him with one leg out of the
car and one leg in. My purse was against my chest, the strap in one palm for
leverage in case I needed to swing the heavy-ass thing.

“What the hell do you want, Declan? What are you doing
here?”

I wasn’t surprised he knew where Hank lived. They had
actually been friends a few months ago…kinda. Hank had admitted he only hung
around for chances to talk to me after a while.

“I just want to talk, Elle. Why won’t you just talk to me?”

I rolled my eyes at his adolescent whine and wondered for
the millionth time what I had ever seen in him. Compared to Hank he was a
little bit of nothing. His height just barely topped mine by a couple of inches
and we probably wore the same size of skinny jeans. His arms were muscular from
years of playing guitar but no other part of his body was even remotely so. I
used to love his long blond hair. Now it just looked greasy and juvenile in my
eyes. He didn’t look his twenty-seven years at all.

“We’ve got nothing to talk about. I left you. End of story.
Why don’t you just move on and go find your next punching bag?”

He actually flinched and unexpected guilt played across his
face. It was a stark contrast to the usual smug belligerence.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I know I should never have hurt you… I
just don’t know what came over me.”

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car, taking a step back
after shutting the door. There was about five feet between us, too much for him
to grab me easily.

“Yeah? Well, it’s nice of you to finally realize it but it’s
too late for us, Declan.”

He shook his head and took a step toward me. I took two
steps back.

“No. No, baby, it can’t be too late. We have
history
.
How can you just throw that away?”

I snorted and rolled my eyes again, taking another step
back. I was edging my way toward the front door.

“
History?
Really? You wanna know what I remember most
about our
history
? ER visits, bloody noses, broken fingers and black
eyes. I’m missing a tooth on both sides of my mouth because of you, you
dumbass.”

I had reached the bottom step of the porch as I talked and
got one foot on it before he lunged. An involuntary scream left my throat as I
turned and dove for the door. He hit my back like a ton of bricks and we both
went down.

“You’re mine, goddamn it. I ain’t gonna let that asshole
have you.”

My purse, the only weapon I had, was trapped beneath me.
Declan’s weight kept me pinned to the small porch, barely large enough for our
upper bodies. My legs were on the steps and I’d lost a shoe.

“Get the fuck off me, you son of a bitch!”

I jerked my head back, slamming into his face hard enough
for me to hurt. That just pissed me off more.

“Ow, you bitch!”

He buried his fingers in my hair and I braced my elbows on
the porch, knowing he planned to slam me face first into the wood. Then
suddenly his weight was gone and his fingers were ripped violently from my
scalp, taking a few strands with them.

“Fuck!”

I rolled onto my back and pulled my knees up, ready to kick
the shit out of him when he came at me again. But there was no need. Declan was
on the ground with a very pissed-off Sean standing over him.

“Oh shit.”

I jumped to my feet and closed the distance, hobbling along
in one shoe. “Sean! Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re here. But please don’t do
anything.”

I really didn’t give a damn about Declan getting hurt. In
fact, the harder Sean hit him the happier I would be. But unfortunately Sean
had almost gotten arrested a few months back for fighting with one of Declan’s
friends. I didn’t want Sean to get in trouble because of me.

“Go in the house and call the cops, Elle. I’m just going to
make sure this piece of shit stays put.”

Declan tried to sit up but Sean kicked him back with a foot
flat on his chest. Declan didn’t stand a chance against the older, more
muscular former Marine. Sean kept in great shape and Declan could barely handle
the steps at his apartment.

“O-okay,” I said as I fished my phone from my purse. “Okay,
I’ll call them but I’m not hiding inside.”

Sean frowned at me but said nothing. I was amazed to realize
my purse had stayed around my shoulder the whole time. Thank god for Sean. I
loved Hank’s house because it was set back from the road, nestled in a grove of
beautiful elms. It afforded plenty of privacy and he had a huge yard. But there
was no one to hear me scream or see I was being attacked. If Sean hadn’t
happened by there’s no telling what might have happened.

I had just found my phone and was about to dial when the
sound of tires on gravel caught my attention. I looked up to see Hank’s large
truck flying toward the house and froze.

The truck came to a screeching halt, kicking up gravel, dirt
and grass in all directions. His door shot open and he leapt from the truck. He
took in the scene with a glance and made a beeline for Declan. I dropped
everything and ran to intercept him.

“No! No, Hank, he’s not worth it. I’m calling the cops to
come get him.”

I was able to stop his forward motion by literally running
into his chest. I took a single step back and waited for his anger. He only
glanced at me before moving me gently aside and closing the distance to Declan.
Sean immediately stepped back out of his way.

“Sean, stop him,” I pleaded.

He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Hank
grabbed Declan by the front of his shirt and lifted him to his feet.

“What the fuck are you doing on my property?” he growled
through clenched teeth.

Declan shook his head violently from side to side and
started hitting Hank’s shoulders since that was all he could reach.

“Get the fuck off me, man!” Declan hollered.

Hank shook him like a rag doll until Declan finally dropped
his arms. “I could rip you limb from limb, you worthless piece of shit.”

“Fuck you! I just came to talk. That’s all.”

“Yeah? You weren’t fucking talking when I got here,” Sean
said.

I bit my lip and fought the urge to scowl at him since he
had just saved my ass. “Uh, Hank…honey, do you think you could put him down
now?”

Declan and Hank both turned surprised faces my way. I smiled
weakly and rubbed my arms again. Hank’s gaze dropped to the motion and he scowled
before violently tossing Declan onto the ground. The air left his lungs in a
loud gasp and he rolled onto his side, coughing and gasping. Hank spared him a
single glance before heading for me.

“Let me see your arms, baby. Do I need to take you to the emergency
room?”

I gasped in pain and surprise when he gently grasped my
upper arms, rubbing his fingers slowly over the bruised skin. I hadn’t even
realized I was bruised until the pain settled in. Hell, I didn’t even remember
Declan grabbing my arms.

“N-no. No, I’m fine,” I said.

Hank nodded and put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me
against his side as he turned to face Declan again. The idiot had regained the
ability to breathe and climbed to his feet. Sean was standing behind him, arms
out and hands fisted. I prayed Declan didn’t do anything stupid.

“I should call the cops myself,” Declan said. “I could press
assault charges on both of you.”

With a sigh I realized stupid was his middle name. Hank just
glared at him and Sean laughed.

“Yeah?” Hank asked. “Well I could get my gun and shoot your
ass for trespassing. I’ve got two witnesses and your car is out on the road
where the neighbors can see it. Wanna see who will win?”

The fear on Declan’s face loosened the tightness in my chest
for the first time since his shadow fell on me. I relaxed against Hank’s
strength and fought a grin.

“You’ve got two choices,” Hank said. “You can either run,
don’t walk, back to your piece-of-shit car and leave. Or you can stay here on
my property where I will either shoot or beat the shit out of you. I’ll give
you…ten seconds to decide.”

He made a show of lifting his arm to look at his watch as
Declan spun on his heel and hauled ass down the driveway. Sean belted out more
laughter.

“Good choice,” Hank murmured.

“That idiot is lucky he chose to run,” Sean said.

Sean’s expression had quickly gone from amused to angry
again and I knew Declan had barely made it away in one piece.

“Man, I don’t know how to thank you,” Hank said.

He put his hand out and Sean shook it with a nod. “No
problem. Elle means the world to Megan, which means she’s important to me too.
I hope you understand…I need to talk to her for a second alone.”

Hank frowned but didn’t argue as Sean motioned with one hand
for me to precede him a few feet away. I kicked off my one shoe and walked out
from beneath Hank’s arm with regret but knew it needed to be done. Sean was
only here because of my phone call. We stopped by the side of the house, far
enough away for Hank to not hear our conversation.

“You all right?” Sean asked.

I couldn’t help but rub my arms again as I nodded. “Yeah,
I’m fine. This is nothing compared to last time.”

He didn’t return my weak smile, just nodded. “Okay. You know
why I’m here. Do I need to wait for you to pack, or what?”

I sighed and glanced at Hank who was watching with an intent
expression. Did I still want to leave him?

“To be honest, I’m not sure you living alone is such a good
idea after all,” Sean said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I didn’t realize Declan was still an issue.”

I snorted and ran a hand through my hair, only then
realizing he had loosened my ponytail. I probably looked a mess. “Me either. I
hadn’t heard from him in almost two months.”

“Well now that he knows you’re still here you’ll probably be
safe. But if he somehow found out you were living alone…I just don’t know. To
be honest, I’d rather you come stay with me and Megan.”

Knowing he was right didn’t weaken my resolve to live on my
own, but I wasn’t stupid. I didn’t want to have to hide my actions from Declan
or anyone else. For all I knew, my mom or sister kept him updated on my every
move. He would know I was living alone within hours and probably knocking on my
door that same night. My independence wasn’t worth my life.

“No. I won’t intrude on you two like that.” He shook his
head and I held up my hand to stop his protest. “It would be an intrusion and
I’m not going to do that to you two. Anyway, Hank has made it perfectly clear
I’m welcome to stay here as long as I want.”

“And you want to?”

I glanced at Hank who was still watching us as if we were
the most interesting thing in the world. His shoulders and jaw were rigid.
There wasn’t even a hint of his usual humor anywhere on his face. He actually
looked worried.

“Yeah. He’s treated me like a queen. I really don’t have a
reason to go…I guess.”

Sean glanced Hank’s way before stepping into my line of
sight and blocking Hank from view.

“So what’s the problem then? Why were you so eager to move
out this morning? You can tell me, Elle. I’ll protect you from him.”

A genuine smile crossed my lips as I looked into Sean’s
intense gaze. It was as if he was trying to read my mind. “I really appreciate
that. More than you know. No one’s ever really offered to protect me
before…well, before Hank.”

“So?”

I knew what he was asking but didn’t really want to talk
about it. Still, he deserved an answer. “Well, you know how y’all saw him with
that woman the other day?”

He groaned and rubbed his eyes with both hands before
settling them on his waist. “I told Megan we shouldn’t get involved. I’m sure
it was nothing, Elle.”

I just shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know and he
isn’t saying but things have been…different lately.”

“So, why don’t you just ask him? I’ll bet you haven’t, have
you?”

I sighed and decided to see what my toes were doing. They
were wiggling around as uncomfortably as the rest of me under his
interrogation. “No,” I mumbled. “I haven’t.”

He snorted and shook his head. “All right. Look, Elle, it’s
up to you. If you still feel safe here then that’s good enough for me. If not,
just say the word and you’re out of here.”

Sudden tears burned the back of my throat at his sincere
offer. What did I do to deserve such loyalty from my best friend’s fiancé?
After fighting my own battles for so long it was a little overwhelming. I
cleared my throat and looked him in the eye.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine here a bit longer. I’m safe with
Hank. Thank you though.”

Sean nodded and ran a hand through his short hair, looking
around for a moment as if he’d say more. Finally, he just nodded again and
headed back to where Hank still stood waiting as if he could do so all day. I
followed slowly, trying to get my emotions back under control. The urge to run
into Hank’s arms was strong. Too strong.