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  Copyright 2019 by Avanturine Press, LLC

  All rights reserved worldwide

  Published June 30, 2019

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of this author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Deranged Doctor Design

  Editing by Tia Silverthorne Bach

  Formatting by Avanturine Press, LLC

  For more information about this book and the author visit:

  https://nadirahfoxx.wordpress.com/blog/

  You are stronger than you think.

  1

  Bar Night

  Rachel

  Crystal nudged me and whisper-shouted over the din of the crowded bar, “Who is that?”

  My eyes scanned Duggan’s Irish Pub. The colorful bar on Woodward Avenue was more crowded than usual. I gazed upon plenty of handsome men with their skanky girlfriends. Despite all the warm bodies pressed up against one another, I noticed someone with his gaze trained heavily on me.

  He was ruggedly handsome with dark, trendy hair—close-cropped on the side and long on top—a trimmed beard, and dressed in a T-shirt and faded jeans. Although I appreciated his look, he gave off an artsy vibe, not my kind of man. Not wanting to be rude, I offered him a casual, welcoming smile. He responded with a wave full of hesitation. It could have meant he wasn’t a regular bar hopper. Maybe he didn’t have an agenda like every other man in the room. It was something I could respect.

  His warm brown eyes pleaded with me from across the room. He quirked an eyebrow like he wanted to say something.

  In answer to Crystal’s question, I shrugged and placed my elbows on the bar. “I have no idea, but he is cute.”

  It was just another typical Friday night with my best friend, and we were doing our usual thing—having drinks while she waited for her husband. That was how we unwound at the end of a heavy week. Sometimes, I got lucky and found my own male companionship. Most times, however, I simply kept Crystal company and then went home. Alone.

  She tucked her brown, kinky hair behind an ear—although it didn’t move out of place. “Girl, you know somebody thought Jeffrey Dahmer was cute too.”

  I shook my head. Did Crystal really say that? “Dramatic much?”

  Frankly, the way I saw it, Crystal didn’t have an argument. She was gorgeous with glowing brown skin, shapely full lips, and a body to die for. Not to mention that her husband, Scott, was one hot man who had a fantastic physique. Last year, he posed for a charity calendar produced by the police department. That sucker sold out as soon as they released it. But I wasn’t jealous of my bestie. No one could claim I was desperate to have a man slip a ring on my finger. I just wanted someone to keep my sheets warm regularly.

  She leaned in and hissed, “He’s coming this way.”

  “Who?” My gaze darted over to where the stranger stood.

  Instead of him still being on the other side of the room, he was pushing his way through the crowd, headed in our direction. I performed a quick breath check and then reached for my purse. There had to be a mint or a stick of gum tucked inside.

  Shit, too late.

  “Evening ladies,” he said breathlessly, sounding like he had to scale Mt. Everest to get to me. I only hoped he was worth the effort.

  “Hi, yourself.”

  The stranger extended his hand. “Name’s Leo. And you are?”

  Accepting the gesture, I said, “Rachel, and this is Crystal.”

  Just two people exchanging names, no harm. That is until my bestie kicked me, and I glared as she mouthed, “Ted Bundy.”

  Leo interrupted, “Thanks for not leaving. I noticed you earlier and have been trying to get your attention.”

  Score another point for diligence.

  He continued, “I was about to leave though. It’s a bit too crowded.”

  “Yeah.” I grimaced. “It’s usually not this bad. Maybe there was an event at the music theater?”

  “Always possible.” Leo ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe we can go some place else? I know a great spot for burgers—some place a littler quieter—if you’re hungry.” He glanced over at Crystal. “Or I could buy you ladies a round of drinks?”

  Before I could open my mouth, Crystal jumped in. “No, we’re good. Besides, my husband and her boyfriend will be here any minute. They’re cops.”

  Boyfriend? A cop? What did Crystal do? I whirled around and narrowed my eyes at her. She sat there looking smug like a fucking cat with a mouse in its mouth.

  Leo slid onto the bar stool. “Well, don’t mind me. I should have known that two beautiful women wouldn’t be in a bar alone for long.”

  I gave him the once-over, certain I’d seen him before. “You look familiar, Leo.”

  He smiled easily and displayed perfect white teeth. “I have one of those faces. Maybe you’ve seen me in the neighborhood.”

  My interest piqued. “You live in the area?”

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Same.”

  Crystal cleared her throat. “Sorry to be a wet blanket, but my hubby has this thing about strangers hanging around me. Maybe you should…”

  Leo held up his palms. “No problem. I’ll let you ladies enjoy the rest of your night.” He dipped his head toward me. “Rachel, it was a pleasure meeting you. Maybe we’ll see each other around town.”

  He pushed away from the bar and slipped into the mass of bodies, disappearing from view.

  Crystal exhaled loudly. “Damn. I thought he’d never leave.”

  Her attitude irritated me, and I snapped. “Did you have to be so nasty?”

  Before she could answer, two men approached us. Scott, a brother who’d inherited Middle Eastern features from his mother, stopped and kissed Crystal’s cheek. The other one was attractive if you were into tall and quiet types.

  Scott grinned. “My bad. Rachel St. John, this is a buddy of mine from the force. Matt Wallace, this is Crystal’s best friend.”

  Matt leaned against the counter and checked me out. I took in his athletic build, short dark-brown hair, and coffee-brown eyes. But it was the facial stubble that added the touch of sexiness that snagged my interest.

  “Scott didn’t tell me you were so beautiful,” he said in a rough, gravelly voice.

  I blushed. I’d been called pretty but never beautiful. Besides, there was nothing about my ash-blonde hair and light-blue eyes that stood out or made me special. Just another ordinary girl with an ordinary life from plain old Royal Oak.

  “I’m so glad you two are finally here. What kept you?” Crystal rushed to say.

  Her husband took a seat. “What happened, babe?”

  As if the crowd knew what she was about to say, the throng parted and Crystal picked out Leo. He stood on the other side of the room with his back against the wall. “That man was bothering us. I told him to leave, but he kept right on.”

  Scott stood, paused, and furrowed his brow momentarily. “Matt, isn’t that…”

  “I got this,” Matt said angrily as he placed a hand on Scott’s arm.

  “No,” I said, jumping off the stool. “Leo didn’t do anything to us. He lives in the neighborhood. No harm.”

  I firmly believed my assessment. Crystal could be prejudiced against people sometimes. />
  “You’re sure?” Matt asked. “I can say something to him…”

  Wrapping my hand around his elbow, I tugged him toward a just-emptied table. Over my shoulder, I said, “I’ll call you, Crystal.”

  We sat down in the nick of time. Another couple eyed the spot and tried to beat us to the table. Matt chuckled as they walked away.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “The look on that woman’s face. She was mumbling something impolite.”

  I tilted my head to one side. “And how was that funny?”

  “She said she should find a cop and report the place for overcrowding.” Matt glanced around the room. “What she needs to do is take a head count. The bar is close to capacity, but it’s not over the limit.”

  Interesting. Was Matt a math whiz or just good at his job?

  “Do you often get calls about overcrowding as a cop?” I took a sip of my white wine spritzer. “You know, you do it enough times and you can tell how many people are in a room.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. I was good at math in school.” Matt flagged down a waitress and ordered a top-shelf whiskey neat. After she left, he turned back to me. “So, what do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a copywriter for a small business.” Personally, I hated my job. As a kid I wanted to be a prima ballerina. When it was obvious that wouldn’t happen, I focused on becoming a writer. Sadly, corporate America paid better than publishing.

  “You don’t seem happy about it.” The waitress returned with his drink. Matt paid with a twenty-dollar bill but refused to take the change.

  Reaching for my glass, I said, “It’s not my dream job. One day I hope to write a novel.”

  Matt lowered his drink but stopped short of placing it on the table. “You know, dreams don’t become reality until you act.”

  No shit, Sherlock.

  “That may be true, but I can’t give up my day job just to write.” I’d worked too hard to move out of my father’s house to follow a whim. “I have a hard time balancing my creative efforts and work.”

  Matt nodded and took a sip from his glass. He let the alcohol sit in his mouth before he swallowed it. Was he showing off, or was he truly a connoisseur?

  “If it’s for you, you’ll figure out a way to make it happen. I have faith.”

  It was time to change the subject before I bolted for the door. “So, you met Scott on the force?”

  “Naw.” Matt shook his head. “We’ve been friends since childhood. We met in elementary school.”

  “That’s cool. Kind of like Crystal and me. We met in junior high.”

  Speaking of Crystal… My best friend appeared at our table. “Sorry to bother you, but can I get a moment with Rachel?”

  She didn’t wait for a response. Just grabbed my elbow and dragged me toward the restroom. As soon as the door closed, Crystal lit into me.

  “Rachel, please don’t blow things with Matt.”

  “What are you talking about? We just met. There’s nothing to blow.”

  Crystal shook her head. “I know you. You’ll sabotage a possible good thing and end up with that fool Leo.”

  “Not fair, Crystal. I’m a grown woman. Yeah, I’ve gone out with questionable men.” An understatement for me. “I appreciate your thinking of me, but I’ve got this. Whether or not anything happens with Matt is up to me. Not you.”

  “Okay. Just be careful. Matt really is a good guy. I only ask that you give him a chance.” Crystal walked out and left me behind.

  I knew she was only concerned about me. I’d dated my fair share of losers. The way I saw it, maybe I had to rummage through a few bad ones before finding a gem.

  ∞∞∞

  Back at the table, Matt and I continued to exchange irrelevant information. Unfortunately, the only opinion I formed about the man was that he was guarded and a little too focused on his career as an officer with the Detroit Police Department. He boasted about having an exemplary record and was on his way to becoming a detective.

  Thankfully, the night came to an end. Matt had to be at work early in the morning and so did I.

  “Shall I give you a ride home?”

  To my chagrin, Crystal and Scott left the bar about an hour before. “Not necessary. I live within walking distance.”

  Matt’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. “Around here?”

  “We’re in Royal Oak. It’s perfectly safe—”

  “No place is perfectly safe,” Matt warned. “You’re a young woman out at night. Unless you have someone else waiting to drive you home, I’ll take you.”

  “Really—”

  “Where do you live?”

  “Near Beaumont Hospital.”

  Matt’s mouth dropped as his head moved side to side.

  “What?”

  “Definitely not a safe walk home. Come on.”

  2

  Tempers Flare

  Rachel

  As we walked toward the exit, Matt placed his hand on my lower back. Normally, I wouldn’t take issue with it, but with the way he’d been behaving, it felt wrong. When we reached the sidewalk, I realized my error.

  Leo stood outside the bar, leaning against the building. His eyes swept over me and stopped on Matt’s hand. He cocked his head to the side and snarled. “Rachel, I thought your friend was just giving me the brush off, telling me about a boyfriend. You seem like a smart woman. All you had to do was say that you were involved with someone.”

  Rejection rang in his words, and I didn’t like the sound. First off, it was undeserved. I didn’t set up the…whatever it was with Matt. Second, there was the issue with Leo’s comment. It always irked me when people made assumptions about me, especially men. Neither of them knew me well enough to second-guess me or my actions. Maybe it spoke to the fact that Dad was always too protective of me—still was. Better yet—their behavior was just rude.

  I stepped toward Leo, putting some distance between Matt’s hand and my back. “It’s not what you think. I just met both of you tonight. If I were involved with someone, Leo, I would have told you. I don’t play games.”

  The frown flattened on Leo’s face. “Good to know.”

  The tension rolled off my shoulders. There was something about Leo. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something nagged at me about him. I was waiting for my intuition to kick in and tell me the man was worth getting to know. Only thing I got were reasons to walk away. Unfortunately, I wasn’t good at listening to that little voice of reason.

  Thinking everything would be fine, I started to leave, but then Matt opened his mouth. Some males had this thing about having to have the last word. Sadly, I was sidled with testosterone’s star pupil. “But the lady is with me, so back off.”

  Deep down, I’d hoped that Leo would be the bigger man—the smarter man—and just leave. No. Instead, he edged closer until he was toe to toe with Matt. There was at least two or three inches height difference between them. Leo tilted his head back slightly and said calmly, “The lady has a voice. She can make her own choices.”

  Matt’s jaw clenched, and his gaze, full of suspicion, slowly raked over Leo. “Do I know you?”

  A mischievous smile spread across Leo’s mouth. “Trust me, pal. I don’t roll that way, but if I did, you’d remember me.”

  What the hell was that about? Men could be so aggravating.

  Matt exhaled, and Leo stepped back a bit. “You sure I haven’t picked you up for vagrancy or some shit?”

  The last thing I wanted to witness was a street brawl or Matt arresting Leo on a trumped-up charge. Fool that I was, I wedged my way between the men. “Stop it!” I shouted and glanced up at Leo. It was my turn to give a heartfelt plea. “Let it go, please.”

  Time stretched without either man making a move. Obviously, I’d made a dreadful mistake—Leo was too stubborn to give in while Matt was too much of an arrogant prick to cut the guy some slack. Honestly, I didn’t need these men in my life. I should just go for help or call for an Uber. As I re
ached into my purse for my phone, Leo gave in. He backed away with his palms held high.

  Thank God! My other option was walking home, but I doubted I would get far with Matt around.

  “Rachel, some other time?”

  I nodded, and Leo pivoted on his heel. I watched him walk around the corner. As soon as he was gone, I faced Matt. “Was that really necessary?”

  He shrugged. “The guy can’t be trusted.”

  “How would you know that?” I arched an eyebrow. “Do you know him?”

  “No,” Matt admitted. “He just looks like the type who’s always up to no good.”

  “Way to be judgmental.” I held out my hand. “Well, I think this is where we part ways.”

  Matt ignored my farewell handshake. “I’m a man of my word. I’ll drive you home.”

  Just what I didn’t need.

  ∞∞∞

  Once my seat belt was buckled, I rattled off my address to Matt. He cranked the engine but didn’t pull out of the parking lot. Instead, he lowered his forehead to the steering wheel.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he muttered.

  An apology? Well, that was unexpected. “For?”

  “My disgusting behavior.” He sat up and leaned his head against the seat. “You didn’t need to see any of that.”

  “No. I didn’t.” So good of him to notice.

  Matt stared into the distance. “Guys like Leo make me lose my shit.”

  “And why is that?”

  Matt didn’t answer right away. A few uncomfortable minutes passed, and I considered getting out of his Toyota sedan. The stress in the vehicle was palpable, reminding me of a scene from a bad movie. Which one? It didn’t matter. They all ended the same way—the girl became a victim, and her murderer turned out to be an escapee from a mental ward.

  “I grew up in foster care.”

  Strange words to break the silence, but I was willing to listen.

  “The last family I lived with had plenty of kids passing through their front door. It was me and a girl named April who had a permanent place. She was my best friend.”

  “Was?”