They all nodded their heads and Mercedes raised her wine glass.
“To finding true love, ménage style in Chance.”
They all clinked glasses.
“God help us. I just don’t want to feel pain, feel heartache ever again,” Marlena said and they all mumb
led in agreement and sat back enjoying their wine, their friendship, and the hope that Chance brought them happiness once and for all.
Chapter 4
Peter Jones sat in the van overlooking the water. His hands were shaking. Looking down, he saw the swollen knuckles, the scrapes and the blood. He was losing his mind. He was obsessed with her.
He reached across the seat and pulled the picture and frame in front of him. He leaned it on the steering wheel and stared into her green eyes. The eyes of innocence. That was until he got a hold of her. Marlena had become his everything, yet he made her feel worthless one minute and placed her on a pedestal the next.
He had always been indecisive. To point that it drove his father crazy. And his mother suffered. But unlike Marlena, his mother was mouthy and obnoxious and his father gave it to her good.
Peter tightened the hold on the frame. He stared at the picture of him and Marlena on the boat. She looked angelic, pure, sweet. That was why he had sex with other women, smacked them around and tied them up, because his Marlena was too good for that.
He wanted to keep her pure. To keep her as his woman. He thought she would accept his needs and desires without explanation.
That same night as the boat ride, he embarrassed her. Made her cry and feel worthless and then he made her stay with him and pleasure him. He created her. He turned her into the woman he needed her to be in order for him to keep control of his real emotions and to hide what he was really like. A monster of sorts. A man living two separate lives. A womanizer, a batterer, a man who needed constant control of life and death. His violent behavior was getting worse. He enjoyed destroying things, burning things, and breaking things. Especially finding the weakness within them. He went too far with the fire. He was caught up in a phrase, an idea in his head that told him if he burned her to death then she would no longer have a hold of his heart. She would perish and so would the connections he had with her. But she lived. She fought and survived and he failed.
He ground his teeth.
He pushed her too far. She left him, and instead of trying to make things up to her and gain control of this out of control feelings he had, he decided to kill her. He tried to stay away. He tried fucking others. Nothing worked.
He was losing his focus at work. His edge was gone and it was all Marlena’s fault.
She turned out to be just like his mother after all. She made him try to kill her.
Months had passed. Months. And here he was, sitting in a van, planning his next move and knowing the game had changed. He wanted Marlena back. She proved how strong she was and how special. He would find her and bring her back to him. As long as she were faithful, he would keep her alive.
He ran a finger along her picture. He brought his fingertips to his lips and touched them back against her picture. He saw the blood, the swollen knuckles, and he felt aroused, and in need. “I’m coming for you, Marlena. You belong to me always. I’m coming.”
* * * *
Jack and his brothers had the day off. They came through the back door of the diner to see their parents as the breakfast crowd simmered down. His thoughts were on Marlena, and the burn she had sustained on Friday, as well as how she reacted to his brother Danny on Sunday. Danny felt that she was afraid of him, perhaps men in general, and it made them all think that someone hurt her.
“Hey, this is a nice surprise. Nothing better to do on your days off?” their mom asked and gave them each a hug and kiss hello.
“Nah, they’re looking to fill their bellies,” Roy chimed in as he flipped some burgers on the large grill.
“Or maybe they came to see a particular waitress they seem very concerned over,” Regan added and Jack was too busy looking around for Marlena. He could see the back of her hair as she lifted a large amount of plates and began carrying them into the kitchen.
She caught sight of him and his brothers and nearly dropped the dishes.
“Marlena, you shouldn’t be lifting all those dishes at once. Not with your side aching the way it is.” Their mom reprimanded her as she took the dishes and began placing them into the sudsy sink water.
“I’m fine, Mrs. Spencer. Really,” she said and used her forearm to wipe her brow then she turned and headed back out.
Jack looked at his brothers, and they both appeared concerned.
“Mom, is she really hurting from the burn?” Danny asked her.
Their mom took a deep breath and released it. “It’s blistered up real good. Don’t know how she’s avoiding banging into anything that could pop them. I hope Vicky doesn’t set her feet in here or I may have to kick her out myself,” their mom said as she scrubbed the dishes.
“Maybe we should talk to her, and have Dr. Anders stop in to take a peek,” Danny suggested.