Trial By Fire by Jo Davis

Author:Jo Davis [Davis, Jo Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 0451224779
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2009-02-16T00:53:37+00:00

13

“If you’re gonna screw up, might as well do it royally,” Howard muttered, dragging his sorry carcass into his bedroom.Kat had been upset at his delay in telling her about his tie to the killer, but she’d been angry and hurt by his outright lie regarding Detective Ford’s call. A fine woman like her would tolerate that sort of mistake only once, and causing her pain lanced him like an ice pick in the chest.

Problem was, he’d never learned to play show-and-tell with the bad stuff—and had no idea how to share the load after thirty-six years of keeping the crap locked in a tamper-proof box.

Trailing clothes across the floor, he lurched for the sanctuary of his bed. Wearing only his boxers, he flopped onto the soft mattress with a bone-weary groan. The shower could wait. At the moment, he couldn’t move if the heavenly trumpets sounded, announcing the judgment.

Judgment.

The word chased him into exhausted sleep, conjuring the lurking demons. Manifesting them into the monster flying through the moonlit night. Crashing through prickly brush and skeletal trees behind him as he ran for his life. Gaining ground with every stride. He hardly registered the limbs scratching his skinny arms and legs, tearing his favorite pajamas.

He wasn’t fast like his superheroes. Couldn’t fly into the air and away from here for good. Or turn and face the bad man, zap him with his superpowers, and make Mommy happy again.

His heart filled his mouth, nearly strangling his terror-stricken screams.

“No! Mommy! Mooommeeee!”

“Goddammit, come back here, you worthless little shit!”

He ran harder. Knew what would happen if he obeyed. Daddy would hit him, not with the razor strap, but with the big stick in his hand. Hit and curse him, hit and hit and hit until he was bloody and still. Stiff and sticky like Andy Roger’s dog after Daddy caught him sniffing around in the front yard. Like—

A cruel yank at the back of his collar jerked him clear off his feet. Screaming, he kicked and fought with everything he had, out of sheer instinct. A sixth sense his now-adult brain recognized as the knowledge that he had nothing left to lose.

That he was about to die.

He scratched and bit the arm holding him, sinking his tiny teeth in deep. Daddy’s enraged bellow gave him only a second’s satisfaction before he was slammed bodily to the forest floor.

Sucking in a breath, he started to let go another scream, but a hard kick to his stomach stole his chance. The blow lifted him off the ground, waves of sickening pain blowing to dust what precious little defense he had.

He’d never pretend to be a superhero again. Daddy was making sure of that. In Howard’s small, sad world, the bad man always won.

He never saw the next kick coming, aimed at his privates. Curling into a tight ball, he made himself as small as possible. Vomited onto the ground, hurting so badly. Praying for the monster to go away.

More blows, the steel-toed boot connecting with brutal force.

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