Page 3 of Big Red

That little boy is a complete shithead. His parents are even more of a pain in the ass. I’ve had two parent-teacher conferences with them, and they still won't get their demon of a child in line. I’m really beginning to lose my patience.

Cindy had already broken his nose, and that seemed to have added gasoline to the fire. I never want my kids to always choose violence to solve their problems. If this doesn’t stop, his father is going to be getting a broken nose next. I won't put up with Tommy bullying my daughter any longer.

Cindy opens her mouth, and I can tell she’s about to try and brush this off. “Don’t lie to me, baby girl. Is he?” I ask again.

“Yes, and now a few girls have joined in, too. But Marco and Hannah are always there to make them back off. Please don’t come to my school, Dad. Last time, people were calling me a tattletale for months. If it gets out of hand, I promise I’ll say something. Please.”

Her eyes are pleading, so I nod. I don’t need to tell her I’ll be paying Tommy’s dad a visit real soon. After breakfast, I hug my kids goodbye as they head off to school. On the way out, I ask Tech to find out anything and everything about Tommy’s parents.

Nobody messes with my kids.

Chapter Two

ALICE

“Don’t embarrass me tonight,” Declan growls as he pulls me from the car. I nod shakily. I can already tell he’s in a mood tonight, and anything will set him off. I don’t know why he decided to take me out, knowing he’s already agitated. Despite how much I will try not to aggravate him, I know exactly how this night will end.

It’s the same repeated cycle. One I can’t seem to free myself from. And he knows it. He made sure of it.

I don’t know how our relationship turned into what it is now. When I met Declan in high school, he was the sweetest and kindest person I ever met. I was a freshman, and he was a junior.

I was so smitten with him. We fell fast and hard. Despite my father’s disapproval, I continued to see Declan. He never gave me a clear reason for his dislike of Declan, only saying there was something about him.

I should have listened. After being with him for eight years, I now know maybe, just maybe, my father knew Declan was all a façade.

Once I graduated from high school, Declan proposed, and I accepted. My father was so disappointed he didn’t bothershowing up at the courthouse. It hurt so much at the time. I didn’t speak to my father for over a year.

That was a tough year. Declan was always gone because he was in the police training academy. After he would get home, he would eat dinner, shower, and go to bed. Occasionally, we would have sex. It was never anything spectacular, so I never pushed for it.

It wasn’t until I told Declan I felt neglected because we weren’t spending time with each other that things changed. He had never yelled at me before that night. He called me ungrateful. In his eyes, he was trying to make a living to take care of me, and I was only worried about myself.

I didn’t want to lose him, so I apologized. Once he finally became a cop, I figured things would get better, but they didn’t.

Declan wanted to start trying for a baby, but I felt like I was too young. I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. He took that as me trying to leave him. He broke down and made me feel so guilty I agreed to try.

Looking back, I see how much he manipulated me. He was molding me to be exactly what he wanted. I was in love, and he was in control.

Six months after trying for a baby, I still hadn’t gotten pregnant. He accused me of taking birth control behind his back.

It was the first time he hit me.

I was so shocked I just stared up at him with tears running down my face. He quickly apologized and said the stress of work was getting to him, and he didn’t mean it. The next morning, I woke up to roses and a tennis bracelet. There was a note where he apologized and said it would never happen again.

But it did.

Over and over again.

The only thing that changed is he didn’t bother apologizing anymore. I’m pretty sure he hates me. I don’t understand. If I displease him so much, why not just let me go?

But he refuses to. He says I belong to him, and the only way I’ll be free of him is if I die. Sometimes, that option doesn’t sound too bad. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

Declan pulls me toward the diner one of the officers from work recommended. The other officers were hesitant to give this place a try. The MC in town owns it. I’m surprised Declan brought me here. He and his brother hate that MC. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’ve heard them talking about taking the club down more times than I can count.

When we walk through the doors, a hostess is waiting with a polite smile and quickly leads us to a table. I keep my head down the entire way. If I inadvertently make eye contact with another man, this night will end with me being beaten for it.

Once we’re seated, Declan grabs my hand, locking our fingers together. “I want to fix us, Alice. I want to see you smile again. I miss how you used to look at me. You looked at me like I was your whole world. Do you think we can get that back?”

I want to scream,Are you high?!,but I know nothing pleasant can come from that. I know this is only a trick. He does this time and time again. I’ve learned to stop falling for the empty promises.

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