Page 23 of Yuletide Hero

Disobeying him now was not a smart move.

He was already so angry he was ready to explode and the only one here to take the brunt of that anger was his wife.

She knew better than to provoke him when he was like this.

“Strip,” he repeated, over-enunciating the word.

With visibly shaking hands, Maria did as she was told. She pulled her sweater over her head and folded it neatly, setting it down on the table because she knew how he hated clothes lying on the floor. Her jeans joined the sweater as did a pair of socks, a bra, and panties.

Maria stood naked before him, trembling in the cold room, but he knew it wasn't because of the temperature, it was because of fear. The knowledge turned him on and made him grow hard.

Jay walked around his wife. Her arms remained straight at her sides; she knew he hated when she tried to cover herself in his presence. Her body was thin and a little bony in places. Her pale skin was marred with a litany of scars and a couple of fresher, partially healed gashes. Each mark was a sign of his power, authority, and his strength.

He sat back down in the chair he’d been in before his wife had arrived. “Come,” he told her.

Further instruction wasn't needed. Maria came and draped herself over his lap, her bare backside screaming out to him.

With one hand he unbuckled his belt, with his other he slapped her, pleased when the white skin immediately tinted pink. He hit her again, and then again, then as he slid his belt free it replaced his hand, and he hit her half a dozen more times until small welts began to appear.

Adrenalin flooded his system, and spurred on by the bloody welts, he reigned down a bevy of strikes until he could feel Maria’s body shuddering as she wept silently. Picking up his wife’s small body he tossed her down to the floor. When he stood above her, he had never felt so powerful in his life.

Swinging his leg back, he rammed it into Maria’s ribs, imagining it was Hayley Hood who lay powerless and helpless at his feet.

Soon it would be.

But for now, his wife would have to suffice.

* * * * *

6:12 P.M.

Jessica Spears knew that everyone had different life experiences and that shaped the way they looked at the world. But as she looked through the window at Maria Turner, who was lying on a hospital bed, she couldn’t understand how a woman would go back to a man who hurt her so badly now that she had a chance to be free.

Maria had been found passed out on the sidewalk, beaten so badly she had collapsed. It didn't take a detective to figure out that she had been to see her husband.

Jessica had worked enough domestic violence cases to know that a lot of factors played into why those women stayed. She would never judge anyone for their choices and how their lives turned out.

After all, she hadn't made the best decisions in her life.

Married a month after graduating high school to an older man who moved into the house next door to where her family lived. For her, it had been love at first sight, and ignoring the warnings of her family and friends, they were married only six weeks after they met.

Pregnant at nineteen.

Freddie was born when she was twenty.

Divorced by twenty-one.

It had been a whirlwind three and a half years and the roughest time in her life. Her husband might not have physically abused her, but he was controlling and emotionally manipulative and had cheated on her repeatedly.

The whole thing had been a learning experience, and she had learned that relationships just weren't worth it. Jessica just wanted to focus on being the best mother to her five-year-old son that she could be. With how she behaved regarding her husband and ignoring her family’s warnings, she had burned some bridges and although her family were still a part of her and Freddie's lives, she wasn't comfortable asking them to help. Since her husband had let her keep the house in the divorce, she was able to have a nanny who cared for Freddie before and after school, so she didn't have to rely on family. The rest of the time it was just the two of them, except for the weekends when Adam had Freddie and the ones where she had Claire.

Her life could be better, but in the end, she was happy, and her son was happy, and that was what mattered.

Jessica hoped that one day Maria and her daughter Kinsley could be happy as well. Maybe once Jay was in prison the two of them could have a fresh start. They’d definitely have a better life, they’d both be safe and no longer in danger of being beaten or murdered.

“Think she’ll talk to us?” Adam asked, coming up beside her. They’d already gone home for the day when they got the call that Maria Turner had been spotted collapsing on the sidewalk and rushed to the hospital. Jessica had already sent the nanny home, so she’d had no choice but to call her parents and ask them to watch Freddie. They always seemed happy to do it, she knew they loved their grandson, but she still felt uncomfortable asking for their help.

“I want to say yes, but honestly, no I don’t think she’s going to tell us where her husband is hiding out. She’s had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing. If she didn't turn him in for killing her daughter then she’s not going to do it for trying to kill a social worker.”

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