Safe place, p.1
Safe Place, page 1
SAFE PLACE
SAFE PLACE
COPYRIGHT
© 2022 by E.M. Leya
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This book is a work of fiction. References to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons or locales, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
Cover Art by: Annabella Stone
Editor: Crowder Editing
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM E.M. LEYA
CHAPTER ONE
Aydin knew before the plate hit the floor and shattered to brace himself for Jason's reaction. As the pieces of the plate scattered at his feet and littered the kitchen floor, he tensed. "I'm sorry."
"The fuck you are. You clumsy fool." Jason took two steps from the table and grabbed Aydin by the back of the neck. "You did that on purpose."
"I didn't…" There was no point in arguing. In fact, it would just make things worse. Aydin closed his eyes as Jason flung him across the kitchen. His teeth slammed down against his tongue as he hit the refrigerator and his back hit the handle, causing him to cry out in pain as he slumped to the floor. He tasted blood but didn't have time to wipe at his mouth before a hard kick caught him in the stomach. Nausea rolled through him, mixing with the pain. "Please…" His voice cracked.
"Get up." Jason grabbed him by the hair.
Aydin struggled to stand, his entire body sore. Blood filled his mouth, and he wondered if he'd bitten his tongue in half. He swallowed the blood, knowing he'd face even worse if he spit it or dribbled it on the floor. God, why did he put up with this? Why didn't he run when he'd had the chance?
A fist caught his cheek, but he couldn't do anything about it. Not with Jason holding his hair. Several strands pulled from his head, but Jason's hold was tight. Blood gushed from his mouth, spraying over Jason's face.
"You fucking stupid asshole." Jason tossed him across the kitchen again, this time against the oven.
The bowl of pasta sauce went flying as Aydin's arm hit it, causing the hot sauce to spill everywhere, including over his arm. The burn was instant, and Aydin rolled away, trying to avoid any more spilling on him. Tears streaked his cheeks, but the only thing he could focus on was the burning over his hand and arm. He had to get away. Had to get cold water on his skin. Had to find a way to escape this hell he'd let himself get caught in. "Jason, I'm sorry. I'll fix you something else." He tried to get to his knees, but a foot to the side had him falling back to the ground.
A loud knock on the door was ignored by both of them. Aydin knew he'd never get anywhere near it to open it, and Jason wouldn't want anyone seeing this, so he wasn't about to wander out and see who was there. Jason glared at him, and Aydin understood he needed to remain quiet, but he was hurting so badly he didn't care. If he didn't try to do something, he was going to die. "Help!" His voice cracked and wasn't as loud as he hoped.
"Asshole," Jason growled, kicking him hard again.
Aydin screamed, louder than he needed to, praying whoever was on the other side of that door would help. Another boot kicked him in the hip. He rolled, but it did no good. He had only a second to close his eyes as he watched the boot come straight at his head.
The sound of breaking wood echoed through the house, but Aydin saw nothing but darkness as he tucked into a ball, trying to protect himself. Jason's boot hit his chin, but nothing mattered now. The pain was too much. His entire body hurt, but his arm and tongue were the worst. He was used to cracked ribs and bruises.
He heard men screaming but couldn't make out the words. He stayed in a ball, praying it would end. Had someone come to save him or was he imagining things?
"Sir? Can you hear me? You're safe. I'm Officer McKay. We've called an ambulance for you." A gentle hand rested on his back. "Let me see your injuries."
Aydin couldn't open his eyes, but he managed to untuck from the ball he was in. Blood tricked down his cheek as he opened his mouth to try to speak. "Arm," he tried to say, but it came out sounding more like, "erm."
"It's okay. They've taken him outside. You're safe." The officer's voice was so gentle. It reminded him of his father when he'd been a kid and had broken his arm. God, he hadn't thought about his father in a long time. Why now?
"Can you open your eyes?" the officer asked.
For once, his eyes weren't swollen shut. He slowly opened them, almost afraid he'd find it was just a dream and Jason would be waiting over him. Instead, he saw a police officer smile at him. His brown eyes were filled with compassion and gentleness.
"There we go." The officer reached up on the counter and grabbed something. A moment later, he wiped at the blood that dripped down Aydin's cheek. "Where's the blood coming from?"
"Tongue," Aydin tried to say, but again it sounded more like, "young." It was like he was at the dentist and his entire mouth was numb, though it wasn't numb. It hurt like fucking hell.
"Tongue?" the officer asked.
Aydin gave a slight nod, then held up his burned arm. "Hurts." He hoped the officer understood.
"Paramedics just pulled up. They'll help." The officer wiped his cheek again.
Blood continued to trickle from his tongue and the little he swallowed made him nauseous, but the worst was his arm. It was on fire, and he wanted nothing more than to get to the sink and run cold water over it. The problem was, he was pretty sure he couldn't stand.
"What's your name?" the officer looked worried.
Aydin tried to say it, but it didn't sound right. Was his tongue swelling? His mouth felt full.
"Wallet?" the officer asked, obviously unable to understand what Aydin said.
Aydin nodded but didn't try to reach for it in his back pocket. He hurt too much to move.
"I'm just going to grab it from your pocket. We'll get you to the hospital and get your injuries taken care of."
Aydin closed his eyes, wondering what would happen after. They wouldn't keep Jason in jail long. He'd bail out. He had too many connections, important connections that would help him make sure he didn't sit in a cell. One thing was for sure, he wasn't coming back. He had no idea where he'd go, but he wasn't going to let this happen again. He should have left sooner, before it got this bad. It was his own fault he was in this position. His own stupidity that got him here.
"I'll make sure your wallet goes to the hospital with you. I'm just going to take down your info for my report. The paramedics are here and will help you." The officer stood.
Aydin wanted to reach out and ask him to stay. He felt safe with the man beside him. Jason wouldn't hurt him again as long as the cop was there with his gentle voice and soft, compassionate brown eyes.
"Let's see if we can get this bleeding stopped." A paramedic came into view.
"Erm." Aydin lifted his arm up.
"Okay. We'll take care of that too. My buddy Keith will handle your arm while I see how bad your mouth is. Can you open for me?"
Aydin tried to follow instructions, but the pain was so bad that he wasn't sure he was really doing anything. His back ached, chest hurt, mouth throbbed, and most of all his arm burned. It would have been easier if he'd lost consciousness. He should have faked being unconscious after the first punch. Jason quit hitting him if he was unconscious.
"I know it's uncomfortable, but I need to try and stop the bleeding. Tongues tend to bleed a lot." The paramedic put something like gauze in his mouth.
At least his arm was feeling a bit better. He couldn't see what the other guy was doing, but the burning had eased a bit. Aydin ignored all the activity around him, trying to figure out what he was going to do now. He had no job, no money, and nowhere to go. His mother lived in Texas, but he hadn't seen her in over ten years, having left her abusive home as soon as he'd turned eighteen. His stepfather was almost as bad as Jason. Again, he wondered how he had let this happen to him.
"Okay, we're going to put a brace on your neck, then move you to a stretcher." The paramedic eased the brace around Aydin's neck, then they rolled him ont o a stretcher.
"Here's his wallet." The officer with the brown eyes was back, looking down at him as he set a clear bag on his chest. "His name is Aydin Dixon."
"We'll give it to the hospital." The paramedic continued to check Aydin's mouth.
The officer nodded, stared at Aydin for a long moment, then gave him a supportive smile. "Good luck to you."
Aydin watched the officer turn and walk away, wishing he could thank him.
CHAPTER TWO
Kent hated domestic calls. They were the most dangerous calls they got. They never knew what they'd find until they arrived. This one had been no different. A neighbor had called about what sounded like a fight going on in the home next to hers. Once Kent and the other officer, Roman had arrived, they clearly heard it as well as they stood on the front porch. When the call for help came from inside, they had no choice but to make entry and confront the situation.
Luckily, it hadn't taken much force to break in the door and once inside, the man who appeared to be beating up on the other had complied with the order to get on his knees. Roman had cuffed the guy and gotten him outside while Kent went to the man bleeding on the kitchen floor. From the amount of blood, he'd expected the guy to be unconscious, but he found him awake and alert, though unable to talk due to the blood seeping from his mouth. He shivered thinking about the kind of wound a tongue would have to have to bleed that much.
As he watched the ambulance drive off with the victim, he said a silent prayer, wishing him well. He knew all too well how the guy probably felt right now. Kent had faced his own abuse when he'd been younger, having had a father who thought the only way to raise a child was by beating them into submission. He'd had more bruises and broken bones than he wanted to admit and all of it was before he was sixteen and had finally moved out to live with a friend.
"Guy in the back of the car is Jason Williams. He's the son of Congressman Williams." Roman sighed.
"Well shit." Kent pinched the bridge of his nose. "That just made our lives hell." He didn't want to deal with a high-profile case. He liked keeping things simple. "Have you called and warned everyone?"
"Yeah, they're calling the chief to give him a heads up. We're to treat this like any other domestic but have been warned to do everything by the book." Roman slid his notebook into his pocket. "How bad was the other guy?"
"Hard to know. The blood was from his tongue as far as I could tell and he had a nasty burn on his arm, but I'm guessing he's got at least a few bruised if not cracked ribs. That last kick we saw as we walked in sent the guy flying across the floor." Kent glanced at the guy in the back of the squad car. "The guy have a record?"
"A few drunk and disorderly charges a few years back. One arrest for fighting after a basketball game. He hasn't served time for anything. Looks like he's been let off with fines, but that's not a shock since we now know who his father is." Roman nodded toward the house. "We'll secure the place, then I'll drop this guy at the jail. Doubt he'll stay long, but we can hope."
"He make a statement?" Kent asked.
"Other than to request his attorney, he hasn't said a word. Wouldn't even give me his name. I had to pull his wallet to find out who he was. The neighbor is filling out her statement now. She mentioned it's not the first time she's heard fighting, but it was the worst." Roman shook his head. "Thankfully, she called us. I'd hate to see how much worse it could have been."
"Me too." Kent thought about the pained expression in Aydin's eyes as he'd leaned over him. As hard as he tried not to let the job get to him, sometimes he couldn't disconnect from a scene. This was one of those. Maybe because Aydin had reminded him of the life he'd left behind so many years ago. "I'll hang around here and make sure everything is secure if you want to take him in."
"Thanks. The sooner I get him booked, the sooner he can make bail." Roman rolled his eyes. "Maybe we'll get lucky and his father won't help him out this time."
"Doubtful. The congressman will probably do everything he can to keep this out of the media." Kent hated how often money would buy a person's freedom. He'd seen it way too often. "Makes me want to call the media myself to make sure they get the story."
"Not worth it." Roman sighed. "I'm with you on this, but it would cost you your job."
"I know." Kent glanced once more at the asshole in the back of Roman's car. "Go book him. I'll see you later to wrap things up." A wave of fatigue rolled through him at the thought of all the paperwork he had to do later.
"Thanks. Call if you need anything." Roman headed for his car.
Kent watched as the car pulled away, then turned and headed back to the house. He made his way inside. The place was immaculately clean except for the kitchen which now looked like a war zone. Blood covered parts of the kitchen floor and spilled spaghetti sauce covered the other half. Kent checked to make sure the stove and oven were turned off, then walked through the rest of the house just to make sure it was secure. He wondered about the relationship between the two men. Were they lovers, friends, or family? They didn't share a last name, so they probably weren't family or even married, though not everyone changed their last name when they married. Seeing no windows that had to be shut or other doors that weren't locked, he made his way out front where another team was ready to secure the front door they'd broken down. He nodded to them as he passed by, spoke with the witness, and collected her statement, then headed to his car.
He still had four more hours on shift, and it was a Friday. That meant the drunks would be out in force tonight. He had the weekend off if he could just get to it. He slid into the driver's seat and sighed. His mind wasn't on the job. He had to focus. Kent reached for his water bottle and downed it, hoping again that the guy he'd just rescued was okay. This was just another case, but something in his gut said it was far from over. A high-profile case was the worst, and it was just his luck he'd gotten the call to one.
Determined not to over think the case and let it distract him, Kent put the car in gear, called in that he was clear to take another call, and pulled away from the curb. Four more hours, and he could go home and relax.
CHAPTER THREE
Aydin groaned as a nurse wrapped a cuff around his arm to take his blood pressure. There wasn't an inch of his body that didn't ache.
"Sorry. I know you want to rest, but I need to check your vitals one more time before we send you upstairs." She quickly pressed a button on the machine beside the bed and the cuff started to tighten.
"Can I have some water?" The words sounded strange to him. His tongue was really swollen. The doctor had put in several stitches since the bleeding wouldn't stop. They'd told him they would dissolve in a few weeks, but until the swelling went down, he was going to be uncomfortable.
While his tongue was what the doctors had worried about most, which was understandable since he'd been bleeding so badly, it was his arm that Aydin was mostly focused on. Wet gauze covered about a four-inch area of his forearm, and he wondered about how badly it would scar. The doctor in the emergency room had promised to have a specialist come to see him but didn't think it would be too bad once it healed.
"How are you feeling?" the nurse asked as she handed him the paper cup.
Due to his tongue's injuries, he couldn't use a straw, so he sipped from the cup. "Chest hurts."
"You've got several cracked ribs, so I imagine you do. I've just given you something for the pain." She smiled. "Are you sure there's nobody we can call for you?"
He shook his head. "There isn't anyone." How pathetic those words made him feel. He didn't even have a friend he could call for help. He was completely alone. He'd quit his job after he started dating Jason, enjoying the fact that he could be home and take care of the house for Jason. He hadn't thought much about it when Jason suggested it. Now, months later, he knew it was all part of Jason's ploy to control him and distance him from all of his old friends and co-workers. "I'll be okay." Even as he said the words, he wasn't sure they were true. He had nowhere to go. No one to turn to.
He was a fool. He'd been so obsessed with Jason that he hadn't noticed what he was doing at first. He thought they were working toward getting married and starting a family. They talked about adopting kids. That was why Aydin had decided to quit his job and stay home. When they adopted, he'd be there for the kid. But as the months went on and they didn't get married, didn't talk more about adoption, he should have known. Jason's anger grew worse, and he started controlling everything from their money, to when they went out, to what they would watch on TV. It was a little at a time until suddenly, Jason controlled Aydin's whole life.
