Buried Secrets (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES) (22 page)

     Darrell pulled her to him and lifted her chin. “I’ll call you as soon as I get back to Vegas. If you need me - for anything - you have all of my numbers. Okay?”
     Jerra nodded, trying not to cry. “I’ll be fine.”
     Darrell sighed. She was so damned stubborn and determined not to depend on anyone but herself. He’d have to work on that. Leaning down, he kissed her again and hugged her tight. “Take care, baby.”
     Jerra stood in the doorway watching him walk to the elevator. He blew her a kiss as the elevator doors closed. Jerra stepped back and quietly pushed the door to. She leaned her head forward before slowly sliding down its wooden frame until she was sitting on the floor. With her forehead resting on her bent knees, she cried harder than she’d cried in a very long time until she had no more tears left.
     Darrell stepped out of Jerra’s building and walked over to the rental car. Once inside, he turned the ignition, but just sat there, unable to get rid of a lingering sense of dread. Blowing in exasperation, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Finally, he put his shades on and pulled off. He’d call Jerra before the plane took off. Aleesha was bringing Marcus to the airport, so when he saw her, he’d ask her to make sure she kept a close eye on Jerra.

     Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Earl standing several feet away. Once Darrell’s car disappeared out of sight, he walked inside of Jerra’s building.
     He had shaved and purchased a pair of cheap pants and shirt from the dollar store so as not to arouse suspicion. Yesterday, he’d been able to slip in unnoticed when he’d given a teenager a few dollars to create a diversion. Now, walking up to the security desk, he introduced himself as Jerra’s stepfather, here for a surprise visit from out of town.

     The guard was still suspicious, but Earl came prepared. Luckily, he’d brought a ragged and faded picture he’d managed to find of him, Jerra, and SaraLynne. He didn’t know why he stuffed it in his bag, but it came in handy when he showed it to the security guard as proof that he was who he said he was. Earl could turn on the southern charm when it suited him, and after showing his ID, he managed to talk his way up without being announced.
     Once Earl got to Jerra’s floor, he pulled a flask filled with cheap whiskey out of his pocket and took a few sips. This little bitch thinks she’s too good for me now? Earl sipped the alcohol again, all the while working himself up into a fury. Who in the hell does she think she is? Jerra St. James my ass. I’m about to remind her she ain’t nothin’ but the daughter of a whore from a shit ass town in Mississippi, he sneered as he walked to her door.
     Jerra was still on the floor when she heard the doorbell ring. Her heart began to pound in her chest and a smile crossed her lips. Darrell! He came back!
     With excitement pumping through her veins, she unlocked the door and threw it open with her face all aglow. When she saw Earl, she quickly tried to slam the door shut, but Earl was too strong. Jerra went sliding to the floor as he effortlessly shoved his way inside.
     “Where’s that smart ass talkin’ you was doin’ when your boyfriend was here, slut?”
     Jerra started to hyperventilate. She tried to remember that Earl had no power over her any longer, but somehow, bravery had come so much easier with Darrell by her side. “I-I want you to leave! Now!” When Earl’s face twisted in furious outrage, Jerra started scooting backwards, terrified as he began to advance towards her. “What do you want?! Please…I’ll give you money…however much you want...” Jerra was barely able to put a sentence together because of the way her teeth chattered from fear. 
     “Please, please…” Earl mocked her. “Bitch, don’t plead now. Oh, you’ll give me money I rightly deserve for taking care of you when your whore of a mother died. But you’re gunna give me something else too…”

     Earl licked his lips as his hand went to his belt buckle. Jerra felt violently ill at the sight of the bulge in the front of his pants. “I'm gunna finish what we started before you ran away all them years ago."

     Grinning, he added, "If it helps, pretend I’m that pretty boyfriend of yours who just left…”
                                    ****
     Darrell had driven about a block from Jerra’s condo when he came to a stop at a traffic light. He sat waiting on it to change as thoughts of Jerra continued to plague him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was filling him with unease.
     Shaking his head, he propped his elbow on the door and absently rubbed his chin. That stepfather of hers….Earl. Something told him he wasn’t going to give up so easily.
     Still deep in thought, Darrell didn’t notice that the light had turned green. The car behind him blew once then leaned on the horn. Undaunted, Darrell glanced in his rearview mirror and quickly came to a decision. Stepping on the accelerator, he made a U-turn and pulled into the gas station across the street. He’d learned a long time ago to trust his instincts. They had gotten him out of numerous situations and stopped him from making mistakes that could've otherwise proven to be disastrous. Darrell put the car in park and took out his cell phone to call Marcus.
     “Yo, what’s up D? You almost at the airport? We’re here already.”
     “Marcus. I’m not leaving today. Something’s come up. I think I’m gonna catch a flight out at a later date.”
     “Something’s come up, huh?” Marcus asked in an amused voice. “Could that something’s first name start with a ‘J’ and end with an ‘a’?”
     Darrell forced a laugh. “Yeah man, something like that.”
     Marcus’ amusement faded “You okay, D?”
     Darrell deliberately injected a light tone in his voice. “Everything’s good, man.”
     “Ai’ight. I swear, I never thought I’d see the day when you got sprung over a woman, but even the best of us fall, right bruh? Okay, handle your business. I’ll catch up with you in Vegas.”
     After hanging up, Darrell called his assistant and informed him that he was staying in Atlanta for a couple more days, so he needed any appointments he had lined up rescheduled. With that taken care of, Darrell pulled away from the gas station and drove in the direction leading back to Jerra’s home. He tried to call her, but when he only got her voice mail, the prick of uneasiness intensified.
     Minutes later, Darrell parked in front of Jerra’s building. He took long strides to the entrance, anxious to hold his baby. Only then would he be satisfied that she was alright.
                                    ****
     Inside the condo, Jerra tried to scramble off the floor and run, but Earl grabbed her long ponytail and jerked her back. Jerra felt a sense of déjà vu as the memory of him grabbing her the same way the night he raped her flashed in her mind.
     "Let me go!!” Jerra's hatred and anger took over. "Let me go you sorry son of a bitch!!”
     Earl gave her hair a sharp jerk which made her tumbling backward against him. He reached around and roughly covered her mouth. He squeezed so hard she tasted blood from her teeth cutting into the soft lining of her inner lip.
     “Shut up!” he growled in her ear. “You hear me?! Shut your fuckin’ mouth!”
     Jerra frantically clawed and scratched his hand. She tried to stay calm, but panic made its way into her body. She relentlessly twisted, turned, and kicked to get away before sinking her teeth down hard over his fingers as hard as she could.
     “Shit!” Earl released her go for a moment. In that split second, Jerra tried to remember the self-defense classes she, Keisha, and Aleesha had taken several years ago. She sharply swung her elbow back and made contact with his ribs.
     "Ugh...!!!" Earl let out a low cry of pain, and without missing a beat, curled his fingers around her neck and applied pressure. “Be still, bitch! Now! Or I swear, I’ll squeeze the life right outta you as I stand here….!”
     Trembling from head to toe, Jerra stopped struggling. “I told you I’d give you money, however much you wanted. I just want you to leave me alone…”
     “And I told you I wanted something else, didn’t I?” Earl rubbed his crotch against Jerra’s backside. His breathing became labored when his erection came in contact with the thin material of her silk pajama bottoms. “Mmmm….you’ve filled out quite a bit, Jerralynne.”
     Earl’s fingers squeezed until she had to struggle to intake air. He kept one hand on her throat and used the other to reach down and unzip his pants.
     “Ah yeahhhh. Admit it slut. You want me to screw ya, don’tcha? You like the fact that ole Earl was the one to bust your cherry. Ain’t that right? Made you a woman...” Earl’s voice shook with excitement as he reached around to grab and roughly squeeze her breast. Jerra's cry of pain only served to arouse him even further. “We gonna have a real good time, you and me….”

Chapter 27

     Darrell walked inside the building and waved at the security guard who'd become familiar with him by now. “’Sup, Stan.”
     “Hey there, Mr. Darrell. I thought you were leaving. Changed your mind?”
     “Yeah. I decided to stay a while longer, spend a little bit more time with my lady.”
     “I tell ya, that Ms. Jerra’s a real nice woman. Always gives the employees a gift on Christmas. “He leaned close to Darrell and lowered his voice. “A lot of the people in this building act like we’re their personal servants or something, but not Ms. Jerra. Real nice lady,” he said again.
     Darrell didn’t want to be rude, however, he was in a hurry to get to Jerra. With a quick wave, he cut him off mid-sentence and walked towards the bank of elevators. “Well, Stan, I’ll holla at ya later, okay my man? You take care.”
     As he stood in front of the elevators and impatiently waited for one to descend, Stan seized the opportunity for more small talk. “Yeah, Ms. Jerra sure has been getting a lot of ‘surprise’ visitors lately. First you. then her stepfather. Said he hadn’t seen her in years….”
     “What? When?!” Darrell interrupted Stan’s long winded monologue and hurried over to him. Was Earl here now?
     Taken aback by the ferocious expression on Darrell’s face, Stan stuttered, “Well…uh… a-about fifteen minutes before you walked in….”
     But Stan was talking to empty air as Darrell raced to the stairs and took them two at a time. All he could think about was getting to Jerra - and getting his hands around Earl's neck.    

                               ****

     Inside the condo, Earl grasped Jerra by the arm and pulled her towards the couch. Jerra dug her heels in, fighting him every step of the way. Earl laughed, enjoying her fear and helplessness.  He slapped her hard across the face and sent her flying back on the cushions. Jerra immediately tried to get up, but Earl turned her on her stomach and held her down by the nape of her neck. The more Jerra screamed, the harder he squeezed until she cried out. Satisfaction showed on Earl’s face. He couldn’t perform if he wasn’t inflicting pain to stimulate him sexually. By now, his erection was stiff and ready as he pushed his pants down to his knees.     

    “Mmmm. I bet pretty boy enjoyed fuckin’ that tight pussy of yours, didn’t he? Bet you didn’t fight him, did ya? Well, guess what? It’s my turn.    

     As his meaning sunk in, Jerra desperately writhed around on the couch, struggling escape. “No! You bastard! Get off of me!”

     Furious, Earl leaned over her from behind and slapped the side of her face. “Bitch, didn’t I tell you to shut up?!Putting a knee in the small of her back, he wrapped her ponytail around his hand and pulled so that the blows he rained out connected. With his weight on top of her, Jerra could barely move and wasn’t able to defend herself.

     Satisfied that he’d finally subdued her, Earl pushed her head back down and moved between her legs again. As he grabbed his penis, he roughly pulled her towards him and positioned himself to enter her anally. A second before he made contact, a loud banging sounded at the door.

    “Jerra…! Jerra!”
     Hearing Darrell's voice, Jerra screamed his name. “ Darrell…!!” Seconds later, Earl clamped his hand tightly over her mouth.

     Darrell’s pulse quickened when he heard her. He took a step back, then using his body’s momentum and the adrenalin pumping through his veins, he kicked the door until it flew open. What he saw created a rage similar to one he’d felt the day Roni had been murdered. In that instant, he took in Jerra’s terror. Tears ran down her face and blood gathered at her nose and mouth. Her eyes wordlessly pleaded for him to help her.

     He didn’t remember moving, but he must have because the next thing he realized, he’d jumped over the couch and tackled Earl to the floor. Straddling Earl’s chest, he began pummeling his face over and over again with fists that surely felt like iron. Earl cried out, not much different from the way Jerra had a few minutes ago, begging for mercy. He tried to raise his hands to ward off Darrell’s punches, but that only escalated the intensity of Darrell’s anger.
     “You sick muthafucka! You sick ass fuck!!”

     Fury coursed through Darrell’s body. He stood up and kicked Earl over and over again. Murder shone in his eyes when the reality of what Earl had been in the process of doing set in. Earl howled and cried like the animal he was.
     “Nah, your M.O. is beating and raping women?” Darrell circled Earl, slamming his booted foot into his ribs. “Don’t cry now, bitch!”

     Jerra tried to stand up and go to Darrell, but her trembling legs wouldn’t hold her. “Darrell…! Baby stop! That’s enough!” She hated Earl with a passion, but he wasn’t worth Darrell killing and going to prison over. “Baby stop…! Oh God, please,” Jerra begged. “Darrell!”

     She finally managed to grab hold of the couch and pull herself up to a standing position. Using it for support, she staggered over to Darrell and clutched at the bunched muscle of his bicep.

     Darrell slowly became aware of her tugging on his arm and screaming his name. Chest heaving, it took a moment to bring her into focus. When he did, he pulled her to him and held her tight.