Read Online The Enforcer by Nikki Worrell - Free Book Online Page B

her forehead. “Oh crap. I left Jody a message thanking him for the flowers. How embarrassing, I’m sure they were from Steven too.” Lacey wished Steven was right there in front of her. She wanted this over with, once and for all. She couldn’t even understand why he was so obsessed with her now. It had to be a control thing. It was probably the ever so popular ‘boys only want what they can’t have’ syndrome. “I’m done screwing around with him. I’m calling his cell.”
    Just as she started searching for his number (if she even still had it), the doorbell rang again. They both froze. Zoe leaned over the sink to see who was at the door. Putting her hand over her heart she said, “It’s okay. It’s not him; it’s Jody.” With a relieved look on her face, Zoe walked over and opened the door. “Just what the doctor ordered. Come on in. She’s in the kitchen.”
    Giving Zoe a nod, Jody walked into the kitchen. As soon as he walked in, he saw the roses sticking out of the trashcan. She certainly didn’t like those flowers. “Is it safe to assume you figured out that I didn’t give you the flowers?” Lacey just nodded her head. Now that her rush of anger had dissipated, she was more shocked than angry and more than a little creeped out. “You know that bumpy past I mentioned? His name is Steven and he’s here I guess.”
    Lacey opened the freezer, grabbed the Grey Goose and poured herself a glass with a miniscule drop of cranberry juice. “Want some? This story is best with some liquid courage. After I’m done, you won’t want to be giving me skating lessons or anything else. Apparently I still have some baggage.” Jody frowned at her. He seriously doubted there was much she could tell him that would scare him off. Walking over to her, he slipped his arm around her waist, grabbed himself a beer and herded her out to the deck. “I’m not that easy to get rid of Lace. Tell me what’s going on. Can I beat the shit out of him for you? It would be my pleasure …” He’d gladly hurt anyone that put that look on her face.
    Lacey told him what she now referred to as ‘the wedding story.’ She told him she had vowed then that she’d never date someone who traveled and had easy access to lots of women. He sat there shaking his head. “I get it, but please don’t lump me into the same category as that asshole. And he is Lace. He obviously had no idea what he had when he had you.” Taking Lacey’s hand Jody quietly asked, “Did he hit you, Lace?”
    Jody couldn’t help but remember when his sister, Karen, had had an abusive boyfriend. Her ex wound up putting her in the hospital. Jody was playing in Columbus, Ohio at the time. Some protector he was. He’d never forgiven himself for not being there for his sister. He should have seen what kind of man her ex really was. Thankfully, he was killed in a botched robbery attempt before he could do any more damage to her.
    Taking another swig of her drink, Lacey told him no, Steven had never actually hit her. Although with the way Steven had started coming around again right before she left and the nasty messages he left her, she wouldn’t have put it past him. And he did grab her in the driveway the last time she saw him. It was like he was becoming obsessed with her, and she had felt safe having thousands of miles between them. She wasn’t sure if she felt safe with Steven here or not. It was so hard for her to imagine that the man she loved for so long would truly want to hurt her.
    She also told Jody that even though she knew Steven was wrong, there was still a part of her that felt sad because she wasn’t enough. “That’s the problem with emotions. You can’t reason them away. I just felt like I was, I don’t know, less when I saw him in the pool house screwing Jessica, you know? I just wasn’t good enough.”
    Jody stroked her palm with his thumb. He just needed to keep touching her. “You aren’t just ‘good enough’ Lace; you’re too