Rev (Jack 'Em Up #4) Read Free Page B

he’s broken it before maybe.”
    I erased and added the imperfection.
    We made it through his mouth, chin, and cheekbones, saving his hair for last. I flipped it around when we were done, my stomach in double knots. “Is this the man who raped you?”
    She studied it closely. Then her eyes flooded with tears. “Yes. That’s him.” She jumped from her chair and fled the room, a female officer following close behind.
    I spun the drawing back, bracing myself to face the man I’d created. Suddenly, the unknown, nameless monster who’d terrorized countless women began to morph into the one man who still held me captive.

    It couldn’t be Nolan. I knew that on a rational level, but my mind wasn’t fighting fairly. Flashbacks of him ripping at my clothes, fondling me with rough hands, all while degrading me with his words, macheted through me, leaving physical pain in their wake.
    You’re disgusting.
    Look at you . . . you’re a fat pig.
    Good for nothing but fucking.
    I’d tried to push past it. Tried to fight it, not believe him. It worked most of the time. But like a trained rat, I always came back in my mind. The questions and doubts. Could he have been right?
    “No.” I spoke out loud as an affirmation to myself as I headed to my truck in the police station parking lot for my much needed lunch break.
    Sweat immediately coated my skin from the oppressive summer heat. The sudden sensation of being watched grabbed me and my eyes darted around the lot. It was empty. Nobody. I hurried to my truck, locked myself inside, cranked the engine, and blasted the air conditioner. I swiped the moisture from my upper lip and focused on getting myself together. I had created a new Jewel since I left the nightmares in Florida behind. I had a restraining order and a shiny new life.
    I threw the truck into reverse and began to back up, but a movement from the corner of my eye had me slamming on the brakes. I checked my rearview mirror just as a man walked past behind me. Stalky and not too tall, his gaze met mine in the mirror. Deep, dark eyes blinked at me, his face hidden behind his beard.
    A scream was trapped in my throat, a hostage to the bubbling fear that began to swirl and whirl through me like a cyclone.
    I struggled for breath.
    My fingers went numb.
    He continued to stare, his mouth moving with words I couldn’t hear. I imagined all sorts of vile things . . . then a woman grabbed his arm, shot my truck a glare, and they walked away together.
    A ragged breath fell from my lips.
    It was official.
    I was losing it.
    I couldn’t even cry. I was on serious adrenalin letdown as I cautiously pulled out and drove out of the lot. I headed to my apartment on autopilot, but as I sat waiting to cross traffic to turn into my complex, I realized I could not go home. I simply couldn’t face the emptiness that awaited me, demons in every corner.
    I hit the gas and merged back into traffic, no particular destination in mind. When I ended up in Delilah’s driveway, parked behind her new crossover SUV, I didn’t even remember driving there, but I wasn’t surprised. I felt safe with her. She knew all my deep, dark secrets. Even the ones I was too ashamed to admit to the rest of my family.
    I found her outside, watching little Molly splash in a blue kiddie pool, baby Declan lying on a blanket in the shade, chewing a teether.
    She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. “Hey, you. What’re you doing here?”
    I pushed my truck door closed and ambled her way. “Just came to say hi.” I smiled down at Molly, who was dunking a toy elephant under the water.
    I glanced back when Delilah said nothing. She stared at me with inscrutable blue eyes, her lips curled into a frown. “Liar,” she finally said.
    With a sigh, I plopped next to her on the grass. “Maybe.”
    Declan began to fuss and she picked him up in the practiced way of a mother, putting him to her shoulder and patting his back. “What’s wrong?”
    Now the tears