Coreene Callahan: Fury of Desire

Minus his two front teeth.

“What are you staring at, Injin? ” His lip curled as he sneered at her.

J. J. reined in a sigh, hiding her reaction. Nothing new about that… or the magnitude of his bigotry. He’d taught her well over the last five years. Reacting with outrage didn’t work. It simply stoked his fire, feeding him the power to hurt her. A card-carrying member of Haters R Us, Griggs never missed a chance to disparage her heritage. Or insult the Cherokee blood in her veins. It made her less human in his opinion. Disgusting? Absolutely. Rage worthy? No question. Sad in this day and age when skin color shouldn’t matter? Without a doubt. But that didn’t stop Griggs from spouting his racist views whenever he thought no one else could hear.

The fact she was half white—with blue eyes and light skin—didn’t matter to him. A half-breed equaled dirty, less than… unworthy of his notice. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for Tania. Griggs dismissal of her sister would’ve solved a lot of problems, ’cause… yeah. Had she and her sister shared the same father, Griggs would never have given Tania a second look.

Never mind become obsessed with her.

“Fucking redskin.” His low tone set off a buzzing inside her head as Griggs planted his hands on the bed-rail. The bar shifted under his weight, jarring the handcuffs. As the steel shackle tugged at J. J.’s wrist, the panic she’d been trying to hold at bay punched through. She shuffled sideways, inchworming beneath the cotton sheet, desperate to maintain separation. It didn’t work. He invaded her space, bringing the stench of cologne with him. The muscles along her abdomen clenched in protest. Pain skittered up her side, tightening its grip on her rib cage, pulling at the stitches. “You think you’re home free or something? Just because that coon nurse has taken a liking to you?”

J. J. drew in a choppy breath. The guy was beyond sick. A real candidate for the nearest mental institution. “I want my phone call.”

“Jesus.” With a huff, he pushed away from his perch. As he straightened, rehooking his thumbs in his belt, he shook his head. “You just don’t get it do you, Injin? ”

Fear circled, taking an ugly turn. “I have a right to call my lawyer.”

“Bullshit. You have what I give you, nothing more. So listen up, Injin … and listen good.” A nasty gleam in his eyes, his mouth curved, the smile half-smug, half-snarl. Pressure snaked around her torso. As it tightened around her, she breathed in shallow bursts, struggling to keep her expression neutral. The second she let go, gave in, and showed fear was the instant he won. And foolish or not, J. J. refused to hand him a clean victory. “You try anything. Make a call. Warn your sister. Talk shit about me to the warden or anybody else, and you won’t make it out of here alive. It’s that simple. So go ahead, Injin. Cry foul. Test me, but only if you wanna die. Otherwise, keep your fucking yap shut.”

“You won’t get away with it,” she said, faking confidence she didn’t feel.

“I already have. And your sister? She’s—”

“Smarter than you.”

“It’s not about being smart. It’s about her keeping me happy. And guess what? The happier I am, the longer you live.” One corner of his mouth tipped up. “What do you think Tania’s gonna do when she sees you here like this, Solares? Hmm, you want to know what I think?” He paused, satisfaction lighting his eyes as he let her stew a moment. “I think she’ll do whatever I say. Spread her legs… invite me in… blow me whenever I want just to keep you safe.”

“You touch one hair on her head, and so help me God, I’ll—”

“What?” He flicked at the cuffs chaining her to the bed. “Come on, Injin … tell me.”

“You sick bastard.”

He laughed. “About time you caught on.”

Door hinges creaked across the room. Dragging her gaze away from the asshole tormenting her, J. J. glanced toward the bathroom. Ashford stood between the jambs, fitting a lid to the top of the plastic mug.

“Got those cuffs off yet, Officer?”

Griggs hesitated.

J. J. swallowed, waiting for the explosion. It never came. He smiled instead, and with a quick twist, inserted the key into the lock. The handcuffs fell away, clanging against metal. Half-relieved, half-sick with dread, she curled her bandaged arm into her chest, moving in slow increments, afraid Griggs would retaliate and reach for her again.

“Excellent. Thank you, Officer Griggs,” the nurse said, shooing him out of the room with her free hand. “Now, off you go. There’s a coffee machine just down the hall. I’ll give you a shout when I’ve finished with my patient.”

Griggs’s gaze cut back in her direction. J. J. felt the sting. Not that it mattered. His threats meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. She was accustomed to abuse. Would handle the weasel—and all forms of retribution—to keep her sister safe. Now all she needed to do was figure out how.

The second he cleared the threshold, Ashford stepped alongside her. Setting the mug on the table, she pivoted toward the bank of cabinets running along the wall to her right. Quick hands flipped cupboard doors open, then closed them again. As plastic-wrapped packages, gauze, and tape landed inside a sturdy plastic bin, J. J. shifted on the mattress, trying to get comfortable. Why she bothered, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as though she had a chance in hell of avoiding the pain. Or outrunning the odds. Comfort wasn’t in the cards. Griggs had dealt her a crappy hand, elevating the game to a contact sport.

The best she could do now was ensure no one else got hurt.

Ashford glanced toward the open door. And Griggs. Boots planted and shoulders set, he stood in the hallway with his back to them. He looked one way, then the other, studying the corridor as though he expected a military invasion. J. J. shook her head. Terrific. Just what she didn’t need… a Neanderthal-in-waiting.

Vigilance piled on top of vigilance.

Moving into her line of sight, Ashford set the mishmash of supplies down on the end of the bed. “Is he always like that?”

“Pretty much.”

“Calls you Injin a lot, does he?”

“Big racist… little brain.”

The nurse snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do,” she whispered, worry tightening her chest. “Please don’t cross him. You get in his way, he’ll hurt you.”

“Don’t you worry about me.” Sidestepping, Ashford grabbed the edge of the floor-to-ceiling curtain. She pulled. A zing split the silence as tiny wheels whipped around a metal track. Griggs looked over his shoulder. J. J. looked away, avoiding eye contact. A coward’s way out? Maybe, but she couldn’t take anymore. Not right now. Probably not for a while either. With another tug, the drape zipped full circle, cocooning the area around her bed. “I’ve dealt with his kind all my life.”

“Nobody’s like him.”

“Nonsense. A bully is a bully. Doesn’t matter what kind of uniform he wears. But enough about that.” Done checking her IV, Ashford palmed a pair of surgical scissors. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

J. J. blinked. Time? “For what?”

“You know your lawyer’s number by heart?”

A crease between her brows, J. J. opened her mouth, then closed it again. No sense trying to figure it out. She sucked at guessing games. “I don’t—”

Seeing her confusion, the nurse smiled. “’Cause if you did? You might need one of these.”

Slipping her hand into the back pocket of her scrubs, Ashford pulled out a…

Oh, Jesus be merciful. A cell phone. The high-tech kind with a wide, flat screen.