Escape to Heaven (Heaven on Earth Book 1) (2 page)

Joey shifted his position to get out of her way as she moved onto her knees. He was still spouting out stuff about how stupid she was and how he never should have married her.

Yeah, motherfucker, the feeling’s mutual.

The sarcastic thought entered her head, but she didn’t say it aloud.

“Joey, please stop!” She needed him to think she would let him continue beating on her. Unfortunately, she had grown up in a house where her mother had been beaten up numerous times by several boyfriends, and she had sworn she would never put up with the same situation in her own home. Personal promises were all fine and good, but just look at the unbelievable situation in which she now found herself.

Seeing an opening as he went to shift from his crouching position to standing, she threw her arm out and knocked him off balance. Not expecting her to do anything, he was caught off guard and lost his footing. He fell to the ground and banged his elbow. He winced in pain, and she knew it had only made him even angrier with her than he was before. As he was getting up from the ground, she quickly crawled out the bedroom and got to her feet. It was hard to see anything since her right eye was swelling and closing. However, the heavy lamp she’d just purchased two months ago as a birthday gift to herself was right at her fingertips. She picked it up by the neck and swung the heavy base of the lamp blindly toward the bedroom door, knowing he would be close behind her. The blow landed on the side of his face with a hard thud, but the lamp itself did not shatter and Joey was still standing.

“You fucking bitch,” he yelled at her.

Joey was holding his head, and she knew he was dazed. No one would fault her if he died. Hell, this sorry-ass excuse for a man deserved to meet his maker after the pure hell he had put her through tonight. It was time for a little payback. Getting a firmer grasp on the lamp, she swung it at the side of his head, her target in sight. She hit him with everything she had and watched as he slumped to the floor unconscious. The impact of the blow caused pain to race up her arms as the lamp crashed against his skull and shattered into multiple pieces.

Wanting to inflict more pain but knowing she needed to get the hell out of this house, Adele ran out the front door and across the street to the only neighbor who had ever been kind to her. Praying she was at home and would open the door this late at night, Adele rang the doorbell in rapid succession.

“Please, help me! Please, open up! I need help!” Looking back to the open door of her house, Adele didn’t notice any movement from inside, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances. Knocking again, she saw lights come on upstairs and knew she was almost free.

When the door opened, she almost fell down with relief. Cops. She had to call the cops—they would help her get away.

The neighbor looked at her in complete shock and horror. “Adele? What’s happened to you?”

“Please, call the police. I think I may have killed him.”

And with that last thought, with a woman she barely knew staring at her bruised and battered face, Adele finally passed out.

Chapter One

Five years later…

Adele Bittner was no more. Adele Woolner had replaced that person, and she was a take-no-prisoners type of woman. Adele had tried everything she could to move on and forget about the hell she had experienced with her ex-husband, Joey Bittner. Although they had been married for such a short time, the damage he had inflicted on her for those two years had taken a serious toll on her ego, her pride, and her self-esteem. Years of self-reflection were hard on a woman who had felt like nothing for so long, and it had taken a long time to get back on solid ground again.

After that last night with Joey in North Carolina, a short stay in the hospital, and some difficult conversations with the local police, she had known it was time for a change. Three months after her escape from Joey and a very speedy trial, she had moved to Alexandria, Virginia. A fresh start hundreds of miles away from the most horrific time in her life was in order. The first thing she had done was to find a job as a manager at a consulting company with a good reputation. Being independent was key for her future. Never again would she depend solely on a man for her happiness. If she ever fell in love again, and that was a big “IF”, it would be on her terms.

Reinventing herself had become her only focus once she relocated, and she tackled that goal with a vengeance. No one, and she meant
no one
, would ever know the scared woman she had been before. Reflecting on the woman she once was, Adele was ashamed to even admit that she had ever been so weak and made a vow to never let a man control her life again. This time, she was making a promise she would actually keep. Her very life depended on it.              Finally doing well and building a life that she wanted, Adele could admit that she was impressed by all of the positive changes she had made in her life. All in all, she was damn proud of what she had accomplished.

Shortly after moving to Virginia and settling into her new life, she found a local gym that offered boxing classes for women and it had become both a stress reliever and her salvation. Three times a week for more than four years, Adele had taken boxing and mixed martial arts classes to help her gain more confidence. It also had the added benefit of teaching her to not feel so helpless. She had not only gained strength and muscle, but a very effective right hook.

That right hook, when combined with her vicious uppercut, could stop a man in his tracks if she wanted. Most recently she had cut back to one or two nights per week due to work conflicts, but she never gave it up all together. She did other things for her workouts as well, but she was glad the gym was always available when she needed it.

Part of the reason she never stopped the boxing classes was just in case Joey ever got the crazy idea to come looking for her again. She would be ready for his ass this time and would not hesitate to use her new skills. Adele was no fool, and she would be damned if that motherfucker got close enough to lay another hand on her. No man would ever get the opportunity to hurt her again, not physically at least. She vowed to kill the next son of a bitch who tried, not just break a few bones in his face. No, she would never be scared anymore and had the skills to back it up.

Over the years, Adele had met some badass motherfuckers in her boxing class, and they had taught her a thing or two. Five badass motherfuckers, to be exact. As it turned out, all of them were current or former military. When she had first met some of the guys at the gym who also had been doing some boxing and mixed martial arts training, she had been reticent about striking up any type of conversation. Her natural inclination was to be reserved, and she had really tried to stay out of their way. Initially, the only person she’d spoken to while working out had been Hank, the gruff but friendly owner, who tried to act as if he did not care about anyone, but was really a softhearted and kind old man. He must have recognized something in her eyes when she first starting coming to the gym and had looked out for her as best he could. It was he who made sure that she was always allowed her space and never felt crowded. That had been extremely important at the time.

Over time and as she continued to visit the place, she let her guard down enough to show a smile or say a few friendly words. Something in her eyes or posture must have given something away. The men must have recognized something that triggered their protective instincts. The entire group had taken her under their wing as if she was their long-lost baby sister, and she was accepted into the fold without hesitation. It was a slow process at first, but gradually, she carved out a place in her life for them, and they seemed to fit right in.

Although she knew they were curious, they never asked about what happened to her. Of course, they knew that whatever happened in her past had given her an intense need and desire to learn how to defend herself. The guys weren’t stupid by any stretch of the word, and Adele knew they weren’t fooled by her tough exterior and cool-as-a-cucumber façade. It had been very difficult for her to trust them at first, but they had been patient, never pushing her further than she was willing to go. After about one year, her walls had come crumbling down, and she had gained the one thing she’d never had. A family.

Ethan Dickerson was still serving in the Navy, and although he did not speak in much detail about what his job involved, she had figured out pretty early that he was a Navy SEAL. He never denied it and once she made the assumption, he never tried to hide what he did for a living—he simply didn’t talk about it around her. A protector by nature, he was always the first one to start trouble and usually the last one to end it as well. He never let her forget that it was their responsibility to take care of her, whether she wanted it or not.

Often she would catch Ethan giving her a questioning look, as if he was trying to figure something out. He never broached the subject, but she knew he had guessed her secret early. People often disregarded Ethan because of his blond hair and sea-green eyes. He looked too friendly and nice to be such a badass. However, once people realized that his pretty-boy, model-worthy looks were simply a product—or accident, according to Ethan—of his birth, they never made that mistake again.

Tyler Greene was the jokester of the bunch, and she had rarely ever seen him without the trademark smile that highlighted the deep dimples in his chiseled face. He had been more forthcoming about his career, so Adele knew that he was a Recon Marine and he loved every second of it. His father had retired from the Marines after twenty-three years, and both of his brothers were currently serving. It was definitely a family tradition, and she saw how he soaked up every second, proud of who he was and the bond he shared with his unit.

Tony Chavez-Avitia was the quiet one of the bunch. He was former Army Delta Force and was another who had never spoken about what he did while serving. Hell, she was surprised she even knew what his role was in the military. Tony had only ever admitted to her that he was Army Special Forces, but she had heard him and Ethan talking one day and realized he had been so much more. And although she had this bit of information, not once had she ever asked Tony about it. It wasn’t her place to force him to face his demons with her while she was still holding back her own history from them. Until he was comfortable telling her about it, she would leave well enough alone.

Even though he was now out of the military, Tony still protected people every day of his life. He now owned a personal security company, and not only did he provide security detail and protection to the rich and famous - along with a few political figures - he also performed some intelligence work for a few three-letter agencies. A couple of years after they all met, Tony had once let it slip that he and his family had grown up extremely poor and had to scrape by for every meal and every piece of clothing they had. Although his parents’ financial situation had improved, they made sure their children never forgot where they came from.

Daniel Pearson, who, she fondly referred to as “the peacemaker,” was the one many of them went to when they needed to vent about a situation or about one another. He had a knack for diffusing conflict, and if Daniel was involved, you knew everyone would come out on the other side with all their limbs intact and only a few bumps and bruises for their trouble. Daniel was also a Navy SEAL and had served for more than ten years. He was a former Marine who’d switched over to the Navy for the sole purpose of becoming a SEAL, and Tyler always gave him a hard time about that. The two of them were constantly going at it, but it was all in good fun.

Adele smiled as she thought of the final member of their group, Noah Braddock. Now he was the one none of them ever messed with. Ever. Not that he was unapproachable or unfriendly—actually, it was just the opposite, and he was quick to smile and laugh with the best of them. However, Noah had become the adjunct head of their family, either by default or design, no one knows and no one really examined how it happened. Older than Tony by only one year, Noah had an aura about him that demanded respect. He was the one everyone avoided when they were up to no good, and that was quite a lot. But when something went wrong or there was a situation within the family, Noah was usually the one they would call first. The others were more than capable of taking care of things themselves, but when you had Noah on your side, you didn’t have to do it on your own. For this group, beyond all the male posturing that could take place in a room full of strong-willed men - that meant something.

There were times when one or more of them left suddenly for weeks at a time and would come back with scrapes, bruises, and a few broken bones. Adele constantly worried about them when they had to leave, and usually one or more of the guys remaining in the area would hover around her a bit more than usual during those times. Protectors to the core, she knew no matter how much grumbling she did, they would not—could not—change who they were.

When the guys returned from wherever they had gone, she would usually have them on her front porch in short order. This was their check-in with her so she would know they were home safe. Although they seemed all tough and badass, she knew they hated it when she worried about them. It was their routine and it was their bond. They knew she fretted non-stop until they came home, and they wanted to remove that worry from her as soon as they could. No matter how long they had been gone on assignment, she would freely open the door to her home and allow them to hang out in her living room. It didn’t matter if it was one of them or all five. They were her brothers. They had claimed her—whether she had wanted it or not—and she had claimed them right back. That was just how things were.

Over time, they had continued to show her some defense moves, and a few ass-kicking moves - ones that she knew weren’t taught in the self-defense classes at the local YMCA. Although she was curious as to how they had learned the skills, the question never left her lips. They never volunteered specific details about what they had learned while training or how they had perfected the skills, and she was not going to press.

Turning toward her living room window, Adele didn’t understand why she was rehashing her entire life history today. Maybe things were just bothering her a little more lately and she was questioning her place in the world. Work was going well, but damn, she was stressed out. The company was doing back-flips in this economy, and four members of her staff had been laid off. She wasn’t necessarily worried about her own job, but everyone was under the microscope. Being asked to do more with less seemed to be a recurring theme, and people were stressed and tired.

Overall, her staff was great, but in a group of twelve people, there always had to be one person who worked her last nerve. Donna, a marketing specialist on her team, was a thorn in her side and tried everything in her power to undermine Adele’s authority. She constantly went over Adele’s head to the department director and tried to make her look bad at every turn. It was always about something stupid that didn’t amount to a hill of beans, but that didn’t take away Adele’s annoyance that Donna continued her childish antics. Thank goodness her boss never fell for the crap Donna spewed and would always support Adele. Nevertheless, it was stressful to feel as if she had to constantly defend herself and explain her actions to someone who didn’t deserve her time and effort.

Plus, she was banging on the door of twenty-eight, which was just a hop, skip, and a jump from thirty. The big three-zero. No one enjoyed getting old, and Adele knew she absolutely hated, loathed, and abhorred the idea. She had no boyfriend, but then again, she wasn’t really looking for one. Plus, the guys never failed to run off any man who even tried having a conversation with her. As a result, her prospects for dating weren’t looking very good at the moment.

Adele picked up her double white mocha with extra whipped cream and walked over to her living area. She sat on the plush loveseat and looked out her window into the manicured front yard. Laying her head on the window pane, she took a deep breath and pulled a blanket over her legs. She loved her home, if only because she had purchased it herself. No one had helped her buy her little slice of heaven on earth, and she loved every inch of it.

The weekend would be here soon, and Adele was looking forward to it. She needed a nice quiet couple of days to read a book and simply relax. Ethan, Tony, Daniel, Noah, and Tyler were all coming over for a cookout on Saturday, and she needed her rest before they started to arrive. With them converging on her house first thing Saturday, that would still give her all day Sunday to do her own thing without the Fabulous Five looking over her shoulder.