He loosened his tie before sitting on the two-person ottoman. Von took the armchair across from him, pulling her feet up into the chair and hiding her chest behind her knees.
“I spoke with Derrick today.” Von tensed. “When he didn’t come to church, I was concerned. It’s not like my son to miss service, especially when he has to speak. He told me you two were having some...difficulties.”
Von gripped her jeans with tightly clenched fingers. “With all due respect, Pastor, I believe what happens between me and your son is just that, between us.”
As Derrick Senior leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs, his suit jacket fell open. With his intent stare focused directly on her, Von had to force herself not to fidget. “I’m aware that you feel I’m too involved in your and Derrick’s relationship. Derrick has expressed with me how unhappy you were that I advised him to wait on your nuptials.”
Angry and defensive, Von stated in as calm a voice as she could manage, “I understood the reasoning behind Derrick’s decision. I simply wished he would have discussed it with me first, especially since it affected both of us.”
“Hmm, I see.” He glanced down, playing with the creases in his dress pants before pinning her with another look. “You know the bible teaches women to be submissive to their husbands.”
“Yes, but as I told Derrick, we’re not married yet.” She sighed. “Pastor, I have no problem following the leading of my husband. I believe that the husband should be the head of the household. I want my husband to lead. What I don’t want is to be treated like a mindless child. You taught me that a wife should be a helpmate to her husband. To me that means we should work together, like partners, with Derrick having the final say. Not the only say, but the final one.”
Derrick Senior smiled ruefully. “Listening to you, you remind me of my wife. She had a lot of the same views on marriage and relationships.” He stood, straightening his clothes, and Von scrambled to her feet as well. “I’ll leave you two young people to work out your issues on your own. You know I’m always available for counseling.”
“Thank you, sir.” Relieved that he wasn’t going to pry, Von trailed behind him to the entryway. When he paused to let her pass, she gave him a brief smile and quickened her pace, eager to have him gone.
Derrick Senior crowded her, walking almost on her heels. Just a few more steps and he’ll be gone. She was reaching for the doorknob when a violent shove from behind had her crashing into the wood of the door—face first.
Derrick Senior’s ham-like hands came up and grabbed her by the throat in a strangle hold. He shook her viciously, smashing Von’s head repeatedly against the door. She tried to fight, to get loose, but he was too big, too strong, and had the element of surprise on his side.
Unable to breathe, she rapidly lost strength, black spots appearing before her eyes. Just when she knew she was dead, Derrick Senior flung her aside like a ragdoll. She crumpled on the floor, hands on her throat, coughing and gasping for air. The first kick landed in her stomach. The second, her ribs. She curled into a fetal position, arms cradling her head, trying to protect as much of her body as possible as his hard-toe dress shoes made repeated contact with her fragile body.
He suddenly leaned down and snatched her head back by her hair. “Did you think my son wouldn’t tell me how you whored yourself with his friend, turning the two of them against each other? How you tried to entice Derrick by coming to him half naked, and when he resisted, you seduced his friend instead?” Derrick Senior’s eyes glittered madly.
He’s crazy! How had he managed to hide it so well?
He looked on her with disdain. “You women are all alike. Connivers, manipulators, like Jezebel, you use your wiles to try and control men. But I’ll teach you, same way I taught my wife.”
He yanked hard on her head, dragging a cry of pain out of Von. Then he wrapped her hair around his fist, using it to pin her to the floor. Von forced her body to unfold and swing, despite the pain her action caused. She missed when he jerked back.
He hit her again, casually, painfully, the way one would swat an insect. Von tried to fight but was easily subdued. “I don’t know what the hell my son saw in you. He could have done much better,” he grunted.
Derrick Senior grabbed her t-shirt by the neckline, under her chin, and ripped the shirt down the middle. Releasing her hair, he mauled both breasts, squeezing hard. Von screamed and fought like a wildcat, managing to catch his face with her nails. Bloody welts appeared.
In retaliation he backhanded her, his blow landing on the same side as Derrick’s. Stars exploded behind her eyes and everything went dark.
Can’t pass out.
Von fought with everything inside of her to stay conscious, terror giving her the needed strength. She felt his hands on the zipper of her jeans and lashed out with her feet. There was a meaty thud as she connected, the impact rocking him backwards. This time he roared.
He fell on top of her, his fists raining mighty blows to her unprotected body. She was barely conscious when he flipped her onto her stomach and snatched the waistband of her pants. Von felt cool air hit her butt, then heard him fumbling with his buckle.
No, this is not happening. I didn’t survive my momma’s boyfriends to go out like this.
She pushed onto her elbows and tried to crawl away.
“Stubborn bitch. Just like my wife. Never knew when to give up.” He captured her by the ankle and dragged her back. His hands were on her hips, yanking her into position when a loud popping sound filled the air.
Derrick Senior bucked on top of Von. She whimpered, in pain and fear, expecting at any moment to feel the steel rod of his flesh ripping through her. Instead, he shoved off her, yelling angrily. Von heard the sound again, rapid fire this time. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Then there was a loud, floor-shaking thud as something heavy hit the ground. She heard moaning, a “Take that, you bastard!” and then a masculine scream of pain.
“Von, damn it, I told you not to open the fucking door. When will you listen to me?” A shadow fell over her and she flinched away from the hands reaching for her. “It’s all right. It’s me.” Gentle hands straightened her clothes. “2581 Bartram Ave, Apartment 4-B...Rescue...my cousin’s beat pretty bad, and you probably better send the cops since I emptied my clip into the asshole I caught trying to rape her.”
“Hurts,” she whimpered.
“Derrick Wilkins Senior...No, he’s not dead yet, but if you don’t get here soon, maybe.” To Von she said, “I know, honey. Hold on, Von. Help’s com— Yeah, she’s conscious, barely...I’ll stay on the line.”
“Not safe,” she whispered, hearing but not really comprehending what was being said.
“Trust me, he’s not going anywhere. If he moves, the next bullet’s hitting his head or his dick. You got that, asshole?”
“Call...Sean...warn...”
“Hush, now. I’ll take care of everything.”
Trusting her cousin to do just that, Von gave up her fight to stay conscious.
Chapter Thirteen
The uneasy feeling in Sean's gut became full-blown panic when he turned into Von's apartment complex and saw the police crime scene tape cordoning off the entry to her quad's parking area and additional tape blocking the upstairs walkway. Dust and gravel flew up in a cloud as he came to a screeching halt. He had the door open and his feet were pounding the pavement before the truck finished rocking.