Broken: The sequel to THE PREACHER'S SON Page 5

  “What brings you by, Matt?” his father asked. “I thought you had a date.”

  “I do later on,” he said, still eying Max. “I came by because you asked me to cut the grass for you, remember?”

  So he had a date, Max thought. What did she care? It was probably some desperate female. She looked up and found him still watching her. What was his problem?

  “We look forward to you coming to dinner tomorrow,” Nadine said, looking at Max.

  “You’re having dinner with your brother?” Rachel asked her son. “That’s nice.”

  “Yes, a little family bonding, I suppose,” Matt replied, still watching Max. “I’m sure it will be a pleasant evening.”

  Max felt herself grow warm under his intense stare. Family bonding indeed! She wasn’t going to be bonding with the likes of him.

  “Well, that’s so nice!” Rachel was saying. “Will you be there, Max?”

  Max looked at Rachel. “Uh, I suppose.”

  “Of course she will,” Matt said with a smile. “I can’t imagine being there without the pleasure of her company.”

  His eyes ran over Max’s outfit. She was wearing a V-neck that fit snugly across her breasts, revealing a hint of cleavage. Her flared skirt stopped just above her knees to show off her long legs. He was smiling as if he liked what he saw.

  Max fidgeted where she stood. She was ready to leave. Why is he being so nice, she wondered. And why is he staring at me like that?

  “Oh, that’s so nice.” Rachel replied, completely oblivious. Eric’s and Nadine’s eyes kept going back and forth between Max and Matthew.

  “Well, I have to go. I’ve got the get that grass cut before it gets too humid,” Matthew said. “Max, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.”

  He smiled at Max and walked out the door. Why had he addressed her directly? Eric and Nadine were the ones who’d extended the invite, not her.

  Max felt all eyes on her and studied the pattern in the carpet.

  “Well, this is a surprise,” Rachel said. “I didn’t know you and Matt were getting along so well, Max.”

  Max cleared her throat. “Neither did I, Rachel.”

  Max looked up at her sister and found Nadine watching the scene unable to hide her amusement. Max glared at her. Why did she agree to this dinner anyway?

  “May I have some water?” Max croaked out, tearing her eyes from Nadine to Rachel.

  “Of course, where’s my manner?” Rachel asked, then gave Derika a kiss. “Come on into the kitchen. I have lemonade in the refrigerator, nice and cold.”

  “You OK, Max?” Nadine asked innocently.

  Max glared at her. “Did you know he’d be here?”

  “How could we know that? He doesn’t live here,” Nadine whispered back. “We’re going back to the house to get things set up for the party. It’s only a couple of hours away.”

  Max knew that she was right, but seeing Matt had caught her totally off guard. From now on she was going keep her shields up. He was up to something; she was sure of it. She felt that it would only be a matter of time before she found out exactly what that something was.

  CHAPTER 4

  We who are strong ought to bear the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1

  James Rogers sat in the warden’s office wondering if all of his hard work had paid off. He’d been the prison mole for a while now, taking the warden up on his promise to put in a good word for him with the parole board if he came through.

  It had taken him five years of good behavior to be moved from Lakeview, a maximum security facility in Greenville, to Northridge, a medium security facility. Once he’d arrived at Northridge, he made it his business to follow the rules and to keep his nose clean. He didn’t want to go back to the madness that was Lakeview. He had been surprised when the warden at Northridge noticed him and made him the offer to be his eyes and ears after being there six years.

  Rogers was no fool. He had made it his business to learn the operation at Northridge and found that Warden Charles Trentwood prided himself on the fact that their incident numbers were at an all-time low. He had learned which guards to trust and had gotten the word to the warden about several incidents that had been brewing, hoping it would pay off for him.

  And it had. Warden Trentwood had called him to his office and made him a dream offer with the promise to give a positive review on his behavior to the parole board.

  Rogers was a smart man and had been careful that no one suspected that he was a mole. In fact, publically he berated the warden to his face, which gotten him a few beatings by the guards but raised his credibility with the other inmates. Now things were about to pay off because he was a candidate for early release, and it looked like he was about to get his life back again.

  Warden Trentwood walked into the office where he was waiting. Rogers shifted in his seat. The chains that bound him made a loud clanking in the quiet office. He wished that he didn’t have to be shackled, but he knew that there wasn’t any chance of that happening. He eyed the two guards that had brought him into the office and then looked back at his hands.

  “Wait outside the door,” Warden Trentwood said to the guards as he sat behind his desk.

  They nodded and walked out, and Rogers looked at the warden. He was a short man and small, but he had power and knew how to weld it. His eyes narrowed at him, his mouth in a grim line, and Rogers knew that Trentwood was a man you didn’t fuck with.

  “Rogers you know that your number is coming up, don’t you?” Trentwood asked dryly.

  “Yeah, I figured as much.”

  “Well, we have a sticky situation here. Rape is a serious offense, especially when there was a child involved. You’ve raped three young girls. However, one died in an automobile accident several years ago, one is out of the country teaching, and one is still living here in South Carolina.”

  “Which one?”

  “Maxine James,” the warden said, leaning back in his chair. He picked up a cigar and lit it. “If she comes giving her sob story to the parole board, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be paroled.” The warren blew out smoke. “In fact, most likely you will not.”

  “I understand that you’ve been looking for a reason to have Travis Winston transferred to Lakeview. He’s been a bit of a headache for you,” Rogers said slyly.

  The warden cleared his throat. “Yes, he’s a bit of a thorn in my side, but I have him under control.”

  “Yes, but one wrong decision and he could attack someone and ruin your record of having a facility that has a reputation of being practically incident free,” Rogers replied. “I know that you’re proud of that accomplishment and, because of that record, I know you’ve been invited to the governor’s mansion and that he wants to use this facility as a model for some of the others. In fact, I hear that there’s a big fat promotion on the horizon for you because of what you’ve accomplished here.”

  “You hear a lot,” Trentwood replied. “However, I plan on keeping my spotless record for as long as I can. What do you know about Travis Winston?”

  “Can you do something that will keep Maxine James from coming to my hearing?” Rogers asked.

  “Maybe I can work something out if the information you provide is credible.” Trentwood smashed the cigar in the ashtray on his desk.

  “It is.” Rogers smirked. “Your boy Travis Winston has managed to hide three different shanks for future use. Did you know that? Did you know that he has a hit list of the men he plans to use them on?”

  “What!” Warden Trentwood snapped, standing up. “That’s impossible! He’s being watched and his cell is searched twice a day. I’d have a good reason to transfer his ass out of here in a minute if I had proof.”

  “I happen to know for a fact that they do exist,” Rogers replied. “Now, if you can take care of this Maxine James situation, I’ll take care of your situation, and we’re both happy men.”

  Rogers watched as Trentwood hesitated a moment and then smiled at him.
“If what you say is true and these weapons are found, then I’ll take care of the Maxine James situation.”

  “Oh, you’ll find them,” Rogers said. He stood up. “However I think you need to place me in solitary confinement after I leave here and have me roughed up a bit. Put the word out that I was uncooperative to your questioning about Winston and then bring a couple others in here and question them. Make it look like one of them ratted Winston out instead of me. In fact, if I make parole, I have someone in mind that will be a good replacement for me in my position as your eyes and ears here.”

  “It’s done,” Trentwood said, grinning from ear to ear.

  Max sat in Doctor Nelson’s office with her hands folded in her lap. The twins’ party had been a success with the house crowded with family. She had to leave everyone to make this six o’clock appointment. She wished that she had just rescheduled it, but she wanted to talk to the doctor before the dinner with Matthew the next day. Dr. Nelson saw patients once a month on Saturday, and Max had agreed to the date before realizing that it was the twins’ birthday. Still, things had worked out, and she had been glad to leave just in case Matthew showed up.

  Dr. Nelson had her once again talk about her feelings and the details of the attack thirteen years ago. It was a bit painful, but somehow she’d gotten through it. She had to admit that it was easier each time that she did it.

  Dr. Nelson had told her that they would be meeting for fifteen sessions before she reassessed her case, and now she was at session number three.

  “All right Maxine,” Dr. Nelson said, smiling at her. “Let’s talk about the smells you experienced during your attack that now bother you and remind you of what happened. What did Rogers smell like?”

  Max stared at her a moment before answering. At least this wasn’t a hard question.

  “He smelled like sweat and cigarettes and musk.”

  “Do those smells bother you now? After all, you work in a gym around a lot of men.”

  “No, not really. I don’t know why they don’t bother me, but they don’t.”

  “Maybe it’s because you associate the smell of body odor with working out and exercise and not your attack. Do any of the smells, like cigarettes for example trigger memories of your attack?”

  “Not really. I have family members who smoke.”

  “What smells do you associate with your trauma?”

  “None really. It’s not smells that does that.”

  “What then?”

  “Men’s body hair, seeing it. Hairy arms and especially chest hair.”

  “I see. What happens when you see chest hair at the gym?”

  “Nothing. I mean, I don’t go near them. I’m fine as long as I’m not close to them. I’m at the gym a lot. You know that I’m the manager of Myrtle Beach gym, and I’ve never had those feelings you describe while I’m working.”

  “No kidding,” Dr. Nelson said, leaning forward. “I joined your gym several weeks ago. I’m enjoying the Zumba classes.”

  “Really?” Max frowned. “I’ve never seen you there, but then again I’ve been pretty busy lately.”

  Dr. Nelson continued to talk about the gym, and Max responded politely, although she was wondering where this conversation was going, her mind wandering and her responses automatic.

  “Maxine, you say that your sister and her husband are living with you and that they have twin daughters. How does it feel to be a doting auntie?”

  Max gave the doctor her full attention. When had they gotten on the subject of the twins?

  “They are good babies. My sister and Eric are young, but they are good parents,” she replied.

  “How young?”

  “They are both nineteen. “She looked at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed fairly quickly. Maybe if she kept talking about her family this doctor wouldn’t be trying to force her to date or talk about her sex life.

  Dr. Nelson asked her a few more questions about her family, and Max found herself telling her in detail about Nadine’s situation with her parents and how her father had basically disowned her for marrying a white man.

  “Does Eric’s family feel the same way?” Dr. Nelson asked.

  “His parents, well, basically, his father was against the relationship. However, once he saw those babies earlier today, all his animosity went out the window.”

  “So then his family has accepted the marriage?”

  “Well, I doubt that his brother Matthew has. He’s a real piece of work, and now I have to have dinner with him tomorrow thanks to my sister and Eric’s meddling. They’re trying to get me to be more social with men like you want me to.”

  “Is that so bad?”

  “I don’t like him! He called my family trash. He accused my sister of trapping Eric! He’s mean and hateful.”

  “Tell me more.” Dr. Nelson was watching her closely. `

  Max was glad that the good doctor seemed to continue the conversation along those lines and relaxed a little. Relaxing made her talk more. Max knew that she ran off at the mouth too much at times, especially if she were angry or nervous. Right now she was nervous, and the more she could avoid those touchy subjects, the better.

  “How do you feel about your sister marrying a white man and now trying to get you to have dinner with one?” Dr. Nelson was asking. “Are you comfortable around your brother-in-law, or is your problem just with his brother?”

  Max’s focus returned from the clock on the wall.

  “I don’t care that he’s white,” she said. “I don’t care for men no matter what color they are.”

  Why did I say that? She knew that she’d gone down the wrong road as soon as the words left her mouth. Max continued quickly, “Matthew seems to have a problem with black people in general. He called us trash, and he and I had words. I didn’t back down. I’m not afraid of him.”

  Max looked up from her lap and stared at Dr. Nelson. “You see, my father hasn’t been the same since, you know, the incident, and I know that’s part of the reason he hasn’t accepted Eric. Matthew’s just a racist pig who acts like he’s God’s gift to women just because he’s good looking.”

  Now why did I say that? Max felt like smacking her own self upside the head. She smiled brightly at Dr. Nelson and then rolled her eyes. “However, I’m not attracted to him or any other man. But that’s why I’m here right? I’m broke, and you’re the brilliant doctor who’s going to fix me.”

  Nice try, Max!

  “Broke? How are you broken, Maxine?”

  “I don’t like men.”

  “Do you hate men?”

  “Not anymore. I mean, I don’t blame all men for what happened to me. I just don’t trust them. Even when I did something nice for Matthew, all he cared about was that I knew how much money he had.”

  “You helped him? How?”

  Max laughed nervously and looked down at her hands. “It’s funny, really. I was eating in a restaurant and these guys sat in a booth near me. They were discussing their plan to steal his money and his business. I had on earphones and was pretending to listen to music and read. You know, it’s sort of a coping mechanism to keep men from approaching me. I wasn’t listening to music so I heard everything they said. He’s Eric’s brother, and, even though he’s a pain, I didn’t want him taken for everything he had. A part of me wanted to prove to the jerk that we are good and honest people, and his first concern when I told him was that I knew how much money he had!”

  “You do realize that being uncomfortable is not the same as not liking men, right?” Dr. Nelson asked. “Does Matthew make you uncomfortable, or is it that you just don’t like him because he’s a man?”

  “Both. He’s coming around for dinner because Nadine and Eric are making him feel guilty since I saved his butt. So now he’s going to hold his nose while he comes around and tries to be nice to me.”

  “Does Matthew strike you as a pushover, the type of man who could be forced into anything?”

  Max didn’t reply immediately, frowning.
“Not really,” she finally mumbled, not looking at the doctor.

  “I’d like to try something with you if I may, Maxine,” Dr. Nelson said, sitting back in her seat.

  “What?”

  “Okay, it’s called coming out on the porch. Sometimes when we are in the middle of how we feel, we can’t see the forest for the trees. I have to say you are halfway out on the porch right now. Come on out here.”

  Max stared at her feeling a bit confused by her words. She looked at Dr. Nelson smiling at her and then back at her hands that were in her lap. “Do you ever look at men?” Dr. Nelson quirked an eyebrow. “You work at the gym. Do you ever really look at them? Do you think that they have nice bodies?”

  Max stared at her a moment and then down at her hands. Matthew Ferguson had a nice body. She’d seen him exercising. She hadn’t wanted to stare, but she couldn’t help herself. Watching him caused her to become warm all over, but she wasn’t telling the doctor that. She decided to detour and talk about Eric instead. Talking about Eric was safe.

  “My brother in law, he’s very hairy. I mean, lots of hair on his arms and his chest. I think it’s gross, but my sister loves it.” Max was still looking at her hands. “That hair, well, that bothers me. I’m trying to get used to it hoping that the therapy you talk to me about will help me with Eric.”

  “Body hair is an acquired taste,” Dr. Nelson said, smiling. “However, not all men have a large amount of body hair, and those who do aren’t all bad people, Maxine.”

  “I know,” Max replied without thinking. “Matthew doesn’t have all that hair.”

  Hearing herself, she inhaled and looked away, embarrassed that she’d said more than she wanted to. “His brother, huh,” The therapist smiled. “It seems that his name keeps coming up. What do you really think about his brother?”

  Max didn’t want to verbalize how she felt about Matthew, a man that irritated and excited her at the same time. Her mind raced as she grappled with how to answer the doctor’s question honestly. She didn’t like him because of the things he’d said to her in the past, but she did like the way he looked and the way he smelled when he was near. She looked up to find the doctor still patiently waiting for her to answer the question. He was a man! A very arrogant man.