Injustice Read online

  Injustice

  Book One of the NEMESIS Series

  K. A. Kron & Brenda L. Leffler

  ~

  Lethe Press

  Maple Shade, New Jersey

  Copyright © 2013 K. A. Kron and Brenda L. Leffler. all rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm, and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published in 2013 by Lethe Press, Inc.

  118 Heritage Avenue • Maple Shade, NJ 08052-3018 USA

  www.lethepressbooks.com • [email protected]

  isbn: 978-1-59021-407-7 / 1-59021-407-2

  e-isbn: 978-1-59021-251-6

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

  Cover and interior design: Alex Jeffers.

  Cover images: Leandro Hernandez (front) / Thomas Pajot (back).

  ~

  To Elisa...and to all of the fur.

  ~

  Chapter 1

  “Look to your left, look to your right. Those people won’t be here at graduation.”

  So far the professors had all tried to scare us, and I believed it was working. This one bit of wisdom was no different from the others, albeit a trite concept. The professors were bent on pitting us against one another, supposedly like it was going to be in the real practice of law. It didn’t exactly make people want to be friendly, just suspicious of everyone’s motives. As I looked around, I saw some who looked tired, some obviously up to the challenge, and others wondering whether they had made a terrible mistake.

  I was trying not to yawn, but it was Thursday night, marking the end of the first long week on my journey to becoming a lawyer. I was sitting in the top row of a huge auditorium housing about a hundred of us, all about to get our brains reprogrammed. With a few words, the professor ended the lecture, and class was over—but my night was just beginning. I gathered my books, stuffing them into the already heavy backpack, and as I slung it over my shoulders, the weight of it momentarily knocked me off balance. Mindlessly, I treaded down the stairs onto the well-lit paths of the small campus in the city.

  There were areas around the cars that cast shadows, something that I avoided, not out of paranoia but because I had learned to be careful. There was also a chain-link fence marking the end of the school property. My heart jumped as I heard a noise behind me in the bushes that sporadically followed the fence line. I spun around, only to see a cat scurrying into the shadows. The moment passing, laughing at my own unsubstantiated fears, I tried to get my heart to stop pounding in my chest. As I walked, the bushes did not become more friendly.

  The lights played tricks with my eyes and I hurried toward my car, intent on clearing the school grounds as quickly as possible. As I neared the center of the parking lot, up ahead, I saw two people engaged in a scuffle. They seemed oblivious to my approach. A man had hold of a woman’s hair and looked to be trying to force her to go with him. My senses were on high alert. I wanted to make sure that I had not misread the situation. A moment later, with a violent jerk, they disappeared from sight between the cars. I could feel my heart beating loudly, sure that he could hear me approaching. As I rounded the corner, now several cars away, I could see him from behind, his blond hair almost glowing in the dark. He was pinning the woman on the pavement, tearing her clothes. What would happen next took no imagination, and my mind raced. The guy was big, reminding me of a farmer or a cowboy, but he was preoccupied; so while I had no weapon, I did have the element of surprise in my favor. I unslung my book bag and swung it with all my might at his head, knocking him sideways, while at the same time pulling the already stunned woman toward me. As the man recovered from the interruption, he came back, ready to continue, now in duplicate. But I had other plans. I kicked him in the groin, which dropped him like a stone. I used the opening to land a series of kicks, knocking him flat on the ground, his turn to be stunned.

  The woman and I ran, stopping only momentarily to pull one of the emergency phones off the hook, yelling into it that there was a man in the parking lot. I then let the receiver fall, knowing that if the phone was off the hook an officer would be dispatched to investigate. Over my shoulder, almost immediately, I saw a bike helmet bobbing nearby, a uniformed rider coming toward us. I pointed to our former location, urging him to keep moving, which he did. I could see lights and heard an engine roar from the parking lot. After the bike officer circled, he came back to us, some minutes later, empty handed.

  For the first time I looked at the woman, who was pacing back and forth, clenching her fists. She had been sitting not far from me during the last class. Her expensive clothing led me to believe she didn’t struggle with student loans like some of the other law students. I had noticed the way she had brushed her dark hair out of her eyes during the class while she attentively took notes.

  As the officer took over, I knew my plans would be delayed, as we would need to make statements. “I’m Officer Middleton. You can call me Jim.” He didn’t look quite like a bike cop for a university. He was clean cut, with a military look, very efficient and capable.

  The woman stared into his eyes, the anger rolling off her in waves. “That was a guy I dated for a while. I kept trying to break up with him, but he just wouldn’t take no for an answer. He keeps showing up at different places, and he calls me and texts me all the time. I just can’t get away from him. He won’t leave me alone. I should have seen something like this coming.”

  Jim and I both raised our eyebrows, realizing how lucky she might have been this evening. The officer had his pen and tablet out. “What are your names, please?”

  I piped up first. “Riley Connors.”

  The girl followed suit, answering with a clenched jaw. “Ali Garcia.”

  A few minutes later, Ali and I both sat in the conference room and wrote out our versions of the events. My knowledge was substantially less than hers, so I was finished quickly. Jim invited me to wait in the officers’ room, just down the hall.

  “So, how long have you worked here?”

  Relaxed and friendly, Jim sat on one of the desks. “I’ve been here about four years. I have one of the few part-time benefit jobs that come with tuition. I can take two classes per semester for free. Since I’ve gone summers to catch up, I’m almost finished with my bachelors’ degree and then will begin graduate work.”

  None of it surprised me. “I hope you’re not considering law school.”

  He looked at me sideways. “Aren’t you a law student?”

  I grinned. “Yes.”

  Just then Ali emerged from the conference room, looking spent. The anger I had seen before now looked more like exhaustion. I was satisfied that she was safe, so I tried to take my leave, but she was not certain that she wanted to loosen her grip just yet. “Where are you headed?” she asked calmly.

  I started out quite matter-of-factly, but my tone got softer as I spoke. “I work at a bar a few miles from here and I agreed to take a shift tonight. I have to get going soon, or I’ll be late.”

  Ali looked surprised. “I could use a drink. Do you mind if I tag along?”

  I didn’t like to mix my two worlds, but somehow I didn’t mind making an exception for her. “Sure, but you may need something else to wear.”

  Ali looked down, realizing that her clothes had been torn. “I don’t think going home right now is a good idea. He knows where I live.”

  I nodded, noticing that we were about the same size and estimating that she weighed a few pounds less than I did, despite our similar height. “I live nearby. We can stop there
and get you something to wear, okay?”

  She agreed easily, and we circled back to my car, Jim escorting us to avoid any more unpleasantness, despite Ali’s insistence that it was not necessary.

  Ali was quiet for the short trip. Once at the apartment, I offered her a drink, which she accepted readily, as well as another T-shirt. Newly clad, she turned to me and stuck out her hand. “We haven’t officially been introduced. My name is Ali.” She paused, as if now even speaking took a grand effort. “Thank you for what you did back there.”

  I smiled and tried to brush it off, an attempt to lighten the mood. “I’m Riley. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I hope that the police can catch him so he leaves you alone.” She rolled her eyes at the comment but didn’t elaborate. As I watched her, now more relaxed, I couldn’t help but think that it was a shame that she was straight. I tried to push the thought out of my mind, as it was inappropriate timing on my part. I would never take advantage of someone in her state.

  “I am an idiot, Riley. I should have known better… Tommy has been watching me for a while, and I ignored the warning signs, figuring he would eventually give up.”

  “You’re being a little hard on yourself. You couldn’t have known he would attack you at the school—”

  Ali cut me off with a sharp laugh then shook her head and stared past me, seeing something in her mind that didn’t include me.

  She sank into the couch, and I got her a blanket. “I’m just going to get ready for work.” I headed into the other room and quickly prepared for the next part of my evening. But even as the words left my lips, her eyes were closed.

  Chapter 2

  As I took my place behind the bar, organizing the space, my mind was still on Ali. I listened to the mindless chatter about new girlfriends and boyfriends and those recently broken up. So many people wronged on a regular basis, but I could only muster enough energy to focus on the one from earlier. A voice interrupted my thoughts. “Hey, how’s Jane?”

  My eyebrows rose. “I suppose she’s fine. I haven’t seen her for a while.”

  Penel wasn’t done by a long shot. She was short and solid, reminding me of a rugby player, with strawberry hair, which was in sharp contrast to her fragile emotional makeup. “I thought you guys would be together forever. You made such a nice couple. I was really hoping that you were going to get back together.”

  It was not something I wanted to discuss with anyone, especially someone who liked to make a hobby of thriving on other people’s pain. “Yeah, I think that the new girlfriend she has kind of eliminates any chances of us giving it another try.” I figured it would give Penel something to chew on for a while and focused my attention on the thirsty people at the other end of the bar.

  Chapter 3

  Opening the door to my apartment, I couldn’t wait to fall into bed and sleep for about twenty hours. My mind had since migrated from my earlier experience with Ali, but now my senses were heightened, expecting to still have a house guest. I entered as quietly as I could, not wanting to wake her. As I neared the couch, however, I felt an unexpected disappointment when I saw that it was unoccupied. I sat in a chair, wondering what it was about her that so captured my attention.

  I got up, stretched, and wandered through the living room toward the back of the apartment and my bedroom. I replayed the attack in my head as I headed for the shower. The hours I had spent pretending to be the perfect law student, followed by an eight-hour shift of actually being the perfect bartender, had left me smelly and physically exhausted.

  I thought about the encounter with Ali and her attacker, and again saw myself land the backpack against the asshole’s head. While I was wallowing in some self-satisfaction at the thought of keeping Ali from being raped or killed by the gorilla, I was also conscious of a piece of the old me trying to emerge. As I showered the stink of bar slime off me, I realized that I was a fool to think my previous life would stay hidden, even from myself.

  I fell into a dead sleep, not waking until the afternoon light slipped through the bedroom blinds. Checking the time, I found that I was going to be late for work.

  “Shit.” I was slick with sweat and had somehow slid sideways on the bed, my legs tangled in the sheets. With a sigh, I extricated myself and staggered into the bathroom to pee. I was shocked at what I saw in the mirror and reminded myself to buy more concealer later that evening. I wore my hair long, and today the black, unruly curls were doing nothing to add to my appearance.

  Coffee, I thought, coffee will help. I made a pot and checked my phone as I moved through the kitchen, half expecting a text or message from Jane. Nothing, as usual. I wondered what I would do if she actually did contact me. Not that there was much hope of that, since every time I saw Jane and Hailey at the bar, they were sucking each other’s faces off so aggressively it looked like the fight between Sigourney Weaver and the alien.

  “Fucking bitches,” I said, for the one billionth time.

  Chapter 4

  The funny thing about working in a bar is that every day is different and every day is exactly the same. I burst through the door and made my way through the tables near the entrance, waiting to hear the yell I knew was coming from behind the bar.

  “One, two, three…” I said under my breath.

  “You’re late, Riley!” Adam slammed his hand down on the bar, startling the few hardy souls who were doing their best to spend a Friday afternoon in a drunken haze.

  “Why can’t you get here on time? Why is that so difficult? Why?” Adam’s burly head shook back and forth as he repeated the speech I heard every other day. I had known Adam for only a short time, but I considered him a friend from the moment I applied for a job at Ice House six months prior. His criteria for hiring me seemed to consist of the fact that I was attractive enough to entice the lesbian clientele the bar needed to stay solvent and I could make multiple drinks at one time with minimum mistakes or spillage. Adam owned a series of bars in his forty years, surviving in the cutthroat Denver market.

  I muttered, “Broken record,” as I shoved my backpack behind the bar and smiled at Adam and the other patrons.

  “And you look like shit,” Adam said, shaking his head. “Beautiful, but like shit. You need to get more sleep.”

  I reached up and kissed his neck. “Thanks, boss. Sorry I’m late.”

  Quickly, I surveyed the bar and tables and noticed that the usual suspects were already in attendance. The bar was in the Capitol Hill area of Denver, not far from my home, and attracted an odd assortment of customers. While the bar was technically “gay,” it catered to gays, lesbians, trannies, straights and the occasional homeless person. Dogs were not uncommon, although we hustled them out of sight when the health inspector or the Denver Police Department rolled through the bar.

  Jessie, my current favorite, caught my eye and motioned for another Jack and Coke. She was young enough that I carded her every once in a while, just to annoy her. Smart and attractive, Jessie always seemed to find her way into trouble, with either sex. By the look on her face and the way she was slumped onto the front of the bar, I was guessing today was no different.

  “Hey, Jessie. How’s it going?” I slid the drink across the bar, palming her cash at the same time.

  “Good, Riley. The usual crap. How’re you?”

  I flashed my winning, “all is well, and I’m lying through my teeth” grin and shrugged. “Good, darling. What new drama has you drinking in here on such a beautiful day?”

  She fiddled with the stir stick in her drink before replying with a shrug. “Oh, work. My boss is a complete and total asshole, and I don’t know how much more I can deal with, you know?” Jessie cocked her head, and the light from the afternoon sun backlit her blonde hair. Her blue eyes were sad, and she frowned toward her drink as she waited for me to reply.

  I smiled sympathetically and said, loud enough for Adam to hear, “Yep. I know just how you feel. It’s rough working for an asshole.”

  Adam barely glanced our way as h
e restocked the well, biceps flexing against his Ice House T-shirt. “Funny. Hilarious, actually.”

  The exchange was good enough to get a smile out of Jessie.

  “He won’t leave me alone. I’m doing the best work out of anyone in the company, and it’s not enough. He’s targeted me ever since I got there two years ago, and I’ve had it. I know that it’s because I’m gay and won’t sleep with him, since he goes out of his way to mention it to me every chance he gets.”

  I nodded, and Jessie sighed and shook her head. “I work harder than most of my peers and have a portfolio of successful client accounts. I’m never late to work, and I stay later than most everyone else, to make sure the job gets done.”

  At this, Jessie had Adam’s full attention. He placed his palms on the bar top and leaned in close, nuzzling her neck with his rough beard. Jessie laughed at his affection and kissed his cheek before pushing him away.

  “Do you want a job here, Jess? I need a bartender who is prompt, polite, and treats her boss with some respect.”

  “Blah, blah, blah,” I rolled my eyes. “Ignore him.”

  Apparently my future was secure from Jessie stealing my job, as she said, “No, sorry, Adam, but I don’t want to work here. I have a good job.” With a quick look at me, she added, “No offense, Riley.”

  “None taken. Not all of us can be so lucky to be living a dream life. What are you going to do about your boss?”

  “I have no idea. I’ve gone to HR, but they won’t help. You would think that such a major company would be more aware of who they employ, but I guess not. He has started making completely inappropriate comments in front of my coworkers and the clients. It’s embarrassing. I hate going to work.” Jessie slid her lithe frame off the bar stool and gave me a small wave as she disappeared into the growing crowd.