This chapter is dedicated to Beca18 who was a great chat partner this week across all my stories. Thanks so much for your reads, comments & votes XD

10 - Declaring War On A New Front

Rena's POV

A couple of hours later, I was awoken by the melody of an incoming call on my phone. Disoriented, I fumbled around on my nightstand before finding my cell.

"Hello." My voice was still thick from my sleep.

"Rena, it's Patrice." The words were barely audible between heavy sobs.

It took me a second to comprehend who was on the other end of the line but by the time the realization settled in, the hairs on my neck stood straight up like soldiers. "Patrice! What's wrong?"

A moan of despair resonated through the receiver. "It's my dad. He beat me real bad and I think he broke my wrist. It hurts so much and I don't know what to do."

I glanced at Noah who was sleeping tightly in his crib before checking the clock on the nightstand. It was only 9 o'clock. "Where are you now?"

"At home. My mom and dad are fighting. It's bad, Rena."

When I strained my ear, I could hear muffled voices in the background, undoubtedly Marcus and his wife screaming at each other. Then there was a loud shriek from Chantal before total silence was transmitted over the airwaves - he had to have put his foot down.

For a second, an iron claw got a hold of my lungs and squeezed the air out in agonizing slowness. I clutched my hand over my mouth to prevent a yelp. Not even a year ago, that had been me. Chantal's scream vibrated in my ears, mixing together with my memories of Brent's angry voice. The scars from my burns throbbed all over my body.

I focused on my breathing and the terrible moment passed. "Hold on, Patrice."

The phone landed on the nightstand before I slipped out of the bed. Hopefully, my dad was not at work and could help me figure out what to do.

When I poked my head into the living room, two sets of eyes greeted me. Kade was stretched out on the couch and my dad sat in the chair, both watching a basketball game. They were both huge Bulls fans though my father wasn't watching the games as frequently as he did during Michael Jordan's times.

When they saw my face, my father hit the mute button.

"What's wrong?" Kade asked. "You're pale as a ghost. Are you feeling alright?"

I bit my lip. "Patrice is on the phone. Marcus beat her real bad and she is hurt. I don't know what to tell her."

My father rose to his feet with that cop face - the one he always had when he felt he needed to interfere in someone's life in an official capacity. I knew his words before they even sprung from his lips.

"Let me call down to the station and they'll send a patrol car."

Kade stopped him. "Marcus lives in Winnetka and that's out of your jurisdiction. My mom said he is real chummy with the major and as Deputy State's Attorney, he knows pretty much every senior member on the police force in the greater Chicago area. There is a rumor that he'll run for State's Attorney in a couple of years and knowing him, he will likely win. No one wants to piss him off."

I glare at him. "So are you telling me he can just beat his family and get away with it?"

Kade sighed. "It's complicated Rena. Guys in law enforcement stick together and as one of the main prosecutors in the state, Marcus is part of the club. Even those cops who don't approve look the other way and if they ever made an arrest, he would wiggle his way out of an official charge. My mom tried for years to get to him but he is just so damn well connected."

I massaged my forehead, a growl of frustration running over my lips. There was no way I would just go back on the phone and tell Patrice that there was nothing I could do for her. "So that's it?"

An idea sprang to mind, yet it would mean to fire a bullet at my friend. In the end, my desire to support Patrice outweighed my fear that Kade might get mad at me. "You're a doctor and took an oath. You have to help her."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he threw up his hands. "Look, I never said I didn't want to help her. I think we should call an ambulance."

Marcus would just sent them away, claiming it was all a big mistake. "You know how he is. Those paramedics won't make it across the threshold."

Kade pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're probably right."

I got another idea. "How about your mom? Can we call her and she can get an emergency petition to get Patrice out of the house? She is still a minor."

He shook his head. "That requires Chantal's signature and at the moment, she doesn't want to rock the boat. Plus, I don't even know where my mom is. Her and my dad go on this date thing once a month and have a strict no tell, no phone policy so no one can disturb them. It's their idea of romance."

"Great." My eyes dashed to my dad. "Any other ideas?"

He shrugged. "We could call Noel. Maybe he can file a petition?"

Kade was again all opposition. "That still doesn't get around Chantal's signature. We cannot represent Patrice outright since her mom is our client. It's against the bar rules."

I glare at him, dumfounded that he didn't seem to give a damn about Patrice's wellbeing. "How do you even know that? You are no lawyer."

He buried his face in his hands. "Because I tried before and got burned. About six months ago, Patrice came to the emergency room and I tried to have her removed from Marcus's and Chantal's care because there were certain signs of abuse. It got me nowhere. The firm couldn't help because Chantal refused to cooperate and I had to turn all the evidence over to Marcus since I obtained it without parental consent. Got me damn near fired so excuse me if I don't want to repeat the experience."

The whole situation was royally screwed up. "Well, then there is only one thing we can do. You have to take me to their house and I'll get Patrice out of there."

He chuckled bitterly. "And you think Marcus will just allow you to do that?"

I couldn't care less about Marcus. I had been there before, praying that someone would come and help me and I would not leave Patrice hanging out to dry. "I'll just pretend that Patrice and I had plans tonight. He saw us today at the coffee shop and might buy it."

Kade looked doubtful. "I don't know. Maybe we should just call the police and let them deal with it."

As he said before, the police weren't going to do anything. "I'll tell Patrice we're on our way. If you don't want to come, I'll just take a cab."

With my chin stuck high up in the air to give my words the confidence I desperately needed, I stalked back into my bedroom. Five minutes later, after some soothing words to Patrice who also tried to dissuade me from coming, I had the address and was with Kade on the way to Winnetka. This was my first chance to save someone from a bad situation and I was not going to blow it - or let Marcus Forrester stop me.

xxxx

We rode in silence while I stared out of the window, watching the busy lights of downtown Chicago shrink to small dots in the darkness. It was close to ten o'clock now and I was mulling over what excuse to use for Marcus to let Patrice go. He would be furious to be disturbed that late at night and I preferred not to cause a scene until it was absolutely necessary.

Kade's navigation system guided us through the night and when we got into Winnetka, the hint of wealth was immediately present. Brent had wanted to buy a house up here after he graduated and it was the first time I realized that his trust fund had to be huge. I wondered if Noah was entitled to any of that money - I should ask Noel. It would be nice not having to worry about my son's college education.

We drove alongside the shores of Lake Michigan and the properties got more private and hidden. It was no wonder that Marcus could keep the abuse of his family a secret, there were no neighbors close enough to even hear a scream or plea for mercy. The cops had probably never been called once to his house.

Fortunate for us, the gates to his estate were open and Kade killed the lights as the car rolled down the long driveway until he stopped in front of the house. There was almost total silence, just the branches of the trees swinging softly in the wind from a light breeze coming off the lake. Somewhere in the distance, a dog was barking.

"Wait here," I instructed. "He will just get mad if he sees you."

Kade grimaced. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Positive. He's still a lawyer and won't turn violent towards a stranger. It's not his style."

It was a freezing night and my teeth immediately clattered when I got out of the car. My arms instinctively wrapped around my chest but it was not only from the cold. My racing heartbeat confirmed just how nervous I was. The night sky was bright with thousands of stars twinkling above and there was that distinct smell in the air that promised snow as soon as clouds would reappear on the horizon. The house was dark, just a few lights breaking through the night.

I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth and sucked in a deep breath.

'Here goes nothing.'

My steps were hesitant as I approached the house, my heartbeat pounding even more rapidly than before. I still had no clue what to tell Marcus. Maybe the truth would be best. He was one smart bastard and probably able to see right through me.

My finger stopped in midair before I finally had the guts to ring the doorbell. Footsteps approached and I heard his angry voice.

"Your mother probably forgot her keys again. I'm telling you, girl, a pea is larger than her fucking brain." He tore the door open with a grim expression, Alyssa's small face peeking out from behind him.

When he noticed it was me, his jaw dropped. "Miss Cooper. What are you doing here?" He looked absolutely flabbergasted.

His appearance was totally different from his usual business attire. He was wearing baggie sweats and a muscle top, his shoulder exposing a branding mark style tattoo of a fraternity. The smell of his aftershave had been replaced with the fresh scent of sandalwood. He was barefooted and seemed very relaxed - seeing him like that took at least ten years off his face. I had to admit that he was really a very handsome man.

Shuffling my feet, I decided in the last minute that everything was better than the truth. "I'm sorry, Mr. Forrester, that I'm late. I was held up at home. Is Patrice ready?"

He wrinkled his forehead. "Ready for what?"

I blinked at him with an innocent smile. "The sleepover."

His frown deepened. "What sleepover? Patrice has school in the morning and is not allowed to stay out past nine during the week."

My plan wasn't working. Why did he, of all people, had to be a stickler for rules? Patrice was almost eighteen and I didn't expect her to be confined to the house like a child.

I was still not prepared to give up. "I think she cleared it with your wife."

He quirked an eyebrow as his arms folded in front of his chest. "Now, Miss Cooper, I know for a fact that this is a lie. My wife knows better than to make those types of decision without consulting me." He tapped his foot, his eyes not even once faltering from my face.

I finally decided to fess up. "Patrice called me and told me she is hurt. Her wrist might be broken and I need to take her to the emergency room." I squirmed, ready for some type of explosion.

It didn't materialize and he kept his cool. "Now, Miss Cooper, I warned you already this afternoon to keep your nose out of my family's business." His voice was soft though I detected a slight tremble and his right eye twitched as he sucked in a deep breath. "I would suggest that you get the hell off my property before I'll call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing."

I pushed my chin up, not intending to back down. "I won't leave without Patrice and if you don't allow her to go, I'll call the cops myself and tell them what you did to her."

He laughed. "Do you honestly believe that anyone will take you seriously? Half of the guys on the force are my golfing buddies and the other half are active members of my church. They won't even send a car." He glanced at Alyssa. "Go and finish brushing your teeth. I'll be right there."

She ran into the back of the house without a word of opposition. His gesture was clear, the gloves were off.

When he turned back to me, his eyes were blazing. "Now listen to me, young lady, and listen good. If you ever come to my house again and threaten me, I'll make sure that that baby is removed from your care so fast, you can't even blink. Then I'll put you behind bars and see you rot. Prison is a dangerous place and you might not even make is out of there alive."

One thing Brent had taught me was that everyone had a weak spot. Before I had come up here, I had long figured out what his was. Loading my cannons, I shot off the torpedo. "You know, Mr. Forrester, I wonder what your future voters would say if someone leaked in the social media that you're an abusive asshole and pedophile. It may have a real impact on your election for State's Attorney."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Now, that's a dangerous game you play there, Miss Cooper. The internet is a transparent place these days and those posts can be traced back to your IP address. I might as well sue you for defamation."

He got the same response Tivon Goldstein had gotten from Noel when he had threaten to sue me for libel over the abuse allegations. "It's not defamation if it's true. Besides, the damage will be done. Those types of rumors tend to stick. I wouldn't hold my breath for that promotion."

Deadly silence followed my words. When Marcus spoke again, his voice was as cold as ice. "If Patrice is hurt, of course she needs to be seen by a doctor." He glanced at Kade's car. "Who brought you up here?"

I couldn't believe he buckled. "Kade Fallon."

He nodded slowly. "I'm sure he's going to take Patrice to his hospital so I'll call ahead and give them my consent to examine her." He turned and yelled into the house: "Alyssa, get your sister up here."

The wait was nerve-wracking. The whole time, he tapped his foot, glaring at me with this glow in his eyes that made my blood chill. Patrice finally appeared, her face swollen and puffy from crying. Her hand was clutching her wrist and her movements were cautious enough to suggest she was in a lot of pain.

Before she could slip out of the house, Marcus blocked her way. "Now you two, just so we're clear. Patrice was on a sleepover at Miss Cooper's house and you went ice skating. Patrice fell and hurt her wrist. That's it. There will only be x-rays and no other types of examination and I want Patrice home straight afterwards. Capiche?"

Patrice and I both nodded. There was no doubt on my mind that if I took this any further, there would be no more civility from him.

He finally allowed his daughter to leave and I helped her to slide into the backseat of the car. Kade was surprised to see her but said nothing. We drove in silence until we hit the first red light.

"So how did you get Patrice out of the house?"

I wasn't going to lie to him. "I threatened to expose Marcus on social media which would have sabotaged his chances to become State's Attorney."

Kade glanced at me. "Do you think that was a good idea? You really didn't need him as your enemy."

Patrice stirred the fire. "If you told him that, he will view this as a declaration of war. This job means everything to my dad. You'll better watch out."

I chewed my lip, not willing to concede they might have a point.

"Do you know what ultimately made Napoleon and Hitler lose the war?" Kade continued.

It was a rhetorical question, the answer sure to follow.

"They waged war on too many fronts. You can't keep up like that. Now you don't just have the Parks against you, but Marcus too. Sooner or later, this will come back to bite you."

I didn't respond, staring out into the night. Even if he was right, I did what I had to do. No one protected me from Brent and I was not going to let down the few people important to me. Neither Noah nor Patrice deserved that.

Yet, the uneasy feeling that he could be right kept nagging in the back of my mind until I finally fell asleep. I was well aware that the next battle was already lurking on the horizon. Yet I didn't realize that the oncoming torpedoes would hit me right where it hurt the most.

I hope this chapter gave you all the insight you needed to explain Marcus's strong disdain for Rena - and as the title foreshadowed, she got herself into more trouble, though in her defense, it was the right thing to do. Would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, so please leave a comment and don't forget to vote if this chapter deserved it.

If you are bored in the meantime, feel free to check out any of my other stories if you haven't done so - at the moment, I'm working on thriller/mystery called "Trapped", involving a kidnapped victim who battles self-harm and depression.

Thanks for reading and have a great week XD.