Judge, p.1
Judge, page 1
Judge
Iron Horse Legacy
Book Ten
Elle James
Twisted Page Inc
Contents
Judge
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Saving Kyla
Chapter 1
Afterword
About the Author
Also by Elle James
Judge
Iron Horse Legacy BOOK #10
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
* * *
ELLE JAMES
Copyright © 2023 by Elle James
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
© 2023 Twisted Page Inc. All rights reserved.
ISBN EBOOK: 978-1-62695-512-7
ISBN PRINT: 978-1-62695-513-4
Dedicated to my editor who lets me brainstorm and makes my stories shine, my assistants, Nora and Michelle, for managing everything else when I’m on a writing deadline, and my readers who continue to buy my books. I love you all so very much!
Elle James
Author’s Note
Enjoy other books in this series by Elle James
* * *
Iron Horse Legacy
Soldier’s Duty (#1)
Ranger’s Baby (#2)
Marine’s Promise (#3)
SEAL’s Vow (#4)
Warrior’s Resolve (#5)
Drake (#6)
Grimm (#7)
Murdock (#8)
Utah (#9)
Judge (#10)
Visit ellejames.com for more titles and release dates
Join her newsletter at
https://ellejames.com/contact/
Prologue
Two days, over eighteen hours on the road, and finally, she was getting so close to home she could practically taste the lodge pole pine sap in the air.
Penny Jane Baker wanted to feel that warm, welcoming feeling she’d always felt coming home after a long absence—but the knot in her gut wasn’t it.
She wasn’t coming home for a visit; she was slinking back into Eagle Rock, Montana, with her tail between her legs, having failed so completely she didn’t know how to pull herself out of the shithole she’d made of her life.
Her friends had all told her that her boyfriend was a douchebag. They’d seen the signs she’d ignored.
She’d met Derek Roberts her freshman year in college, fallen in lust and quit school to follow him out to Los Angeles, where he’d planned to be the next Chris Hemsworth or Ryan Reynolds.
He’d been convinced he would take Hollywood by storm.
The major problem with Derek was that he’d grown up in the small town of Eagle Rock, Montana. He’d been blessed with good looks and had been the best-looking guy in high school—and he’d known it. He’d also known how to play it.
He may have been the best-looking guy in Eagle Rock, but Hollywood was full of handsome men trying to make it in the movie industry. He’d quickly learned that looks alone didn’t land parts. In fact, being too good-looking had gotten him cut early at casting calls. The longer he’d been in Hollywood, the angrier he’d become.
Derek had scored a few bit parts in commercials, but he had yet to land a television or movie part. He looked good, but his acting was marginal at best.
As soon as Penny had arrived in LA, she’d gotten a job waiting tables at a fancy restaurant. The tips had been good but barely enough to afford the rent they’d paid for their tiny one-bedroom apartment.
Derek had gotten a part-time job as a salesman at a department store. After missing so many days going to casting calls, the store had fired him. He hadn’t cared, stating the job had held him back from pursuing what he was meant to do, and that was acting.
After that, the burden of paying rent, utilities, buying groceries and gasoline had been left to Penny. The more she’d worked, the less Derek did. No matter how many hours she’d worked, she still hadn’t had enough money to meet their basic needs.
She’d worked two jobs, getting up at 4:00 a.m. and working late into the evening six and seven days a week. Meanwhile, Derek had slept in, claiming he needed his rest to look his best for auditions. Those auditions had dwindled the longer they were in LA. The fewer casting calls his agent had sent, the more time Derek spent on the phone haranguing his agent, declaring he was holding him back in his career.
After every disappointment Derek had encountered, he’d taken out his frustration on Penny. She was holding him back. She wasn’t there for him. She wasn’t supporting him. She wasn’t taking care of his needs. She wasn’t smart enough to get a better-paying job than waitressing.
When she’d pointed out to him that she’d quit college when he’d begged her to go with him to LA, he’d blown up, telling her that if she was unhappy in their relationship, she should go home where she could be nobody and do nothing with her small-town attitude and lack of ambition.
She’d pointed out to him that her name was on the lease and utilities and that she was the only one making payments. If she left, he’d have to move out of the apartment and find his own place and pay for all of it himself.
That’s when he’d backhanded her so hard he’d sent her flying across the room. Then he’d blamed her for making him angry enough to hit her.
That had been the first time he’d hit her, but not the last. He’d blamed her for everything wrong in his life, and she’d begun to believe him. There was something wrong with her that made him want to hit her.
After each explosion, he’d brought her flowers the next day, using money from her tip jar to pay for them. She’d needed that money to buy groceries and gas to get to work. He’d promised it would never happen again. He’d broken all those promises.
She’d lived in that vicious cycle for years, thinking maybe if he got a callback, he wouldn’t be so angry, and he’d be the loving Derek she’d fallen for in the first place. And if he got a part, he could help pay the bills, and she wouldn’t be so exhausted all the time.
Earlier that day, he’d gotten an audition for a movie role. It was a good part, one that could launch his career.
Oddly, his agent called her phone, leaving a message on her voicemail. When she had a break from her job as a waitress, she listened to the message. The agent wanted to know how to reach Derek, and could she have him call as soon as possible?
Thinking the agent might have good news, Penny tried calling Derek. As the agent had indicated, Derek wasn’t responding to her attempts to get a hold of him either.
When her shift ended, she returned to her apartment, expecting to find him there.
He wasn’t.
Worse, all the money in her tip jar was gone.
The fact that his agent had called and Derek wasn’t communicating gave Penny a sickening feeling of dread. What had gone wrong at the audition?
He knew it was her only night off. He’d promised to have dinner with her.
Penny tried several more times to call Derek. When he didn’t respond, she called his agent and asked what had happened.
Her heart sank into her stomach as she listened to the agent’s description of the day’s events.
Derek had gone to the casting call, waited outside the room with other candidates and watched as the first man went in and came out. Then the second guy went in. He was in the room for a long time before he finally came out, a grin on his face.
When it was finally Derek’s turn, he’d stood and made his way to the door. The female casting assistant had stepped out. She’d looked at him and the other guys waiting, thanked them for coming and told them the part had been filled.
Apparently, Derek hadn’t taken the dismissal well. He’d cussed out the woman and tried to storm past her into the room. He’d bumped into her hard enough she’d slammed back against the wall.
They’d had to call security to have Derek escorted out of the building. His behavior would be a red flag to any casting director. He’d be blackballed. His agent couldn’t represent him anymore.
Penny apologized to the agent, ended the call and pulled out her suitcases.
Derek would be inconsolable, angry and, most likely, violent.
Her best course of action was to leave. Get out before he came home.
Penny packed all her clothes and personal belongings. As she zipped the cases, Derek entered the apartment, slamming the door open so hard it shook the wall.
When he saw the suitcases, he stormed into the bedroom.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he shouted.
She lifted her chin and met his blurry-eyed gaze. “Home.”
“Like hell you are.” He ripped open the zippers and dumped the case’s contents onto the floor.
She squared her shoulders. “I’m going home.”
His eyes narrowed. “You want to go back to that Podu nk town in god-for-fuckin’-sakin’ Montana? For what?”
“I have family and friends there. People who care about me,” she said.
He snorted. “All a bunch of losers. Why else would they stay in that shitty little town, going nowhere? You’ll amount to nothing. You are nothing.”
His word hit her in the gut. “It’s better than staying in California, working two jobs so that you can pursue your dreams.” She met his gaze, her eyes narrowing. “What about my dreams? They didn’t involve being a waitress, twelve to sixteen hours a day just so you can take my money and drink it away in a bar and pick fights with casting directors. By the way, did your agent get a hold of you?”
“That worthless piece of shit,” Derek spat. “He’s done nothing for me since the day I signed with him.”
“He said he couldn’t work with you anymore,” Penny said.
“He never worked for me to begin with.”
“What happened at the casting call today?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“I didn’t even get to audition. The bastards filled it before I even entered the room.” He sneered. “I gave them a piece of my mind, told them what a bunch of losers they were. The assholes had the audacity to have me hauled out by security.”
Penny shook her head.
“I bumped into their little female pencil-pusher. I couldn’t help that she was unsteady on her feet. The bitch hit the wall. Even though it was an accident, they threw me out.”
“Nobody is going to work with a temperamental actor who can’t handle criticism or rejection,” Penny said.
Derek glared at her. “What do you know? You’re not even in the industry. You know nothing.”
Penny’s gut clenched. The man was getting madder by the second. “I know people can’t get away with pushing people around.”
He laughed. “Like I push you around?” He planted his hands on her chest and shoved her backward. “You don’t even have the balls to stand up to me.”
She stood her ground. “I shouldn’t have to stand up to you. If you really cared about me, you would never hit me. You’re nothing but a bully, and you can’t act.”
Derek’s face flushed a dark red, and he punched her in the belly. “Shut the fuck up! Shut. The. Fuck. Up!”
Penny bent double, barely able to breathe. She backed away and walked into the living area, pulling her cell phone from her back pocket. She dialed her mother’s number and got her mother’s voicemail. “I’m leaving LA, Mom. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“The fuck you are!” Derek grabbed her phone from her hand and flung it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into pieces. “You’re staying here with me.”
“Why?” Penny faced him. “So I can pay the bills while you terrorize casting directors and their staff?” She shook her head. “I’m done. This is your dream, not mine. I’m going back to Montana to get enrolled in school. You can figure out your own life from here. I’m not paying any more bills for you.”
His lips pulled back in a feral leer. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re not leaving me.” He advanced on her. “You’re mine.”
Penny backed away until she bumped into the wall. The anger radiating from his face terrified her.
Derek wrapped his hands around her throat and lifted her off the ground. “Nobody walks out on me.”
She couldn’t breathe. Penny clawed at his hands and kicked her feet, but he didn’t let go. A gray haze blurred her vision. Was this it? The end of her?
Penny did the only thing she could do.
Play dead.
In her heart, she was dead to him anyway.
She closed her eyes and went limp.
Derek’s arms shook under the dead weight. His hands loosened and finally released, allowing her body to slide to the floor.
* * *
She must have passed out. When she came to, air filled her lungs, reminding her she was alive. Slumped over on a hard surface, she found her throat hurt, and every inch of her body ached.
For a long moment, she lay still, her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, she blinked several times. She wasn’t in her bed but on the floor in the living area.
As Penny sat up slowly, memories washed over her like a tidal wave. Her gaze darted around the room, looking for Derek.
From where she sat, she couldn’t see him.
She crawled on her hands and knees around the couch and froze.
There he was, lying on the floor in front of the apartment door, her car keys clutched in his hand. He was passed out, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Her pulse quickened. She had to get out of the apartment before he woke. Staying with him wasn’t an option. Not after he’d almost killed her.
Penny continued to crawl across the floor and into the bedroom. On her way past an end table, she snagged her purse and dragged it along with her.
Once in the bedroom, she went straight for her nightstand, where she kept a spare set of keys to her car.
She didn’t take the time to repack the clothes strewn across the room. The suitcase she’d received from her parents as a high school graduation gift had been ripped in half. The jewelry box she’d received as a birthday gift from her friends back home lay smashed in a corner. Her heart squeezed hard in her chest.
Penny had to remind herself that those were just things. They could be replaced. She only had one life. Her number one goal was to get the hell out before the monster woke.
Once she found the spare keys, she looked around for a way to escape that didn’t involve going through the front door. She eyed the sliding doors that led out onto the balcony. There was a matching balcony in the living room, but she couldn’t risk going back in there and making a noise that would disturb Derek.
The apartment was on the second floor and wasn’t equipped with fire escape stairs off the balconies. It was a long drop to the ground.
Penny ripped the sheets from the bed and tied the ends together with a knot. She carried them across the floor and eased open the sliding glass door to the balcony, stepped out and closed the door softly behind her. Slipping the keys into her purse, she slung the strap over her head and one shoulder.
She tied the end of one sheet to the wrought iron balcony rail and flung the other end over the side. The makeshift rope fell down to within five feet of the ground.
Penny cast a glance toward the glass door and then climbed over the rail, held onto the sheet and stepped off the balcony.
The sheets slid through her hands a little faster than she’d expected. She hit the ground hard enough that she fell back onto her ass.
Without wasting time, she scrambled to her feet and raced for her car, diving into the driver’s seat. She was just closing the door when she heard her name roared.
“Penny!”
She twisted the key in the ignition and prayed the finicky engine would start on the first attempt. When it did, she shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space.
Derek emerged from the building and ran toward her.
Penny slammed the shift into drive and mashed her foot on the accelerator.
Derek ran out in front of her.
She jerked the steering wheel to the left, swerved around him and almost hit another car.
Her heart pounding, she skidded sideways out of the parking lot onto the road and drove as fast as she could, zigzagging through streets with no care as to the direction as long as it was away from her ex-boyfriend. She didn’t stop until she was certain she’d put enough distance between herself and Derek that he wouldn’t catch up to her.
Since it was early morning by then, he might assume she’d go toward the restaurant where she worked. Penny steered clear of that end of town.
