Song: Fix you by Cold Play

"I left you a note. I told you I would be back. I was out of makeup and needed more." I point to my face to show off my newest bruise.

"God...baby, I'm sorry. I just lose it sometimes."

"Yeah, well it's getting worse. You need therapy babe. I'm tired of being your punching bag."

"I'm sorry...it won't happen again."

I totally disagree because I know if it happened already more than once, it's for sure going to happen again. "That is what you said the last time and the time before that."

He walks up closer to me and wraps his arms around me. "I promise it won't happen again."

I let him kiss me. I know he really doesn't mean to hurt me. I know he loves me but I can't do this anymore. "I have to get ready for work; I'm going to be late."

"Call in sick...stay with me."

"I would but we really need the money, rent is due next week along with a few other bills. I can't just not go to work."

"Fine," he as says a little disappointed.

When I get to work Harold already knows about the other job I was offered. I can tell by the way he looks at me. "So he told you; I didn't say yes yet."

"But you will," he sighs. "You deserve a better job. I understand and I will be fine."

"But I haven't said yes...Harold."

"No need. Look just help me out tonight alright. Thanks for being a really good employee you are one of the good ones."

"Harold!"

He hands me a plate of food and shoo's me away. "Go on now...get out there."

I finish up my shift and when I get out to my car there is one single rose attached to my windshield wipers, with a little note that says, "I won't let you down."

I don't plan on saying anything to Raine about the new job and I leave the rose in my car. It is late when I get in and he is gone. It's a Saturday and I know he doesn't work tonight, so I assume he is off with his friends which is fine at least I can go to bed and actually get some sleep. About three in the morning he comes in and slides in beside me in the bed to hug me up. He soon passes out and leaves me alone for the night. I know he has been drinking from the reek smell of stale beer on his breath.

The past few days go on as normal. I go to school then get ready for the new job that so far is going better than I thought it would. When I get home he is on his way out to work so we barely have time to say hi to each other. The bruise has faded a lot but still noticeable. Everyone at the new place looks over it. I assume Mr. Moretti has said something to everyone because no one even bothers looking at it. The good thing is I am in the kitchen and I don't have to face any of the customers that come in.

I have been French braiding my hair and I feel weird not wearing my bracelets but the long sleeves seem to help, except for the fact that it is really hot up in the kitchen section. I don't bother wearing any other jewelry either.

I been here for almost a week and it's actually not that bad. I am learning so much from the main Chef, actually I feel like even more than I am at the school with all my professors. The environment here is also amazingly calm even during the busiest times. I'm in the back part when I hear a commotion in the front of the house. I hear yelling and look up when the door slings opens up to see Raine glaring at me.

"What the fuck? You start a new job and don't even tell me. Harold said you quit days ago; when the hell were you going to tell me."

I look around to everyone working in the kitchen, oh my god I have never felt so freaking embarrassed. Seriously he doesn't have to show his shit here. "I...I..." I don't get out anything else because four guys are pulling him out of the kitchen and to the back door into the alley way.

I follow after them. "Stop! He is harmless...please...stop."

Mr. Moretti comes out and orders me back to work, "Go back inside; we got this."

When I don't move his voice gets a little louder and rougher with his Italian accent, "Katana, I need you in the kitchen...please go back to work."

I start to walk away but something tells me to stay. I watch as the four of them kick the shit out of him. And I don't mean a little ass whooping I mean literally beat the living shit out of him. I watch as Mr. Moretti walks over to him and holds his head up off the ground.

"If you ever come back in here showing your ass off, if you ever lay another finger on one of my employees, it will be your last." And he punches him knocking his ass out.

I gasp and step back into the building but I don't go to the kitchen instead I find the bathroom and go into the last stall to sit and cry. Within minutes I hear the door open and his voice.

"Katana, I know you are in here. Come on come out everything is going to be alright now."

I sniffle and I see his shadow under the door, so I know he is on the other side of the door waiting on me. "Katana, I'm not upset. Come on out; he is gone now. He is not going to hurt you."

"I'm sorry I caused you trouble. I'm sorry for him coming up here."

"It's all going to be ok."

I open the door and look up at him with a tear stained face. I see the look in his eye and he holds his arms out to me, beckoning me to come to him. I take a few steps toward him and his massive arms engulf me and I sob even more. He picks me up and carries me to his office and closes the door. Then he places me on the sofa and he sits there beside me.

I clear my tears and look up at him. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry about all of this."

"Some guys can be jerks. Don't worry about it, I'm sure it will not happen again."

"But it will, he has changed so much in the past few months."

"So leave him. Why do you let him hurt you?"

"It's not that simple and I...I care about him. I know he loves me he just has these outburst sometimes."

"Stop making excuses for him."

He is right. I have been making up excuses for all of it. I look around the room, his office. He has cameras everywhere to watch what is going on in each area of the restaurant and I'm sure he was in here when Raine came into the kitchen. That is why he was there when they pulled him out back.

"Did you kill him?" The words left my mouth like sour milk. I felt all nauseous knowing that I'm going to be sick the moment he says yes.

"No! We just fucked him up real good. He won't hurt you again."

I start to hyperventilate, realizing that it is just me and him in the room alone. Flashes of that night with Mr. Harper come to my mind and I start to stutter,  "I...I...got to go...sorry...pl...please let me go."

He looks at me in confusion. "I'm not keeping you againstyour will. You can go anytime you want."

I stand up and walk over to the door and fight with it thinking it is locked but it is just my imagination playing with my head. He walks over and starts to open the door and I go in full panic mode thinking he is going to hurt me. I back away from the door and find myself walking back into the corner of his office. "Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me," I say over and over.

He shuts the door back but not all the way letting me see that it is open and I can leave at any given moment.

"I don't know what is going on here but I will not hurt you. I am not that way." He sits back down on the couch and looks over at me. I peek out to watch him from my curled up body. "Katana you can go; I won't stop you from leaving."

However I don't move. It's like I am frozen in that spot. He stands up and gets on the phone asking someone to bring him something in Italian. I hear the light knock on the door and he walks over to get whatever he asked for and then I hear him pouring me a glass of the liquid. He hands it to me. "Looks like you could use this."

I take it without saying anything and take a sip while he goes back and sits on the couch. He doesn't say anything for a while and then he stands up to get something off of his desk. He walks over to me and places the folder on the floor beside me and then sits back down.

"Is this about him?" he says calmly.

I look down to see a picture of Mr. Harper looking back up at me. I look away and close my eyes. "How do you know about that?"

"I know everything. I don't just hire people off the streets, without knowing. I get all the back ground information that I can."

 I barely speak for him to hear me, "I moved away to get away from the memories and they just keep following me."

"You want to talk about it?"

I shake my head no. I mean hell he already knows everything right. I mean looks like he has the court documents and everything that was said right there in his bright blue folder.

"That man is not getting out of jail and I can make sure he never gets out if that is what you want. But for the other jerk, I can get rid of him too all you have to do is ask me."

I think about his words. A part of me feels that he really does mean well but would he really kill someone just because I asked him too and if he would who in the hell is this guy really. Should I be scared of him? "Raine has his issues but he doesn't deserve to die for them."

"I did a lot of research, however I can't figure out how you met this guy. You have a few months missing in your paper work."

"You really did your research." I take another sip and then finish the glass off.

He pours me another glass and then sits beside me."Like I said, I try to cover my grounds. So how did you meet this guy?"

Not that it's any of his business but something makes me feel safe with him. Like I could tell him anything and he wouldn't judge me or accuse me of anything. I don't even know why I tell him. "I was sent off to better myself. I was sent to a health facility and I met him there. He was different then. He was; I know you don't believe it but he was really nice. He was just there for me when I needed someone. When we got out we moved here. Everything was going great. I don't know. I mean I know he loves me, he does but then he just looses it."

"And by lose it, you mean by hitting you, yelling at you, belittling you like you are no one."

I silently shake my head yes.

He pours me another drink. I see his eyes look down at my arm and then back up. The shirt is pulled down just enough to see the scars. I pull my arm away from him and he reaches over to take the glass out of my hand and places it on the table in front of us. He gradually moves the sleeve down to take a good look at the scar.

"And what happened here?" His eye slowly lock back on mine.

I don't say anything. I don't owe him an explanation, it's none of his busines I keep telling myself.

"This is why you have been wearing the long sleeves sweating to death. The bracelets were hiding the damage."

I pull away from him, my eyes drift away from his hold. "I can't do this; I'm sorry." I go to stand up and feel a tad dizzy from the three glasses of wine.

"Let me take you home. You don't need to be driving."

"No! I will be fine."

He walks me out to my car and to my surprise he has another car pull up to take me home. "I will see you tomorrow alright." I don't say anything as I get in the back of the car.

When I get home the guy walks me in and looks around the place to see if anyone else is there. And since everything checks out all right he leaves. Which is pointless in a way  because Raine has a key. I don't bother saying anything about it though.  I'm too tired to care do I make my way back to the bedroom finding my bed and collapsing on top.