No Turning Back

Chapter 1

Cynthia Price Strut exits her bedroom, walks down to the main floor, into her den and types in her code. She needs to get back to work. A month and a half ago she'd been shot and the attempted murderer was trapped inside her head. That day was not with her she'd woken up in a hospital. She could remember everything except the day she was shot. She read her emails from well wishers. She noticed some had been erased. "Just like my mind." She mumbles. There's a loud knock on the door. She jumps at the harsh voice of her husband.

"What are you doing in there? We have to go the car is waiting. Cindy, are you ok dear? I'm sorry for yelling." He whispers as he walks into the room. "I'm just tense. I can't wrap my mind around why they would think that I am a suspect."

Cynthia's head began hurting she grabs her head in her hands. "Josh I don't feel so good." her body is racked with pain as she curls up in the fetal position on the floor not knowing how she got down there.

Josh watches as his wife slides out of her chair with a light thump, and curl up on the floor rocking back and forth holding her head. His stepdaughter runs into the room "what did you do? Mom, mom, are you ok."

"My head, my head hurts." Cynthia whispers as she faints.

Angel the youngest of Josh's step-daughters turn on him. "What did you do to my mommy? I hate you I hate you. Go away."

Before he does something the girl will regret Josh turns away from his step-daughter and taps his wife on the shoulder. "Come on sweetie wake up."

Cynthia's eyes popped open. She looked at Josh's hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Ma you ok do you need anything?" Angel asks softly from the door.

"NO, I'm fine" Cynthia gets up. She stares at Josh, and walks out of her den followed by Angel. Josh sits in Cynthia's desk chair. Something was different. Had she remembered something from that night? Her doctor said if she did not retain that night's memory within two weeks of her waking up in the hospital she never would. Josh was counting on that. He'd screwed up bad. In that night he'd lost it, when they were arguing. Cynthia had told him to keep his hands off "her" girls. She'd seen the way he snatched the oldest around but he was just trying to get her off her sister. They had been running after Angel and he bumped into Angelique knocking her over on Angel. Though hindsight is 20/20 and he should have not grabbed her by the hair it was done. Josh had gone back to the house to cool down, after he's struck Cynthia for striking him. He'd marched in to the house and trashed the place. He bought everything so it was his to destroy.

Cynthia had come in the house and the girls had run up stairs. He and Cynthia had screamed at each other she called him everything under the sun but a child of god. Fearing she would leave him he'd shot her. The girls were screaming and his mind went on auto pilot he'd thought he'd murdered the family but he later found out that he'd missed the girls, he'd then shot himself out of frustration. The only thing was Josh knew he would live again he was immortal. This was his second chance.

He kept the story and the news away from Cynthia after he'd found out she'd survived. He entered her hospital room she greeted him and that is when he quickly lied to her and she believed him. He used that angle to persuade the children's father to leave he promised Mark Callaway, that if he so much as stayed in the next town over Josh would put all the blame on him and have Cynthia hate him for life. Mark was taking care of the girls. Josh wanted his second chance. So he's had Mark thinking if he did not release the girls to him that he would go to the police and have Cynthia press charges of kidnapping on his sorry ass. Thankfully for Josh that was enough to get rid of Mark. He had not seen high or tail of Mark for three weeks now.

"Josh, you ready hun?" Cynthia said as she stood at the door frame to her office and watched her husband. He seemed to be coming out of a trance. He nodded and rose meeting her at the door frame. "I hope your driver won't be mad at us for taking so long." Josh had left police work saying it was too much for him.

"He will be fine" Josh smiled at her worry. He now lived off his investments from long ago he was a smart immortal three hundred years ago he set up an account. With computers being the new wave he'd had it split and sent to over seas banks transferring only what he would need for the year. He'd hired new staff her brother used to work for him but Josh had found that the young man was a risk so he killed him in the line of duty.

Outside Andrew Hudson, an older image of Mark sat on the bumper of Josh's limo. The driver knew who he was and did not want to tangle with the guy so he stayed in the car until Josh and family came out. The driver tries to open the door to get out and greet the family. The older man looks his way through dark sunglasses, and pushes him back into the seat closing the door. Josh is briskly walking toward the man sitting on his car. "That's not funny get out of here."

The older man looks at Josh and takes off the sunglasses. "You're gonna lose boy." He whispers

"Look, Hudson I don't have time for your crap today. I have a trail to win. Now if you'll excuse me." Strut gets in the limo a smug expression lighting his face. The only person he couldn't threaten away was Hudson.

Hudson walks to the opposite side of the limo. He speaks to Cynthia. Josh watches as his wife hugs Andrew Hudson in greeting. She never hugged his father or her own for that matter. An insecure thought assaulted his mind. Did she like Hudson more than him? Josh tried to shake the thought but it would not budge. After smiling at Hudson Cynthia got into the limo with Josh, telling him that the girls did not need to be in court and that Hudson had offered to take them shopping and to a sporting event.

"What, he has tickets to a football game or something?"

"No, you know the girls like watching wrestling so he's taking them to a match in the city."

Josh's anger boiled as he shouts. "That whack job's not taking my kids anywhere." Josh jumps out of the limo Cynthia grabs his arm pulling him back in the car. He looks back at Cynthia. "Let me go Cindy" Strut growls she shakes her head no.

Hudson had calmly put the children in his truck that was parked in the way blocking the limo inside their drive way. As he was about to get inside he saw Strut half way out of the car a hand holding him back inside. Strut turns and slaps Cynthia's hand away. As he gets all the way out of the limo Hudson walks over and gets in his face.

Josh opened his mouth to yell at Hudson. Before sound escaped Hudson struck him in the mouth with an uppercut. "Apologize to your wife." Hudson said shaking his hand to regain feeling in it after striking Josh. Josh staggered backwards from the blow. Josh then turns around and apologizes to Cindy.

"This is why he can't take them anywhere." Josh adds looking back at Hudson. "You let my kids out of that truck of yours. Your play date is over before it starts. I know what you were trying to do and I don't appreciate your trickery."

Josh walks toward Hudson's truck. Cindy gets out of the limo and slams the door regaining Josh's attention "Josh they are going. Hudson is protective and you were in the wrong." She yells at Josh.

Josh walks up to Hudson. "If you're trying to steal her from me I swear you'll never have a moment's peace."

"That girl is young enough to be my daughter and unlike you, I don't date people that much younger than myself." Hudson starts walking back to his truck. Josh grabs Hudson by the shirt and slams him against the truck. Hudson shakes his head where it hit the door. He then reaches around and grabs Josh pushing him to the ground. "You touch me again and I'll cut your head off."

Josh ran from Hudson. How in the hell did Hudson know the only way he could be killed forever. As he jumps in the limo he tells the driver where to go and raises the private window.

He watches Hudson back away freeing the limo as both reach the main road they go different directions. Josh had in the last ten minuets done some very dumb crap. He once again apologized for his slapping her hand away.

"Josh. Why do you hate Hudson?"

"What makes you think he can be trusted with the girls? I mean if he hits them the way he hit me just now their out cold plain and simple. "

" Hudson's not like that with them. He cares about them and he cares about me too. He's normally a calm level headed person. He shouldn't have hit you and I will tell him to keep his hands to himself. Did he hurt you?

"No, your little boyfriend did not hurt your husband."

"Josh he's not my boyfriend he's like a father figure."

"Don't you think you are a bit old to need a father figure? Beside your father was very good to you." Josh grimaced at the look she gave him. "He let you marry me was that not wonderful?"

Cynthia would never tell that Josh was just another part of her father's power over her. Her father was dead now and she never had any intention of giving Josh children she always used birth control. She had children with the man she loved but he was married and so was she. But months ago when she saw her beloved Mark needing her help she could do no less. They parted for her safety sake. She had finally told Mark that she had been living a lie. The hardest thing she did back then, was send him away thinking she had cheated on him almost 19 years ago.

Mark had visited her in the hospital. When she woke up Mark's was the first face she had seen not Josh's. Mark had left at least he wasn't mad at her she hoped. Her daughters had told her that they knew that Mark was their father she at first thought the girls would be angry that she had not told them who he was but she was glad to know that her girls understood why she had not said anything.

Josh was watching to see if they had picked up a tail. He served himself a glass of bourbon from the stocked bar. For the second time today he thought of sending Cynthia away so she would not hear what happened. They were only four miles from the courthouse now he was getting nervous. He looked at Cynthia when he took his much needed drink. He could tell she was nervous also. "Would you like a drink?"

"No I just want this over with. Josh, if you were shot also how could you be a suspect?" Cindy looked at Josh waiting from him to tell her he did not know. He said nothing. He took another sip of his drink "Josh?"

Josh turned to his wife and said, "Honey I have played that question backwards and forwards in my mind and I still come up short. It simply makes no sense. The children were home they would have told you had I even dared to harm you. You are not beginning to believe this rubbish are you?" Josh places his middle and pointer finger under her chin lifting her gaze to his.

At his physical contact a wave of nausea assaulted her, her head started hurting. The next thing she knew Josh was above her shaking her asking her to wake up. She grabbed his hand and stopped him from shaking her. That was doing nothing but making her headache worst. In her minds eye she had saw a piece of something she tried to remember what the vision was of but it was gone now. Tears sprung to her eyes she was tired of not knowing what happened. Her doctor said that she should not try to hard saying that when her brain was ready it would let her know what happened. Her trying to force the process could land her back in the hospital. From her past with Josh she did not want to be away from her girls.