by Lexy Timms
The first hit wasn’t enough. He wanted to make the man hurt like he had hurt Katherine. She’d never given him all the details, but he knew she had suffered tremendously at the hands of the man below him.
Tim managed to hit him in the jaw, sending him backwards before he could get to his feet.
“Stop! Stop it! Tim, don’t!” he heard Katherine scream a second before another fist slammed into his ribs.
His first thought was something along the lines of ‘holy shit it hurt like hell,’ and the second thought was of Katherine being hit like that. He heard a roar and realized it had come from his own throat as his eyes honed in on the man responsible for hurting the woman he cared about. Tim’s size made him slow, which gave Ben the advantage. He sprang forward and drove his shoulder into the big man’s chest, shoving him backwards.
“Ben!” Katherine shouted his name, but he was consumed by rage and couldn’t stop.
He kept swinging, hitting Tim in the face, blood pouring from his nose. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. He’d never felt so murderous in his life.
“Ben, stop, that’s enough,” Katherine ordered, her hand reaching out and touching his arm.
He stopped, mid-swing and looked at her. She shook her head.
“Come near her again you piece of shit and I will kill you,” he seethed.
He slowly got off the man, walking backwards, his chest heaving with his rapid breathing.
“It’s okay,” Katherine’s calm voice cut through the haze of red he was seeing.
He looked at her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”
“You were on the ground,” he mumbled.
“Talia was pulling me, and Tim was pulling me. I lost my balance and Talia and I fell. I’m okay, really. Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
He nodded his head. “Good. Why is he here?”
Talia moved next to Katherine. “The cops are on their way.”
Katherine nodded. “He wanted me to leave with him,” she said with a sigh.
Talia looked at Ben’s eye. “I’m going to grab some ice. Stay put, Tyson,” she joked, walking away.
Ben looked past Katherine to where Tim was still lying on the ground. He hoped he stayed that way. He hoped he’d broken a rib or something at the very least.
“Come on,” Katherine said, gently pulling his arm.
“I’m keeping an eye on him,” he grumbled.
Katherine smiled. “He isn’t going anywhere. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
He nodded his head and turned to follow her out towards the front of the store. Talia handed him a bag of ice, instructing him to hold it to his face. He didn’t feel anything and doubted he would even have a black eye.
He felt it before he heard it. Tim exploded from the kitchen, barreling into his back and knocking him to the ground. He managed to push Katherine away before his knees hit the hard tile floor.
“Tim!” she screamed the name a second before Ben’s face slammed into the ground.
That was going to leave a mark.
Ben was not about to let the man get the upper hand. He used the strength in his legs to bump Tim from his back, rolling at the same time and managing to straddle him, punching him in the jaw as he righted himself. His vision was blurred, but he knew where his target was and kept swinging.
“Stop!” Katherine was shouting.
He couldn’t stop. The man had gotten up after the first round. He was going to stay down the second time. Tim managed to hit him in the gut before slamming his fist into his side, taking a shot at his kidneys.
Air gushed out of his lungs as the sharp pain rolled over him.
“Grab him!” he heard a male voice shout.
Seconds later, he was being lifted off Tim and thrown back on the ground, his arms wrenched behind his back.
“No! Stop! You have it all wrong,” Katherine pleaded.
Ben was jerked up to a sitting position, watching as Tim was cuffed as well. Tim was sitting up, grinning as he stared at Ben. It was then Ben realized he had fucked up. Tim had come after him again and let him get the upper hand on purpose. He’d set him up.
Two officers unceremoniously yanked him to his feet, causing him to wince in pain.
“He’s not the one you’re supposed to arrest,” Katherine pleaded, following the cops outside.
“Get back, miss. We’ll have someone take your statement in a second,” one of the cops told her.
“I’m okay,” Ben assured her.
“He needs a doctor. By law you have to provide him with medical attention,” Katherine said firmly.
One officer opened the back of a patrol car and stuffed him inside before slamming the door. He turned to see Katherine, her hands on her hips as she argued with the police. He could hear her trying to defend him, but no one was listening to her. He’d been caught red-handed, literally. He knew there was blood on his hands. He looked down and saw blood on his shirt as well. It did not look good.
He heard Katherine shouting again and saw a police officer point for her to go sit down. She was going to get herself in trouble if she didn’t obey. Ben was shaking his head, trying to tell her to stop when he saw Tim walking out and being placed in a cop car with no cuffs.
“Oh shit,” he groaned.
They weren’t going to arrest Tim. Tim would be free. Katherine would be left alone and exposed.
“You don’t understand. That man is my husband. He was trying to attack me,” Katherine was saying.
Talia walked up to Katherine, wrapping her arms around her. He couldn’t hear what was being said but could see tears in Katherine’s eyes when she looked back at him.
“It’s okay,” he shouted through the glass.
Her eyes drifted to the other car, then back to him. “I’m so sorry,” she mouthed.
He smiled, hoping to calm her down. He knew it wasn’t okay. He looked ahead and saw a cop talking to Tim, likely getting his side of the story. He could only imagine what the man was saying. It was about ten minutes later that an ambulance pulled up. The medics went to Tim, assessed him and loaded him in the back of the ambulance.
It just got better and better. Tim was going to play up the injuries. Ben leaned back on the hard-plastic seat. He had fucked up.
When the door opened, it was the first cop he’d seen. “You’re being arrested and charged with assault. The man wants to press charges.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course, he does. I trust you’ll gather all the witness statements?” he asked.
The cop shot him a glare. “We’ll do our job,” he said, and slammed the door.
Ben growled low in his throat. How in the hell had the day gone from being so good to so horrible? He didn’t regret showing up when he did. There was a good chance Katherine would have been severely beaten or worse if he hadn’t stepped in. He was willing to go to jail if it meant keeping her safe.
But had he kept her safe? He may have just made things much worse for her.
“Hey!” he shouted, trying to get someone’s attention.
The cop opened the door. “What?”
“You have to keep her safe! That man will kill her. You can’t let him just walk away!” he pleaded.
The cop slammed the door shut without saying a word. Ben closed his eyes, fighting back the panic he felt. As soon as he was at the station, he would demand a phone call. He was thanking his lucky stars he had put the attorney on retainer. He needed to get bonded out so he could protect Katherine. She wasn’t safe!
Another thought crossed his mind. He turned his head to look out the window and saw her talking to a female police officer. He prayed the officer would listen to Katherine’s story and provide her with some protection. Katherine’s eyes met his through the window. She looked crushed, distraught and he knew what that meant.
If and when he got out of jail, she’d be gone. She would run. In many ways, he didn’t blame her. As he sat in the back
of the car and felt the pain in his side and the bruise that was surely developing on his jaw, he understood why she kept running. No one should ever have to live in that much fear. No woman should ever have to experience that kind of pain at the hands of the man who had vowed to love and cherish her.
He heard the boop-boop of a siren and turned to see the ambulance pulling away. He wished he would have done a lot more damage. If he was going to be charged with assault, he should have gotten his money’s worth. He had a feeling Tim would sue him once he figured out who he was. The piece of shit would want a fat payout.
Ben wouldn’t give him a dime. He’d find a way to shut the man down. After another twenty minutes of sitting in the car, watching the police mill about the bakery, the flash of a camera reflecting off the windows every few seconds, he saw Katherine approaching with two officers. A sliver of hope buoyed him. The nightmare was over. They had listened to her story and were going to let him go. He smiled as he watched her walking closer.
The look on her face told him it wasn’t good.
“Shit,” he muttered.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Katherine
KATHERINE WAS BARELY holding it together. The female police officer seemed kind and understanding, but no one was really listening to her. She’d told the same story at least twenty times, but Ben was still in the back of the car. Talia had called the manager who was on his way in. Katherine had a feeling that was going to be an unpleasant encounter as well.
“You’ve got a minute,” the female officer said.
“No way, I’m taking him in,” the male officer said, standing near the car where Ben was being held.
“Back off Jenkins, you heard the statements,” the female shot back.
“She can say whatever she wants. I walked in and saw this guy beating the shit out of the guy on the floor,” he replied, sneering at Katherine.
Katherine glared back at him. She was tired of explaining herself and knew it was futile.
The officer opened the door and stepped out of the way.
“I’m so sorry,” she blurted out, the second she saw him.
He smiled. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. This is my fault. I never wanted you to get involved.”
“Hey, it isn’t your fault. It’s his fault. I would have done it for anyone. No man should hit a woman,” he growled.
“They took Tim to the hospital. He says you broke his nose,” she whispered.
“Is he going to be charged?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Shit. Don’t go home tonight, do you hear me?”
She nodded her head. “I won’t.”
“You can stay at my place,” he blurted out.
She smiled. “No way, not without you.”
He shrugged. “I’ll be out in no time.”
Her eyes were filled with tears. “I hate this.”
“I understand you want to leave and I get it, but please, wait until I get out. Stay with Talia.”
She nodded her head. “I’ll wait. I’ll stay with Talia tonight.”
“Good.”
“Time’s up,” the gruff male cop snarled.
“Call Rachel for me, please,” he said, having to shout as the door was being closed.
“I will,” she shouted back, happy to have something she could do for him.
The male officer got in the car and drove away with Ben in the backseat. She stood there, staring and watching him being driven off to jail. Talia was beside her, wrapping her arms around her.
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll get this all worked out. There are plenty of witnesses who saw what happened. Tim attacked him, and you and me! It’ll be okay,” she promised.
Katherine stood back, shaking her head. “You don’t know Tim.”
“I know he is a vile, abusive man who belongs in prison. Ben is a good guy. Hell, he’s a damn superhero in my book after what he did in there.”
Katherine smiled. “He is a good man. He doesn’t deserve this. Tim is my problem. I brought him into Ben’s life and now look at what it’s costing him.”
“Talia! Katherine!” a male voice shouted.
Katherine turned to see the owner of the bakery coming out the front door. His face was red, and he looked like he would blow up.
“Oh shit,” Talia mumbled, walking towards where their boss was standing.
“In my office, now!” he shouted, flipping the sign on the door to ‘closed’ as he stomped back inside, walking around the mess on the floor.
As they passed through the kitchen, Katherine looked at the pastries on the floor and the overturned table in the center of the kitchen. There was blood on the floor from Tim’s nose. It gave her a little satisfaction to know the man had bled. It wasn’t enough though.
The women walked into the small office, and both remained standing while the chubby owner sat in his chair glaring up at them.
“What the hell is going on?” he seethed.
Katherine cleared her throat. “The man that came in and started the trouble is my husband, ex-husband, well not technically, but I left him, and he keeps following me.”
Talia put her hand on Katherine’s arm. “He tried to attack me first and then he went after Katherine. The other guy saved us.”
The owner shook his head. “This is your problem? Your mess? You brought your drama into my business?”
Katherine couldn’t answer. She looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re fired. Get your crap and get out of here. I don’t ever want to see you in my bakery again—not even as a customer!”
“You can’t do that,” Talia protested.
Katherine grabbed her hand. “Don’t. It’ fine. I’ll go.”
Talia’s mouth dropped open. Katherine knew she needed the job. She couldn’t afford to get fired. It was a good job and there was no reason for both of them to end up jobless. She gave Talia a small smile before walking out of the office and heading for the back door where she had left her purse.
“Wait up, I’ll walk with you. You can’t go home,” Talia said.
Katherine paused halfway out the door. “I have to do something to get him out of this mess.”
“Don’t go home. You’re staying with me tonight. Even that cop said you should,” she insisted.
“I know. I will. I’m going to run home while he’s at the hospital and pack a bag. I’ll call you later. I’m so sorry about the mess I’m leaving you with. You know I would stay and clean up if he’d let me,” Katherine said, her voice full of shame.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you tonight. I’ll have a bottle of wine, maybe two. It isn’t like you have to get up for work tomorrow,” she said with a wink.
That made Katherine chuckle. “You’re right.”
“Be careful. Call me every hour and let me know you’re okay. I get off at six.”
Katherine nodded and headed out the door. The first thing she saw was Ben’s shiny red Audi in the back parking lot. Her heart clenched as she thought about what he’d done for her. She headed for the sidewalk and began the long walk to his office.
The walk would do her good. She had no idea how long it would be before he got a phone call. She had to talk to Rachel. Rachel would know what to do and would hopefully have a spare key to the car. The last thing she wanted was for the car to get towed or possibly damaged.
She was thankful for her sneakers and her recent return to the gym. She was able to speed walk to his office and made it in good time. The woman at the reception desk told her where Ben’s office was. She was nervous, ashamed and seriously embarrassed, but she had to tell Rachel what happened. When she stepped off the elevator, she was a little lost.
“Katherine?” Rachel said walking up behind her with a cup of coffee.
Katherine looked at her and burst into tears. Rachel grabbed her hand without saying a word and led her into Ben’s huge office before
closing the door.
“What happened?” she asked.
Katherine wiped the tears from her face. “Ben showed up at the bakery. Tim was there.”
Rachel nodded her head, inhaling a deep breath. “And?”
“Tim was trying to make me go with him.”
“Oh shit,” Rachel muttered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Ben,” she choked on the word.
“What happened to Ben?” Rachel asked in a low voice, her face deadly serious.
“He’s been arrested.”
Rachel let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god. I thought you were going to tell me he was hurt.”
Katherine looked at her with confusion. “Did you hear me? He was arrested. They were taking him to jail.”
Rachel waved a hand in the air. “This explains why he had me get that lawyer on retainer,” she mumbled, moving to the large wooden desk positioned in front of a row of windows.
“A lawyer? What?”
Rachel shook her head. “Last week he had me call some high-powered defense attorney. I sent a check over for her retainer on Friday. Hopefully he signed the necessary paperwork,” she was saying as she picked up the phone.
Katherine watched and listened as Rachel made a phone call. She wasn’t pleased with the answer she got and slammed the phone down.
“What’s wrong?” Katherine asked, worried all over again.
“She’s in court. They’ll give her the message, but there’s nothing she can do until she’s out of court.”
“What? He has to stay in there?” Katherine asked horrified at the thought.
Rachel walked towards her and led her to the couch. “Sit. I’m going to get you some water. I’ll be right back.”
Katherine nodded her head, looking around the office while Rachel walked away. She returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a box of tissues.
“Thank you,” Katherine mumbled.
“Of course. Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked again.
Katherine nodded, lifting the sleeve of her shirt to see angry red and blue marks from where Tim had grabbed her. She had long gotten used to the bruises from Tim’s death grip.
