by Jodi Vaughn
“I’ve got to go. I told him I’d meet him fifteen minutes ago and I’m late.” Melanie started toward Chris.
Grace snagged her arm. She looked the girl in the eye. “Don’t do it, Melanie. Don’t go.”
Melanie’s lip trembled. “I have to.”
Grace tightened her grip on her arm. “Let me help you.”
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Chris smirked. “Are you still causing trouble, Grace?”
“Only my girls can call me Grace.” She whirled around and met his gaze. “I’m Miss Witherspoon to you.”
He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, well, too bad you don’t have any girls to teach anymore. My dad made sure of that. And more.”
Grace narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, I thought you knew. You see my dad found out you were behind getting Sloan to follow me around. After that little stunt, your boyfriend won’t have a job much longer, I can promise you that.”
“You little shit.” The words spilled from her mouth as she clenched her fists. It was one thing to have the town shun her, but for the town to shun Sloan, one of their own, was unspeakable.
She stepped forward. “I see you for what you are. The other people are blinded by your daddy’s influence and wealth. I’m not fooled. I know you are nothing but a bully.”
Chris’s eyes lit with anger and he stepped toward Grace.
“No, Chris.” Melanie grabbed his arm. “Let’s go. Please.”
He snarled and looked at Melanie like she was trash. “Are you trying to fucking tell me what to do?”
Melanie’s eyes widened and she stepped back and held her hands up. “No, I’d never do that.”
“You think you can stand in my face and tell me what to do, you stupid whore?” He shoved Melanie hard. She stumbled back and Chris grabbed her by the front of her shirt. He slammed his fist into her face. She crumbled to the ground.
Grace knelt on the ground, cradling the girl’s face between her hands. Blood streamed down her nose and her cheek was beginning to swell. “It’s okay Melanie. I’m calling the police.” Grace reached for her purse to grab her cellphone.
“You stupid bitch! Look what you made me do! This is your fault.” Chris grabbed her purse and hurled it and turned his rage on her.
“You’re not calling anyone, you bitch.” He grabbed Grace by the hair and forced her to her feet.
Grace cried out at the pain and dug her fingernails into his hand. It was no use. He wouldn’t let go.
He released her hair and wrapped his meaty hand around her neck. He tightened his grip. “You think you can come in to my town and tell lies on me? Don’t you know who the fuck I am? I own this town.”
Grace wheezed as she scratched her nails down the fingers that circled her throat. Panic filled her chest as oxygen diminished and she knew in a few more seconds she wasn’t going to be able to breathe at all.
Images of her ex hitting and beating her filled her head with such clarity that Chris’s face morphed into Michael’s. Frustrated and fed up, her panic turned to anger. She wouldn’t be a victim anymore.
Using all her strength, she kicked Chris as hard as she could in the crotch. He howled and loosened his grip. Grace crumpled to the ground in a heap.
“You fucking bitch.” Chris wheezed out and cupped himself. Sucking in a breath he glared at Grace and kicked her in the stomach.
She screamed at the pain and curled up in a ball to protect herself. Stars exploded behind her eyes before blackness clouded her vision.
***
Rage.
Sloan had never been so consumed with rage until the moment he saw Chris with his hand wrapped around Grace’s slender neck. He jumped out of his truck and sprinted across the football field. Chris kicked Grace in the stomach as she lay helpless on the ground. She screamed, the sound chilling the blood in his veins, and then she went still.
Why wasn’t she moving? As he raced across the field, every horrific explanation popped into his mind. Maybe her lung was punctured. Maybe her spleen was ruptured. Maybe her heart had stopped.
Sloan barreled into Chris, knocking him to the ground. He rolled Chris under him, reared his arm back, and plowed his fist into his face. Bone crunched under his knuckles and blood spurted out of his nose.
Sloan didn’t stop.
He pummeled the quarterback until he was crying, begging Sloan to stop.
The next thing Sloan knew, Mitch was pulling him off Chris.
“Sloan, ease up, man.”
“What are you doing here, Mitch?”
“I followed you out here to tell you that Chris’s dad is threatening to sue you. Check on Grace, Sloan. I’ve got this asshole.” Mitch forced Chris’s hands behind his back and cuffed him while the boy was screaming profanities.
That snapped Sloan out of his zombie-like trance. He froze when he spotted Grace lying motionless on the ground. Melanie knelt beside her, crying.
He cradled her head. He could barely get the words out. “Oh, God, is she okay?”
“I don’t know.” Melanie wept and held Grace’s hand.
“I’ve already called for backup and an ambulance,” Mitch called out.
Sloan ran his hand across the red finger marks on Grace’s throat. “That asshole was trying to choke her. He kicked her in the stomach before I got to him.”
“Then it’s a good thing you beat the shit out of him.” Mitch nodded and eased Melanie out of the way. “He hit you too, I see.”
Melanie avoided Mitch’s gaze and let him lead her over to the bleachers to sit.
Sloan hovered over Grace. “Please, sweetheart, open your eyes.”
Slowly her eyelids fluttered open. Sirens blared in the distance as they got near, but his only focus was Grace.
She tried to sit up but winced. Her arms circled her stomach protectively.
“Don’t move. The ambulance is on its way.”
Her eyes widened and she struggled to get up. “Where’s Melanie?”
“She’s fine. She’s over by the bleachers with Mitch.”
Grace managed to stand with his help and when she saw that Melanie was okay, she visibly relaxed.
“I’m going to sue you and the whole fucking police department, you son of a bitch.” Chris screamed out as he tried to stand. The handcuffs that Mitch had slapped on him hindered his progress and he rolled side to side like a walrus.
“I thought I was going to kill him, Grace.” He brushed his fingertips across her injured neck. “When I saw him choking you, all I thought about was beating him to death.”
She brushed his hand away. “How did you know he would be here?”
“I didn’t. I came here to see you.” His gut twisted. “I wish I had gotten here earlier.”
“You got here just in time.”
The ambulance pulled onto the football field, feet away from where they stood. Two paramedics hopped out of the front and headed toward Chris.
“No, check out the ladies first. He can wait,” Sloan commanded.
The two paramedics hesitated before going over to Grace.
Sloan stood over the paramedic tending Grace, watching every move he made.
The other paramedic checked out Melanie and then Chris. In the meantime, other police cars had arrived, along with some of the curious townspeople. When Tabitha pulled up with Allison, Sloan braced for the onslaught of questions.
After checking her vitals, the paramedic stood. “I’d like her to come to the hospital and get a CT scan of her abdomen. You never know what kind of internal damage may have been done.”
Grace shook her head. “I’m not going to the hospital.”
“Yes, you are.” Allison shoved Sloan out of the way and knelt beside Grace. She looked from her back to him. “Sloan, did Chris really do this to both of them?”
He gritted his teeth. “Yes, he did.”
“That son of a bitch. What kind of man hits a woman?” Tabitha spat out.
�
��A bully.” Grace slowly stood with Sloan’s help. “Look, I’m fine. If there is some kind of waiver you need me to sign for refusing to go to the hospital, I suggest you hand it over. I’m tired and I want to go home.”
“You’ve got to make an official police statement.” Sloan cocked his head. “But I think it can wait until tomorrow.”
She nodded.
The police chief walked up and cursed. He narrowed his eyes at Grace. “So Chris did this to you and Melanie.” It was more a statement than question. “Well, I guess we’re going to have a shit storm on our hands when his daddy finds out. Thankfully, he’s in Memphis for some kind of political dinner. I need Sloan back at the station to make an official report. That has to be done tonight.”
“I know.” Sloan kept his gaze on Grace. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
“We’ll take her home.” Tabitha put her arm around Grace’s shoulder. “We’ll stay with her until you get there.”
Allison wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
He hugged her back. “I’m always okay.”
Allison nodded. “Grace, I’ll drive your car and you can ride with Tabitha. Where’s your purse?”
“Chris threw it over there.” Grace motioned with her hand.
Allison jogged over and gathered Grace’s purse and the contents.
Sloan closed the distance between him and Grace. He reached for her hands, scared if he touched anything else he’d hurt her. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I know.” She smiled and let Tabitha lead her to her car.
Chapter Nine
Every time either Tabitha or Allison stuck her head in the dark bedroom, Grace closed her eyes. She knew they were concerned, but she didn’t want to talk about it. All she wanted to do was just go to sleep.
What she wanted and what she got were two different things. As emotionally and physically tired as she was, she couldn’t drift off to sleep. Her mind was focused on Sloan and wondering if he was okay. Could he possibly lose his job over this whole situation?
The rumble of tires on gravel had her eyes flying open. She knew by the growl of the engine that it belonged to Sloan.
She eased up in bed, cradling her arm to her bruised stomach. It was going to hurt a lot more in the morning. She knew that from experience.
“How is she?” Sloan’s voice drifted down the hall. The sound of his boots was muffled on the wool runner in the hallway.
“She’s sleeping. Don’t go in there,” Allison chided.
“I have to.” Sloan’s frame filled the doorway, the light from the hall casting him as one big shadow.
She felt the heat of his intense stare across the room. She stood. She needed for him to believe she was okay. It was important that he know.
“You guys go home.” He turned his face to the hallway, and she could tell by the worried look on his face, he wasn’t going anywhere.
The sound of muffled voices, Tabitha and Allison, along with high-heeled footsteps following the slam of the front door filled the void between them.
“Before you ask, you need to know I’m okay.” Her throat ached with unshed tears.
“I’m not.” He walked towards her, his boots tapping against the hardwood floor in solid sure steps.
Her breath caught in her throat as fingers found the hem of her shirt.
“You’re still wearing your clothes.”
“I just wanted to crawl into bed.”
He nodded. “Let me help you.”
The back of his fingers grazed her stomach then breasts as he lifted the shirt over her head. He knelt as he carefully pulled off her shorts and tossed them to the floor.
“I don’t think . . .” She didn’t want to push him away, but making love tonight was too hard.
He stood and caressed her cheek, looking at her like she was the most prized diamond in the world. “I just want to hold you tonight. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
His words hit her like a bomb, shattering any semblance of whatever walls she had left.
He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. Pulling back the covers, she crawled to the middle of the bed and lay down. She watched while he took off his clothes and climbed in next to her.
She lay on her side and he snuggled up to her back, wrapping a strong arm around her waist. She interlaced her fingers with his and closed her eyes. Soul-numbing peace filled her until there wasn’t a space in her body.
What she was looking for, she’d found. What had seemed to escape her was now within her grasp. All she had to do was take it. She couldn’t let fear dictate her life anymore. She refused.
Pulling his fingers up to her mouth she kissed his knuckles and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, she would finally tell Sloan everything.
***
The sun hung high in the sky and spilled through her bedroom window. Grace glanced at the clock and frowned. 11:00 a.m. Ignoring the clock, she rolled over to snuggle with Sloan only to find the bed empty.
She sat up, listening for any signs of water running.
Nothing but silence.
She threw the covers off and got out of bed. She winced as a dull pain shot through her stomach. She couldn’t worry about that right now. She needed to find Sloan before she lost her nerve.
After checking the bathroom, she walked into the kitchen. Sitting beside a freshly made pot of coffee was a note.
“I didn’t want to wake you. You needed the sleep. When you get up, come on down to the police station to fill out your report. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Love, Sloan.
Her heart fluttered in her chest. Sloan was a man who was willing to risk his reputation and life for her. She owed it to him to face the consequences of her past and tell him the truth.
More than anything she wanted a future with Sloan. She just hoped that after she confessed to him that he would still want a future with her.
***
Sloan arrived at the police station to find the place in an uproar. The place was packed with half the town, all trying to find out what had happened last night.
“Sloan.” Gene, the peanut farmer, grabbed his arm. “Tell me it’s not true that Chris Meadowbrook hit Grace.”
Sloan narrowed his eyes, getting angry again just thinking about it. “Yes, he did.”
Mrs. Malcolm crossed her arms and lifted her chin in the air. “Well, I don’t believe it. I had him in my Sunday School when he was little and he would never do such a thing.”
He wanted to tell her maybe if she had actually gone over the Golden Rule instead of serving Kool Aid and cookies and calling it a day Chris might have learned something. He gritted his teeth. He didn’t need to stir up any more shit. From the looks of things, half the town was torn over to who to believe.
John Meadowbrook, Chris’s father, burst through the front door. He wore a black suit and red silk tie. He’d probably driven back from Memphis last night when he heard about the incident. The crowd went silent. It was like watching the red sea split as people moved to let him walk toward Sloan.
The police chief blew out a breath and stepped up beside Sloan.
“Who do I need to talk to about filing a complaint?”
“Mr. Meadowbrook, what kind of complaint would you be filing?” the police chief asked.
“Have you seen my son? His nose is broken and his jaw is cracked. I want this man”—he stuck his finger at Sloan—“brought up on charges of police brutality.”
“That’s bullshit.” Grace shoved her way through the crowd.
Sloan’s heart ached when he saw the pain in her eyes. She was hurting yet she was still here trying to do what was right.
“Excuse me? Who are you?” Mr. Meadowbrook looked down his superior nose at Grace.
“I’m one of the women your son attacked.” Grace clenched her hands and stood next to Sloan.
Sloan knew it took a lot for
her to stand up to the richest man in town. His chest swelled with pride.
“Sloan was trying to protect me. He got there after Chris choked me and kicked me in the stomach.” She pulled the scarf away from her neck. Red and purple marks went around her neck like a noose. A collective gasp rose from the crowd. Even Mrs. Malcolm grimaced at Grace’s wounds.
“My son would never do such a thing. Besides if he did, why isn’t Melanie pressing charges?” He smirked.
“What?” Grace looked up at Sloan.
Mitch eased over to them. “Melanie wouldn’t press charges last night. I tried to talk to her again this morning and she’s still not changed her mind. All we have is Grace’s word.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Grace looked back at him.
“Come on, I’ll get the paperwork started.”
Thirty minutes later, her statement was done and the paperwork complete when Mitch entered his office. He looked between Grace and Sloan.
“What’s up, Mitch?” He could sense the change in Mitch and wondered what else had gone wrong.
“It seems since the incident took place on the football field, the principal will no longer let Grace practice at school.”
“Then they can practice at my house.” She looked at Sloan and shrugged. “It’s not a far drive.”
“That’s not all. We’re hearing from some of the moms that were here earlier, that they have decided to look for a new instructor.”
Sloan slammed his fist into his desk. Grace jumped. “Mr. Meadowbrook got to them. He intimidated them into firing Grace. I’m sure of it.’
“Of course that rich old bastard got to them.” Mitch gave her a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, Grace.”
Grace’s shoulders slumped. “So basically, I’m out of a job.”
“For now. You’re out of a job, for now.” Sloan walked around the desk and took her hands in his. “This won’t last. After the investigation and Chris is found guilty, then you’ll have your job back.”
“That could take months, Sloan.” She needed money now.
***
Grace left the police station with a lump in her throat. This wasn’t how it was supposed to work out. Once again the ones with the power and money got off free while the victims went unheard.
