"What happened?" I asked.
She pressed something down above me and fresh splinters of cold sawed through me. An ice pack, I realized as I hissed in pain. She merely smiled.
"One of the royal dickhead crew bottled you," she said. "Which normally I'd say was your fault for being stupid enough to fuck with them, but in this case it sounds like you almost knew what you were doing."
"Almost." I snorted. "Too fucking right, apparently."
How was I supposed to know Donnie and his apes played dirty? And not in the nice way. Not even in the fun way. Just the sad, pathetic way.
"I'm Naomi." She was sitting on the ground next to me, legs sprawled out ahead of her and one hand supporting her while she held the ice pack to my head, but she balanced her torso long enough to shake my hand. "Melissa told me what happened and I came out here to help."
Melissa... Fuck, I hoped she was alright. I'd been so close to having her tonight. I could tell just from the look in her eyes that she knew exactly what the stakes were in our little wager and was ready to submit, and I would have made it worth her while a thousand times over.
A bit of a moot point now, I supposed. At least she'd cared enough to get someone to come out and make sure I wasn't dead.
I groaned and pushed myself up to a seated position, and Naomi followed with the ice. I grabbed the bag myself until she let go and then pulled it off my head entirely. When Naomi gave me a disapproving look, I laughed.
"I'll be fine. I've had worse."
"Even more of a reason for you to go get checked out."
I shook my head. "I'm fine. I'm more worried about your friend, to be honest. Is she okay?"
"Melissa?" Naomi frowned and looked at me like I'd just asked her if fish fell from the sky on Wednesdays. "She's fine, why?"
"Like you didn't see the big shiner she was sporting today."
Naomi nodded in understanding. "Oh, you mean that," she said. "Yeah, she'll be okay. It might not seem like it, but Mel can fend for herself." As a sour afterthought, she muttered, "At least that's what she keeps telling me."
I swung my legs round, glad that they hadn't taken to kicking me while I was down. Donnie hadn't landed many hits on me so I wasn't much worse off than I was after the first fight. A minor miracle.
"Why's she with him?" When Naomi gave me a guarded look, I rolled my eyes. "I just got bottled by one of her boyfriend's friends after picking a fight with Douchebag Donnie himself because he couldn't stop laying his hands on her. I think I've at least earned a little background information."
Naomi chuckled at this and tossed the bag of ice toward the big green garbage bin backed up against the far wall. It bounced off just under the lid and landed on the ground with a wet smack.
"They've been together for years," she said. "His family owns half the town and I guess Donnie wanted to add the prettiest girl in Cannon to his list of possessions. Donnie always gets what he wants."
I gritted my teeth. "You're not making a strong case for me to leave her alone. It sounds to me like the town golden boy could use being knocked down a few pegs."
Naomi ran a hand through her hair, eyes distant as she spoke. "I don't know what it's like where you're from, but around here we stick to the status quo. One of the things you just don't do is pick fights with the Beringers."
"Where I'm from, you don't just stand by while a nice girl gets brutalized by a stupid rich kid," I shot back. "Why hasn't anybody done anything?"
Naomi pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her expression turned thoughtful.
"You know, that's the question, isn't it? Because right and wrong still exist in the world, we're all technically playing by the same rules. I think it's this town, you know? Nobody wants saving and nobody is willing to save anybody else. It's just the way it's always been. People mind their own business and drink away their problems when it all gets too much to handle." She shrugged and met my gaze. "If you know what's good for you, I'd suggest minding your own business and getting out of here while you can. Donnie's not the type to let something like this go."
I laughed and considered her advice. What if I did let this go? I could go home, back to where things made a little more sense and where I could have a little rest for what felt like the first time in days. I just wanted to go to bed and not wake up for at least sixteen hours, maybe more. Then I'd have a smoke and go back to sleep for another sixteen hours. It was an enticing prospect, but I still couldn't drop the knot of worry in my gut.
"What's gonna happen to her?" I asked.
Naomi raised a dark brow. "Melissa?"
"Yeah."
She shrugged again. She did that a lot. "She'll either figure it out or she won't. She's not the kind of girl you can save, cowboy. She's been through more than most people realize and when she's good and ready—not a second before—she'll do what she needs to do to free herself from him. If she doesn't, on the other hand..." Naomi let out a pained sigh. "She'll wind up married and pregnant, and the only pleasure she'll get from life is what she can scrape out of being a mother."
"You're her friend?"
Naomi nodded. "One of her only ones. She doesn't let anyone get too close."
"Are you close enough to convince her to leave him?"
Naomi laughed. "Nobody convinces Melissa to do anything, honey."
"Can't you try?"
I was starting to get irritated with her airy replies, and it came out in my biting tone. Naomi's lips broke into a grin and her eyes filled with warmth.
"I think it's very sweet that you care so much about her even though you don't know her," she said. "I spend more time than anyone worrying about that girl. It's strange to see an outsider come in and take such an immediate shine to her."
"Can you blame me?"
I sat back on my hands and recalled how easy it was to talk to her, how enjoyable I found her company. She rode the line between innocent and seductive like she’d been born there and it was intoxicating. Then there was the evident goodness in her. She might be from the rough side of the tracks, but there was a light in her that I worried her asshole boyfriend wasn't far from putting out.
"This isn't your fight," Naomi said, placing a gentle hand on my arm. "People are looking out for Melissa, don't you worry. Better yet, she's looking out for herself. I really believe that she'll come out of this in time, and she'll be stronger. You should go back home and fight whatever dragons you've got there."
She read the hesitance in my eyes and she grew serious.
"If you really want to help Melissa, you'll go," she said. "Donnie will only get more pissed off if he sees you again. Things will be better if he thinks you've turned tail. They'll be better for her."
I still didn't like it, but I had to admit that Naomi knew what was going on better than I did and, at the end of the day, it was Melissa's life. I didn't belong here. I barely knew the girl and I'd been in this town for all of about two hours. It was time for me to go home.
"Do you want to come in with me while I close up for the night?" Naomi rose to her feet and offered a hand to help me up. "I'll take you to the bus station after."
I accepted her hand and we walked in together. I sat at an empty booth with a fresh beer while Naomi saw to the last few patrons and locked the doors. I could've walked back to the station, but I ached to high hell and I was thirsty too.
Naomi dropped me off at the station a little while later, coaxing a promise not to get into any more fights in Cannon from me before letting me out of her car. I liked the girl, even if I did find her a little overbearing. A place as rough as the Alibi needed a strong personality with a big heart like hers. It made me feel better about leaving Cannon knowing that Melissa would have someone like Naomi to help her when she decided to end things with Donnie. I just hoped it was soon.
As I bought my ticket, I couldn't shake the feeling that I should be doing more. But what could I do? Naomi was right—I didn't belong here.
Much as I wanted i
t to be, this wasn't my fight.
Chapter 10
Melissa
The ceiling fan whirred. Round and round and round, blades blending together until they formed one continuous circle. I watched, my eyes trying to track the movement in the dark while Donnie's snoring form twitched beside me. He was having a dream, I supposed. He'd been asleep for at least half an hour now, yet I'd been in bed for over two hours and still couldn't drift away.
I should have been exhausted. Dealing with Donnie was exhausting, and crying always made me sleepy, but something like electricity coursed through my veins. I knew exactly why, too.
Jack.
It was a simple, unassuming name, but he was far from a simple, unassuming guy. He embodied strength and dignity. He was good and righteous. He was a little cheeky, too. Probably more than a little, though I didn't know him well enough to really say. I found myself wishing I did.
Where was he now? Was he okay? These thoughts had been swirling relentlessly in my head since the second I laid it down on this pillow. I pretended to be asleep when Donnie came to bed, especially when he tried to initiate sex again, but let my eyes drift open once his rumbling snoring started up on the other side of the bed.
I doubted I'd be getting any sleep tonight. I doubted I'd be getting any peace either, and I knew it wasn't just Jack I had to blame for that.
What was I doing? The man sleeping beside me was a monster. He was cruel and spiteful and mean, but something was keeping me here and I couldn't quite figure it out. It wasn't just fear, either. That would be too simple. The fear was a driving factor every time I backed down from him, but it never lasted for long. I wasn't used to being afraid of things, and being afraid of people seemed almost ridiculous when I'd spent so much of my childhood learning to defend myself mentally and physically from anyone who might want to harm me. I had too many walls to hide behind, too many places I could retreat if things became too much for me to handle. Even Donnie couldn't get me there.
I had a long history of cutting people out of my life like ripping a square from a quilt if I felt it was what I needed to do to survive. Donnie was the only person who had gotten close enough to hurt me in a very long time, and the fact that I let him keep hurting me was mind boggling.
True, I was scared of more than just his anger. I was scared of what might happen to me in this town without him. I would lose my home. Would I lose my job too? I was scared of being broke and destitute, of sliding back into the chaos I'd risen from. Then again, I'd only risen with his help. I guess part of me felt like I owed him for that, and this was how I could repay my debt.
I turned onto my side, away from Donnie, and squeezed my eyes shut until bright colors danced across the backs of my lids.
It wasn't right.
I knew it wasn't right. I'd always known. But knowing something and acting on it are two very different things, and for all my strength I wondered if this was one thing I'd never be able to wrestle with and win.
I needed a distraction, and I couldn't bear wondering about Jack anymore. Quietly, and so slowly that I could practically hear my joints creaking, I rose from the bed and tiptoed into the ensuite with my phone.
Once in the bathroom, I closed the door and sank down to the tile. I shot off a text message to Naomi, asking her if Jack was okay. It was just past three, which meant she'd be on her way home from closing up.
My phone buzzed and I cursed inwardly, flipping it onto silent and listening for movement from the bedroom before daring to open the text.
He's fine. Just dropped him off at the Greyhound.
My heart began to hammer in my chest and I texted her back.
He's leaving??
What was I expecting? He wasn't from here, and the Cannon locals had made it obvious how unwelcome he was. Still, the thought of never getting to see him again struck a chord in me. I ached, knowing that from now on out my gallant hero would forever be a memory and nothing more. This experience would fade away and I would forget how good it felt to have someone stand up for me, even though I always thought I preferred to stand up for myself.
Naomi texted back a minute later.
Took some convincing on my part. Be careful with Donnie, okay babe? Let me know if you need anything.
I stared at my phone, rereading her first sentence over and over again. So Jack hadn't immediately dashed for the nearest exit when he came to. What did that mean? Did he want to stay because he wanted revenge? Maybe he just wanted to rest for the night. But maybe, just maybe, he had wanted to stay because of me. The thought filled me with such warmth that for a moment I forgot the bitter reality of my situation and indulged in fancy instead. I imagined what might have been if Donnie hadn’t been there. The flirty conversation we might have had, how his visit could have been an entertaining little aside in the endless tedium of Cannon life.
Then reality kicked back in, and I remembered I was on the bathroom floor in my boyfriend's house, hiding the fact that I was texting my friend because I didn't want to risk upsetting him again.
The tile was warm still from the day, but I felt a chill creep into my bones. This wasn't right. I didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve Donnie.
There was a guy out there who believed in the goodness in me just from meeting me at the bar. He believed I was worth more than the life I'd always told myself I was already overshooting to have, and frankly he made me feel more wanted in the short time of knowing him than I had the entire time I'd been with the guy sleeping in the other room.
So what was I still doing here?
I let my phone fall into my lap and stared into the dark. The panic rising in my throat mixed with the adrenaline in my veins, spurring me to action.
I rose, feeling jittery and jumpy and not entirely sure what to do with myself. It was overwhelming to realize that the life I was living needed to change without knowing how exactly I could accomplish that. The only thing I did know was that I needed to get away from Donnie and I needed to do it now.
I crept back out into the bedroom. My heart drummed on my ribcage so loud I thought it might wake Donnie, but he was a sound sleeper. Especially when he'd been drinking.
I worked slowly and quietly in the dark, gathering my purse and a pair of shoes but deciding not to risk getting changed. It was a warm night and I didn’t want to waste time if Jack’s bus could come at any moment. My pajamas would have to do.
My blood sang in my ears as I made my way down the silent hallway toward the front door. I carried shoes in my hand, my bare feet soundless against the hardwood. Each step could be the one that betrayed me, the one that found a squeaky floorboard and magically roused Donnie from his drunken slumber. How would I explain myself if he caught me? I was too far to go back now. I couldn't pretend that I'd only been stepping out for some air, nor did I want to. I would have to face him and all of his anger if he woke up, and that thought terrified me more than the thought of making it on my own ever had.
Still, I didn't stop. I made it all the way to the end of the hall and stared at the front door, gulping down a knot of tension in my throat.
The door would not be quiet. I was tempted to climb out a window rather than risk the door’s squeaky hinges, but I refused to let Donnie have control over me even while I was leaving him. If the door woke him, at least I'd be outside and halfway to town before he realized what happened.
I reached for the handle, turning it and wincing as it squeaked in protest. I stilled and listened for sounds of movement from inside the house but thankfully heard nothing. Then, with agonizing slowness, I stepped out onto the deck and closed the door behind me.
Now all I had to do was get in my car and drive away. Simple. Minus the fact that Donnie would almost certainly hear the sound of my little Toyota thrumming to life.
No fear.
No looking back.
No hesitation.
I didn't put on my shoes until I was inside my car and the doors were locked. It was still dark in the house and that allowed me to
relax just a little. With a shaky hand I turned my key in the ignition and stared hard at the bedroom window.
It stayed dark. If Donnie had woken, he hadn't turned on any lights. Not yet, anyway. I started backing down the driveway, and without even glancing back in the rearview I headed off in the direction of the bus station.
I felt weight drop from my shoulders with turn of the wheel. The further I got from Donnie, the better I felt, and after about a mile I rolled down the window and let the warm air blast against my smiling face.
I'd done it! I'd left Donnie!
Sort of.
He probably didn't know I'd left him yet, and that would be its own set of problems once he found out, but the important thing was that I'd made the first move in my new life. Everything I did from here on out would be my choice, and that realization was so liberating that I indulged in a crow of delirious laughter.
I didn't know what I was going to do when I saw Jack again, or why I was seeking him out in the first place. I just knew that I couldn't let him disappear from my life—even if all I got to do was thank him before he went on his way.
I arrived at the bus station and parked near the ticketing office, dashing out to the waiting area with a hopeful smile.
There was nobody there.
I looked around in a panic, only to see a lone bus pulling out from one of the bays, and realized that my only shot at seeing Jack again was about to roll away before my eyes.
"Wait!" I called, waving my hands in the air and sprinting after the bus. "Stop!"
The bus only accelerated, belching out a thick cloud of smoke as it turned onto the main road.
"No!" I kept running. My feet ached from my long shift but I couldn't stop. Not when I was this close. Not when I'd tried so hard.
I couldn't even see his face through the darkened windows, only the reflection of the desolate bus station as the bus roared off toward destinations unknown, carrying my gorgeous fighter with it.
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