His Heart

by Claire Kingsley

  The next few minutes were a haze. We’d struggled. Hands had gripped my arms. At some point he’d hit me again. Smashed my phone. Snarled at me, his breath thick with the stench of cheap booze.

  He’d been trying to wrestle me to the floor when I’d managed to knee him in the groin. I’d grabbed what I could of my things and left while he lay on the ground, clutching his nuts. Snarling, saying he was going to kill me.

  I believed him.

  My only thought had been to get away—and make sure Jared didn’t follow. So I’d taken a bus across town, all the while trying to keep my head down so no one would notice my face. The bus driver might have, but he hadn’t said anything. I’d gone to the only place I could think to go. Sunrise Diner.

  A few customers had been leaving when I’d walked in, but they hadn’t really looked at me. Betty Jean had freaked. She’d tried to get me to call the cops, but in the end, I’d convinced her to just let me use her phone. Told her I had someone to call who would help.

  Maybe I should have called the police. What were the chances they’d do a drug test on a woman who’d just been assaulted? And even if they had, it was just some Xanax. But I hadn’t exactly been in a rational frame of mind. I’d been terrified, and still fuzzy from the pills and whiskey. And the last thing I needed was to find out that rock bottom included drug charges.

  I’d still had Sebastian’s number on that folded piece of paper in my pocket. So I’d called.

  It was crazy. I’d met him once, for maybe twenty minutes, and he was who I turned to in a crisis?

  Granted, without my phone—and half wasted—I didn’t know anyone else’s number. Not even Mary’s. It had been an act of desperation.

  I lay there in the hotel room, staring at the ceiling. Sebastian and Charlie watched TV for a while, but eventually turned it off and went to sleep. I listened to them breathing. Sebastian was on the side next to my bed, sleeping on his back with one arm above his head.

  I didn’t mean to stare, but all I could think about was how I’d felt when I’d heard his voice on the phone. What it had been like to watch him walk into the diner.

  He was so big, his presence had filled the restaurant. I’d been relieved to see him—calmer as soon as he’d walked in the door. This guy barely knew me, and he’d dropped whatever he’d been doing to come pick up some random girl. I wasn’t sure what to think about that.

  But now, I was so damn tired. Despite the way my face hurt, I could feel myself falling asleep. The bed was comfortable. I pulled up the covers and let my eyes close. With a full stomach and an odd sense of peace, I let unconsciousness take me.

  When I woke up in the morning, my head was clear. My face hurt, but that was to be expected.

  Sebastian and Charlie were still asleep in the bed next to me. I sat up and had to stifle a laugh. Two big, muscular men crammed together on the same bed. They were kind of adorable.

  I got up quietly so I wouldn’t wake them and went into the bathroom. I was afraid to look in the mirror, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Granted, I looked awful. My lip was swollen and I had purple bruising beneath my eye. But it could have been worse.

  I took a shower and got dressed. Thankfully I had a change of clothes in my bag. I set it down next to me on the bed and carefully unzipped one of the pockets. Peeked inside. It was where I kept the photo of me and Liam at the Valentine’s Day dance, and the box with my engagement ring. I couldn’t look for very long, but I had to know they were still there. Had to know they were safe.

  By the time I came out, Sebastian and Charlie were up. Charlie was as big as Sebastian. His hair was lighter and his eyes blue, rather than that mesmerizing mix of green and brown. But they were both so tall, and thickly muscled. Sebastian had said he’d been a wrestler. Charlie must have been, too.

  Sebastian smiled at me. “Morning. Feeling any better?”

  “Yeah,” I said, trying not to let his smile get under my skin. But it prickled my insides. “The bed was comfortable.”

  Charlie snorted. “At least someone was comfortable last night.”

  “I slept fine,” Sebastian said.

  “That’s because you’re a fucking blanket hog,” Charlie said.

  Sebastian just chuckled. He stepped close and touched my chin with gentle fingers. He tipped my face to one side, then the other, his eyes intense and scrutinizing.

  I held my breath, torn between wanting to pull away from his touch, and melting at the warmth of his fingers on my skin.

  “God, this pisses me off.” He let go. “Sorry, Brooke. I really want to kill the fucker who did this to you.”

  “Yeah me too,” I said.

  Sebastian glanced at Charlie, then back at me. “I think you need to go to the police this morning. He shouldn’t get away with this.”

  I stepped backward. Going to the police opened such a can of worms. What if it made the news, and the Harpers found out? Or I reported it, but Jared went free? He’d already said he’d kill me. This would only make things worse.

  And where was I going to live now?

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  Sebastian put a hand on my arm. “I’ll go with you, okay? You don’t have to do it alone. But this isn’t right. Have you looked at your face? Let’s just go talk to them and see what they say.”

  I still wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, but I agreed.

  Sebastian drove me to the nearest police station. He came in with me, but when the woman at the front asked what we needed, I hesitated, looking to him.

  “Go ahead,” he said. “You’ve got this.”

  “I need to report an assault,” I said, surprised that my voice came out so clear.

  The officer was businesslike, but compassionate. Sebastian sat quietly next to me while I explained to her what had happened. She asked questions, took some pictures, and got Jared’s name and address. When she asked for my contact information, I wasn’t sure what to say. My phone was broken, and at this point, I was basically homeless.

  “Can I give you my number for now?” Sebastian asked.

  “And you are?” the officer asked.

  “Sebastian McKinney,” he said. “I’m Brooke’s friend.”

  “All right,” she said, and took down Sebastian’s number. “We’ll be in touch soon.”

  “Thanks for your time,” I said.

  Sebastian touched me gently on the back as we walked out of the police station. It was comforting. I’d wanted him to answer all the questions, even though he hadn’t been there. But he’d been quiet until the end, only nodding encouragement when I’d looked at him. His silent presence had helped, as did his light touch on my back, guiding me to his car. I was shaky, and part of me wanted to fall apart. To cry, and drink too much, and go to bed. Get numb and sleep it all away.

  But I took a deep breath as I got into his car, and held the pieces of myself together. For now, anyway.

  “Breakfast?” he asked when he got in next to me.

  Was it simply hunger that rumbled in my stomach? I so rarely had an appetite. But I felt cleaner than I had in a long time—more normal. Maybe I did want a good breakfast.

  “That sounds good,” I said.

  “Great. Let’s go get Charlie. Even if he had breakfast already, he can always eat.”

  We picked up Charlie and they checked out of their hotel. There was a restaurant that served breakfast nearby, so we went in. Sebastian and Charlie proceeded to order more food than I could eat in a week. Eggs, hash browns, pancakes, bacon, French toast, sausage. It was like they were trying to one-up each other. I opted for scrambled eggs and toast. I still felt a little wobbly, and I wasn’t sure what my stomach would be able to handle.

  “So, when are we heading out?” Charlie asked in between bites of food.

  They both sat across from me, like they were trying to give me space, the two of them crammed into one side of the booth. Sebastian stopped eating and his eyes rested on me.

  I tried not to squirm beneath his
scrutiny, but it was difficult. His eyes were so intense. Was he trying to figure out what to do with me? Where to take me? I didn’t know the answer to that, so how could he? I had nowhere to go.

  “Seb?” Charlie asked. “Simple question, man. Just wondering what the plan is.”

  “Come with us,” Sebastian said to me.

  “What?” I asked, trying not to fidget beneath the heat of his gaze. But it was as if he could see straight through me.

  “Come to Iowa,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “Um, Seb, can I talk to you outside for a minute?” Charlie asked.

  “No,” Sebastian said. He still didn’t look away from me. “I know what you’ll say. You’ll tell me this is crazy and it’s a terrible idea. And you’ll ask me if I’ve thought this through. But I agree with you. It is crazy, and maybe it’s a terrible idea. I don’t know, I haven’t thought it through.”

  “That’s not very convincing,” Charlie said.

  “Brooke, think about it,” Sebastian said, apparently ignoring his friend. “We both know you can’t go back to the guy who hurt you.”

  “No, but…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

  Charlie looked between me and Sebastian, his eyebrows raised. “This is messed up, Seb. No offense, Brooke.”

  “You could have a fresh start in Iowa,” Sebastian said. “Charlie and I would be there to help you get settled. Give it a shot, and if you hate it, I’ll drive you back to Phoenix myself.”

  I couldn’t actually be considering this. I couldn’t just take off with two guys I’d met yesterday, and move halfway across the country. They were practically strangers. How did I know I could trust them?

  But I did. And as much as it terrified me to admit it, I didn’t want Sebastian to go. The thought of him leaving hurt in ways it shouldn’t. And that right there should have been reason enough to say no. To say goodbye.

  Sebastian was dangerous. Not like Jared. Sebastian wasn’t going to hurt me physically. But his very existence threatened to rip down my walls and strip me bare. It would only be a matter of time. And I wasn’t sure that was something I could survive.

  “Okay,” I heard myself say. It was almost as if someone else was speaking. “I’ll go.”

  Sebastian’s smile lit up his face and made my stomach tingle. “Awesome. This is great. What about all your stuff?”

  “Oh, I don’t have much of anything,” I said. “I sold my furniture when I had to move. I have some stuff at Jared’s, but honestly I’d rather leave it. It’s mostly just clothes, and I don’t want to go back there.” I had everything that meant something to me in my bag.

  “That makes it easy,” Sebastian said. “Although I’d love to pay a visit to that piece of shit.”

  “I actually agree with you there,” Charlie said. “But are we sure about this?”

  “Yeah,” Sebastian said. “It’s not like I’m kidnapping her. She wants to come.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” he said. “Can we talk outside, or are you really going to make me do this in front of her?”

  Sebastian didn’t answer, just raised his eyebrows at Charlie.

  “Fucking balls,” Charlie muttered. “Fine. Brooke, I swear I’m not hating on you right now, but Seb, are you nuts? She’s… well, obviously she has some issues. And you just met her. And she’s… you know.” His eyes moved meaningfully to Sebastian’s chest.

  “Yeah, I know,” Sebastian said. He looked at me again. “If you want to do this, I’m in.”

  I had a feeling that when Sebastian went in on something, he went all in. There was no reluctance or hesitation in him. Just a burning intensity that called to me—drew me in and made me want to get closer.

  I took a deep breath, like I was about to jump into cold water. “Yes. I want to do this.”

  He smiled again and I melted a little. “Okay. Let’s get going. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

  19

  Sebastian

  The drive back to Iowa took two days. Charlie and I traded off driving, and Brooke even took a couple of turns. It went by fast with the three of us. We stopped at a motel for a night and got on the road early the next morning.

  We’d been driving for several hours when I got a call from the Phoenix police department. They’d picked up Jared. Turned out he had outstanding warrants in four different counties, plus two prior DUIs. The county prosecutor wouldn’t even have to work very hard to put that guy away.

  Brooke spoke with the officer and said she was in the process of moving. He said it wouldn’t be a problem. It was unlikely they’d need her to testify. The other charges Jared was facing were more than enough to get him locked up for a long time, and they had the evidence they needed from her assault. But they’d get in touch if anything changed.

  I was just glad to be getting her away from that bastard, whether he went to jail or not. Every mile of pavement that passed beneath the tires made me feel better.

  Brooke spent a lot of time staring out the window. I wondered what she was thinking. Was she nervous? Questioning whether she’d made the right decision? Or maybe she was just watching all the wheat and corn fields. She said she’d never seen so much corn before. But that was the Midwest for you.

  We rolled into Iowa City late Monday night. Charlie was snoring in the backseat when I pulled into our driveway.

  Brooke glanced over her shoulder, then looked at me. The corners of her mouth turned up.

  Holy shit. She smiled.

  I grinned at her. “He’s a loud sleeper. I feel sorry for his future wife.”

  We got out of the car and Charlie stumbled out behind us. I grabbed my bag—Brooke had hers—and led her inside.

  Charlie and I lived in an old house his grandparents owned not far from the university. It was two stories with a covered porch and wood floors that creaked, especially when the weather was changing. A huge maple tree in the front yard dumped leaves all over everything in the fall.

  Brooke hesitated in the front room, holding her bag on her shoulder.

  “We have an extra bedroom upstairs,” I said. “There’s not much in there, but it has a bed. No one’s used it in a while.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I can sleep wherever, so that’s great.”

  Charlie hoisted his bag over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. “I’m going to bed.” He paused and glanced at Brooke. “Don’t murder us in our sleep or anything, okay?”

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” she said.

  Charlie trudged up the stairs and we followed. I showed Brooke to the extra room and made sure she had everything she needed. She assured me she was fine, so I left her to it and went to my room.

  Although it was late, I sent a text to my mom, letting her know I was home. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain Brooke. How do you tell your parents you had brought home the girl who’d been engaged to your organ donor? That was going to be an interesting conversation.

  I was well aware of how crazy this was. I could have called Mrs. Harper. Even though Brooke hadn’t wanted me to, they would have helped her. I could have left her with people who clearly cared about her, and gone home.

  There were so many reasons I should have done just that, not the least of which was the fact that she’d been engaged to Liam Harper. Plus, she clearly had problems. I didn’t know if she was a drug addict or alcoholic. Whether the guy who’d beat her up was some psycho who’d come looking for her if he got out of jail. She’d said she’d been staying with him temporarily, but why? And she’d left town on almost a moment’s notice. She’d borrowed my phone to make a couple of calls before we’d left—one had been to the lady from the diner—but that was it. What kind of person could just take off? What did that say about her?

  I’d thought about all those things before I’d asked her to come with me. I’d thought about them again, over and over, on the long drive. And even though they were all true, I still didn’t regret bringing her here.

  That part, I coul
dn’t explain. Just like I couldn’t explain how I’d known it was her when I saw her for the first time. Or why I’d insisted on giving her my number.

  What I did know was how I felt when I looked at her. I wanted her here. I couldn’t walk away.

  Which was, of course, fucking insane. But I guess I’d decided to embrace the insanity. I’d told her I was in, and that was the truth.

  It was good to be home and back in my own bed, so I put aside my worries for the night and went to sleep.

  The next morning, I came downstairs to find Brooke in the kitchen, cooking. Her hair was up, looking a little messy and careless, and she was dressed in a sleeveless crocheted sweater over a white tank top. Her shorts showed off her legs, and her feet were bare.

  I really needed to stop looking at her legs.

  “Hi,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind me using your kitchen, but I thought you might want breakfast. You guys have a waffle iron, and I make pretty good waffles.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “You definitely know the way to Charlie’s heart.”

  She gave me a small smile and brought two plates of waffles to the table. I got out a bottle of syrup and forks.

  “Do I smell food?” Charlie came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. His hair stuck up at a weird angle.

  “See?” I said.

  “Um, yeah, I made waffles.” Brooke put two more on a plate, then handed it to Charlie.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  We all sat at the kitchen table to eat. Brooke was right, she did make good waffles.

  “I didn’t poison them,” Brooke said, looking at Charlie.

  He hadn’t taken a bite yet. “That’s not what I was thinking.”

  Brooke just smiled. Her bruises still showed, although the ones on her arms were getting lighter. Her black eye had faded to a dull purple. It would probably be gone in a few more days.

  We ate in silence for a while. Charlie inhaled his food, then helped himself to two more from the stack Brooke had left on the counter.