I didn’t touch the boyfriend comment.
There was no point.
Ty scowled. “If you hadn’t been talking so damn much, I wouldn’t have gotten distracted.”
Releasing Ashley’s hand, Chase threw his arms up. “We’re on foot, shithead! It’s not like we’re in a car going sixty miles an hour. How the hell do you get distracted on foot?”
“Nevermind.” His eyes cut to me. “I know.”
“Oh, shut up,” I added, shaking my head. “Don’t you blame this on me.”
“What?” Chase looked offended. “It’s true. If he”—he pointed at Ty again—“hadn’t been so busy staring at your ass, then this wouldn’t have happened.”
Ty shrugged. “She’s got a nice ass.”
It was Ashley’s turn to laugh.
“You two are just plain ridiculous.” Pulling my phone out of my shorts pocket, I tapped in my security code. “I’m calling Kyle. Maybe he can help.”
Before I could dial my brother-in-law’s number, Ty ripped the phone out of my hand. “The hell you are. Angel, I know you want to get out of here, but baby, Tuck will never let me live this down. If anybody is going to get us back to the shelter, it’ll be me.”
“Great,” Chase mumbled. “We’re all going to die out here.”
“Swear to God, little brother, if you don’t shut your smartass up, I’m going to embarrass you in front of Ashley.”
Chase smirked. “You can try.”
“Hey, Ashley.” Ty smiled. “Ever seen Chase try to kill a spider?”
“Oh fuck you!”
My head pounded as Ty and Chase’s squabble spiraled out of control. Turning in place, I gave them my back.
I leaned into Ashley when she stepped up next to me. “Heidi…” Her body tensed, grabbing my attention. “Look.” Lifting her right arm, she pointed at something.
When I saw the person she was gesturing to, my stomach dropped to my feet.
Ashley dug her nails into my arm, squeezing my flesh to the point of pain. “I think she needs help.”
I nodded as I took in the lone woman standing down and across the street from us. I didn’t know who she was, and I’d never seen her before, but one look at her panicked expression told me everything I needed to know.
She was in trouble.
Without a second thought, I pulled my arm free of Ashley’s grip and started to move. Behind me, I heard her yell Chase’s name, but I didn’t listen to what she said next.
My focus wasn’t on her, nor Chase or Ty for that matter. It was on her, the woman that looked ready to bolt.
“Heidi!”
I ignored Ty’s shout and moved faster.
Crossing the street, I hoofed it down the sidewalk until less than thirty feet separated me from her.
Adrenaline surging, I slowed my movements and kept my hands visible in an effort not to spook her.
Ten steps later, I stopped.
Then I waited for her to see me.
Busy looking behind her, she didn’t notice me right away. But when she did, her eyes widened, and she took a shaky step back.
My stomach dropped when I got my first good look at her.
She wasn’t a woman at all. If I had to guess, I’d say she was around fifteen, sixteen tops.
Wearing worn jeans with ripped knees and a nondescript black hoodie, she had her golden-brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail.
Dirty sneakers covered her feet, and a myriad of fresh bruises covered the right side of her face.
Her bottom lip was busted, and it looked like one of her earrings had been ripped from her ear.
The sight of her broke my heart while simultaneously pissing me off. Someone had hurt her and though I didn’t know who, the urge to beat them with a baseball bat was strong.
Scumbags…
“I won’t hurt you,” I said aloud, not caring what she thought about the sound of my voice. Holding up my hands, I showed her my palms. “I just want to help.”
Her chin wobbled as tear after tear fell from her dark eyes. “He’s coming. I d-don’t... don’t know where to g-go.” Looking over her shoulder, she turned and backed up against the brick building she stood next to. “He’ll kill me if he finds me,” she cried, her body jerking from the force of her sobs.
She turned her head.
Our eyes met.
“You have to r-run,” she said, hunching her shoulders. “If you don’t he’ll k-kill you t-too.”
“Like hell he will,” Ty growled.
I twisted at the waist and glared at the place where he stood five feet behind me; Chase and Ashley at his side.
“Shut up,” I said. “You’ll scare her away.”
He glanced from me to her, then back to me again. “Angel—”
“She needs help, Ty!” My voice rang out louder than I intended, but I didn’t care. “Either help me or be quiet.”
Jaw ticking, he stepped up next to me. “Who’s coming?” he asked the teenager.
“My Daddy.”
Two words.
That was all it took for the air around us to shift as Ty’s temper flared, filling the open space with waves of red-hot anger.
“He the one who hurt you?” he asked, beating me to the punch.
She nodded.
“Alright, honey.” I moved forward a step. “I promise he won’t get to you now. But I need to know where he’s coming from.”
Her face twisted as another sob jolted her entire body. “He’s at the bar over on E-eastwood. He makes me sit in the car while he d-drinks. Tonight, he got mad cause I got out and he... Please don’t make me go b-back…” She sucked in a breath. “I can’t g-o back.”
My body moved on autopilot as I charged forward. Stopping a few feet in front of her, I unclipped my ID badge from the top of my shorts and held it up, showing her. “My name is Heidi.” I forced a smile even though I was spitting mad. “I work at the Toluca Battered Women’s Shelter a few blocks over.”
At least I thought it was a few blocks over.
This is a heck of a time to be lost…
“I can help you, but first I need you to tell me what your name is.”
Wrapping her arms around her belly, she leaned back against the building and turned to the side a little. It was almost if she expected me to strike her.
“Mackenzie,” she said softly, watching me from the corner of her eye. “Mackenzie Porter.”
“I like that name. A lot.” A genuine smile crossed my face. “How old are you Mackenzie?”
“F-fourteen.”
Someone behind me—Ashley, I think—sucked in a breath. Then I heard the sound of a cell phone as someone started tapping keys.
“Do you have any family besides your father close by? Your mother, maybe?”
She shook her head. “No. My Mama l-left.”
“Son of a bitch,” Ty cursed before blowing out a breath.
If what Grandmama had inferred about Ty’s past was correct, I had no doubt that he was dealing with his own demons playing out in front of him, but he needed to calm down.
I’d seen his temper enough times to know how ugly it could get, and that was the last thing we needed.
As broken as he may have felt, he was a grown man.
Mackenzie was just a scared teenage girl.
She came first.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Ignore him. He’s got a foul mouth, but he’s harmless.”
Inspiration struck.
“Well,” I said, prepared to lie my behind off. “He’s not harmless.” I leaned forward and spoke as quietly as I could. “He’s actually a highly trained bodyguard. It’s what he’s doing out here with me tonight.”
I made a show of glancing back at Ty before meeting Mackenzie’s terrified gaze once more. “Trust me, he puts Chuck Norris to shame.”
Mackenzie stole a peek at Ty. “He looks like that Russian g-guy.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What Russian guy?”
“The b-boxe
r.” She hiccupped. “From Rocky.”
Laughter bubbled up out of me. “Holy crap, he does!” I turned my attention to Ty. “From now on, I’m calling you Ivan.”
He glared at me. “What?”
I shook my head. “Nevermind.”
Facing Mackenzie again, I gave her every bit of my focus. “Okay,” I said. “Priority number one is getting you to safety. Will you come back to the—”
The sound of tires squealing as a car came to a sliding stop behind me drowned out my words. I whipped around and watched through wide eyes as a man stumbled out of a grey SUV.
Dressed in dirty jeans and a wrinkled plaid shirt, he reeked of cheap booze and stale cigarettes. I was a good twenty feet away from him, but I could smell his stench plain as day.
Gross…
I stepped back, blocking Mackenzie’s body with my own as Ty moved forward, his hands clenched into tight fists. “Is that your Dad?”
I kept moving until my back met Mackenzie’s shoulder. I expected her to jump at my touch, but she didn’t.
Instead, she leaned into me and clutched the back of my tank top in her trembling hands.
Ty looked at us over his shoulder. “Is it?”
Mackenzie’s yes was barely audible.
Eyes on Ty’s, I nodded. “It’s him.”
Ashley suddenly rushed over and stood beside me, using her own shaking body as a shield against the drunk standing twenty feet away.
My belly churned as I took her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. “Everything is going to be alright,” I told her and Mackenzie both. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”
I prayed that I was right.
“Kenzie!” The drunk man hollered while swaying on his feet. “Come on now youngin’ and get in the car. It’s time to head home.”
“Please don’t make me—”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Ashley sounded fiercer than I’d ever heard her before. “Not if I have something to say about it.”
My chest swelled with pride.
If anyone knew what it felt like to be in Mackenzie’s shoes, it was Ashley. With a dark past of her own, she’d lived through hell and escaped a monster or two. Now she was fighting to save women and children just like her.
I was so damn proud of her.
Without saying a word, Ty charged into the street. I tensed, fully prepared to watch him punch Mackenzie’s father in the face.
To my surprise, he didn’t.
Scowling, he walked right past the drunk bastard I wanted to kick in the knee and leaned into his vehicle. The SUV’s still running engine died as he switched off the ignition and removed the keys.
The man looked at him but said nothing.
I didn’t blame him.
Ty’s entire body vibrated with rage.
If he lost control, the man didn’t stand a chance.
He knew it too.
Ty tossed the keys to Chase. “You call for help?”
Chase nodded. “Texted Hendrix and Shelby both from Ashley’s phone. Told them to check the GPS and come find our asses.”
“Kenzie!” The man hollered again. “Girl, get on over here. You got these people all upset.” He chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. “All for nothing.”
“All for nothing?” Chase’s voice was deceptively calm. “Is that what you call her busted lip and bruised face?”
The man tensed.
Anger clouded his features.
“That’s what happens when the girl don’t listen!” he yelled. “I’m her father, and the law says I can discipline her as I see fit. If the little bitch—”
Ty’s control vanished.
His eyes clouded and something ugly took over his features right before he turned and charged toward Mackenzie’s father. “Ty!” I yelled, trying to stop the train wreck I knew was coming. “Don’t!”
My words were useless.
That was clear when Ty slammed one heavy fist, followed by another into the man’s face.
Bone crunched, and blood flowed.
I screwed my eyes shut and turned my head to the side, refusing to watch the violence before me play out.
The man deserved every bit of the beating Ty was handing him, but I didn’t want to see it, and neither Ashley nor Mackenzie needed to witness it.
More tires squealed.
I opened my eyes to see Hendrix’s truck idling a few feet away from the curb. He jumped out and charged Ty, who was still beating on Mackenzie’s father. “Jacobs, what the fuck!”
“He damn well deserves it!’ Chase shouted to Hendrix. “Look at what he did to his daughter’s face!”
Hendrix froze mid-step.
I moved to the side, giving him a quick glimpse of Mackenzie. His jaw clenched tight. As a man who’d lived through his own abuse as a kid, I could only imagine what was going through his head.
“Heidi,” he said. “Put the girl in my truck and drive back to the shelter.”
“But Ty—”
“I’ve got him, Heidi, now go!”
Shaking his head, Hendrix lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Ty from behind. “Alright, you big son of a bitch, enough is enough.”
Madder than I’d ever seen him, Ty ripped free of Hendrix’s hold without issue, knocking him on his rear end.
“For fuck’s sake!” Hendrix hollered. “Chase! Get the hell over here and help me before your brother kills somebody and goes to prison!”
When Chase ran forward, I turned and wrapped my hand around Mackenzie’s upper arm. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t fight me as Ashley and I both guided her to Hendrix’s truck. After pushing her into the passenger seat, Ashley followed.
I ran around the front end and jumped in the driver’s side, slamming the door shut behind me.
I shifted the truck into drive.
Then, I took off like a bat out of hell.
Fifteen
Ty
I’d fucked up.
Majorly.
In a matter of minutes, I’d flushed every bit of progress I’d made with Heidi down the drain.
And it was all because of my temper.
“Fuck!” I cursed, holding my pounding head in my busted hands. “How damn stupid can I be?”
“Is that a dadgum trick question?” I looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. Blowing out a breath, I leaned back in the plastic chair where I sat outside the shelter.
“Not now, Crazy Old Biddy. I’m busy kicking my own ass.”
Flopping down in the chair next to me, she placed her large purse on her lap and pulled out a bottle of water. “Want a sip?”
I shook my head. “Not real thirsty.”
She shoved the bottle closer to my face and shook it side to side, trying her best to entice me. ‘Trust me, Troublemaker. You’ll wanna take a sip.”
Knowing she wouldn’t drop it, I took the bottle from her hand and unscrewed the cap. Then I lifted it to my lips and took a big gulp.
Battery acid slid down my esophagus.
I sputtered and coughed. Hitting my chest with my fisted hand, I tried to knock the air back into my lungs.
“What the hell, Grandmama?” I shoved the bottle back in her hand, sloshing the liquid all over my wrist. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“If I were trying to kill you, I would’ve given you vodka. You ever tasted that stuff? It ain’t no wonder them Russian fellas are so grumpy. I’d be mean as all get out if I drank that stuff too.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose between two fingers. “So what is it that you want? I was enjoying wallowing in my own misery before you came out here.”
Whack!
Her palm cracked against the back of my head, making me jump. “Boy, you keep running that smart mouth of yours, and I’ll pull out my flyswatter.”
I leaned back in my chair and slumped down, dropping my head back. Heart in my throat, I stared up at the dark southern sky. “Pull out your gun instead. Better to shoot me now and put me out of
my misery for good.”
I expected her to smack me again, but she didn’t. “I don’t like that kinda talk.” Her voice was laced with pain, something I’d never heard from her before. “It makes my old heart hurt.”
I ran my eyes over her face, watching as a tear slid down her wrinkled cheek. “Sorry, Grandmama.”
Throwing the water bottle back into her purse, she sat it on the ground next to her and crossed her ankles. “I done heard what your brother and Ashley had to say, but now I want you to tell me what happened”—she nodded toward the road in front of the shelter—“out there.”
My heart twisted.
“I lost my Angel. That’s what.”
Grandmama swung her gaze in my direction. “How you figure?”
“Because I let her see me.”
Lifting my hand, I ran my palm across my stubble-covered jaw. Messed up as it may sound, I wished I had the power to knock myself out just to ease the pain gripping my goddamn soul.
“I’ve tried so hard to prove to her that I’m not that kid anymore. The one who hurts others without mercy. I had her half convinced too. Hell, after a year she finally agreed to let me take her out. Then I blew it.” I chuckled humorlessly. “Guess I’m every bit the fuck up my old man has always claimed me to be.”
Whack!
My body jolted forward as she smacked me upside the head.
Yet again.
Crazy ass old woman.
“Would you stop? That shit hurts.”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s the point, dumbass.”
I remained mute, merely blinking.
“Now you listen to me, and you listen good. I will not sit here while a big strong man like you whimpers and whines about something that ain’t even happened yet.” She threw her hands up. “I know you’re not the sharpest crayon in the box but you ain’t gotta be stupid too!”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you trying to confuse me?”
“No, I ain’t trying to confuse you, but Lord almighty, Ty, it’s obvious you were born a blond!”
“Would you get to the damn point?”
“My point is that you need to get your sexy derriere back inside and find Heidi. And then you need to talk to her instead of sitting out here, brooding like a Brahma bull who’s done had his big ol’ balls cut off.”
Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6) Page 11
