I was so dead.
He turned the knife on me, grabbing my throat and slamming me against the wall. He pressed the knife to my throat. "You're really starting to piss me off now. I think you've gone without punishment for too long, you think you can fight back. That's not what I use you for, so you either take it or die," his voice was deadly calm, his eyes filled with rage and hunger for the pain he was causing.
A knock on the door shocked us both.
He squeezed my throat tight and cut off my air supply. I struggled against him, clawing at his hands. If I can just get enough air, I could scream.
It took me until I was about to pass out to realize that I would be better off to fake passing out. So, that's exactly what I did. I slumped in his grasp, staying limp as I focused on keeping myself from blacking out.
He finally released me, letting me crumble onto the floor. His footsteps moved away and out of the kitchen. Only then did I allow myself to gasp for breath, trying to stay as quiet as possible.
I heard Roger open the door as I blinked through the fog in my head, coughing softly into my shirt.
"I'm here to get Nova," Gavin's voice shot through the house, stern and solid. It was heavenly to hear his voice, but it didn't make sense that he was here. Was I hallucinating? I tried to speak, but every time I did, I just coughed more.
"She's not here, ran off. If you find her then you should take her back to juvie where she belongs," Roger said back, "Now if you don't mind, it's late and I'm enjoying the game."
I heard the door swing closed, then bounce back open. Gavin must have blocked it from closing. "Did you call the police?" Gavin asked, making my heart sink.
"Of course, but they don't report a person missing for 48 hours. Now if you’ll excuse me boy."
"What happened to your knuckles?" Yes Gavin! Investigate! I looked around me, spotting a beer bottle on the floor. Exhaustion was setting in and I couldn't catch my breath fast enough to scream. I rolled the bottle across the floor, praying that he could hear it. It rolled until it hit the wall in front of the doorway.
"Work. I don't appreciate your questions."
"I don't appreciate your lies," Gavin growled back.
"You can't come in here!" Roger yelled.
The sound of footsteps striding across the floor reached my ears and my heart beat with fear, worried that it was Roger coming back to finish the job.
Gavin rounded the corner, looking like a dark angel. An extremely angry dark angel. His eyes swept over me, taking in my appearance, before he turned and exited the room.
He left me there.
"Get her and wait in the truck," Gavin ordered, his voice deep and low, more dangerous than I'd ever heard him.
Landon rounded the corner of the kitchen, just as I heard the sounds of fighting coming from the other room.
Landon, my sweet friend Landon. He had his phone in his hand, pausing when he spotted me. His face flickered with different emotions as he tucked his phone into his pocket. He moved towards me quickly. "Please don't kill me for this." He scooped me up into his arms and carried me out of the kitchen.
I spotted Gavin immediately, with his hand around Roger’s throat, his other fist pummeling him in the face. Curses flowed freely from his mouth, his eyes wild with revenge. Revenge for me and what Roger had done to me today and in the past. I only wished that I was the one paying him back.
With me, Roger was a monster, but in the presence of Gavin, someone younger and filled with so much rage, he didn't stand a chance.
Landon paused, watching him for a minute, letting him go at it until he finally said something, "I've got her let's go." Gavin didn't respond, still laying into the man I’d feared. "Gavin, let's go! You can't kill him."
"I should," Gavin snarled into the man's fist tenderized face.
"Gavin," I whispered, my throat rough from being strangled. At least I could speak now without having a coughing fit.
Gavin turned his head slightly, so I knew he had heard me. It took him a few more minutes to let Roger go, giving him one last punch to knock him out. He turned, not meeting my eyes as he grabbed my forgotten bag and headed out the door. Landon climbed into the truck, still holding me in his comforting arms. Gavin climbed into the driver's seat, revving the truck before pulling away from the house.
"We should take you to a hospital," Landon said, gently moving the hair from my face.
"I'm fine," I said. I've been beaten worse than this.
"You probably have a concussion."
"I'm fine," I insisted.
"You're stubborn."
I couldn't disagree with that. "How did you find me?"
"There's a friend finder app that I downloaded on your phone before you left. Comes in handy when you're trying to find someone who strayed from home," Landon said, smiling down at me. It didn't take the worry from his eyes though.
I thought of moving from Landon's arms, but he felt warm and I hurt so much. So I leaned my head against his chest, trying to stay awake as Gavin drove us home.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The truck came to a stop sometime later. Landon shifted me over in the seat, so he would be able to get out.
"Okay, I'll go get some snacks and something to clean you up with. Do you want to come in with me, Nova?" Landon asked, gathering up the money he would need and making sure he had enough.
"Does she look like she fucking wants to get out of the truck?" Gavin snapped at him, his raw knuckles paling on the steering wheel.
"I was just kidding," Landon defended.
"Get your ass out of the truck," Gavin growled as he glared at Landon. Landon just sighed and got out, mumbling that he'd be back in a minute before shutting the door.
We sat in silence as the minutes ticked by. I wiped some of the blood from my lip onto my arm. I knew I had to look awful, so I avoided looking in the mirror. At least I was feeling a bit better now that I wasn't being beaten anymore.
"You shouldn't have listened to me," Gavin grumbled so low I could barely hear him.
"What?" I asked, preparing for him to lash out again.
"You shouldn't have listened to me," he repeated, clenching the steering wheel in his fists. "I was a fucking bastard, and we were messed up before you came along. It took you walking away for me to realize that I was wrong; you do care. We need you."
I sat frozen for several minutes, the pain of my injuries temporarily forgotten. Gavin had just said the sweetest thing to me, causing tears to blur my eyes. I wrapped my arms around his middle, resting my head on the side of his arm as he sat motionless. "Thank you for saying that," I said, then added, "You like me," to make him uncomfortable. Hey, I wasn't going to let a moment like this pass without smothering him with warm and fuzzy feelings.
He growled, struggling to get out of my cuddle hold, "Yeah, yeah, now get the fuck off me."
I released him, but put my hand on my heart, still blinking through tears that weren't completely for show. "But why let a moment like this pass without showing our undying love for one another. Kiss me you fucking bastard!" I said as dramatically as I could, my voice raspy as I pretending to lean forward to do just that.
"I'll pass," he said, shoving me away lightly. He acted all grumpy and mad, but his shove was gentle and precise as he avoided my injuries. His eyes weren't cold, more annoyed with a touch of something that I hadn't seen in his eyes before.
Contentment.
Chapter 30
The closer we got to the ranch, the more anxious I became. By the time we arrived, I was riddled with nerves. How would everyone react to seeing me back at the ranch, let alone in the condition I was in. Landon had tried to clean up my wounds and patch me up the best he could, but he didn't have a medical degree, so he could only do so much. I still appreciated it along with the painkillers he had bought.
Maybe they wouldn't notice all the bruises and scrapes at all, or maybe they would think that I deserved them for leaving. What if they didn't accept me back? What if me leavi
ng had made them realize that they didn't really need me, that they didn't have feelings for me like they thought they did.
I peeked out the window of the truck, watching as the ranch crept into view. It was dark out, but I could still see with the moonlight. The first thing I noticed was the barn and the graffiti I’d done, still there the way I left it. The second thing was that Storm wasn't in the field where he had been this morning. I sat up, ignoring the pain and soreness as I scanned the field again. Maybe he was just laying down or blending in really well. It was dark after all and he was dapple gray, making it easy for him to seem invisible against the dark field.
As we drove past, Gavin slowed the truck down to a crawl, seeming to notice his absence as well. Storm wasn't there. Wyatt was right, he had been staying for me and must have sensed that I had left for good. He could be anywhere by now.
Gavin and Landon exchanged a look, then Landon nudged me gently and turned in the seat, looking out the back window.
There stood Storm, basked in the reddish glow of the truck's taillights. I took a quick intake of breath, then let it out slowly in a sigh of relief.
I moved to get out, but Landon put a hand on my arm while Gavin turned into the driveway and pulled up to the ranch. Storm followed behind the entire time, throwing his head and prancing. He let out a loud neigh that ended in a whinny, bobbing his head at me as I climbed out of the truck. I walked up to his, reaching out my hand for him. He stepped forward, pressing his muzzle into my hand for a split second, then stepped forward to throw his head over my shoulder for a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck, curling my fingers into his mane. Storm backed up after a few minutes, tucking his head towards his chest. With a squeal, he jumped straight up into the air like popcorn popping in a microwave. My giggle was cut off by the pain in my ribs, so I stuck with a smile instead.
"You're back!" Dylan called, running right up to me and wrapping his arms around me, causing Storm to shy away and a whimper of pain to escape my lips. I was being such a wimp right now. I’d been worse off than this and hadn't made a sound, and now it was like I couldn't take the pain. Dylan immediately loosened his hold, taking a step back so he could scan my body for injuries. The light from the porch made it easy to see how badly I had been beaten hurt, and I could hear his breath catch as he saw how hurt I was. "Who did this?"
I glanced back behind him at Gavin, not knowing what to say. Dylan turned as well, his eyes landing on him. "What did you do?" Dylan sounded angry, which was a shock coming from him. What shocked me even more though, was when he took a few steps forward and clocked Gavin right in the nose. Gavin's head snapped back and he grunted, then reached out and shoved Dylan back.
"What the hell was that for?" Gavin growled, glaring down on Dylan, who was facing off with him, looking like he was ready to take another swing.
"You did this to her, didn't you?"
"No."
"Then why are your knuckles scraped up like you've been hitting someone?" Dylan accused, not believing him.
"I didn't hit her," Gavin ground out, rubbing his nose.
"He didn't do this to me Dylan," I spoke up, walking towards him. I was surprised by his protectiveness of me, but it still warmed my insides that he was willing to go against his own family to protect me.
Gavin strode off towards the barn, passing Wyatt, who was leaning against the doorway.
A gasp came from behind me and I turned, watching as Polly, Chili and Jayden came out of the house and into the driveway. "What happened?" Polly asked, reaching for me as she got closer. Instead of hugging me like I thought she would, she gently touched my shoulders, looking over my visible skin at the bruises. She would probably freak out if she would see the rest of my body right now.
"Come on inside," she directed me, guiding me inside. Dylan, Landon and Jayden followed behind, "Dylan, go get the first aid kit."
We went into the living room and Polly had me sit on the couch. "Tell me everything, don't leave anything out."
So I told her everything, starting from the very first time I saw Roger to this time, describing how Mrs. Dollghen had watched him with me before she left. How he had thrown me down the stairs, then beat me. I felt emotionless, like I was describing something I’d read about, like I had no emotional investment in what had happened. If only that was truly the case. If only I couldn't feel the physical and emotional pain that he had caused me, not just today but years ago.
I saw Dylan and Jayden glance at Landon, like they wanted confirmation that this had happened. He gave a slight nod and their expressions turned sad, something I rarely saw on Jayden's face.
"Ah Honey, I'm so sorry. I knew there was something not right with that woman, but if I would have known she was going to do something like this, I never would have let you go with her," Polly said, gently tucking a few strands of hair behind my ears. She seemed to be keeping her calm, which I appreciated greatly. "They're not going to get away with this. I'm going to give the judge a call tonight and see what we need to do to take care of this. But first, we need to make sure that you're okay. I think we need to take you to the hospital, you must have a concussion and lord knows what else."
The last thing I wanted was to spend the rest of the night in some hospital with a bunch of doctors poking and prodding at me. Social services would get involved and I would have to explain all of this all over again. "I'm fine, I don't need to go to the hospital."
"Honey, you're anything but fine."
"I really don't feel up to it tonight," I admitted, hoping she wouldn't force me to do this. I was exhausted and I couldn't take much more today. I didn't want to have an emotional breakdown in front of them.
"She'll be okay; we'll all take turns watching her. The moment she shows sign of a concussion, we'll take her straight to the hospital," Landon reasoned.
"I'll take first watch," Dylan volunteered.
Polly sighed heavily, frowning at me and the boys. She thought it over for a minute, before relenting, "I guess I can't make ya go if ya don't want to. I'm gonna go give the judge a call, ya boys check her injuries the best ya can."
Jayden seemed to relax beside me, then he grabbed the first aid kit from Dylan, along with my hand. "I'll do it. Come on Sweetheart, let's get you all bandaged up." He started walking, pulling me out of the room with him and leaving the others behind, who seemed really willing to let him walk off with me. Like that's what they wanted, so they could stay and talk privately with Polly.
As used to being beaten as I was, when I looked around the room all I could see was concern and worry on the faces of the people around me. Seeing their reaction told me that my experience wasn’t normal. I really had had a long string of bad luck since birth, I only hoped that the good luck I was having at the ranch would hold out.
"Sit down, take off your clothes," Jayden directed me once we got to the bathroom, motioning towards the tub with a wink.
"I'm not taking off my clothes." This guy never gives up with his advances.
"I have to see your injuries."
"See them through my clothes then."
"Sweetheart, if only I had x-ray vision," Jayden sighed out, his penetrating stare slowly sliding down my body. "I'll probably need to wrap your ribs, which I'll need your shirt off for and your hip is bleeding."
I glanced down at my hip, realizing that he was right. I must have somehow cut it when I fell down the stairs.
I frowned at him, warning him not to make a move while I was injured. All I could see was his strong back as he filled up the sink with water and wet a rag. I slowly lifted the hem of my shirt up over my stomach, then stopped, a stabbing pain shooting through my chest when I tried to go higher.
Jayden turned, watching me struggle for a minute before stepped forward and pulling the shirt off me. He threw the shirt onto the floor and rested his fingertips on my sides as his eyes scanned my bruised chest and stomach. His eyes heated before he took a step back and shoved the door shut. I swallowed hard and stared at the solid wo
od door, wanting to escape out it. I wasn’t ready for what he wanted. I felt exposed and more vulnerable than ever before.
"Can you leave the door open?" I asked nervously.
"Do you want the others to see you?" Jayden asked.
The answer was no, it was bad enough that Jayden was seeing all of the damage Roger had caused, I didn't want the others to see too. I didn't want to see the pity in their eyes or the sadness at what they saw. I felt like I had to protect them.
I looked up into Jayden’s eyes and inhaled sharply. It wasn’t hungry need that I saw there, but anger. If it wasn’t for the distant look, would have thought he was mad at me.
Jayden moved back in front of me when I didn’t respond, taking a towel from the sink and kneeling in front of me. He muttered under his breath, but the curses rolling off his tongue weren’t pointed at me, but at the man who had beat me. He started to clean me with the towel, his actions surprisingly gentle compared to his emotions.
I let him work for a minute before pulling back. It felt unnecessary for him to do this when I could do it myself. "I can clean myself."
"Why, when I can do it for you? Just relax, I know you're tired," Jayden said soothingly. He tilted my face up towards him, his expression turning unreadable as he starts wiping the dirt and blood from my face. I was surprised that he didn't go in for a kiss, which would have been the typical thing for him to do. Maybe the split lip was a turn off. His eyes suddenly paused on my lips as if he was realizing the same thing. His eyes met mine for only a second, and I could see the anger and hurt he was trapping inside. Then he blinked twice, hiding his emotions as far down as he could, and seemed to shake off some of his seriousness. He pressed his lips to my chin, then wiggled his fingers behind my knees to tickle at the sensitive skin there. My lips curved upward and Jayden smiled wickedly back at me. He seemed satisfied at my reaction and returned to cleaning me, never saying a word and not needing to.
I flinched occasionally from the pain, but let him work, knowing he was trying to help. When he was done, he released my face and rinsed out the rag, then stepped back in front of me again. I leaned my temple onto his chest as he washed my back. I felt wide awake even though I was exhausted. He moved on to my front, working around my bra and only lightly brushing across my ribs, which hurt like hell.
Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) Page 32
