by L. P. Dover
Her ex notices me, but doesn’t say anything. He keeps his attention on his former mother-in-law who seems very happy to see him while I stand here, keeping the wall upright. As soon as her father walks out, he’s going right to the family reunion and I use this opportunity to go into the room. I know they like me, but Aaron has a history with them that I don't.
“Kennedy.” My voice is soft, afraid to bother her.
“Hunter, where have you been?” She reaches for me and I go to her, taking her hand in mine. I’m careful not to hurt her when I kiss her. That fucker hit her in the face, damaging the perfection that is my girlfriend. Not being able to kiss her is going to fucking kill me.
“I’m been out in the hall.”
“I’ve been asking for you, but—”
“It’s okay,” I say, smoothing her hair away from her bandage. “I’m here now, right?” She nods and turns her head toward me.
“Did they find Jennifer?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. She wasn’t at her house and the police really don’t have any leads on where she might be. The last Van told me was that they’re going through the GPS on Chad’s car to see if they can track him that way.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry, Hunter, it was self-defense.”
I nod and kiss the top of her hand. Her wrists are bandaged from where she cut herself and where the ties dug into her skin. She’ll have scars there, reminding her every single day that she was attacked. There’s a bandage wrapped around her head, compressing the wound from when she hit the ground. And stitches in her cheek from when her face was jabbed into the broken tar of the parking lot. Her wounds may be superficial and will heal, but the trauma she experienced tonight will live with her forever.
“You have a waiting room full of people.”
“Who?”
She smiles and I can’t tell if it’s forced or not.
“Chris, Elaine, and Sara are here, but also your ex.”
“Aaron?” She tries to sit up, but falls back down on her mattress quickly.
“Yeah, I asked Chris to call. I didn’t want him to see what happened on the news and panic. He’s with your parents right now.”
“That was nice of you.”
I’m glad she thinks so because right now I’m questioning my actions. I don’t want to be that guy, though—the jealous one who is constantly worried about her ex. I know he couldn’t make her feel the way I do, but what if that’s not enough? What if what she truly wants is a career-minded man who has his shit together? Right now I’m a fucking intern screwing the boss with no other job prospects.
“What’s wrong, Hunter?”
I shake my head and avoid looking at her. “Just worried that’s all.” She doesn’t need to know that I’m second-guessing everything right now. She doesn’t need to know that I fear I’m not the man she needs once she realizes sex isn’t everything.
Kennedy looks at me warily, but before I can try to diffuse the situation the door bursts open and Van Bryant is standing at the foot of her bed. She tries to sit up and this time I help her. When she winces out in pain, I want to kick my ass for helping her move.
“Did you find Jennifer?”
“We did, in a remote cabin out past Mt. Hood.”
“How is she?”
He glances from me to her and at the floor before sighing. “It’s not good, Kennedy. She’s in surgery now, but she’s lost a lot of blood.” Van runs his hand through his hair and lets out a long puff of air. “On a personal note, I have no doubt that you were next, Kennedy. Your pictures were all over his wall. If you hadn’t stepped in,” he nods toward me, “you wouldn’t be here.”
“I told you he set the bomb at the club,” I say, angrily.
“I know, but we didn’t have any evidence and he had an air tight alibi.”
“Well clearly they all lied.”
He nods, accepting that the shoddy detective work has put us in this situation.
“Is Jennifer going to be okay?”
He shakes his head. “If she survives she’ll need years of therapy. He did a number on her. I believe that it was his intent to dump her in the woods. She’s unrecognizable. He shaved her hair, removed all her teeth, and sanded the skin off her fingers and toes to make her prints untraceable. There are cuts all over her face; some of them go straight through to her mouth. Her body …” Van stops and covers in his mouth. Bile rises in my stomach and I close my eyes to fight it from expelling onto the floor. Kennedy cries out and I jerk suddenly to help her as pain rips through my mid-section.
Van leaves us on that note—a somber one, and one that increases every emotion in my body. The images from earlier replay in my mind. What if I hadn’t gotten there in time? The bastard would've probably done the same shit to Kennedy.
“What if I didn’t get there in time?” The tubes in her arms prevent the grip I’m used to from her, but she holds me as tight as she can. “I love you so much, Kennedy. I can’t even …”
“Shh, Hunter. I’m fine. You came when I needed you.”
“But what if—”
“There is no what if, Hunter. None. Do you understand me? I texted you and you came. You saved me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
I continue to hold her and fight through the pain of bending at the waist. I hate that I’m crying in front of her, but I can’t help it. The fear in my life is real.
I help Kennedy lie back down just as her parents come in. Her mom moves to her side and picks up her hand. “Visiting hours are almost over, Kennedy. Your father and I are going to stay in town for a few more days.”
She smiles softly at her mom. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Her mother looks at me with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for being there for her, Hunter. We owe you so much."
I shake my head. "Knowing she's safe is all that matters. I'd do anything for her."
She walks over to me and crushes me in her arms. My ribs are on fire but I suck back the pain. "I know you will. Keep her safe for us."
"Always."
When they leave finally leave, the room goes quiet.
“When were you going to tell me that you’re in pain?”
I shrug, brushing it off. She beckons for me, patting the side of her bed. I nestle into her side and wince.
“Hunter,” she says, warning me.
“I’ll be fine, babe.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I’ve never been surer about anything, even when the fear of us ending seems to be staring me down. I’ll fight for her, though. I'll fight with everything I have to make sure I’m everything she needs.
A month has flown by and things are starting to get back to normal. My parents have sent me care packages in the mail and even flew up for a couple of days. They’ve been really good to Hunter as well. Even though it hasn’t been discussed yet, I know he’s my forever. I can’t imagine a life without him.
The TV is on in my bedroom, and even though I say I’m not going to watch the news, I can’t help it. The majority of the people are shocked that a prestigious man like Chad Bates could do such horrific things. None of them know the half of it.
The media has been at my office non-stop trying to get an interview with me, but luckily for me, I’ve avoided them. I don’t want to be put on display. I’ll save my time in front of the camera when we all go to court.
“Babe, you about ready?” Hunter calls out.
I look at myself in the mirror, at the wounds that have already fully healed on my face. There’s only a slight scar where the wounds went deep. If only Jennifer was able to get away unscathed. Over the past month, she’s had surgeries left and right to restore her face and body by the top plastic surgeons in town. I can only imagine what that bastard did to her.
I never saw what she looked like before the surgeries. Makes me sick to think of the horror she went through. I’ve seen her a few times
over the month, but I haven’t been able to talk to her until now. With her not having teeth and the damage to her jaw, it made it difficult for her to speak, but the best dentist in the area fixed that by giving her implants. It’ll be nice to actually hear her voice.
Her parents said she’s been asking for me so we can talk about the case against Chad. Personally, I think it’s too soon, but I don’t know what’s going through her head. I walk down the stairs and Hunter’s waiting for me by the door, his expression torn. He knows how hard it’s going to be for me to talk about the case with Jennifer.
“You sure you’re ready to do this?”
I nod. “It’s going to happen eventually. Besides, I need to see Jennifer and actually talk to her. I need to know how she feels so I can prepare her as much as possible for what’s ahead.”
We walk outside and he opens the passenger side door to his car. I still have headaches from the attack, but I was told they’d lessen over time. After what Hunter did to Chad, I hope he lives with a constant headache for the rest of his life. The bastard suffered a cracked skull and several broken ribs, but he’s pretty much fully recovered, spending his precious time in jail while he awaits trial. I’m a full believer that karma’s a bitch. He’ll get what he deserves. No amount of money is going to get him out of prison.
Hunter cranks his car and we start on our way to the hospital. The wind whips through my hair and I breathe it in, lowering the window further so I can feel more of it. “How’s the new case Chris put you on?” I ask, trying my best to think of something else for the time being.
Reaching over, he clasps my hand. “It’s going well. He says he doesn’t know what he’s done without me all these years.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “If you were gay, he’d be all over you.”
Chuckling, he squeezes my hand. “You have nothing to worry about.”
My phone rings and I sigh, dreading the thought of answering it. I’ve had to relive that night with Chad over and over by answering questions about it. I just want it to be over. I pull out my phone and when I see it’s Van, I answer it immediately.
“Hey,” I say.
“How are you?” he asks.
“Nervous. I’m on my way to see Jennifer.”
The line goes silent but then I hear him breathe out. “I was just there. She’s looking good.”
“Why did you see her? Did something else happen?”
“Yes, which is why I’m calling. We found out where Mr. Bates got the bomb from. His cousin, Ray Tanner, made it. He’s being charged with murder and attempted murder along with Mr. Bates. We’re also charging the two women who gave him the alibis.”
I put him on speakerphone so Hunter can listen. “That’s crazy. Do you know how he was able to get the bomb past Christy?”
He releases a heavy sigh. “Apparently, he was sleeping with her. According to Tanner, Christy knew what was going on. Of course, she didn’t expect to be killed in the process.”
Hunter clenches the steering wheel and huffs. “What the fuck?” he hisses low. It has to be hard for him knowing a woman he worked with for so long was part of a plan to have him killed. I’d be livid if someone I trusted betrayed me like that.
“Is there anything else you found out?” I ask.
“Not at the moment. I just thought I’d give you all the information I had. When you go back to the office, I’ll bring copies of all the reports. It’s not like you’ll really need them to make a case against Mr. Bates, but I know it’ll be good to have.”
“Thanks, Van. I’m ready for all this to end.” We hang up just as Hunter pulls us into the hospital parking lot.
He shuts off his car and runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe this shit. We knew she let the fuckhead in without checking his belongings, but damn. I never expected her to want to fucking kill me.”
“Karma definitely paid her an overdue visit. At least she was the only one who got killed.”
“Thank God for that.” I’m surprised there weren’t any more major casualties, but it’s a good thing everyone else was on the other side of the club. Sighing, Hunter nods toward the hospital. “Ready to go in there?”
Yes and no. I open my door and we walk hand in hand inside the hospital. The flowers in the gift shop catch my attention so I buy her a bouquet of sunflowers. Not because she’s in the hospital, but because she’s about to be let out into the world after her tragedy. For the first time since the incident, she’ll come face-to-face with the media.
We ride the elevator up to her floor and when I get to her room, I stop outside. Hunter gently grabs my elbow and turns me to face him. “You can do this. Remember, it’s not your fault. You did everything you could to help her. Nobody knew her bastard of a husband was going to try to kill her.”
But we all knew what he was capable of. After the explosion at the club, I should’ve made her leave town or get the detective to put her in protective custody. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t have been possible because no one believed us when we said it was Chad who planted the bomb.
Hunter kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll be in the waiting room, okay?”
I nod and whisper, “Okay.”
He walks down the hall and I watch him disappear inside the waiting room. Taking a deep breath, I open the door slowly and peek inside. The TV is on and there’s light filtering in through the open windows. There’s a curtain blocking her from view but when I step around it, that’s when I get a good look at her. I can see part of her scalp that’s slowly growing in more hair, but the majority of her face is covered in white gauze. What really catches me by surprise are her eyes; she’s looking straight at me, her gaze full of fire.
“Kennedy,” she whispers. As I set her sunflowers down, she smiles. “They’re beautiful.”
She holds out her hand and I grasp it before sitting in the chair beside her. “How are you holding up?” I ask.
Tears fill her eyes and she sucks in a breath. “I’m getting there. Detective Bryant came by today. He told me about the girl at the club. I swear, I’m starting to wonder if there’s a woman in this city Chad hasn’t screwed. I hope his dick rots off in jail. Sometimes I wish Hunter would’ve just killed him.” Me too, but it would’ve devastated his career. “But every day is another step ahead. Plus, I’m trying to get used to my new teeth. It feels strange having them.”
“They look great, though,” I say, looking at her brand new mouth.
Moving closer, I wipe the wetness from my cheeks. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been. After what you’ve been through, I never …”
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here and I’m ready to fight. You’ve spent the last month apologizing to me and none of it’s been your fault. I’m the one who married a monster.” She averts her gaze, lips trembling. “It’s my fault he attacked you. I would never wish what he did to me on anyone.”
“Are you still seeing your therapist?” I ask.
She nods. “A couple times a week. She’s been a big help. But I know what’s going to be the turning point.”
“And what is that?”
She sits up in bed and stares straight at me with nothing but determination in her eyes. “When I face Chad in the courtroom fully intact. I want him to see he didn’t break me. I may not ever be fully ready, but I’m going in there with my head held high. We both will.”
I hug her tight. “Yes, we will. It’s going to be hard at first with the media stalking your every move, but it’ll pass. Hunter and I will be with you every step of the way.”
“I know,” she murmurs, letting me go. “You haven’t let me down yet.”
I say my good-byes and find Hunter in the waiting room. His eyes widen when he sees me. “Well … how did it go?”
“Pretty good, actually. She’s in good spirits, which is kind of shocking since she just found out about Christy. She’s fully ready to go after Chad.”
Lifting his fingers to my face, he brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. “What about
you? Are you ready?”
I lean into his touch. “More than ready.” Now that I know Jennifer’s prepared, it gives me the hope I need. We’re going to make Chad suffer like he’s never suffered before. Looking into his eyes, I bite my lip and smile. “But first, there’s something I want more.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” he teases.
“Take me home and you’ll find out.”
To say the past few months have been a cakewalk would be the biggest lie I’ve ever told in my life and I don’t like lying. Omitting the truth to my grandma about my past career is saving her from the heart attack she’d surely have. Besides, telling my grandmother, the woman who raised me, that in order to secure my future I shook my dick in women’s faces for money would not go over very well. She’d have me in confessional and doused with holy water.
But it wasn’t for nothing.
Today, I’m graduating with honors. When I started interning at Vaughn & Marshall I was at the top of my class. However, after the accident I missed a few classes and I easily slipped to second. No one knows, not even Kennedy. I keep telling myself that it isn’t a big deal, and it shouldn’t be, but deep down it is. Graduating number one opens doors. Number two will as well, but having the title of first in class is something I’ve strived for, for years. Chad Bates fucked up my academic records when stripping couldn’t even do that. I never missed a class, an assignment, or was late until that piece of shit came into my life.
I’m going to put that all behind me and walk across the stage and collect my diploma. My grandmother, Kennedy, and Chris will all be sitting out in the audience, cheering for me as I graduate. Maybe even Sara and Elaine as well. They’ve all been invited.
My classmates linger around me, all of us dressed in black, and the only difference is some of us wear gold sashes. Everyone is taking selfies, exchanging phone numbers, and talking about what the future holds. I know what my future is: junior associate at Vaughn & Marshall and it wasn’t my girlfriend who offered me the job, but Chris.
Three weeks ago, he sat me down to go over a letter of recommendation I asked him to write. I knew I could call in the contract with Kennedy and demand she give me a job, but that’s not how I wanted to do things. I wanted to earn my job, my pay. The last thing I wanted was the handout and I knew that is what would happen if Kennedy were the one to give me the job.
