There was a horrible moment of sinking realisation that no one would be able to hear her, no one would come to her aid.
The belt came down again, the metal buckle slicing into her buckling her knees and in Ellie’s mind it was like having scalding water poured across her back. He hit her again and again, the pain increasing with each blow.
She screamed wordlessly as he lifted the belt, Ellie had lost count of the number of times he had hit her.
All she knew was the pain, the white haze of it that had settled down over her body was enough to practically suffocate her.
Ellie tried to prepare herself for the blow, tried to prepare for the ripping and burning sensation that would flood over her skin as he brought his arm down.
It didn’t come.
A black blur darted in, tacking the guy holding the belt to the ground. Ellie could just make out the two bodies scuffling on the ground, her tear-filled eyes making it almost impossible to figure out who it was who had come to her rescue.
The grip on her hair relaxed and Ellie didn’t waste any more time thinking. She twisted, ramming her elbow back into the stomach of the man who held her. The sound he made as the air rushed out of his lungs brought Ellie more satisfaction than she cared to admit.
He released her and Ellie staggered away, each step bringing fresh pain boiling through her body.
She could feel the welts forming across her back and down her thighs and it was a pain unlike anything Ellie had ever encountered.
But still she kept on moving.
She had three attackers and only one rescuer, the odds were stacked against whoever had come to help her and Ellie wasn’t willing to stand by and let him get beaten to death.
She staggered down the alley, stopping once she made it to the dumpster that sat against the back wall of the diner. Wrapping her hands around a thick piece of timbre Ellie hefted it, trying to gauge the weight and feel of it in her hands. If she had to swing it at someone’s head, then she wanted to make sure she could keep a hold of it.
The pain that flared across her back had her vision running in colourful streamers but that didn’t stop her.
Ellie turned, holding the piece of wood clutched against her chest.
A dark figure stepped in front of her and Ellie didn’t think—she let swing, the wood connecting with the arm he lifted to defend himself. He swore under his breath and for a second Ellie hesitated, his voice familiar.
“Ellie, it’s me, it’s Stuart. Don’t swing it again.”
The piece of wood dropped from her hands and clattered to the ground, the sound ricocheting around the alley.
“Stuart?”
Ellie had a split second to realise that he was the one who had come to her rescue before the adrenaline slipped away leaving her with only the searing pain in her back. Her cry was swallowed by the darkness that swamped her vision and the last thing she knew was the sensation of falling.
Ellie moaned and struggled against the strong grip that held her. White hot pain lanced through her and from the dark recesses of her mind, Ellie decided she was in hell. It had to be hell, since it was the only place she knew where little red men spent their time sticking red hot pokers in through the skin.
“Ellie?”
An oddly familiar voice called to Ellie, drawing her back from the darkness that welcomed her.
“Selena?”
It came flooding back, the men in the alley, the feel of the belt as it had torn into her back.
Stuart.
A muffled sob escaped her lips as Ellie struggled to sit up.
“Ellie, don’t move, Selena is checking your back.”
“Stuart.”
“I’m here, Ellie, it’s alright, it’ll be alright.”
His voice was heavy with emotion and Ellie could only imagine what he was thinking. It dawned on her then how she was positioned. Stuart had her draped over his lap, his strong hands stroking over her hair but also keeping her in place.
The feel of someone prodding and poking at the tender wounds made her squirm and Ellie cried out.
“Ellie, I’m sorry, I have to do this. We have to clean the cuts.”
Selena’s voice floated down to Ellie through the fog of pain that had descended over her once more.
The feel of something cold washed over Ellie’s skin and for a second it seemed to bring relief. And then, just as quickly as the relief had come it was gone and burning lit up across her back.
Ellie buried her face in Stuart’s shirt and screamed. His strong arms continued to hold her steady, anchoring her in the pain when all she wanted to do was escape.
Time passed and Ellie was certain hours had gone by when the burning slowly began to subside.
“Ellie, I’m sorry, I know it hurts but I’ve bandaged them over now, you can sit up if you like.”
Selena’s voice seemed to come from very far away and Ellie chose not to move. Deep down she knew Selena was only doing what was right, helping her even though she really didn’t have to. But Ellie chose not to move. Fear had settled over her, fear of the horrible pain she had suffered, and the last thing she wanted now was for it to come back.
“I have to go now but if there’s any change in her take her to a hospital. I’ll be back in the morning. If there’s any change with her mother call me.”
“I will, I’ve written down the number. Thanks.”
Stuart’s deep voice rumbled through Ellie, filling her with happiness and relief.
He had rescued her. If he hadn’t come along when he had, Ellie knew it wouldn’t have ended with her lying on her own couch, in her own house.
A shudder raced through her and for a second the pain flared in her back once more but it wasn’t as terrible as it had been and it quickly passed.
“Are you awake?” Stuart said, his voice soft as though certain she was asleep.
“Yeah, I think so...” Ellie said, shifting slightly on his lap. The movement had the pain return but it was something far more manageable now as long as she didn’t push it too far.
“What happened out there tonight, Ellie?”
His words brought the memories of the evening flooding back to her, fear and pain clouding her mind.
Stuart’s strong arms wrapped around her body, drawing her upright until she could look into his face.
“Don’t make me remember, please.”
The look on his face was one of sorrow and without thinking about what she was doing, Ellie reached out to him, her hand stroking down over the curve of his cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Ellie.” His voice was hoarse with emotion and for a minute he resisted the brush of her fingertips.
“You saved me, Stuart. You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I should have been there sooner. If I had gotten there earlier, then none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t be so hurt...”
Ellie smiled but it was a watery look.
“The fact you were there at all is a miracle...”
A vision of Ricky, bruised and injured filled her mind.
“Ricky, how is he? Did you get him out of town?”
Stuart nodded and Ellie instantly felt herself relaxing. At least if they couldn’t get to her brother then the beating she had taken wasn’t for nothing.
“Ellie, did they say anything to you?”
“It was a message. Grey thought if he could put me in the hospital that it’d bring Ricky out of the woodwork.”
Stuart’s face darkened and Ellie withdrew her hand from his face. The look in his eyes honestly frightened her. It wasn’t like anything she had ever seen before. In the short time she had known him, he was always quick to smile, quick to laughter. This side to him, this serious and rage-filled look that sat behind his eyes wasn’t the man she was slowly coming to know.
You don’t know anything about him, Ellie, don’t be ridiculous.
Of course the voice in the back of her mind was right, she didn’t know him. He had appeared in her life but everyth
ing about him was new and different. For all she knew the look he wore now was his normal look and the smiles he had given her were simply an act.
“What’s wrong?”
Stuart’s voice cut through her thoughts and Ellie jumped, the pain it caused slicing into her and robbing her of breath.
“I don’t know... It’s just I don’t know this side of you, the look in your eyes, it frightens me.”
Stuart smiled but it was filled with sadness.
“I’m sorry. Frightening you is the last thing I want, Ellie. It’s just when I think about what might have happened... When I think about how I let you down, I can’t help but feel angry.”
“But you didn’t let me down? You saved me. Without you I’d be in the hospital or worse...”
Stuart’s expression darkened once more.
“See, there you go again with that look. You don’t need to feel responsible for me. I’m a big girl, I can look after myself.”
Stuart sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face.
“Look, I’m sorry. I can’t help the way I feel. Right now I’d love nothing more than to march over to Grey’s house and rip the man apart. What he did to you, what he’s trying to do...”
Ellie shook her head, a look of sadness sliding over her face.
“It wouldn’t do any good. The last person who stood up to Grey didn’t survive it and I don’t want to see anything happen to you...”
Ellie dropped her gaze to her hands, knotting her fingers against one another as she spoke.
“Who stood up to Grey?”
Ellie sighed and lifted her gaze. “My father.”
“And he murdered him? How can you be so sure?”
Ellie instantly bristled but she was tired and the combination of exhaustion and pain sapped her of the energy she needed to stay angry. She drooped, her shoulders slumping forward.
“I just know it... They tried to pass it off as a suicide but I know he wouldn’t have killed himself. He loved us, and when I told him what Grey had done he was so angry...”
Ellie cut herself off, suddenly wishing she had kept her mouth shut.
“What did Grey do, Ellie?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she mumbled, trying to hide her gaze from Stuart’s probing one.
His fingers pressed beneath her chin, tilting her head back until she was looking up into his dark eyes.
“Tell me... Please.”
“I was stupid, so stupid... I thought he liked me. He invited me up to a small party he was throwing, so I went...”
Ellie trailed off again, not sure how to form the words of what happened next.
“It’s alright, Ellie, I’m right here. You can tell me.”
Stuart’s soothing tone helped and Ellie scrubbed her hand back across her eyes.
“I should have realised when I was the only girl there... Well, me and another girl, but I thought maybe I was early.
“He gave me a drink when I arrived, everyone else had one too so I drank it and that’s when things got weird...”
“What happened, Ellie?”
“I guess there was something in the drink and I started to feel kinda weird. So I tried to call a cab but then Grey was there and he took my phone. They were all around me, laughing and I thought it was just some joke that I didn’t get but then they started pulling at my dress, I ran. I don’t even know how I did it, I just had this urge to get away... They ripped my dress, ripped it right off me in the panic of them trying to stop me, and I remember climbing a fence before I passed out.
“The other girl was still there and I guess they got bored looking for me...”
Ellie faltered, the memories of that night, or lack of memory burned into her mind. How could she have been so stupid? To trust someone like Grey Mattheson had been a foolish mistake and one she refused to ever make again.
“When I woke up I was in the ditch near Mattheson’s house, my dress was gone and I don’t remember what happened after I passed out. I don’t even know if they found me. I just have this overwhelming feeling of fear and disgust over the night.”
“Did you go to the cops? They’d have done a rape kit on you, if there was any evidence...” Stuart’s voice trailed off.
“Ellie, please tell me you called the cops?”
Shame welled up within her as she shook her head.
“I couldn’t—I was so afraid of what people would say or what they’d think of me if I told them what happened that night... And I didn’t want to know if he caught me. I didn’t want to know if he raped me. At least this way I can pretend to myself that I got away, that I was lucky.”
Stuart didn’t say anything and Ellie half expected him to get up and walk out. After all, she had just admitted to being weak and pathetic, that she didn’t even have the courage to face up to what might have happened.
Stuart wrapped his arms around her, his grip careful of the bandages across her back.
“Don’t, I don’t want to be pitied...”
Stuart shook his head and stared down at her.
“Ellie, I don’t pity you, I could never pity you. I think you’re amazing. You’re brave and strong and...”
She cut him off as she pushed against his chest.
“Don’t lie. I’m none of those things. I can’t bear it.”
She struggled in his grip, her hands pressed to his chest.
Stuart growled, the sound reverberating up through her arms and into her body.
“Does this feel like a lie to you?”
He tugged her in against his body, his lips coming down on her mouth in a crushing breath-stealing kiss.
The feel of his tongue as he slid it across her lips made Ellie ache deep in the pit of her stomach. Without thinking, she slipped her arms up around his neck, pressing her body closer to his as the kiss deepened.
Stuart’s hands pressed in against her waist as he slid them higher, his fingers brushing against the sides of her breasts.
He growled again as Ellie opened up to him, her own need for him growing as she straddled his hips and ground her body down against him.
Pathetic.
The word swelled within her mind and Ellie struggled to bury it beneath the desire Stuart had awakened within her, but it was useless.
She couldn’t escape the realisation that she was damaged goods and that what they were doing on the couch was wrong. She didn’t deserve the happiness Stuart brought her. She would never deserve it.
“No!”
She pushed against him, sliding off his lap and pushing up onto her feet.
Pain burned in her back and Ellie used it to harden her resolve. He didn’t want her. No one did.
People like Stuart didn’t look at girls like her.
Ellie clutched at the front of her top, holding it in place against her chest. Selena had cut the back of her shirt away to get at the cuts and welts and now it swung around her shoulders as Ellie moved to put distance between her and Stuart.
“Did I do something wrong? Ellie, tell me what I did wrong?”
The look on his face was one of pure vulnerability and Ellie instantly felt bad. Was she wrong? Was she tainting Stuart with her experiences with the likes of Grey Mattheson? What if she was wrong and he really did like her? That the kiss they had shared had been more than just opportunity and pity?
“It’s not you, I just can’t... I can’t do this, Stuart. I think you should leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell just happened? Did I misread the situation, Ellie? Because if I did, you should tell me.”
She shook her head.
“Please just leave... This isn’t what you want. I’m not the girl for you. You need someone like you, someone who’s not... me.”
Stuart stood and shook his head, confusion clouding his brown eyes.
“Ellie, I don’t understand what the hell happened? I like you, I like you a lot and I thought...”
He cut off, realisation dawning in his eyes.
Ellie’s heart sank.
“Guessed what?” The words left her as little more than a whisper but the room was so quiet it may as well have been a shout.
“There’s someone else. I get it, I really do. It doesn’t surprise me. I just wish you’d told me before I made a fool of myself.”
Ellie’s mouth dropped open and she took a step forward and then stopped.
“There’s no one else, Stuart, I...”
He shook his head and started for the door.
“I’ll get out of your hair. It’s fine.”
His voice was filled with bitterness and Ellie felt her heart stutter in her chest.
What was she doing? Had she lost her mind completely? He had saved her life, helped save her brother and she was doing what, exactly?
Stuart slammed the door behind him, leaving Ellie standing in the living room alone.
Stuart was the type of guy who only came along once in a lifetime. One night with him would have been the best night of her life and she had pushed him away... Even if it had been pity, wouldn’t one night of mind-blowing passion with the one man she had ever felt anything for be better than this constant loneliness?
Ellie shook her head and dropped down onto the couch. She’d blown it and now he was gone.
Pushing up onto her feet, Ellie winced as the pain slowly built. It hurt to stretch, to move, but she needed to go and check her mom.
Ellie climbed the stairs, painfully slowly, each step making her want to give up and just curl into a ball on the stairs. She pushed on, reaching the landing, but Ellie didn’t look in the mirror this time. The last thing she needed to do was depress herself further by looking at herself in such a state.
Stepping into her mother’s bedroom, the sound of steady breathing filled Ellie with calm. Even though her mother had suffered such a debilitating stroke, there was still something so calming about spending time with her and listening to her breathing.
After the death of her father, and her mother had suffered the stroke, sneaking into the hospital room to spend the night had been the only thing that kept Ellie sane.
Her mom couldn’t speak to her, but Ellie had a feeling that she could understand her and so simply being with her brought comfort.
Curves for Him - 10 Delicious Tales Page 90
