by Gia Riley
Her silence only scares me more. “Noelle, look at me, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that!” she says as her chin quivers. “Don’t ever say that again.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I expect her to yell at me some more—I’d even welcome it. But like she blocked out everything other than that one sentence, she lays her head back down and closes her eyes, completely ignoring me.
“What’s going on?” I ask the officer, who’s still looking at me with pity in her eyes.
“She’s still in shock, but she wouldn’t leave until you got here.”
“Leave? Where’s she going?”
“I wanted to take her to the hospital to be examined. She has some injuries.”
Her eyes open and she looks like she wants to bite someone’s head off again. I can’t tell if it’s from the shock like the officer said, or just some of her usual sad peeking through. “Why are you talking about me like I’m not sitting here?”
“What happened, Noelle? Talk to me.”
She turns her head just enough that I see the bruise covering her cheek and the little cut by her eye. My eyes travel lower, angry and afraid of what they’ll find next. “Your neck.”
She winces when she touches the angry shades of red that are already turning blue. Even her lips are jagged and sore.
“What did he do to you, Noelle?”
“He tied me up,” she whispers. “And he choked me and hit me.”
Needing to hold her even though I’m afraid it’ll hurt her more, I sit down and pull her into my lap. I try to link my fingers with hers, but she pulls them away like she can’t stand my touch. “Did I hurt you?”
She breaks down into gut-wrenching sobs, clinging to me like I’m going to disappear into thin air if she lets go. “My ring,” she says over and over, like a piece of jewelry is more important than her battered body.
“It’s okay, Noelle. I don’t care about the ring. All I care about is you.”
“I would rather he hit me again if it meant I still had my ring.” She sniffles and wipes her tears on the back of her hand. She’s stuffed up and can barely catch her breath, but her words still come out loud and clear. My heart aches even more for her.
“Don’t say that, Noelle. You don’t deserve this.”
“It was worth it if it kept him away from Lemon for a little while. She’s the strong one.”
I’m a grown-ass man being shredding to pieces on a bathroom floor.
I slide my hands under her legs and carry her down the stairs in my arms. “Do you want anything before we leave?”
“I don’t want to be in this house, Lane.”
“After I take you to the hospital, we’re going home, Noelle. And once we get there, Rusty better pray we never cross paths. If I’m ever in the same room as him, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
After three hours in the emergency room, every inch of Noelle has been thoroughly checked over. Other than a bruised and sore body, there’s no permanent damage to her throat and back—or any other injuries that won’t get better after some rest and healing.
“You’re still so pale,” I tell her as Reed drives us back to New York.
“I’m just tired.”
She can barely keep her eyes open, but her back hurts too much for her to lay her head in my lap. All she can do is lean against my shoulder while I hold an ice pack against her spine. Every now and then, when she gets too cold, I take it off and tell Reed to turn the heat up.
It doesn’t help that the pain medication has her so nauseous she’s constantly reaching for the bucket between my feet in case she throws up.
“Are you okay?” I ask her for the hundredth time in as many miles.
Each time, she nods, but her mind is so preoccupied I’m not sure she even hears me. It kills me that I can’t take away her pain or erase the entire night from her memory. If I could, I would rewind time and start fresh—and I would have done a better job of protecting her in the first place.
“Did you get a text yet?”
“No, but we’ll probably lose reception in the tunnel anyway.”
We each hold our breath and cross our fingers that nothing happens for those couple of minutes we’re off the grid. As soon as we come out on the other side, Noelle glances at the screen like it’s going to light up with all the answers. “Still nothing?”
“Not yet.”
“If she’s been with him this whole time, I feel so bad for her. The little bit of time I was with him felt like an eternity.”
“We have everyone out looking for her. They’ll find her.”
“Everyone but us,” she says, with guilt written all over her face.
“The only place you’re going is to bed, Noelle. You need to rest.”
“What if we check Rusty’s house before we go home?”
“The cops have the address. I’m sure it’s the first place they looked.”
“Maybe, but we’ve already been up all night, and I can’t fall asleep when your sister could be hurt. She’s pregnant, Lane.”
“I know, baby, but you’ve been through hell tonight. You heard what the doctor said.”
As the car stops alongside the curb, she looks around, confused. “What’s going on?”
While she was having her X-rays done, I put a call into the jeweler. You’d be amazed what strings you can pull in the middle of the night with a little cash and the promise of an even bigger purchase.
I lean in and kiss her cheek before I open my door. “I’ll be right back.”
The jeweler meets me on the sidewalk in front of Tiffany’s, just as we discussed. He hands me a little bag, never once asking a single question. Tonight, for the right price, I bought one of his rings and his silence.
Despite being completely worn out, Noelle’s wide-eyed when I slide into the backseat next to her. “What did you do, Lane?”
I turn my body toward her, wishing we weren’t doing this again, but still thankful that I have the chance to ask her at all. “Noelle, I clearly suck at proposals, and the back of a car isn’t the ideal place to ask you to marry me—not that the boutique was much better. But I’ll do anything to make you happy and to get my ring back on your finger.”
She glances at her bare hand, holding it in front of her like the sparkling diamond’s still there. “What about the ring you already gave me?”
“The truth is we may never see it again. Not that I’d expect you to put it back on your finger after what you went through tonight. You deserve a million diamonds for your strength, and I’ll spend every year of our marriage giving them to you.”
“I don’t need expensive gifts to be happy, Lane. And Rusty took my ring because he was trying to get even. He’s mad you took Lemon away from him. I guess he figured getting to me was the best way to get his revenge.”
“He was right. It hurts more than anything.”
Her eyes lock with mine, connecting us far more than any piece of platinum ever could, but she still eyes the blue bag in my hand curiously. After a few seconds, she slides her left hand onto my thigh, the only clue I’ll get that she wants the ring on her finger as badly as I need to put it there.
The diamond I pull out of the box is more than what I asked him for, and I’m sure my bank account reflects the difference, but the way her eyes light up when she sees it I wish he’d gone even bigger.
“I can’t wear that thing! It’s huge.”
“You can and you will.”
She lets me slide it over her knuckle and, once it’s in place, I bring her fingers to my lips, kissing the ring like I did before. “I love you, Noelle.”
“When I was sitting on those steps, I was suffocating and I couldn’t figure out how to find enough air to breathe. But no matter how hard it was, all I pictured was you. You’re what gave me the strength to keep it together.”
“I’m your air, Noelle. I may drive you crazy, be a little overprotective of you sometimes, annoying even, but you�
�re everything to me. I’ll never question that again for as long as I live. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she can’t figure out if she should look at me or the ring. Finally, she clutches it against her chest and, with more determination than ever, she says, “We’ll find Lemon, and we’ll give her the happily ever after she deserves, too. I want her to feel what I’m feeling.”
“You’re the most selfless woman I’ve ever met.”
“I feel it in my heart, Lane. She wouldn’t go back to Rusty on her own. Something big had to have happened to get her there. That’s why I won’t give up on her.”
“We won’t give up until we get her back where she belongs.”
She snuggles against my side, content with my response. I’ll never forgive myself for letting her go to Pennsylvania on her own, but I’d be lying if I said a part of me isn’t glad the officers were the ones to untie her from the stairs. I didn’t have to see her with my own eyes to have that image permanently engrained in my memory.
Reed’s phone rings and the second he answers, all hope for Lemon flies right out the window. He hides it well, but we’ve worked together long enough for me to be able to read a bad situation. Whatever he’s being told, it’s not in Lemon’s favor.
The fact that he steps on the gas pedal harder and weaves in and out of the little bit of traffic only confirms it.
“I’ll drop you both off in the garage,” he tells us.
Just like when we left, there’s still a slew of activity buzzing in the streets surrounding the condo. I hate that my family is front page news again.
“Where are you going, Reed?” Noelle asks him.
“Lemon and Rusty showed up at his trailer in Jersey.”
“Just say it,” I tell him. “Do they have Lemon?”
“Rusty’s in police custody and Lemon isn’t hurt, but she doesn’t want to go back to therapy.”
“She can come back to the condo for now. We’ll figure out how to get her back to therapy after we’ve all had some sleep.”
“It’s not that simple, Lane. I think it’s best if we take Noelle to Easton’s place and ride over without her.”
Noelle sits up straighter, clearly annoyed with Reed’s suggestion. “No, I’m going with you. I don’t care how bad my back hurts or how raw my throat is. Lying in a bed won’t do anything but piss me off.”
I wrap my arm around her, trying to pull her close again, but she fights me. Eventually, my frustration wins and, with more bite than intended, I tell her, “If Reed wants you to stay home, it’s not safe, Noelle.”
“Your condo wasn’t safe either, but I’ve spent every day there.”
“That’s not the same thing. Neither of us had any idea Rusty bugged the place.”
“If Rusty was at the trailer, I’d stay with Lark and Easton—but he’s not. You two knuckleheads are the only thing keeping me from getting to Lemon. So, Reed, drive the damn car. Lane, stop arguing with me. I already told you I won’t give up on Lemon. Not when she needs me the most.”
Reed glances at me in the rearview mirror. All I can do is give him a silent nod, unspoken permission for him to keep driving. Praying I didn’t just make another huge mistake and risk Noelle’s safety all over again, I decide that, whatever happens from here on out, I’ll take full responsibility for. That’s why I’m not playing around when I tell Noelle, “When we get there, you’ll do what we tell you. You’re not going to play the hero and get yourself hurt, okay?”
“Yes, I hear you. The same goes for you. You’re her big brother, and you have a lot of guilt for leaving her. That doesn’t mean you get to run in there and fix it by bulldozing her. She still needs her voice—probably more than ever. I don’t want her to come out of this more broken than she already is.”
I kiss the top of her head and run the ice pack back and forth over her sore back. She shivers, but something tells me it has nothing to do with the coldness.
The second my shoe lands on the first step of Rusty’s trailer, I realize life may never be the same again. Maybe it’s the way I can practically feel Lane’s heart beating as he holds my hand, or maybe it’s because I’ll be haunted by this night for the rest of my life. Regardless of why, this night has so much riding on it, every day after will be different—especially if something happens to Lemon.
“Let me go in first,” Reed tells Lane, even though Lemon’s going to freak out when someone other than Lane walks through the door.
Once he’s past, Lane whispers, “Follow me.”
It ends up working out in our favor because once we’re all inside, Lemon’s so tired she’s barely awake. I take the moment of calmness to look around the shabby trailer. Not that I’m some queen in my castle, but the way she was living with Rusty can only be described as desperate.
There’s tattered tin foil covering the small triangle window on the door, and paper towels are shoved in the window jams to keep the bugs out. The stove looks straight out of the seventies with its dull green color and clunky knobs. The fridge is newer, but it’s humming so strangely there’s definitely something wrong with it. What freaks me out the most is the bug zapper on the front porch that fries something new every couple of seconds. It’s disgusting.
“Lemon,” Lane whispers so he doesn’t scare her. She’s so exhausted she’s draped over the kitchen table with her light hair flowing over the edges.
As soon as she hears his voice, she lifts her head and smiles. “You came.”
He brushes her hair away from her face, eyeing her for marks. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Lemon Meringue.”
“I still hate when you call me that.”
“Good, but that doesn’t mean I plan on stopping anytime soon.”
“Why’d you come for me?”
“You’re my sister,” he says, like it’s obvious. “I was worried about you.”
She’s calm until she turns her head and can’t deny my bruises and scrapes. Her eyes widen and, like she’s all too familiar with his work, she says, “Rusty got you, too.”
“I’ve had a pretty shitty night, Lemon. What do you say we go home and get some sleep?”
Maybe it’s too much too soon because she stands up, shaking her head back and forth adamantly. “I can’t do that.”
Lane reaches for her, trying to calm her down, but she backs away from him. Lane stays close though. “It’s okay. Why won’t you go home with us? You can have the spare bedroom again.”
I can tell she wants her room back, but she’s still too stubborn to give up without a fight. “Because he’s too dangerous, and if I leave Sea Port again, he’ll hurt everyone I love.”
Lane stares at her like he can’t believe she doesn’t want to leave this shitty trailer and depressing town. “Rusty’s in jail, Lemon. It doesn’t matter anymore,” he pleads.
“I wasn’t talking about Rusty.”
“Then who?”
“Rusty did some bad things yesterday and today, but he only did them to save his own ass.”
“From what?”
“Trey found out about the baby, like I knew he would. Nobody in this town can keep their damn mouths closed. It’s always who can get into the others’ business first to stir up some trouble. I wish they’d just leave me alone.”
“You left treatment on your own? He didn’t force you?” I ask her.
Like she’s ashamed, her face reddens and turns away from us. “I had no choice. It was either leave the center peacefully and face whatever consequences were waiting for me, or stay and have him hurt all of you.”
Lane gets down on his knees in front of her, like being on her level will somehow make her see the truth faster. “He did hurt Noelle, and pulling you out of therapy wasn’t for his benefit. It was to put a barrier between him and Trey. He’s using you like he always does.”
“You don’t think I know that? I mean, look at her!” she yells as she points to me. “He’s fucked me up like that more times than I can co
unt.”
Like Lemon slapped him across the face, he grits his teeth. “You never should have left with him. It was stupid and risky.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I heard that either.”
“And that doesn’t piss you off enough to want to get out of this shit hole? Jesus, Lemon. I can’t figure out how I can be so scared for you when you don’t seem to give a shit about what happens to you or the baby. At least give the kid a fighting chance if you’ve given up on yourself.”
Something in Lemon snaps, and she pushes him away. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she wails, “I gave up years ago, Lane. This is me doing what will hurt me the least because I’m tired of being pushed around. I’m the only one who can protect myself!”
“What about the baby?”
“I don’t want this fucking baby! You’re just like all the therapists. They don’t give a shit about me. It’s only what they can do for this kid.”
“You don’t mean that,” I tell her, praying she’s just angry and doesn’t feel that way about her own child.
Her voice still laced with venom, she walks closer to me. “Noelle, you don’t get it. You have no idea what it’s like to be forced to carry around all your sins. Look at me! All this baby does is remind me of all the things I hate.”
She trips over a case of soda sitting by the fridge and loses her balance. Reed lunges for her before she falls, but she manages to brace herself on the edge of the countertop, keeping her from falling.
We breathe a collective sigh of relief, but none of us expects her to turn around with a knife in her hand. Pointing the tip at Lane, waving it back and forth at him, she points to the door. “Leave. All of you. I don’t need your help anymore.”
Lane moves toward her and my heart drops to my stomach. “What are you doing? Put the knife down,” he tells her with little pity.
Her hand shakes as the long blade dwarfs her. “Trey’s made it clear what he’ll do to me if I have this baby. I don’t want to die, Lane. I’ve had a shit life, and I’m tired of being pushed around.”
I move closer to the both of them, praying I can be the voice of reason. “Lemon, you don’t have to go out like this. Put the knife down and talk this out with me.”
