“He didn’t say anything? Nothing?” Her face creased in surprise.
“No. He just turned back to the TV. He’ll probably sit and think it through while I’m gone.” I shrugged. I hated that we didn’t have the normal father/daughter relationship most kids had, where he could tell me how he really felt, and I could reassure him.
“Stay at my place tonight. We’ll have a girly night to take your mind off of it, and you can try to convince me as to what the hell you see in Jamie.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
I laughed quietly. It masked the pain I felt hearing his name and the fact I’d devastated him and he still didn’t want to talk to me. A girly night was just what I needed.
She drove us to my house and we went straight to my bedroom, where I packed an overnight bag. Dad was awake, but he didn’t bother us. Stuffing my pajamas into a bag, Taylor caught my eye as she stood still in front of my picture board, grinning to herself. I didn’t need to guess what she was looking at it. It was glaringly obvious. When she eventually came back down to earth and caught me watching her, she tried her best to casually ask if I was taking it to Texas. “I’m not sure.” I’d actually forgotten about it.
“I think you need to take it. It’s full of memories.” She smiled, taking it down from my wall. Holding it out at arm’s length, she gave it a once-over again before slipping it inside a large grocery bag. “Let’s take it with us, so you don’t forget to pack it.” I smiled humorously at her. “What?” She shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulder. I laughed at her feigned innocence. Tonight, I was getting the dirt on Marc, even if I had to pin her down and force it out of her.
At her house, she had thought of everything for our girly night. We had candy, popcorn, face-masks, and our favorite chick flick DVDs that had us a blubbering mess at the end. We changed into our pajamas then got into her huge queen-sized bed, complete with a hundred pillows that I had to fend off just to climb in.
I finally told her all about Jamie and how we’d grown close. The first time we slept together, and him washing his truck. I described in detail the time he soaped himself, to which even her mouth gaped open. “He was so into you.” She laughed before her face turned serious. “Why did you never tell me anything?”
I sighed. “I knew you didn’t like him, and I definitely knew you wouldn’t approve of me dating him or whatever.” She’d made it clear from the moment she met him that she hated him with a passion.
She cocked her head slightly. “I would have understood.”
I gave her a knowing look that she would have disapproved and would have wasted no time in telling me so.
Theatrically, she held her hands out in front of her. “Okay, maybe I would have said something. But if you would have told me just how strong your feelings were for him, I would have understood.”
I should have just told her. It was silly of me to keep it from her. I would have had her there when I needed it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. Guess I was just scared.” I yawned. I didn’t want to tell her any more details, and I definitely didn’t want her to know he still wouldn’t speak to me, so I changed the subject to something that had been bugging me for a while.
“What’s with you and Marc?” I asked curiously. Even though he wasn’t in my good graces at the moment, I still wanted to know why she was always huddled talking with him. Their attraction was definitely mutual. She blushed immediately, and I couldn’t help but grin like a fool at her reaction.
“Nothing.” She waved me off with her hand and pulled the comforter up to her chin.
Do not fob me off, Taylor Carmichael! “I don’t think so, spill!” I sat upright in her bed and pulled the covers from her face.
She smiled bashfully and fluttered her long eyelashes. “There’s nothing there, honestly. He’s cute, but we’re just friends. Besides, I’m with Jake.”
She added that last part as an afterthought. “I know you’re lying.” I wondered whether this was the end for her and Jake. I didn’t know how I felt about her possibly getting together with Marc after everything he’d done to hurt Jamie and me. But she was certainly attracted to those kinds of guys.
“I’m not, believe me. He texts me occasionally, but that’s it.”
That peaked my curiosity. “Since when did he get your number?”
“After you went in the hospital, he asked for it so he could check up on you. He texted me a few times to see how you were. Now, we just occasionally text each other.” She shrugged like it was no big deal.
As if he wanted to check up on me. This was Marc we were talking about. She was playing me at my own game. Withholding the truth. It humored me to think that Marc had completely fallen for her. He was the ‘love them and leave them’ type, which naturally suited his hard training and fighting schedule, but I was certain that Taylor had finally been the one to bring him to his knees without so much as sleeping with her. Or at least I didn’t think they had. Maybe I wasn’t the only one with secrets? Regardless of the obvious chemistry between them both, there was still Jake, who was very much in the picture, although I hadn’t heard her talk much about him lately. “What does Jake think of that?” I asked, wondering if he was aware of their little conversations.
She gasped. “He doesn’t know, obviously.” She looked at me like I had said the most ridiculous thing ever. I didn’t press her further. She obviously liked Marc a lot; that much was true.
“When I’m gone, are you still going to text and see him?” I asked curiously.
“Probably, I guess.” She picked at the lint on her comforter.
A wicked smile crossed my lips. “You better keep me informed of this little…situation.” I waggled my finger at her.
“There is no situation.”
“I’ll get back into town, and you will be married and pregnant by him,” I joked.
She hit me with one of her pillows. “Don’t say that. I will not be.”
We laughed and giggled until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. I had needed this night. I was going to miss her so much.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Thud… thud… thud! “Mommy’s head, stop banging Mommy’s head!” I screamed.
Naughty things came out of his mouth, and Mommy was crying, shouting for me to look away, but I couldn’t. I was too scared to close my eyes, in case he moved and came after me. His hand grew tighter around Mommy’s hair; his knuckles were white. Slowly, he hit Mommy’s head on to the floor again, but this time, she went floppy and didn’t talk to me.
I think she went to sleep.
Sitting up in bed, the pain in my chest made it difficult to breathe. I clutched my chest, trying to calm myself down. I hated it when I had nightmares. They didn’t happen often, but when they did they were horrible and reminded me of my past.
The familiar thudding sound from my nightmare echoed around me again, and I shuddered. Putting my fingers to my ears, I gave them a wiggle. The sound was giving me anxiety, reminding me of a time I wanted to forget. When it happened again, I slowly realized it wasn’t in my head. It was coming from downstairs. I really didn’t want to deal with him right now. I hadn’t slept much again last night, so I wasn’t feeling in the best of moods.
The thudding continued, so I threw my covers back, figuring I best make an appearance before he wrecked the house with whatever destructive mission he was on today. I grabbed my cell from the nightstand; I never left without it, in case I missed Jamie’s call, which never came.
Pushing my dresser across, I sluggishly walked downstairs to the kitchen, and I froze at the mess that greeted me. Every drawer and cupboard door was open, and the contents were spilling onto the floor below. The whole car keys scenario haunted me, and I was instantly on edge. “What are you looking for?” I cringed at the same question I’d asked him last time. Before he put me in the hospital.
“My ATM card.” His head jerked around to me. He pointed a finger in my direction and began walking toward me. “You, you’ve taken it. I knew
you were taking things from me. Hiding them….”
I couldn’t believe he was accusing me of stealing from him. My temper spiked. “I’ve got my own money. I haven’t been taking anything from you, so put your finger down.” I glared at him as he moved in front of me. Suddenly, his hands thrust out at the base of my neck, choking me. He harshly pinned me against the wall behind me and the stench of alcohol turned my stomach as he breathed heavily in my face. “Don’t you dare touch me. All I have to do is make one call to Jamie, and he’ll be here in seconds,” I threatened.
His eyes widened in response. He didn’t like that at all. “Do you really think I’m scared of that little cockroach?” He scowled at me.
His words sliced through me, but I let the feeling wash over me. I was hoping he was scared of him. Jamie was all I had to protect me from him. He released his grip on me and took a step back. Warily, I watched him, trying to anticipate what his next move would be. Before I could stop him, he snatched the cell phone from my hand and launched it against the wall. I screamed as I watched it shatter into pieces and fall to the floor.
His fist connected with my right eye then my cheek, taking me by surprise. I tried blocking some of his punches, but his fist just connected with my forearms instead. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me again. Pain tore through me, but this time I was determined to put a stop to it myself. I bent my knee back, and before I could talk myself out of it, I plowed it into his groin. Growling, he buckled, and I shoved him backward as hard as I could, making him fall.
I quickly fled to my room and pushed my dresser across the door before he came after me. Breathless, I sank to the floor, resting my head against the drawers, listening as hard as I could; waiting for him to try to break through the door.
As the minutes passed, I couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of my heartbeat drumming in my ears. Eventually, I stood and climbed into bed, burying myself underneath the covers, waiting for the adrenaline to leave my body. My whole body hurt. I felt drained and weak. With no cell, I was completely alone. I had nothing and no one. I couldn’t call anyone to come and help me, even if I needed it. I didn’t know if Dad would be mad at me retaliating, but he hadn’t followed me upstairs. I felt guilty about what I’d just done to him, but I needed to protect myself and stand up to him.
I lay there for what seemed like ages, and when I glanced at the clock on my wall, it was lunchtime. He’d be asleep now, hopefully. I knew the times he fell asleep by heart. I got out of bed and walked to the dresser, listening for any kind of movement outside my door, but the house seemed silent.
Pushing the dresser away, I opened the door slowly and looked for any kind of shadow to indicate that he was waiting for me. Cautiously, I peered out of my bedroom and into the small narrow hallway, and I was relieved he wasn’t there. Tiptoeing down the stairs, I heard loud rumbles of snores coming from the living room. I closed the door quietly then went to retrieve my cell from the wall where Dad had thrown it. It lay scattered in pieces. I picked up the remnants of it, hoping I could put it back together, but it was broken beyond repair.
My attendance at school deteriorated for a couple of days after Dad hit me again, and when I rang to report my absence, it was difficult getting a lecture about how important attendance was in the final weeks of school. Like I didn’t know that! I did actually want to be in school.
Ringing Taylor and having to lie to her that I was sick was hard, especially because I had to speak to her and not hide behind a text. I felt ashamed lying, and deep down, I wondered if she knew the truth.
I didn’t even know Jamie’s number by heart, so I couldn’t ring him. I wasn’t sure he would even pick up, because he was still avoiding me, so I just had to wait it out until I could venture out again and go see him, or buy myself a new cell.
At dinnertime, I risked seeing Dad. He glared at me as I came down the stairs, but to my relief, he walked into the living room and slammed the door shut behind him. I was thankful he wasn’t going to attack me again for what I did. I began to fix dinner for us.
A heavy-handed knock at the front door startled me. I put the dishcloth down and walked to the door, peering through the privacy glass. My stomach hit the floor. It was Jamie. I froze. I didn’t want him seeing the way I looked. I had yet another black eye, my cheek was sore, and my forearms were bruised. He constantly made threats about Dad, so I knew I needed to get him away from the house quickly.
He banged on the door again, this time with more force, and I was petrified Dad would hear and come out, so I had no other option than to open the door. Taking a deep breath, I turned the handle and pulled it open slightly so I was just visible. His appearance shocked me. He didn’t look well at all; he looked ill. His brown eyes were dull and he had dark circles under them, and he looked pale. He never, ever looked pale.
Seeing me, he took a frantic step closer to the door, and I recoiled. “Lauren, I didn’t want to come here like this, but I’m going out of my mind. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did,” he said desperately and scrubbed his hands over his face.
I had to ignore his desperate plea. The one I’d been waiting to hear for days while he got his head around the fact I was leaving him. “You need to go,” I whispered loudly, glancing back to the front room door that was still closed.
“Please, I need to talk to you. You need to be honest with me. I don’t understand what’s going on,” he begged. His eyes filled with tears and my own watered in response. I felt his pain immensely. I was hurting too. I wanted to take his pain away. I wanted him to take my pain away. But I had to get him away from the house. “Leave now,” I hissed, terrified Dad would hear him. Knowing he wouldn’t leave so easily, I started to close the front door, hoping he would walk away. But never being one to give up without a fight, he was there before I could shut it completely.
“Lauren, please let me….” He opened the door wider with his hand and tugged me through the gap, pulling me outside with the other. I froze again as I stood before him, and a look of pure horror crept over his face. His mouth gaped open and he froze as he looked at my bruised face. His eyes traveled to the marks on my neck, and then he looked down at my arm he was holding, which had big purple bruises on it. He dropped it instantly, and after what seemed like forever, he spoke. “He did this again?”
Anger replaced his shock, and I didn’t know what he was going to do. I needed to get him away and fast. I thought of the only thing I could say to hurt him. “We can’t do this anymore, Jamie. I’m leaving soon. It’s over.”
Before he could react, I turned and walked back inside, shutting the door behind me, trying to suppress the huge sob in my throat. It tore me up that I had to turn away the person I needed the most, but I had to protect him.
I’d waited so long to hear from him, and he’d come apologizing to me when I should’ve been the one apologizing to him. It hurt that I didn’t get the chance to explain why I was leaving because he wasn’t safe here. Turning him away was the only option. I looked back at him through the glass in the door, and he was standing on the lawn, bent over, hands resting on his knees like he was trying to catch his breath. I wanted to run to him, tell him that I loved him, but I couldn’t. Instead, I was willing him to walk away.
After a few minutes, he stood up straight and ran his hands agitatedly over his face, and then he patted his sweatpants’ pockets before fishing his cellphone out. He tapped away with his thumb on the glass then held the phone to his ear and walked away from the house. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief that he’d walked away. I needed to go to his house after dinner to explain everything. I walked back into the kitchen, feeling horrible at what I’d just told him, and I couldn’t get his pale appearance out of my mind. He looked like that, because of me.
A deafening crack and the sound of something crashing had me jumping out of my skin. Turning to where the sound had come from, the front door had been forcefully kicked off its hinges. Taking up the entire doorway, Jamie was s
tanding there with the door in his hands, and he tossed it to the side. His eyes darted around. “Where is he?” he growled. The veins in his neck were bulging.
I frantically ran to him. “No, Jamie,” I shouted, pleading with him, and I tried to push him back outside, but he wouldn’t move. He was rigid like he was made out of stone.
“Not this time, Lauren.” His voice had a scary calmness to it, and his words petrified me. His chest heaved up and down and his veins were bulging. I was terrified. I couldn’t control him on my own; he was too big and powerful. A quick idea sprang to mind, and I gently took his face in my hands and softly rubbed his cheeks with my thumbs, expecting his eyes to flutter, but they didn’t. He stared straight ahead. I tried placing a soft kiss on his lips, but he gently moved me away with his arm. He wasn’t responding to me in any way, and I was getting more desperate by the second.
All of a sudden, the front room door opened, and Dad appeared, coming face-to-face with Jamie. He looked at the front door lying in the hallway, and his face went red with rage. Jamie’s expression darkened as he glared at him, and his hands began to twitch. “Jamie, go now!” I screamed, terrified of what he was going to do. I knew Dad was in serious danger. Ignoring me, Jamie took a step toward him, and I drove my palms into his chest, pushing him, sobbing, and begging him to leave, but he was having none of it.
“Leave the house now, Lauren,” he said icily. His eyes were still fixed on Dad.
“No!” I cried. I wasn’t going to leave. He’d have to take me out kicking and screaming.
“Leave now!” he shouted deeply, looking at me with the same dead eyes he was giving Dad. I didn’t recognize the person who was standing in front of me anymore. It wasn’t Jamie; it was a monster. Jamie’s hands curled like he was in the cage and he stalked up to Dad.
“You’ve done that to her for the last time.”
Reckless Retribution (West Warriors Book 1) Page 28
