by Jennie Marts
“Will they take my daddy away again?” Madison asked in a tiny voice.
“Probably.”
“He’s not supposed to come to the house or near my mom or us kids,” Charlie explained. “So, if he’s here, he’s probably drunk.”
Chloe could imagine that Rank Johnson was a mean drunk. She’d never met him. He’d already been gone when Tina and the kids had rented the house next door. But even in the shadows of the front yard, she could tell he was a big guy, and the anger in his voice when he’d pounded on the door struck terror in her bones.
Her back ached from carrying Maddie, so Chloe sat on the floor and shifted the girl into her lap. She hadn’t seemed that heavy when Chloe’s adrenaline had spiked and she’d lifted her onto her hip, but now she could feel the strain on her muscles. Maddie laid her head on Chloe’s chest, and her thumb had snuck into her mouth. That had to be some kind of trauma trigger, because she’d never seen the girl suck her thumb before.
Relaxing her shoulders, Chloe tried to calm her breathing while she prayed for Tina and for the police to get here quickly.
She let out a shriek as a fist hammered her door, and Rank’s voice came through the wood. “Open up. I know you’ve got my kids in there. Open the door, lady, or I’ll break it down.”
A tremor ran through Chloe’s whole body, and every one of her muscles tensed as panic flooded through her. The kids huddled closer to her, and Maddie squeezed her neck so tightly that she could barely breathe.
Not that she could breathe that well anyway. Her chest was so tight that each shuddering breath she tried to pull in felt like she was trying to suck air through one of the thick wool scarves she knitted.
“Open this damn door!” Rank roared again. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Maddie screamed as a hard slam rammed into the door. A loud crack sounded as the wooden frame split around the dead bolt.
Chloe’s gaze frantically searched the room for a weapon—anything she could use to protect the kids. She wasn’t a child anymore. This wasn’t her dad. She didn’t have to take this abuse. She could fight. She could stand up for herself and for these kids.
Another loud crack as he slammed into the door. But the frame held. For now.
Chloe’s knitting project lay wadded up on the sofa where she’d tossed it earlier, and she leaned forward and grabbed one of the knitting needles. She buried her mouth in Maddie’s hair and whispered in her ear, “Go to your brother. I won’t let your father hurt you.”
The little girl shook her head and pressed her face harder into Chloe’s neck.
Chloe pushed to her feet and pointed to the hallway. “Go hide. Get under the bed or hide in the closet. The police are coming.”
Charlie nodded, but before the kids could move, another blow hit the door, and the frame cracked and gave way as the door crashed open. It hit the wall with such force that a framed picture of a pansy fell from the wall, the glass shattering and spilling out onto the floor.
Chloe pushed the boys behind her, holding the knitting needle out in front of her as if it were a sword instead of a thin, pointy stick. She might not be brave when it came to herself, but she could be when it came to these kids. She could stand up for them. “Stay away,” she shouted.
Rank filled the doorway. He had long, dark hair that stuck out around his head, making him look like an eighties rocker who’d had a hard night. A heavy beard and mustache covered the lower part of his face, and a scar slashed through the edge of his right eye, causing it to droop just the slightest, as if his eyelid was in a permanent squint. He wore jeans, heavy black motorcycle boots, and a thick leather jacket adorned with patches. Tall and broad shouldered, he seemed as big and as mean as an angry grizzly bear.
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” he demanded. “Who is this chick anyway?” he asked Tina, who tried to push past him to get inside.
Her right eye was swollen and red. She kept her tone even, but Chloe heard the slight quiver in her voice. “She’s nobody, Rank. She’s just the neighbor. I told the kids to come over here.”
He held out his arms. “Hey, kids. Daddy’s home. Why don’t you come over here and give me a hug?”
Madison’s whole body trembled against Chloe’s chest. One of the boys had the back of her jacket clenched in his fist. None of them moved.
Rank’s eyes narrowed as he searched the room. “Where’s Jesse?” He shouted toward the hallway. “Jesse! Get out here, boy! You’ve got some explainin’ to do.”
“He’s not here,” Chloe said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “And I already called the police. They’re on their way.”
“You what?” Rank’s head jerked from side to side, as if he were looking for the police inside her house. “Why’d you do that? You don’t even know me.” He took several menacing steps toward her, and Tina slipped inside behind him.
Chloe tried to push her shoulders back, but her every instinct was to curl up and hide. “I know men like you,” she stammered, taking a step back.
“You’ve never met anyone like me,” he sneered, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl. He looked down at the knitting needle brandished in her hand and scoffed. “What are you planning to do with that? Knit me a scarf?” He reached out, his movement quick as a snake, and snatched the needle from her hand. He threw it across the room, and it bounced across the carpet.
He grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her bicep as he dragged her against him. Spittle flew from his lips as he shouted into her face. “These are my kids. My family. And they are none of your damn business. You hear me, lady?”
She wanted to fight, to pull her arm away, to do anything. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t move. She was frozen with terror—her blood like ice in her veins—frozen with the memories of her father grabbing her the same way.
Rank’s eyes were cold and full of rage as he stared down at her. She couldn’t look away. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to cry, to give him the satisfaction. They hadn’t turned on the lights, and her knees went weak as his features blurred and transformed in the dimness of the room. Instead of Rank’s snarled scowl and beady eyes, she saw the face of her father.
The slightest whimper escaped her lips, and she shrank back, her brave stance shriveling into the weak posture of a frightened child.
As she blinked her eyes, Rank’s face reversed back to his own, but something changed in his glare, the slightest movement, but enough to show that he knew he had her, that she was terrified and would submit to his demands.
He let go of her arm and snaked his hand around Madison’s stomach, yanking the girl toward him. “Come on, Maddie. Come to Daddy.”
Maddie hugged Chloe’s neck, the skin of her arm rubbing against Chloe’s throat as Rank pulled her away. The little girl teetered between them like a human tug-of-war battle, except that Chloe was no match for his strength.
Tina reached up, trying to get her arms around her daughter, and Madison let go of Chloe and grabbed for her mom.
The scream of a siren filled the air, and Rank lifted his head like a dog sniffing the air. He let go of Maddie, and Tina stumbled back against the sofa, her daughter clinging to her chest.
The scent of stale tobacco filled Chloe’s nostrils as Rank leaned toward her, his face an inch from hers, his eyes narrowed and mean. “Don’t go causing trouble for me, lady, or I’ll be back. And you’ll never see me coming.” He planted his thick palm on her chest and shoved her toward the floor. Chloe went down—hard—her teeth clacking against each other as her body hit the floor. She scuttled backward, away from him.
He turned to Tina. “I’ll be back. And tell Jesse I’m looking for him. He’s got some shit to answer for.” As the sound of the siren drew nearer, Rank took off, running out the door and across the yard, away from the approaching police car.
Jake and Charlie scrambled to their feet a
nd threw themselves against their mother. She wrapped her arms around them, pulling them to her in a tight hug. Maddie cried softly against Tina’s neck.
Red and blue flashing lights reflected off the walls as the police car pulled up in front of the house next door. They heard two car doors slam as the officers exited their car.
Tina held the kids to her for another second, then pushed up from the sofa. “Come on, we need to tell the police we’re here.” She glanced down at Chloe. “Thank you for calling them. Are you okay?”
Chloe nodded but kept her arms wrapped around herself, afraid she might break apart if she let go. She tried to arrange her features into what she hoped was a brave face and forced her lips into a tight smile. “I’m fine. You go. They’ll be looking for you.”
The boys circled their mother, both of them touching either her arm or her hip, while Maddie still clung to her neck. Envy rose in her throat as Chloe wondered what it would have been like for her if she’d only had one other person to cling to, to hold their hand, to ride through the trauma with. Splintered fragments of the doorframe were scattered across the floor, and the Johnsons tried to pull what was left of the door closed behind them as they left.
Chloe drew her knees up and pressed herself against the wall, not realizing she was crying until the tears dripped off her chin.
She let out a terrified whimper and buried her head in her knees as the door burst open again and a tall man filled the frame. All pretense of putting up a brave front vanished, replaced by the terror of the past and present colliding and flooding her body with the anticipation of pain.
Chapter 11
Chloe hugged herself tighter, trying to disappear into the wall.
The man yelled her name into the house, pieces of the doorframe cracking under his boots. “Chloe!”
She raised her head, unable to believe he was here. “Colt,” she croaked, her throat raw, her mouth dry as cotton.
His head whipped left and right, and then he saw her. Relief filled his voice as he repeated her name, softer this time. “Chloe.” His long legs carried him quickly across the room, and he knelt beside her and reached to pull her to him.
Instinct had her shrinking back, flinching away from his outstretched hands.
He stilled and turned his palms over as if beckoning a skittish animal. “It’s okay, darlin’,” he whispered gently. “I’ve got you.”
She let out a shuddering breath, forcing her fear behind her as she leaned toward him. Willing her clenched fists to open, she wrenched her arms from around her middle and threw herself into his arms, a sob escaping her throat.
He lowered himself to the floor and pulled her into his lap, rocking her gently as he smoothed her hair and cooed into her ear. “It’s okay now. I’m here. Nobody’s gonna hurt you.”
She melted into him, shaking as she let the tears out and sobs racked her body. He held her close, and she buried her face in his neck, clutching his jacket as she cried herself out. Taking another shaky breath, she drew strength from his solid chest and his strong arms wrapped around her. “I tried to protect them, but he was so strong. He broke down the door.”
He pulled back the slightest, tenderly touching her cheek as he studied her face. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
“I don’t know. I was trying to shield the kids and keep them behind me. He grabbed my arm. But he didn’t hit me. I’ll be okay.” Her body still felt numb. She’d probably have a bruise or two, but dealing with a few bruises was getting off easy. “Tina’s eye was swollen, so he must have hit her.”
“Bastard,” Colt hissed between gritted teeth. His fists clenched against Chloe’s back. “I should go next door and let him know how it feels to get hit in the face with a fist.”
“He’s not over there. He ran off before the police got here.”
“Damn. They never should have let him out.”
Chloe laid her head on his shoulder. How could he be here, holding her in his lap? “I can’t believe you’re here. How did you know?” How did he know how much she needed him?
“Logan and I were sitting at the bar at The Creed waiting for our drinks, and a cop was sitting next to us having a burger. We heard the call on his radio, and I recognized the address.”
“And you came to check on me?” she asked, her voice holding a measure of awe.
“Of course. I didn’t even hesitate. Neither of us did. Logan and I jumped in our trucks and raced over here so fast, I thought we might beat the police car.”
She glanced around the room. “Logan is here?”
“Not here. When we pulled up, I yelled I was coming to find you, and he went to check on Tina and the kids.”
“That’s good. The kids were really scared.”
“I’m sure they were. Rank Johnson is a mean son of a bitch. When we heard his name, we figured he’d be coming after Tina. My mom told us he just got out of prison, but we’d hoped he’d steer clear of her for a while.”
“I think he came looking for Jesse.”
Colt’s brow knit together. “That makes sense. I heard he blames Jesse for ratting him out and getting him sent to jail.”
“Did he? Rat him out?”
“No. But if he had, it would’ve served the guy right, and whoever did probably saved Tina’s life. I think Rank has been serving time for dealing drugs and assault, so him getting sent to jail was the best thing to happen to that family.”
Chloe let out a breath, her heartbeat finally slowing to a normal rate. Colt’s arms felt so good around her that she wanted to stay wrapped in them forever, but she couldn’t. “I should probably go talk to the police. I need to give them my statement.”
Instead of loosening, Colt’s arms tightened around her, drawing her closer to his chest. “They can wait a few more minutes. I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
Oh.
He bent his head forward, resting his chin on top of her head. “My chest feels like I just ran a marathon. When I heard your address on the radio, I thought my heart was gonna stop. It was pounding so hard on the way here, I’m not sure it’s slowed down yet. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she held on tighter, burying her face in his neck, inhaling the scent of him. His words worked like a salve to her heart, soothing the pain caused by something deeper than just Rank’s wrenching grip on her arm.
A knock sounded on her damaged front door. “Hello, Miss Bishop?” a male voice asked. “I’m Officer Russo. I’d like to ask you some questions, if that’s okay.” He nodded at Colt, but didn’t seem that surprised to see him. “Hey, Colt. Saw your rig outside, and Logan told me you were over here.” He stood back and took a couple of photos of the door.
He was of average height but broad-shouldered, and his thick forearms indicated a regular weight-lifting routine. His dark hair was cut close to his head, and the crisply ironed fabric of his uniform showed he took his position seriously.
“Hey, Mike,” Colt said, then looked down at Chloe. “I’ve known Mike a long time. He’s a good guy. You ready to talk to him?”
She nodded and let Colt go. He helped her stand but kept his arm wrapped around her waist as he guided her to the sofa. She waved the officer in as she sank onto the couch. “Are Tina and the kids okay?”
“Yeah, they’re packing up some stuff to go stay at a friend’s house tonight. An EMT is checking Tina out now, then Logan’s going to take her and the kids over there.”
“He’s a good guy too.” It seemed she was surrounded by good guys right now. So why did she still feel terrified from her encounter with one bad one? She knew why, but was stuffing that down inside herself to deal with later.
Mike entered the room and tried to push the door closed as best he could. Cold air seeped through, and Chloe pulled the edges of her coat tighter around her. Mike sat on the cha
ir across from her and pulled a notepad from his pocket. “Can you tell me what happened?”
She told him everything she could remember, starting from the time Rank first pounded on Tina’s door. Colt’s grip tightened on her waist as she relayed how Rank had kicked in her door. And he sucked a breath in through his teeth when she got to the part about Rank grabbing and threatening her before he tried to wrestle Maddie from her arms.
“Sounds like you did the best you could, and frankly, things could have gotten much worse. I’ve dealt with Rank before, and he can get pretty violent.” Mike glanced at the door as he closed his notebook. “We’ll have a squad car do a couple of drive-bys of the neighborhood tonight, just in case he comes back.”
Chloe’s breath caught in her throat, and she shrank against Colt’s shoulder. She hadn’t thought about the fact that Rank could return.
“Do you have someplace safe you can stay tonight?” Mike asked. “Maybe with a relative or a friend?”
“She’s staying with me,” Colt said before she had a chance to answer. “And I’ll take care of the door before we leave.”
Mike nodded and passed her his card. “Feel free to call me if you think of anything else or if you hear from Rank. We’re going to run by a couple of his usual haunts, see if we can pick him up tonight.”
Colt stood. “Thanks, Mike. Let me know if you find him, would you? Just for the peace of mind.”
“Sure thing. You take care, Chloe. Nice to meet you.”
Colt studied the doorframe, then turned back to her. “I’ve got some tools in my truck. Why don’t you get some things together, and I’ll patch this up until I can come back and put in a new door and frame.”
She mechanically did as he said, moving through the motions of grabbing a bag and tossing in a change of clothes and her sneakers. She didn’t travel much, but she had a small case she kept stocked with a few basic toiletries, and she threw that in the bag along with her cell-phone charger. The plastic sack of new hair products still sat on the bathroom counter, and she stuffed it in as well. Hefting the bag over her shoulder, she jumped at the sound of hammering coming from the living room.
