Reno snaps the ball to Chad and it’s on. I drop my shoulder, throwing the advancing Brad up and over. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him drop to the grass on his back rolling and getting to his knees, swearing loudly at me and I leave him behind, watching as the ball sails right for Uclid, heading for the end zone.
Just as I think the ball is going to land in Elliot’s arms, Ellie pops up out of nowhere and snatches the ball from its path and then sprints in the opposite direction. I stop in my tracks, as do most of the guys and for a split second I’m not really sure what to think. I can hear her laugh as Rhea and Rosa go chasing after her and we just watch her with our mouths open.
“Well hot damn,” I mutter to myself and take off after her. I must have spurred the other guys out of their state of shock and as I run by, they all join in, tackling one another as I try and catch up. I pass Rosa just as Kendall rips one of her flags out and I return the favor, tossing Kendall’s flag up in the air as I sprint past.
Rhea is right on Ellie’s tail, both of the girls laughing as I catch up. Rhea sees me and stops running, throwing her hands up in defeat. We’re only yards away from the end zone as I wrap my arms around her waist, hearing her scream in shock as I try to pull her up but lose my footing.
Trying to cushion her fall, I twist onto my back so that when I connect with the ground she’s pressed against my chest, her head bouncing off my shoulder. Holding her tight I see the ball rolling off, out of her arms and I can’t help but laugh, squeezing my arms around her as she tries to squirm free.
“Dang it Bobby,” she says, turning to face me as I feel her legs slip to either side of my waist, “I almost had another touchdown.”
Her fingers find my chin and shake my face as I laugh some more, not letting her get up as I try and sear her skin to mine by squeezing her even tighter. Her knees tighten on my sides and I pull her face to mine, running my nose along hers because I know it teases her.
“I could punch you right now,” she mumbles with a smile, kissing me with such force that she pushes me back against the grass, her fingers raking through my hair but I’m not complaining. I freaking love it. She has the best kiss that I’ve ever experienced and as her soft lips glide over mine I feel that ever present need for her rising within. I know we better quit before I have a very evident giveaway in my thin gym shorts to how she’s making me feel right now.
“Oh well isn’t that cute,” a condescending, deep voice comes from behind me and Ellie acts like she’s been struck by lightning, separating our lips and sitting up. I see a painful fear cross her expression and get up on my elbows, peering over my shoulder to see a group of guys standing just inside the end zone with our football in a blonde man’s hand.
Easing Ellie off of me and flipping over to my knees, I get a good look at the blonde man standing before me, tossing the football from hand to hand with a fast spiral. His hair is tied in a ponytail at the base of his skull and his green eyes are intent on Ellie, his bearded face displaying a nasty little smile.
As my breathing from the sprint to catch Ellie slows, I look over to her to see her eyes on the grass with her shoulders slumped and it dawns on me. I know this guy. Looking back to him I stand quickly, my muscles tensing as his eyes meet mine.
“Jake,” I say not trying to hold in the cool, deadly meaning behind it. What the hell is he doing here?
As I help Ellie to her feet that smile returns to his lips, causing my gut to twist, my fist clenching on my free side and I pull Ellie into me, cradling her into my left side as I see Chad and the others come up and join us.
“Navy boy,” Jake says in a thick Southern boy accent, spitting on the ground and tossing the football to one of his buddies behind him. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you. How is my wife treatin’ you?”
Just the tone behind his words make me grind my teeth and feel the need to bust his teeth, but as I make my move to step forward Chad places a hand on my arm, shaking his head as I look at him. Looking from Chief to Ellie, I see the hurt and fear playing openly across her features, her lips quivering as she holds one of her hands up to them.
Suddenly she bursts out and says, “What the hell are you doin’ here? What the fuck could you possibly want?” She pushes past me and I can tell she’s running on adrenaline from the fear, her arms shaking as she clenches her fists at her sides, stopping just feet in front of her ex and his leather clad friends. They must have been the motorcycles I heard not too long ago.
“Oh Ellie,” he laughs as I come up behind her ready to knock out anybody who comes close. “Your little mouth is gonna get you in trouble.”
“You can’t touch me,” she screams as I see her scan his group of buddies, settling on the man who had staked out Chad’s road in the patrol car. “None of you can because I’m not gonna take it anymore. I’m not afraid of you.”
“Oh yeah,” he says, his eyebrow quirking up and I just want to body slam his ass, choking him out till he cries for his momma. As he reaches into his leather vest, I step in front of Ellie, ready to shield her from a possible gun shot as Chad and the guys join me. Jake is a cop, he has the right to carry a gun so I don’t know what he’s reaching for and as a wide smile plays across his face, he laughs, pulling out an envelope.
“Whoa boys,” he laughs and his friends join in. If they only knew how many buttons they were pushing with all of us they’d wipe those dumbass smiles off their shitty faces and quit playing games. “No need to jump. I jus’ wanna show lover boy here what his little sweetie has been hiding from him.”
Hiding from me? What the hell is he talking about?
Looking down into Ellie’s eyes I see the fear come to life again and it makes my heart hurt. She can’t be hiding anything from me, can she?
~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Oh no, no, no.
This can’t be happening right now. Seeing the question in Bobby’s eyes I have to look away, shifting my gaze back to my son of a bitch ex and his shit eating grin. He winks and I look to the envelope in his hand, looking like it has something like papers or pictures within it.
“I haven’t been hiding anything,” I grind out, trying to call his bluff and maybe he’ll back off but he just smiles, reaching his hand into the manila envelope and pulling out a stack of photos. My heart stops and I know my face is displaying the horror of the situation.
“I beg to differ,” he grins, dropping the envelope and thumbing through the pictures, showing them to his Trooper friends and they laugh.
“Hey Navy boy,” he yells picking out a few pictures and tossing them out towards us. They land only inches from Bobby’s feet. I should bend over and pick them up before he does but I’m so nervous that I can’t move. I’m frozen. “Take a look at those.”
Jake nods to the pictures and from the corner of my eye I can see Bobby look at me before he bends over and picks them up. My heart feels as if it might explode from my body as he straightens slowly, his eyes trained on the pictures.
“Did my wife tell you that she strips at that club she works at?” I can’t help but gasp a little as Jake’s words hang between us like a thick fog. Everyone is silent except for him, his little chuckles of delight and victory acting like knives to my heart. “God only knows what else she does with the scum that goes in and out of there.”
“Ellie?” Bobby’s soft whisper rips through that fog like a missile aimed for my heart and as I look at him, the disbelief on his face brings the tears to my lashes. He’s shaking his head slowly as he looks back at the pictures and I can just imagine what they have on them, I don’t need to see them.
One of me up on the pole. One of me doing a split provocatively. One of me shaking it and rubbing my chest on some guys face. Yeah I’m not proud of it, but I had to pay my bills and Jake had made it impossible for me to work anywhere else except for the temping at the attorneys, but that was few and far between.
“I’m sorry Bobby, I meant to tell you. It just,” I try to explain but
the hurt on his face makes the tears flow freely down my cheeks and Jake interrupts me.
“Oh shut up slut,” he says harshly, throwing some more pictures out and they scatter on the grass. “Explain those.” He nods to one that landed closest to me and hesitantly I pick it up, flipping it over and flinching at the image.
It’s the night in Virginia Beach. He must have followed me, why didn’t I think of this? Why was I so stupid? As I stare down at the image shot through the hotel window of me sitting on Garth’s lap, naked, with Brad kissing my neck from behind I feel like throwing up. Crumpling the paper in my hand, I toss it to the ground and look up at Jake, anger flowing through my chest making it hurt with tension.
“What the fuck?” I hear Bobby exclaim and I see him toss the photos to the ground.
“Hey man, don’t over react,” I see Garth throw up his hands in defense as Chad and Reno grab Bobby’s arms, stopping him from advancing. It’s not his fault. It’s not Brad’s fault either. I slept with them, it was my decision and I can’t take it back. Now it might ruin everything.
This can’t be happening. Everything is falling apart. My hands come to my chest as Bobby continues to yell at Garth and Brad, swearing and calling them names as Jake just stands there smiling. He’s smiling.
“One more thing Navy boy,” he says and Bobby spins around, his face red from anger. His chest is heaving in and out and to me, it looks like he might explode.
“I don’t want to hear one more fuckin’ word from your god damn mouth,” he grinds out and shakes Chad and Reno off, giving me a hard look that breaks me down, causing my legs to tremble.
“Oh no, you see, you want to hear this one, it’s the most important.” Jake’s attitude changes from happy and gloating to hatred as he looks at me and I know what’s coming, but I can’t get the words out to try and protest, to try and stop him. “Ellie is a baby killer.”
“What?” the first reaction comes from Rhea, somewhere behind me but I can’t face her. “Ellie, what is he sayin’?” she asks. I’m still frozen in place, my body shaking from the combination of anger, fear and devastation as my life falls apart at the seams.
“What I’m sayin’ bitch,” Jake chimes in, no doubt pissing Chad off, “is that your cousin is a baby killer. She killed our baby. She had an abortion, not caring what I wanted.”
Silence surrounds me as I continue to try and hold in the massive sobs that want to break out. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me and it makes my skin crawl.
“I hate you,” I whisper, looking at him slightly as he stands there in his leather with his security blanket of goons. “I hate you. You will never deserve to be a father.” My voice rises as I raise my head, looking this green eyed devil straight in the face and coming within a foot of him.
“Yes, I stripped. But only because you took every other opportunity of employment away from me by threatening the employers.” I yell right in his face, not caring that the tears are streaming down and I poke him in the chest. “Yes. I had the abortion but only because I didn’t want you to expose an innocent child to the life you had given me. I didn’t want you to get mad because they didn’t wipe the table right and continuously whip them with your belt for three hours, or punch them in the face breaking their nose when they drop the salt shaker and get salt on the counter.” He’s smiling at me again as I recount only two of the numerous times he beat me.
Spinning around I face Bobby, Rhea and my friends, their faces still displaying mild shock and the sobs creep from my chest. I bunch my shirt between my fingers as those hazel eyes roam over me, displaying anger and disgust where they, only minutes ago, had shown love and want.
“I’m sorry I lied,” I choke out, feeling the need to run away just like I had the last night in West Virginia. “Everything is true and I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.” Bobby is shaking his head, not meeting my gaze as everyone else is looking to each other, no doubt trying to make sense of the scene they just witnessed.
“Ellie, I don’t know,” Bobby starts to say as Jake’s hands find my waist, his lips brushing my earlobe.
“He doesn’t love you anymore slut,” he says harshly as I try to squirm from his grasp, digging my nails into his arms and hearing him swear. I feel his boot meet my knee and I cry out as I hit the grass. “He doesn’t want some damaged slut. Get up bitch.”
I don’t turn around. I don’t look over my shoulder. I just get to my knees and then to my feet, running towards home. Running and crying, not paying attention to the sound of my name being called behind me. Everything is ruined.
I ruined it all. I am so fucking stupid. I mucked it all up and now I don’t know if I can fix it. Jake is right. Bobby won’t want me now so I run, turning out of the parking lot and heading for the trailer park at a break neck pace.
I’m not stopping at any of the stop signs or crossroads and as I sprint into the trailer park driveway, I’m falling apart from the inside out. The sobs are wracking my body as I reach my steps, but I don’t care if any of my neighbors see me. Let them look and gawk, wondering what the hell I’m doing as I throw open the door and then slam it shut, shaking the walls and knocking some of my frames to the floor.
“How could I be so stupid,” I scream dragging my arm across my counter and pushing everything to the floor. I can’t do this. Sinking to the kitchen floor with my back against the cabinets I shove my face into my knees.
I should have just told him right out. I should have told him everything, leaving no rock unturned and this little episode wouldn’t matter. But no, I didn’t do that because I’m weak. I’m weak and stupid and now look at my life; I’ve ruined everything with Bobby and probably with Rhea.
My cell phone rings but I just yank it from my pocket and throw it across the room, hearing it shatter at the same moment I hear the distinctive rumble of a Harley engine. I should have known he would come here. It isn’t like him to leave business unfinished.
The screen door opens and slams shut, his motorcycle boots clicking on the linoleum floor and I can feel him looming over me. Wiping my cheeks with my hands I look up at him, seeing a smile across his lips the same way he would before I’d be blamed for something I didn’t do.
“Hello Ellie Mae,” he says, smooth as whiskey, unbuckling his belt and slowly pulling it from the loops. The leather makes a loud, ear piercing snap as he stretches is between his hands, warming it up.
“Hello Jake,” I say getting to my feet with help of the counter. This is going to end. This is going to end with me standing my ground.
~~~~~~~
Bobby
What the hell just happened?
As I watch Ellie run off, crying, not yielding to Rhea’s screams for her to come back I’m in shock. Is this a fucking nightmare? It must be. French must have knocked me out on accident when he tackled me and I’m dreaming, that’s all.
“What do ya think about her now, Navy boy?” the deep voice meets my ears again and I turn my face away from Ellie’s disappearing form to face this blonde son of a bitch. He’s smiling and laughing, elbowing his buddies as if he just did something smart and it irks me beyond belief.
Without thinking, with those pictures of Ellie up on the stripper pole half naked and having sex with Garth and Brad flowing through my mind I stalk right up to this laughing son of a bitch, wind back and plow my fist right into his mouth, loving the feel of the pain as it shoots up my arm and he stumbles back.
“What the fuck?” I hear murmured from one of the goons as Jake spits blood onto the ground and it’s on. I’m bombarded by two or three of them, blocking and throwing punches, wrapping my arms around one of their waists and tossing them to the ground as another asshole kicks at my back. I don’t feel it. I’m too angry to feel right now.
I can see Chad and the others join in the rumble, tossing guys and punching them, Reno knocking one out with a single punch, but my vision is zoned in on Jake and his goddamn smile. I’m going to break that smirk off of his face if I get to him.
“Come here boy and let me give you some of your own medicine,” I yell, blocking a haymaker from a burly man and returning the favor, nailing him right on the bridge of the nose; shattering his sunglasses as the blood gushes out and he falls to his knees.
Looking back up I see Jake and his little shadow, Walden, hightailing it towards the parking lot and I’m immediately sprinting off after them. There is no way they are getting away.
“What are ya runnin’ for?” I yell, catching up with Walden and Jake as they just hit the black top. I reach out and yank on Walden’s leather vest, pulling him to the ground but I turn to get Jake and see him getting on his motorcycle.
“Maybe next time Navy boy,” he laughs as his bike roars to life and he speeds off as I chase him a short distance, the adrenaline and anger rolling through me like water over a waterfall.
My chest is heaving and hurting with everything that has been thrown at me and I turn back towards the field, spotting Walden trying to get up from where I had tossed him down. I’m going to make someone pay for all of this pain I’m feeling right now; for pulling down the perfect picture of a life I was starting to build.
“Oh no you don’t,” I growl running over and planting my right foot in his gut, loving the sound as the wind rushes out and he falls to his side. “You think you can just come over here an’ throw shit in my face then run? I’m no pussy,” I yell kicking him again before dropping down to my knees, trapping him and I drive my fist into his face, hearing the crack and pop of bones.
I don’t stop, I hit and strike him seeing the blood flow down onto the black top. I can’t stop. I’m not only hitting this man for me; for my anger but I’m hitting him for Ellie too. For all she went through at the hands of this man’s friend. The nights she cried herself to sleep with welts and bruises. For the moment she had to decide to have the abortion to keep a child from having a hellish life and maybe turning out like their father.
I Never Asked You To Save Me: Book 3 The Wakefield Romance Series Page 17