by Roya Carmen
Yes, I remember. How could I forget – I was tied to the bed, on all fours while he pulled at my hair and slapped my ass. I pull away from him to hang my cue on the rack, but he follows closely.
I try to shake him. “It was nice to see you. Have a good night,” I say, my mouth tight. But he won’t leave me.
Flynn wraps his arm around my shoulder. “The lady said goodnight.”
Damn, Flynn has some balls. There’s three of them and they’re all bat-shit crazy.
“Well, I’m not done with her,” Michael scoffs.
Flynn pulls me closer to him. “Why don’t you and your buddies call it a night? Go check out some other bar?”
Michael is livid. I can see it in his dark eyes – it’s the same look he gets just before he hits me. This won’t be good. He grabs a hold of my wrist. “Why don’t you get the fuck out of here, and let me talk to my wife?”
He’s hurting me. He’s stolen my breath and sent my pulse racing. I try to pry my arm away but it’s no use.
“She’s not your wife anymore,” Flynn says quietly. “You don’t deserve her.”
Oh fuck…
Michael pulls at my arm and tears me from Flynn. “Just because you’re fucking her doesn’t mean she belongs to you.”
He’s treating me like an object again. I don’t belong to anyone.
“Let her go,” Flynn hisses and I can tell he’s about to lose his composure. Any sane man can only last so long around a man like Michael.
Michael lets me go and shoves me in Flynn’s direction. “You don’t know who you’re fucking with, pretty boy.”
I pull at Flynn’s arm. “Let’s go. Let’s just leave.”
Flynn shoos me away, completely focused on Michael, ready for battle.
Michael inches closer to him, and his thugs move in unison, one on either side of him – he’s king. “Let’s take this outside.”
Flynn stands motionless, speechless.
Suddenly, Michael pulls at Flynn’s turtleneck and drags him toward the back exit. His thugs are right behind him. Flynn struggles but he’s outmatched. Fuck, has anyone in a turtleneck ever won a fight? Michael is clever. He knows he can’t pick a fight in a bar, but he can beat the shit out of him by the dumpster behind the bar. I’ve seen him do it before. I need to do something.
A bunch of drunken frat boys form a cluster and completely block my path. I shove one of them, struggling to make my way through. “Hey, beautiful, why the rush?” one of them calls out. One reaches for my arm but doesn’t get a full grasp of it. I escape and look back – Michael and his thugs are dragging Flynn outside.
“Get off me,” Flynn screams and tries to fight back. No one is paying attention. No one is there to stop them. Flynn doesn’t stand a chance. I dash across the bar to go find Aiden – it’s all I can think to do. I stumble on my heels and fall to the sticky floor. A crowd of college kids gather around me. “Are you all right?!!” they ask, a chorus of concern. I get back to my feet, shove them out of the way, and keep running. As soon as I reach their table, Amber and Aiden gape at me with concern.
“Michael is here,” I point to the back of the bar, breathless and frantic. “He and his friends have Flynn. They’re heading out the back.”
A beer falls off the table as Aiden jumps to his feet. The big jock he was talking to is right behind him. Amber and I are hot on their heels.
We dash through the busy crowd, and I pray to God that we make it there in time.
Flynn
Fuck, that asshole.
When I first spot him, my stomach drops. There’s something about that man that’s not right. I try to keep my calm but the asshole grinds my gears. I attempt to be polite when I ask him to leave but he’s having none of it.
When he gets in my face and says, “Let’s take this outside,” I know I’m in trouble. Flashes of Jade’s story play in my mind; the rapist’s head smashed against the brick wall; the coma and brain damage. When Michael and his buddies drag me out of the bar, I panic. I can’t think straight; I have never known fear like this. I break out in a cold sweat, and my whole body starts to shake. My knees lock and I lose myself.
Then something happens. I think about Amber. I think about little Trevor. I think about Jade. I’m not going out like this. I’m putting up a fight. Fuck this asshole.
As soon as we’re outside, he slams me against the wall. He pins me, his hands pressed on my shoulders. “Now listen, pretty boy,” he spits. “You are going to end this thing with Jade right fucking now. You’re gonna kick her out of your house and send her back my way. You understand?!”
I know I should nod. I know exactly what I should say: “Yes, I’ll make sure she leaves by tomorrow. I’ll tell her it’s over.” Those are the words he wants to hear. But I can’t say those words – it’s that old Riverstone temper. I’ve never let anyone bully me before and I’m not about to start now. “No fucking way,” I spit back. He blows out a breath – the smell of beer washes over my face. “Do you love her?” he asks.
“Yes… I fucking love her. I’m crazy about her.”
My words set him off. He turns from me and as I lean away from the wall, he throws his first punch, right to the eye. My head hits the wall but I have no time to register the pain. Instinct takes over and I throw an uppercut right into his liver. He crouches and hugs his stomach. I back off and pull up my fists. I’m not really a fighter, but all those years at the boxing ring fooling around with Aiden and the guys must have taught me something.
He goes in for another punch, and hits me right in the jaw. I swing back with a hook to the face. Blood spits out of his mouth. One of his cronies grabs me from the back, and I know I’m done.
A series of punches to the face and stomach follow. His thug lets go, and I crumple to my knees but Michael’s not done with me. He bends down over me and grabs a fistful of my hair. He bangs my head against the concrete ground, and as the pain sears its way through my skull, powerful and merciless, I know he’ll kill me.
The last thing I see is Jade. She’s riding Liberty and flashes me a smile. And she’s so fucking beautiful.
Jade
When we finally get to the back of the bar and head outside, my heart absolutely breaks. I fall to my knees at the sight of Flynn. He falls from Jimmy’s arms to the ground, a bloody mess. Michael slams his head against the ground once before Aiden jumps in and pulls him off Flynn. He throws a punch at Aiden who throws another. Aiden’s new friend gets in there and restrains Michael – I don’t know who this jock is but the guy is tough. JP and Jimmy back off, knowing better. Michael settles down, his face a bloody mess. Typical… the fucker can’t fight his own battles. Without his thugs, he’s useless.
I hate him so much.
Amber is frozen in shock. So am I.
A crowd of people appear right behind us. Then it’s pure chaos. Michael and his thugs break free and make a quick escape. All I care about is Flynn. Amber and I kneel down to him, and he’s still with us, but just for a few seconds. I take his hand. “Jade…” he whispers and then he’s gone.
I scream at the top of my lungs. “Someone get help!”
Amber is as shattered as I am. “We need an ambulance.”
God, this can’t be happening. This is exactly what I was afraid of, the reason I wanted to leave. I should have left. Amber has already lost too many people. She can’t lose Flynn too. My stomach feels like a rock and I know I’m going to be sick. I drag my feet to a dark corner and vomit my dinner.
The ambulance is quick to come, the paramedics move quickly, in unison. They know what they’re doing – he’s in their hands now. I close my eyes and pray silently. I feel Amber’s embrace as she wraps her arms around me. She doesn’t say a word.
I sob into her silk blouse. “I’m so sorry,” I manage to choke out between sobs. “I should have left.”
She hugs me tighter but doesn’t say a word. I know she agrees. She lets me go to be with Flynn. Since she’s family, she gets to go with him in the a
mbulance.
I’m left back at the bar, drowning in sorrow.
The emergency room is pure chaos tonight. I run around like a chicken with its head cut off, accosting nurses, doctors, anyone in scrubs, trying to get information… anything. I hate this feeling… not knowing. “Can someone just help us?” I cry out, sobbing like a child and then I fall to my knees right in the middle of the emergency waiting room. A kind middle-aged nurse finally takes pity on me. I lie and tell her he’s my fiancé, and she makes it her personal mission to find him for me.
Not long after, we find him in a recovery room. He’s lying on a small hospital bed and he’s not looking well at all; one eye swollen shut, a bruised face, a bandaged nose, and stitches on his forehead. Amber is sitting next to him, chatting with him, in good spirits. She smiles when she sees me.
My heart swells. He’s okay. He’ll be fine. I’ve never been so happy. I inch slowly toward them, and when Flynn spots me, he attempts a smile but it seems to hurt him.
I leap to him and give him a hug.
He winces. “Aye… ouch.”
I pull from him. “I’m so sorry. I’m just so happy you’re okay. I was so scared.”
He reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “I’m okay. I’m tough.”
I grin. “I can see that.”
“There goes my modeling career though,” he jokes.
I laugh. I know he’ll be fine because he’s already making jokes. “Pity. You could have done really well, you handsome devil.”
“My nose is broken but at least I still have all my teeth.”
My heart still breaks at the sight of him. I trail my finger along his widow’s peak and the stitched up scar on his forehead. “Hey, you finally got that scar you’ve always wanted. You look really bad-ass.”
He starts to laugh but winces – his body is probably no better off than his face. My smile fades. “But you’ll be okay, right?! No serious damage?”
Amber smiles. “He’ll be fine. No broken bones, except for the nose. He has a concussion though. I need to keep an eye on him for the next day or two. I need to wake him up every two hours or so. He’ll be sleeping at the house.”
“I can help,” I offer. “Anything I can do…”
“Thanks. I’ll be taking him home as soon as they discharge him.”
Silence fills the room, and I wish I knew what to say. I know this is all my fault and I wish I could go back in time, and leave. If I had left, Flynn would never be lying in this hospital bed, all banged up.
“It’s so scary to think that if Aiden hadn’t found you when he did, that crazy asshole could have killed you,” Amber says.
Neither Flynn nor I say a word.
“We’ll get those assholes. We’ll be giving our statements tomorrow,” she adds.
“I’m so sorry,” I say again. Amber shoots me a tight grin. I know she doesn’t hate me but she’s probably regretting her decision to take me in.
Flynn
“You’re not going out there,” Amber scoffs.
I think about my horses, my barn, and my life. “But there’s so much work to do.”
“Aiden is on top of it,” she says. “He’s taken time off his work, and the both of us have it all covered, Flynn. You need to recover.”
“One day,” I finally concede. “I’m taking one day off.”
“Three,” she deadpans.
“Two.”
“Okay… two,” she concedes.
I shoot her a smile. “Deal.”
“Okay, I’m going to make lunch. How does tuna and chicken noodle soup sound?”
I could get used to this. “Delicious.”
If only I weren’t in terrible pain. They really did a bang-up job at beating the shit out of me. God, I don’t even want to think about where I’d be if Aiden hadn’t showed up when he did. I owe the guy my life.
Amber left me a book; a James Patterson thriller, but I’m in no mood to read. And I don’t watch TV. I’m not even on Facebook or anything like that. I know I’m an odd duck.
Damn, I’m bored.
My whole body stirs when Jade’s face peeks through the door. “Can I come in?”
“Yes,” I cheer. “I’m bored to death.”
She laughs. “I brought you some chocolate cupcakes and some horse magazines.”
“Thank you.” So sweet. I might be banged up, but my mind is still full of all the things I’d like to do to her. She sets the box of cupcakes and magazines on my night stand. Her gaze darts around the guest room. “Nice room… it reminds me of a fancy hotel room.”
If only this were a fancy hotel room, and I wasn’t still in so much pain. I slide over on the bed. “Come over.”
She bites her lip, a flush on her cheeks.
“I’ll be good, I swear.”
She smiles wide. “Well, okay… if it’s cool.”
“It’s definitely cool.” I pat the mattress. “Join me.”
She settles her body gently into mine. Pain radiates along my side as I painstakingly rotate my body to face her – I could look at her all day.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi.”
God, I love this woman.
A hint of a smile traces her lips. “You’re all purple but you still look pretty hot right now.”
I play with the frill of her pretty blouse. “You too.”
She grins shyly.
“You looked amazing last night, in those heels and tight jeans… the things I was planning to do to you.”
She laughs. “Damn… don’t tease me like that. I don’t want to know right now.”
I trace my finger along her bottom lip, wanting to kiss her, but it’s painful to move. “No problem. We have the rest of our lives. I’ll do all those things soon enough.”
She chews her lip and doesn’t say a word. I know she doubts me. She doubts our future. She’s probably full of questions and concerns. “What happened?” she asks.
I don’t want to get into it – the whole thing is humiliating. “Your ex beat the shit out of me.”
She scowls. “It wasn’t a fair fight. He had his stupid thugs holding you down.”
“I got in a few good punches though.”
She lights up. “I know. I saw him… his face was a mess.”
“What happened?” she asks me again.
I pause before I confess the truth. I’m not sure if I want her to know – I know she already blames herself. “He asked me to let you go.”
“And what did you say?”
“I knew exactly what words he wanted to hear. All I would have had to say was, ‘Yes, sir. I’ll dump her.’ But I couldn’t say those words, Jade. I just couldn’t.”
She reaches for my face. Her palm on my cheek hurts but also feels so amazing. I long for her touch. “Oh, Flynn.”
“And then he asked me if I loved you, and I told him I was crazy about you.”
“And that’s when he lost it?”
“Yep.”
Her smile is bittersweet when she says, “I’m crazy about you too, by the way.”
I pull her face to mine and kiss those sweet lips. It hurts but it’s so worth it.
It’s only been three days and I’m already feeling better. I’m still in pain, but I feel so much better than I did two days ago. I can see through both eyes, and my bruises are already turning green – my body is healing. I kind of miss Amber’s cooking but I’m glad to be back home, in my own world, surrounded by my horses.
I have a therapy session with a client scheduled for this afternoon, and nothing’s going to make me miss it. These last few days have been crazy; the four of us bombarded by cops, having to go through the same statements over and over again; reliving the same events. I understand it’s what needs to be done to get the assholes but I can’t wait for all this to be over.
I’m still looking over my shoulder. I know they don’t have him in custody yet. I don’t know what’s taking them so long. I know the cops don’t take this kind of thing too seriously –
just another bar fight – no major damage done. The guy doesn’t have a record as far as I know, but they don’t know how crazy the asshole is. He almost killed a man, for fuck’s sake. Unfortunately, no one knows that. I’m tempted to walk around with a hunting rifle, but I know I couldn’t live with myself if a mishap were to happen. If Trevor stumbled on it, and accidently…
I can’t even wrap my mind around that. No… no guns.
I’m tacking up Destiny when I spot Amber. As she nears closer, I notice the sullen expression on her face, and I brace myself for some bad news. I’ll lose it if I find out the cops let him go.
“Hey, Flynn.”
“Hey, Amber. What’s up?”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better. Much better.”
She brushes her finger through Destiny’s mane. “Glad to hear it.”
I know she’s here for a reason. Amber usually never comes to visit just to shoot the breeze. “What’s up, Amber?” I ask again.
She chews on her lip, clearly not wanting to get into it.
I’m losing my patience. “What?! What is it?”
“It’s… it’s Jade,” she starts, not quite looking at me. “It’s this whole business with her crazy ex.”
“It’ll pass, Amber. Once the cops get a hold of him—”
“I’m scared, Flynn,” she cries out. “I’m scared for all of us. I’m scared for Trevor, for our barn, but most of all, I’m scared for you.”
I blow out a long slow breath. “Please, don’t worry about me. You always worry too much.”
“I’m not crazy, Flynn. Look at you! He almost killed you, and he’ll probably be back.”
“What do you want me to do about it, Amber?!” I scoff. “What do you want?”
She’s in tears when she blurts, “I want Jade to leave.”
“Damn, Amber. You can’t ask me that.”
“I’m sorry. I love Jade. She’s a sweet person but my family always comes first. Trevor is my priority.”