“Fuck you.”
A sharp sting pricks my throat, and a trickle of blood starts oozing down my neck. “I wouldn’t upset me any further, little sis. I’m furious with you, but I don’t want to hurt you even though you’ve done your best to hurt me. Why’d you do that, Rachel? Why’d you hurt your only brother? The only person who will ever love you so completely? Does our past mean nothing to you?”
I want to tell him to go to hell, but I’m too afraid he’ll cut me again, so I decide to play along. “You know that’s not the truth. It matters, but this isn’t the way to win me over.”
“Why did you go to the gardai? I had it under control! That girl was going to accept a payment and withdraw her allegation, but now you’ve come forward and all these other girls are coming out of the woodwork. I’m royally screwed, thanks to you.”
“I’m sorry.” My entire body is quaking with fright. Blood continues to seep down my neck.
“Do you really mean that?”
“I do. I’m really sorry.” In my head, I’m trying to calculate how long it’ll be until Brad returns, but I know it’s got to be at least twenty minutes. If I can just keep him distracted until then.
“Prove it.”
Every muscle locks up in my body. “What?”
“Prove you’re sorry. Prove you love me and not that American asshole.”
I attempt to smother my mounting panic. “How?” My voice squeaks, and I hate how scared I sound.
“Down on your knees. Suck me off.”
Oh, dear God. I’m going to be sick. I’m quaking all over.
Removing the knife from my throat, he turns me around, forcing me to my knees. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and I can detect the wicked gleam in his eyes. He holds the knife over my head, while his other hand fumbles with his belt. “Don’t try anything or I’ll gut you like the squealing pig that you are.”
My heart is beating so rapidly I fear it’ll give out.
His jeans and boxers drop to the floor, and he wraps his free hand around his hard length. Tears are coursing down my face. Horrific memories are bouncing around my mind, and I’m that frightened little girl again. I don’t want to put my mouth anywhere near him, but I figure this might be my only chance to escape. It’s risky, because he could impale me with the knife, but I’ve got to try something.
He grabs the back of my neck, jerking me forward. Closing my eyes, I take him in my mouth, say a silent prayer, and bite down really hard.
He lets out an almighty roar, and there’s a clang as the knife flies out of his hand, across the room, dropping to the floor. He sinks to his knees, cupping himself as he screams in agony. “You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you! Whore!”
I scoot away from him, shaking and crying as he continues to shout expletives. I’m paralyzed with fear, my brain having returned to a very dark place. A sliver of light starts pushing through, and I snap out of it. I’m not that same girl, and he’s not going to win. This is not how my life ends.
Scrambling to my feet, I race toward the door. Blood is thrumming in my ears, and nausea floods my mouth. A line of sweat coasts down my spine.
I have the door halfway open, and one foot outside, when I’m thrown forward with force. He has a tight grip on my right ankle, and his nails are digging painfully into my flesh. My face whacks against the side of the door, and I scream as agonizing pain shoots through me. Stars blur my vision as I slam face-first into the ground. I’m only semi-conscious as Alec drags me back by my foot. My head is spinning and there’s a metallic taste in my mouth. My nose throbs like a bitch. Dumping me in the living room, he hobbles to the door and closes it again.
I’m rolling around on the ground, clutching my aching body, dazed and in pain, with blood dripping down my face and my neck. My vision blurs in and out, and I’m seconds away from passing out.
I will myself to get up, but I can’t make my limbs move. They won’t cooperate. A loud sob bursts free of me.
I am going to die here today.
There’s nothing I can do to stop it.
My sobs turn to anger as he presses himself down on top of me, reaching for the hem of my skirt. “You fucking bitch. I’m going to make you pay for that, and then I’m going to kill you and leave you here for your precious Brad to find. We still have fourteen minutes until he returns, and that’s more than enough time to do what I need to do.”
Tears spill out of my eyes at the sound of material ripping. He rips my skirt right up the middle, and a blast of cool air flitters over my skin. I try to buck him off, but it’s a feeble attempt at best.
I go to that place.
That special empty space in my head where no one can hurt me, and I prepare myself.
I’ve no doubt he means what he says, and I can’t fight it anymore. I have no energy left.
As his hands wander to places they shouldn’t, my last conscious thought is of Brad and how awful it’s going to be when he comes home to find me like this, dead on the floor.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
An hour earlier
Brad
Something’s wrong. I feel it in my bones. I can’t explain it, but from the minute I arrived at the gym, I couldn’t concentrate. After a half hour, I take a break and ask my bodyguard to check in with Nate. His cell rings out repeatedly, and I don’t waste another second. I sprint to the locker room and remove my own phone, dialing Rachel’s number.
“What’s up?” Ky asks, bounding into the room behind me.
“I can’t reach Rachel, and her bodyguard isn’t picking up either.”
“Fuck! Let’s go!”
We grab our bags and run all the way to the parking garage. Ky floors it, tires squealing as he drives like a maniac out onto the dark road. I call Kev on the off chance he’s close by. He doesn’t pick up either. Ky calls the guy in charge of the security team asking him to send more resources to the apartment. Then he calls Faye in case they happen to be together and are just ignoring their phones. She confirms my worst fears. She hasn’t seen Rachel at all today which strikes fear into the heart of me. Rachel told me she was meeting Faye after classes ended, but she obviously lied.
Where the hell was she, and where the hell is she now? All Ky knows is that she was doing something to surprise me, and he was supposed to make sure I stayed at the gym.
Kev calls back a minute later. He calls up the tracking app on her phone as I speak. “She’s in the apartment,” he confirms.
“What about her brother?” I barely recognize my voice. Panic is doing a number on me.
“I haven’t been able to trace his new identity, so I’ve no way of knowing where he is. I’m getting in my car now.”
“How far away are you?”
“About twenty minutes.”
“We’re closer,” Ky confirms. “We’ll meet you there.”
“Pedal to the metal, brother,” Kev says.
“Already on it.”
I keep trying Rachel the entire trip to the apartment. Ky doesn’t try to reassure me, and I appreciate that. Hearing him say she’ll be fine would offer no comfort in this moment. I’m fucking terrified that I’m going to walk into that apartment and find her gone or dead. My insides are twisted into knots.
Ky drives like a maniac, weaving in and out of traffic. We make it to our apartment block in record time. As soon as he swings the car into the garage, we both jump out, not even bothering to close the doors.
Ignoring the elevator, I push through the door to the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Nervous adrenaline pushes my limbs to the limit. Ky removes a gun from the back of his sweatpants as we step out onto our floor. My eyes dart to his in silent question. “I got this after the cabin. I didn’t want to be caught unawares again. I have a permit.”
“I don’t give a fuck about permits. I’m just glad you have it.”
We’re running toward our apartment door when a loud scream perforates the otherwise still air.
“Rachel!” I fumble in my pocket for the keys. Inserting it into the lock, I turn it and nothing happens. I jiggle the key again, but it doesn’t move. “Fuucckkkk! He has it locked from the inside.”
“Stand back,” Ky instructs. Holding the gun in front of him, he shoots the lock out and I kick the door open.
The hallway is dark, and all the lights are off in the apartment. Sounds of scuffling bounce off the walls. I round the bend into the living room and screech to a halt. It’s fucking pitch-black, but I can still make out the two forms on the ground. He has her pinned to the ground, and his hands are around her throat. I don’t think. I just act.
I charge at him, knocking him sideways, and we wrestle on the floor, both grappling for the upper hand. “Showtime, asshole,” he croaks, before headbutting me. Black spots mar my vision, and a stabbing pain pierces my skull. He climbs off me and I lift my foot, angling it at his crotch, but my vision is fuzzy and my aim is off. My foot glances off his hip, and he laughs.
“Hands up, perv, or I’ll shoot.” Kyler steps around Rachel, pointing the gun at her brother. The crazy motherfucker charges him, and the gun flies through the air before he can get a shot off, landing somewhere in the darkened room. They both go down, swinging fists.
I crawl over to Rachel. She’s lying flat on her back, and she’s naked from the waist down. I strip off my sweater and cover her lower half. Tears are streaming down my face. A large red stain darkens the front of her cream blouse, and blood is smeared across her neck. Her eyes are closed and she’s so still. “Oh my God, Rach. No! Please, baby, please be alive.” I bring my trembling hand to the side of her neck, and I almost collapse when her pulse thrums against my fingers.
A loud crash diverts my attention. Alec has slammed Ky into the wall, and I watch in horror as my best friend collapses on the floor, out cold. Alec turns around slowly. He’s also naked from the waist down, and the sight of his semi-hard dick, and his sneering, arrogant face, flips a switch inside me. I lose it, launching myself at him as I roar. He lands a punch to my stomach, but I barely feel it. I swing at him, glancing the left side of his face.
We go at it, punching one another, each trying to gain dominance, but we’re pretty evenly matched. I throw another jab at him as the blare of approaching sirens fills the room. He starts backing up toward the door. Hell to the no. The only way he’s getting out of here is in cuffs or a body bag.
I make a grab for his shirt, and he makes a stupid mistake, stumbling as he tries to duck out of my reach. He loses his balance and falls to the floor. I jump on him, fists swinging, digging my knee firmly into his naked groin as he yelps in pain. His hands swing wildly, but I have him pinned, and I rain blows down on him. He stops fighting back after a bit, but I continue to pummel him, raining shots on him in pure rage. Blood spurts out of his mouth, spraying me, and I want to keep going. To make sure he doesn’t ever get back up, but I don’t want to join my father in a jail cell either.
I force myself up off him, wiping blood from my own mouth as the pounding of footsteps grows louder. Shapes hover in the doorframe. “Hold your hands up where I can see them, son,” the police officer says, his eyes squinting to take in the scene in the dark. Strips of light leak in from the open doorway and the corridor behind, illuminating Ky and Alec lying bleeding and unconscious on the floor.
“It’s not what it seems,” I tell them, holding my hands up in case they shoot me. “This guy broke into my apartment, and he tried to kill my girlfriend. He knocked my friend unconscious.” I jerk my head in Ky’s direction. “Can you call an ambulance, please. My girlfriend is unconscious too.”
“Already on its way.” They don’t lower their weapons. “Lock your hands behind your back and walk slowly toward me.”
“I told you I didn’t do this.”
“Until we can verify that, you are under arrest.”
“I’m not leaving this apartment until that piece of shit is removed. I’m not leaving him anywhere near my girlfriend. There’s a warrant for his arrest in Ireland, and you can check with the local police, the Irish authorities were already in contact with them. His name is Alec O’Kelly.”
The police officer inches toward me but hollers over his shoulder. “Weiss! Call that in. See if it checks out.”
“Brad?” The small voice behind me is like music to my ears.
“Baby?” My voice is choked, and I daren’t turn around in case the cop shoots me. “Don’t come any closer,” I warn her, keeping hawk eyes on her brother. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was only pretending to be unconscious. In horror movies, the baddie always jumps up and makes a last-ditch attempt.
“Point the gun at him!” Rachel’s voice is frantic. “He broke in here and tried to rape and kill me. My boyfriend stopped him.”
That seems good enough for the cops. The officer swings his gun at the floor, and a second cop bends down over Rachel’s brother.
I whirl around, walking with purpose toward my girlfriend. She’s slouched against the wall, clutching my sweater around her hips, clearly injured, but she’s holding herself upright. Gently, I wrap my arms around her, and she folds into me, crying. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, baby. It’s over. He can’t hurt you again.”
I’m holding Rachel’s hand in the ambulance, and I haven’t taken my eyes off her the entire time. The medics have temporarily bandaged her neck, and she’s hooked up to a drip. Ky, thankfully, came around a short while after Rachel did. While he was claiming he was fine, the medics insisted he needed to get checked out, so he’s on his way to the same hospital in a different ambulance. Kev is with him, and Faye is on her way in a taxi.
Rachel smiles, and it amazes me. She’s so resilient. So brave. Already, it’s as if a cloud has lifted and her face is brighter, less strained. “How did you get there so fast?”
I cringe at the raw, throaty sound she makes as she speaks. Finger marks have left an obvious imprint on the exposed skin around her neck. Every time I think of that bastard trying to choke her, I want to go back in time and kill his psychotic ass. But Rachel needs me to be calm and in control. “I had a sense something was off. I couldn’t shake the feeling, and when we couldn’t reach Nate, I just knew something had happened. We left immediately.”
Her eyes turn moist. “You saved me.”
“You saved me first, Red.” I thought it was my family who was healing the broken pieces of my heart, but all along it’s been this fierce, strong, feisty Irish girl who’s been healing me. No doubt my family have played a part, but Rachel has been the driving force whether she knew it or not. “I was lost, but you found me.”
“We found each other.”
I hold her hand to my mouth and plant a gentle kiss on her skin. “Let’s never lose sight of that.”
At the hospital, Rachel is whisked away to be examined, and I wear a line in the tiled hallway, pacing back and forth. Kev is slouched in a chair, listening to someone on his phone. He gets up, clenching his jaw as he walks toward me. “That was dad’s security guy. They found Nate in an alley near the apartment with his throat slit.”
I stop pacing, running a hand through my hair. “Shit, he’s dead?” Kev nods. “Rachel’s gonna be really upset when she hears that.” Although she hadn’t known her bodyguard that long, I know she liked and respected him.
“I knew him. He was a good guy. I wish I’d killed that motherfucking pervert when I had the chance.”
You and me both, buddy. I hope Alec rots in a jail cell for the rest of his miserable life.
Kev walks off to get coffee while I resume pacing the hallway. A few minutes later, Faye comes racing around the corner, almost crashing into me. “Whoa!” I grip her upper arms to steady her.
“Is he okay? Is Rach?”
“They’re fine. They’re
both fine.”
Kev returns carrying two cups of coffee. “I was with him in the ambulance,” he says, handing her his coffee without question. “He didn’t stop bitching and moaning. I’d say there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him, but they are taking necessary precautions.”
“I just asked at the desk, and he’s being released as soon as the paperwork is processed,” I confirm.
A half hour later, Ky strolls toward us with a relaxed grin. He pulls his girl into his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“I was so worried, Ky.” Faye squeezes the hell out of him.
“I’m perfectly fine, except for a splitting headache and a bump on the back of my head.”
A nurse steps forward carrying a clipboard. “I’m looking for Mr. McConaughey and Ms. Donovan.”
“That’s us,” I supply, gesturing between myself and Faye.
“Rachel is asking for you.”
We follow her down the corridor and around the corner. Rachel is in a private room, sitting up in bed munching on tea and toast. Faye gasps at her obvious injuries, holding a hand over her mouth. The cuts and bruises on her face and her neck will heal. I’m more concerned about the scars we can’t see.
Rach holds out her arms, and Faye hugs her with tears falling down her face. “I was so freaking worried. I’m sure the taxi driver thought I was a mental case.”
“I’m okay. It looks worse than it is.”
“Is it?” Faye sits back, glancing quickly at me as I sit down on the other side of Rachel. I thread my fingers in hers.
“Yes. He didn’t rape me, although he tried. I was trying to fight him off when Brad and Ky got there. Then he panicked, and that’s when he started choking me.”
A rap on the door interrupts us. A nurse walks in with the police officer who was on the scene. I assume he’s here to take a statement. “Can’t it wait until the morning?” I ask before he’s even opened his mouth. “She’s been through an ordeal and she’s exhausted.”
Saving Brad (The Kennedy Boys Book 5) Page 30