by Heather Lyn
“What do I have to do to show you who is in fucking charge?”
“Graham, no. Please.”
“Shut the fuck up, Sadie.” He takes another shot at my face, bright lights flashing across my vision. He grabs me by the throat and hauls me to my feet, the pain in my head intensifying.
“No.”
I fight him with all my might, just needing to hang on until the cops get here. My phone is still connected to the emergency operator, stuffed in my back pocket when he came through the door. Graham spins us so my back is against the kitchen counter and he chokes me harder, my vision starting to dim. He thinks he has the upper hand, but my groping hand finds a glass. With every last ounce of my strength, I smash it over his head, his body dropping to the floor.
Stumbling to my bedroom, I slam the door shut and lock it, then shove the small dresser as close to the door as I can before dropping behind my bed. My whole face is throbbing, and tears are splashing down my cheeks.
The police aren’t here. And I know Graham isn’t dead.
He’s going to get in here. He’s going to finish this, and then Garret will find my dead body.
Garret. No.
With shaky and fumbling hands, I get my phone from my back pocket and see that not only did the call disconnect, but I have a dozen texts from Garret.
Garret: What’s happened? We’re on our way.
Garret: Are you okay?
Garret: Baby, please, this isn’t funny. Answer me.
Garret: Sadie, please tell me you’re okay.
Garret: Fuck, baby, I need to know you’re okay.
Sobbing quietly, I force my fingers to type out a message, my heart breaking with each word I write. Hitting Send, I slump down against the bed, my body growing more tired. My head is fuzzy, and it's hard to stay awake.
Please, Garret. Please get here.
Sadie: I’m so sorry, Garret. He found me. I love you so much. Thank you for loving me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Garret
“Dude, hurry up. I’m starving.”
Parked outside a fast food restaurant downtown, I wait patiently for Jace to hurry his ass up so we can go inside. He’s on the phone with his brother, and at this point, I’m ready to go in without him.
I tap on the roof of the cruiser, checking my watch—10:50 p.m. We’ve been on shift since one, and we have about three hours left. I’m tired as shit, missing my girl, and ready to clock my partner in the head. I want a shitty burger and I want it now.
I go to yank the door open to yell at him when he finally climbs out of the car.
“We need to go. Now.”
“Fuck.”
Dropping back into the car, I buckle up and look over at Jace. “What do we got?”
“Domestic break-in.” His face is white as a ghost as he tears out of the parking lot, lights and sirens blaring.
“What’s the rush, man?”
Jace looks over at me, and I’m taken aback by the fear on his face.
“It’s Sadie’s place, bro. And the operator heard a commotion in the background, and screaming.”
My heart drops and I rip my phone from my pocket, firing off texts to Sadie. She doesn’t respond, and when I try calling her, there’s no answer.
“Please tell me it’s not Graham. Please!” I shout, slamming my fist against the door.
“Calm down, man. I need you to stay calm. We can’t help her if you lose your head.”
“Get us the fuck there. Now, Jace. Stop fucking talking to me like I’m a damn woman in labor. I’m not gonna calm down. Get me to her.”
Jace flexes his fingers on the steering wheel and focuses on the road. I feel like a dick for speaking to him that way, but my anxiety level is through the roof. I have no idea what's happening, if she's okay, and I’m not gonna be able to breathe until we get there.
My phone chimes with a text and I check it instantly, my heart dropping.
Sadie: I’m so sorry, Garret. He found me. I love you so much. Thank you for loving me.
“No, goddamn it, don’t you fucking say goodbye to me,” I shout, tapping out a message and hoping she sees it.
Garret: No, baby. Don’t you do that to me. We’re almost there.
On a normal drive, our ETA would've been fifteen minutes, but we make the drive in less than ten. Jace radioed for backup as soon as we got going, so there might be people there already, but I have no idea.
“Fuck, man, let her be okay,” I mutter, and Jace reaches over to squeeze my shoulder.
“She will, Garret. Have faith. She’s a tough one. She’s okay. You need to keep it together.”
“Fuck!” I roar, my teeth gritted together.
Jace doesn’t talk the rest of the drive. When we race onto her street, I don’t see any other cruisers. We’re first on the scene.
Please, baby. Please be okay.
Jace parks and we leap out, guns drawn. The house is silent, and the front door is closed. Jace motions to the front and I go around back. As I make my way toward the back porch, I see light spilling out from the back of the house. The back door's been kicked in and is standing wide open. Keeping my gun out in front of me, I take the few steps needed to get onto the porch, sweeping the doorway and making sure the room is clear.
Stepping inside her kitchen, I find a mess, as well as a small pool of blood. My heart is pounding loudly in my ears, and I’m struggling, terrified of what I’m going to find. As I spin around to clear the living room, I hear a loud bang and turn toward it, the noise coming from her bedroom.
A second later, there's an even louder smash, and this time I hear a sound that will never leave my head for the rest of my life—a soul-shattering scream belonging to Sadie.
I rush down the hallway, making sure to shout loudly.
“Nashville PD!”
Light is filtering out of Sadie’s bedroom, that door knocked in as well, her small dresser blocking half the doorway. I cross the threshold and find Graham standing over her, my girl’s body pinned to the bed. His hands are around her throat, and she’s kicking and hitting at him, her body tiny beneath his frame.
And in that moment, I see red.
Fuck protocol.
Fuck my job.
Gun back in its holster, I shove the dresser out of the way and grab Graham by the back of his shirt. In one swift move, he’s off Sadie and flat on his back on the floor, a look of confusion all over his face. I cock my fist back and drive it straight into his nose, the satisfying crunch not nearly enough.
“Fucking piece of shit. How’s it feel now, cocksucker?” I growl, sickened when he just smirks at me. I punch him again, and this time he doesn’t smirk.
All I can see are Sadie’s bruises.
I hear her nightmares.
Her tears.
Her pain.
I lift my arm again when it’s grabbed from behind, and I turn to find Jace there.
“Let go,” I grit out, but Jace shakes his head, pulling me back from the bastard.
“Dude. No. You got your shot. Now go take care of your girl. Backup is one minute out, and the last thing I need is to explain why you’re now the one about to be arrested.”
“Fine.” Shaking out of Jace’s grip, I get to my feet and wipe my hand across my mouth. “Get this piece of shit out of here.”
Jace begins to read him his Miranda rights, and the sound of his handcuffs is all the signal I need. Rushing to the bed, I kneel over Sadie and gently cup her face, making sure to check for a pulse. Her face is bruised, and there are darkening marks around her neck.
My hands shake when I brush her hair off her face, my eyes stinging.
“Sadie, baby, it’s me, Garret. Can you open your eyes?”
I run my thumb over her cheek, and her eyes slowly creak open. When they focus on me, she starts to cry, her entire body racked with her sobs.
“Thank you, Jesus,” I mumble, dropping my forehead to hers. “We got the call over the radio, and I was so fucking scared, baby.�
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“I fought him,” she whispers, voice hoarse and cracking.
I nod, a few tears slipping out and falling down my cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Sades. You did so damn good, and now it’s over.”
“I’m so tired, Garret.”
“I know, but the ambulance is almost here. I need you to stay awake, baby. Hold my hand and squeeze it tight. Don’t close your eyes. Stay right here with me.”
“I promise,” she says, her voice so quiet that I can't do anything but sit and hold her, praying the entire time that she’s going to be okay. That she’ll make it through this.
The wailing sirens are loud, and I know the ambulance is here. Moments later, the paramedics race inside, pushing me away from her so they can do their jobs.
Sadie is taken out on a stretcher and I stumble outside, Jace speaking with our sergeant in front of our squad car.
When I make it over to them, Clarke looks at me with concern. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, I think she is. It all looked superficial to me, but they’re taking her to the hospital to get her checked out. I would never ask this normally, but can I…?”
Sarge just waves a hand at me, knowing exactly what I was about to ask. “Give me your full statement and then you can take off. Have Miller drive you to the hospital. Now, let’s go over what happened.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I give him the full play-by-play, not leaving out a single detail. Once we’re finished, he tells me to come into the station in the morning and get everything written up. Jace and I climb into the cruiser a moment later, and he takes me over to Memorial. The drive is completely silent; I’m too drained to speak.
I’m so angry, and while I know Sadie's okay, right now I'm the furthest thing from it. I’m about to splinter into a million pieces, and my emotions are absolutely fried. I need to see her and be with her right now. I’m angry that Jace didn’t let me beat the ever-loving fuck out of him. I’m even angrier that he had the balls to come after her.
Graham Ward is a sick fucking bastard. He abused and degraded her for years, but then she finally gets away. Files for divorce and moves on, finds a new life for herself. She was healing, and then this filth comes after her, for what reason? Because he isn’t in control anymore?
No, fuck that. I hope he gets his in prison, because with the violence tonight and the fact that he violated the restraining order, I’m sure he’s facing hefty jail time. At least I hope he is.
I’m so lost in my mind that I barely notice Jace turning into the hospital parking lot. He pulls up to the emergency room entrance and stops the car at the curb. I go to jump out when he grabs my upper arm.
“Hold on a sec.”
“What?” I ask, turning to look at him, still holding the door handle.
“I’m sorry, bro. I know you’re angry I pulled you off Ward, but you gotta understand. Sadie was alive, and we both know just from how that place looked that she fought him something fucking strong. I couldn’t let you risk your badge and your girl just to get your revenge. I let you hit him, but I knew those two wouldn’t be enough for you.”
“It’s cool,” I lie, and he smacks my arm.
“Garret, fucking stop, okay? You’re a damn good cop. One of the best I know, and I also know how much you and Sadie love each other. You need to be out here, in the real world with her, not sitting behind bars because that fucker let you get the best of him. He’s a scumbag, and you and I both know someone like him will get his ass kicked in jail. Be pissed at me all you want, but I did the right thing, and you know it.”
I scrub a hand over my face and nod, knowing he’s 100 percent correct. Jace isn’t the enemy, and to be honest, deep down I’m glad he stopped me. I had no intention of ending my torrent of punches until that garbage was dead, and then where would I be?
“You’re right. I’m sorry, I just can’t think straight right now. I swear, Jace, when I saw him on top of her, I just lost it. I couldn’t do anything but just take him the fuck down. I needed to make him feel the same pain Sadie felt. I wanted to fucking kill him.”
“Me too, buddy,” Jace says quietly, and he squeezes my shoulder. “Go see your girl. I’ll be up in a bit. I just need to find a parking spot.”
Without another word, I fly from the car, running into the ER. Since I’m still dressed in uniform, I don’t even have to flash my badge to get back there, only stopping at the desk to ask where they took her. I’m directed to the farthest curtain on the end. Thanking the nurse, I rush toward it, ripping the curtain back to find Sadie sitting up on the hospital bed, drinking from a paper cup and straw.
“Baby,” I breathe. Sitting down on the bed, I lean over to kiss her cheek and reach for her hands, pulling them into mine.
“What took you so long?” she asks, voice still scratchy.
“Oh, you know. Had to drop Jace off at the strip club, and then I went to grab dinner, the usual.”
Sadie bursts out laughing, and I do the same, cupping her face so I can press a kiss to her nose, then her lips.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, pulling back just a bit.
“I think so. Nothing's broken, and I don’t have a concussion. I’m just sore.”
“I’m glad, but that’s not all I mean.”
Biting down on her bottom lip, she shrugs, and I shake my head. “Babe, please don’t shut me out. If you have something on your mind, just say it.”
“I think there’s something wrong with me,” she whispers, and I raise an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I broke a glass against his head, Garret. And all I can think is, damn, now I have to clean broken shards of glass for the rest of my life.”
Tossing my head back, I laugh loudly, looking back at her to see a small smile gracing her beautiful face.
“I’m okay, Garret. I can’t let this ruin all my hard work. I may need some time with Dr. Klein to work through my emotions, but I promise not to hide from you. We’ll do it together.”
“I love you, Sades.”
“I love you too. Thank you for saving me tonight.”
“That’s my job, baby. And it always will be.”
Placing a gentle kiss to her forehead, I sink into the chair next to the bed and take her hand. Together, we sit in silence watching the late-night news.
I have no idea what tomorrow has in store for us, and I have no idea what Graham’s arrest will bring, but one thing I do know is he’s where he belongs, and Sadie is where she belongs.
By my side. Forever.
A knock on the doorway has us looking up, Jace standing there. He steps into the room and goes over to Sadie, bending down to kiss her cheek.
“You doing okay?” he asks, concern heavy in his tone.
Sadie nods at him and gives his hand a squeeze. “Yeah, I’ll be all right. How was the strip club?”
“The what?”
Throwing my head back, I roar with laughter, Sadie joining in. Jace looks at the two of us like we have multiple heads, but we only laugh harder. Soon he just shakes his head and sinks into the other chair. We keep my girl company while we wait for the doctor to come back in, and I can’t help sending up a prayer of thanks.
Tonight could've had a much more serious consequence, and I’m so grateful it didn’t.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Sadie
Stepping out onto the back porch, I wrap my hands around the steaming mug of coffee and lean against the railing, the sun shining bright and the air cooler than it’s been in a while. Enjoying the quiet morning, I close my eyes and reflect on the last couple weeks. Garret and I are in the best place we’ve ever been, and every day is better than the previous. He wants me to move in with him, but I’m not ready to let go of my little house. The kitchen is a space where I feel my mom more than anywhere, and in the early morning, when I’m having my tea or eating breakfast, I feel like she’s with me. I don’t want to lose that connection.
Garret has an interview next week for a detective position,
and I just know he’s gonna nail it. He’s been a rock for me after Graham’s attack, and I can never thank him enough. I stayed home from work for a week, and Garret took care of me every day, made dinner, held me when I had a nightmare, stayed up all night when I couldn’t sleep.
I’m so in love with him that I can’t even imagine a life without him.
He says he has a surprise for me this afternoon when he gets off work, so I’m just hanging around for the day. Carmen is gonna be here in a little while to visit, and to be honest, I need some time with my friend. She’s the only person who understands me, who knows what I went through—not just a couple weeks ago but my entire time with Graham—and she’s one of the best friends I’ve ever made.
Mom is gone, and the pain is there every day, but I’ve found my place here. I don’t just have a boyfriend and friends. I have a family.
Finishing my coffee, I step back into my house and ignore the broken doorframe, placing the cup in the sink. Making my way to the bedroom, I change into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, one of Garret’s he left here. Grabbing my latest Nora Roberts book, I shut the light off and go into the living room, curling up with it while I wait for Carmen to arrive.
Thirty pages later, I hear her car pull into the driveway. Closing the book, I go open the front door, Carmen flying up the steps and throwing her arms around me. I haven’t seen her since that night, but we’ve talked every day. She knew I needed the space right after, but made sure I knew she was there for me as well.
Hugging her tight, I fight tears and she pulls back to laugh, wiping her own away. “Sorry, I’ve just missed you. And when Garret gave everyone updates every day, I worried about you. Are you okay?”
Stepping inside, she tosses her purse onto the couch.
“Yeah, I am. Honestly. Graham is gone from my life, and he can’t hurt me ever again. The first week was hard, but I’m feeling better every day. Garret helps with that.”
“Hunter was the same way. It was hard with Craig, because I had to go through so many police interviews, mostly because of the attempted murder charges they nailed him with. But Hunt was there, strong and steady. He never broke, or if he did, I didn’t see it.”