Hartstrings: A Jaded Regret Novel (Jaded Regret Series Book 3)

by L. L. Collins

  “You don’t deserve this from him. I know it sure as shit wasn’t a home invasion. When you wake up, you’re going to tell the truth, and I’m going to be there for you through it all. I know you said you can’t get away from him, but I don’t take that for an answer. You can’t give yourself a life sentence with him, Mac. You deserve so much better than someone who beats you. What was his reason this time, huh? You didn’t do his laundry right or have his dinner warmed the second he got home?” My anger was palpable. It snaked through my veins like a serpent, ready to strike. But not at her. Never at her.

  She didn’t move. The rise and fall of her chest was the only movement that showed me she was still with me. I didn’t know why Mackenzie Shepard came into my life all those weeks ago, but I sure as shit knew I was a better person because of her.

  It was now my turn to make her realize she was better than putting up with this from anyone, much less someone who said he loved her.

  The door swooshed open behind me, and I turned, half expecting it to be Andrew. I was ready for when he showed up and tried to sell this story. But it wasn’t Andrew. It was the male nurse, accompanied by another officer.

  I stepped back from the bed and let go of Mac’s hand. I held out my hand for the officer. “Thank you for coming. I’m Tanner Hart.”

  He nodded. “I know who you are. I can’t say I was expecting to find you in here tonight. I’m a big fan. What can I do for you?”

  I indicated Mackenzie. “I’m sure you know about what happened to her today.”

  The officer, whose tag read Ragland, nodded. “Yes. Home invasion. The whole house was tossed, and she was assaulted.”

  I shook my head. “Who told you that?”

  “Officer Byron apparently told the first arriving officers.” Andrew. Of course.

  “Where is Officer Byron?”

  “He’s with the other officers at his house, from what I heard.”

  “How does he know it was a home invasion? Was he there?”

  Officer Ragland shrugged. “Not sure, to be honest. I heard it from someone else.” He wrinkled his forehead. “Who are you, anyway?” He laughed. “Well, I know who you are, but who are you to them?”

  “I’m a friend of Mackenzie’s. Are you Andrew’s friend?”

  “I know of him, but I don’t know him.”

  Good. Someone not tainted by his inflated opinion of himself.

  I nodded. “Good. Let me tell you a story.” I proceeded to tell him all about how I met Mackenzie and Andrew. His eyebrows raised but he said nothing during the story. I glanced back at Mac, hoping and praying she would open her eyes and look at me. Beat up and bruised or not, she was still the most beautiful woman I ever saw.

  “So this was no home invasion, I can tell you that. If Byron said that, he’s lying. If Mackenzie said it, he made her say it.”

  I noticed his fists clenched at his sides. “If what you say is true…”

  “I saw it with my own eyes.”

  He tapped his fingers on the edge of Mackenzie’s bed. He scanned her injuries before he turned back to face me. “You’d make a statement saying what you saw?”

  “Absolutely. Anything to keep that asshole away from her.”

  His face changed, and he held out his hands. “I hate to ask you this, but…” Ragland looked back at Mackenzie, then to me. “Are you…”

  “No.” I interrupted, knowing what he was insinuating. “She’s my friend. Ever since I walked in on them, I’ve talked to her every day. I got back from being on tour for six weeks. I know he hurt her right before I left—again—but I don’t know if there were any other incidents until tonight because she doesn’t like to talk about it.”

  He shook his head. “There’s nothing worse than a cop who promises to protect others and then goes home and beats his woman. It pisses me right off if you want me to be honest.”

  “Then we’re on the same page. Andrew must be stopped. I know she’s afraid to leave him, as most abused women are, but if we can get her to admit this wasn’t a home invasion, I’ll do whatever I can to keep her away from him.”

  Ragland blew out a breath. “Let me talk to my boss. I’m in over my head here—it being a fellow officer and all. Not that I’ve never seen it happen, but I haven’t been part of it. I can promise you, though, I’ll give this my full attention.” His jaw clenched as he stared at her. I liked this guy already. “When she wakes up, we need her to admit it.” Ragland’s gaze shifted over to me. “If she won’t…”

  I already knew what the outcome was if Mackenzie refused to admit it. Andrew would be free and clear, and she would go back to him.

  “I know.” I shook his hand. “Thank you. I’m staying right here until she wakes up.”

  He pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to me. “Call me the second she can talk and I’ll come immediately. In the meantime, I’m going to have a conversation about how to take down an abuser who hides behind his badge.”

  He nodded his head at me and disappeared out of the door, the whooshing of the door and the beeping of Mac’s machines the only sound in the room.

  * * *

  I scrubbed my hand over my face. My eyes felt like sandpaper every time I blinked. Exhaustion settled in every part of my body, but I refused to leave. Not until she woke up. Not until she agreed to come home with me.

  I sat in this chair for almost twenty hours now, and Mackenzie hadn’t moved. Nurses had changed shifts, two different doctors came in to check on her and still…nothing. The sun peeked up over the horizon, announcing the arrival of a new day.

  It killed me to watch her lying there so still. I willed her to wake up, but it didn’t work. The doctors said it was her body’s way of healing, but I didn’t like it.

  She needed to tell me what happened.

  I still expected Andrew to show up at any second to stake his claim and make sure she didn’t tell the truth. To be honest, it unsettled me that he hadn’t. He exercised control in all aspects of his life, Mackenzie being number one.

  Hell, he trashed his house to make his point, so what did I know?

  I stared down at my phone, clicking the text icon. I should tell Bex where I was; I knew that much. We were off this whole week, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t let them know. We were family, after all. Then again, AJ probably told them. It surprised me they hadn’t shown up yet.

  Just as I began to type, I saw movement in my peripheral vision. I zoned in on Mac, hoping I wasn’t seeing things. Her head lolled back and forth, her eyes squinted together as a low moan escaped her cracked lips.

  I dropped my phone, and it clattered to the ground. I didn’t care if it shattered into a million pieces.

  Mac was awake.

  “Mac, it’s me. Tanner. Can you open your eyes?”

  Her tongue darted out and attempted to lick her dry lips. I swung my gaze over to her bedside table but didn’t see any water there. I would get her some. Her head still moved back and forth against the pillow.

  “Are you in pain? Squeeze my hand two times if you are.” I slid my hand into hers, and almost immediately she squeezed twice.

  I used my other hand to press the call button. A voice immediately answered. “Mackenzie is awake and is in pain.”

  “Someone will be right in.”

  In what seemed like seconds, a nurse walked through the door. Mackenzie struggled to open her eyes. The nurse listened to her chest, examined her pupils, and wrote down vitals from the monitor above her. I waited helplessly for her to look at me. The nurse shot something into her IV, then smiled before turning to me.

  “She’s coming to nicely. I’m going to page the doctor.”

  I nodded. “Can I give her some water?”

  “I’ll get her some. You’ll dab it on her lips and tongue, though. No big drinks.”

  I didn’t respond or notice as she walked out of the room. I turned my attention completely on Mackenzie.

  “Can you hear me?”

  Mackenzie squeez
ed my hand, and her mouth opened and closed. She continued to move her head back and forth on the pillow as if that would summon the strength she needed to make her body cooperate.

  “Don’t try to talk.” I ran my fingers along her arm. “You’re okay, Mac. You sure as hell scared me, though.”

  One of her eyes cracked open. I could barely see the blue of her iris through the swollen flesh that surrounded it. She zeroed her gaze on me immediately, and a small smile played on her lips. I couldn’t help it—I smiled too, despite being scared, pissed off, and overprotective. Her other eye eventually followed until she regarded me with both of her swollen eyes.

  “Hey.” I sounded like a fool, and I knew it. I didn’t know what the hell to say to her. Hey, did your boyfriend beat you within an inch of your life and then tell you to lie about it? I already knew the answer anyway. She had to tell me so we could continue to the next step. I had to step gingerly, though, because I knew she was inclined to protect Andrew.

  Not anymore. She couldn’t put herself through this anymore. If I did anything, I promised myself it would be to get her away from him for good. Get her some counseling, a safe house; hell, I would go as far as to get her a new identity if it meant keeping her from him.

  She parted her lips, and a strangled sound came from her. Before I could tell her again to stop trying to talk, she whispered, “Hey.”

  I tightened my grip on her hand, a feeling I couldn’t explain coursing through my entire body.

  It was time to find out the truth.

  Chapter Ten

  Mackenzie

  I knew what pain felt like. I lived with some form of pain frequently. Bruises, lacerations, sprained or broken limbs, I knew the feelings well. For years, I explained away why he did it and how I would keep it from happening again.

  It was never like this.

  It felt like my body was on fire; everything that could hurt, did.

  Tanner was here. His hand was tucked in mine and he squeezed my fingers every few seconds to remind me of his presence.

  I wanted to be embarrassed that the man saw me like this, but I couldn’t. He was my lifeline, the one person I knew wanted me to stand up against Andrew.

  After Andrew finished kicking me in the abdomen, he had crouched next to my ear and handed me my phone.

  “Call the police,” he had said. “Tell them someone broke into our house and beat you up while I wasn’t home. You haven’t seen me come home from work yet. I’m going to the store, and I’ll be back in a little while once they take you to the hospital. If you didn’t open your legs like the whore you are, I wouldn’t have had to do this to you. You know that, right? Maybe next time you decide my dick isn’t good enough for you, you’ll remember this.” He reached out and twisted my broken wrist again, making me cry out. “I’d put my dick inside you right now and show you who owns you if I had the time. You remember this, Mackenzie. I. Own. You.”

  When I didn’t respond, he sneered. “Don’t you dare tell them I touched you, Mackenzie Shepard. If you do, the next thing I do is send the feds directly to your father. I have incriminating evidence against him planted in that office. Don’t think you—or your rock star boyfriend—will find it, though. I’m not that fucking dumb.” Andrew had stepped back. I could barely focus on him, my vision blurring. I wasn’t sure which part of me hurt more, but I couldn’t stop the tears from escaping down my face at the thought of losing my baby.

  “You didn’t think I was going to marry you and raise some bastard child, did you?” Andrew had laughed. Before I knew it, he kicked me one more time before turning back to walk out the front door.

  It could’ve been seconds, minutes, or hours before I regained consciousness enough to call 9-1-1. That was the last thing I remembered until waking up right now.

  The nurse walked in with a cup of water, and I almost cried. I felt like I walked a hundred miles in a desert. She put some on the end of a straw, and I opened my mouth, the relief instantaneous. I must’ve made a noise because Tanner squeezed my hand.

  “Are you in pain?”

  I turned to stare at him, getting a good look at his features for the first time since I woke up. Despite how handsome he was, he seemed exhausted. Dark circles framed his eyes, and he had more than a little scruff on his face.

  I never saw someone look better.

  I realized I didn’t answer him, so I shook my head. I took more water from the nurse, my throat feeling better already.

  “Thank you,” I whispered to her. She nodded and set the cup on the table.

  “Don’t overdo it on the water.” She turned to Tanner. “Just small sips. The doctor will be in soon.”

  Once she was gone, he turned his attention back to me. “It’s so good to see those beautiful eyes again.” I wanted to laugh because I knew I was the exact opposite of beautiful right now, but that would take too much effort. I settled for squeezing his hand.

  “Thank you.” I knew my mouth moved, but I wasn’t sure if anything came out.

  When Tanner nodded, I knew he heard me. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Mac.”

  Tears threatened to fall. How the hell did I get in this place in life? Despite all the pain in my body, I felt numb. Let down. Destroyed.

  “Mackenzie.” Tanner’s smooth, deep voice shook me from my pity party. “Hey. Look at me.” I noticed immediately the difference between the way he asked me and the way Andrew spoke to me. Andrew demanded, never caring what my opinion was or whether I wanted to or not. Tanner nudged gently, his voice soft and reassuring.

  I did what he asked and glanced over at him. He perched himself on the edge of my bed. I forced myself to hold Tanner’s gaze, despite feeling like I was wide open and exposed. “You know it’s time, right?”

  Time? Time for what?

  “The night I came across you and Andrew in the hotel, I made myself a promise, and I’m about to follow through on that.”

  “P-promise?”

  He reached out and touched his fingertips to my bruised face. I sucked in a breath at the emotion visible in his expression. I refused to read into it, so I dismissed any crazy ideas that may run through my head.

  “This ends today, Mac. Right here and now.”

  What ends? What did he mean? Was he done with me? I guessed I could imagine why. I wasn’t worth all this stress and worry.

  “This is the last time you look like this,” Tanner continued. “Because you’re going to tell the police what happened. You and I both know there was no home invasion. This was all Andrew, and he’s forcing you to lie. He’s probably saying this is all your fault, right? What did you do to deserve this, Mac? I can guarantee you, no matter what it is, no woman deserves this. Ever. After you get out of here, we’re going to file a restraining order, and then I want you to come home with me.”

  “N-no. I can’t.” Wait. He wanted me to come home with him?

  “Yes, you can. I’ll be right here with you the entire time.”

  I thought back to Andrew’s threat. I couldn’t. There was no way I escaped this life unless Andrew got tired of me, and I knew that wasn’t likely. I shook my head, trying to rid my head of Andrew’s voice.

  “What did he threaten you with?”

  How did Tanner know so much about all this? He sighed and shifted his weight on the bed, so he was closer than he was before. He smelled so good, despite having been at this hospital for however long now. He tucked his large hand in my smaller one, his thumb caressing the inside of my palm. He stared at me for so long I felt uncomfortable. It felt like he could read every single thing going through my head. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or hated it. I was good at keeping things to myself. It was a major part of every facet of my life.

  Except with him.

  “I met an officer when you were still asleep. He doesn’t know Andrew. He’s willing to help us, Mac. I told him all about last time.”

  I knew how many connections Andrew had because of his father. It didn’t matter what this beat cop aspired to
do; no one would take down Andrew. Tanner didn’t know what he started by telling a cop that. What if he confronted Andrew? Where was Andrew, anyway?

  “You don’t know what he’s capable of.” My voice was just above a whisper, but I knew he heard me.

  “I knew you were going to say that.” Tanner reached into his pocket and took out his phone. “I want you to see something.” He turned his phone to me, the photo app opened and on the screen I could see my face. My swollen, bruised eyes were the first thing I saw, followed by my split lip and other bruises and small cuts on my face. When he knew I saw them, he moved to the next photo. More bruising on my arms, including the one in the cast. Finally, he showed me the one of the cast on my foot. I wanted to be angry at him for taking these horrible pictures, but I knew why he did it. I knew how terrible I looked because I felt every single one of the places where Andrew hurt me.

  “I can’t even see your abdomen, where he kicked you. I know you have broken ribs, too, Mac. How many more years are you going to subject yourself to this before you realize enough is enough?”

  At the mention of my bruised abdomen and ribs, the memory came flooding back. The baby. Tears immediately dripped down my bruised cheeks to my neck. Tanner must’ve misunderstood my tears, because his face softened.

  “I’m sorry, Mac. I’m not trying to make things harder for you. I’m so worried…”

  “What about the baby?” I figured he knew it all by this point, might as well find out. His expression changed once he figured out what I was upset about.

  “Did he know?” It was a simple question but loaded with meaning. Because if Andrew knew I was pregnant and hurt me purposely, it was more than battery.

  I hesitated. I wouldn’t lie to Tanner. It was a thing between us. “I told him.”

  His jaw clenched, his lips forming a thin line. “Before or after he beat you within an inch of your life?”