She was gone.
When we got word that she was in the hospital a few months ago, that's when Jake said 'fuck it' to staying on the sidelines and he took it upon himself to make her safe.
She'd been in town for several days and I had yet to see her. To say I wasn't anxious would be the biggest lie I ever told. It would take everything I had not to track down that fucker and put him in the ground. Jake was already making connections all over again with people he spent years trying to avoid.
Roger was done.
Jake didn't want her going anywhere and making a good impression was going to help him out. She needed to put down roots close by. Hence, the reason for this big dinner and his planned speech about what her life here would be like.
I took long strides to the metal staircase leading up to the apartment. Ari was late, but she would most likely stop at the shop to get Jake first. I had a few minutes to get ready before she saw me for the first time in years. That was enough time to shower and make sure dinner would be ready on time.
I hurried up the steps, watching my footing carefully and didn't see the woman crouched against the railing until I was almost to the top.
"What the -"
My stomach dropped as I took in her appearance. Something horrible had happened to her and I had to blink a few times just to make sure what I was seeing was real.
I don't think I had ever moved so fast in my life, but I immediately crouched down next to her and raised my hand to her neck to check her pulse. She was unconscious, but still alive, even if the paleness of her face was worrisome. She looked familiar, but with her hair covering her features and the blood on her face, I couldn't place her. I knew most of the people in town, but she wasn't a local. Couldn't be.
"Hey. Can you hear me?" I softly patted her cheek as my eyes roamed down her body looking for any sign of a serious injury. Her shirt was torn and blood stained the front of it. She was balled up so tightly that I didn't think I would be able to examine her thoroughly unless she woke up and let me.
A groan sounded and her eyes flickered open. Well, one of them. The other was practically swollen shut and anger coursed through me imagining who could have done this.
"Hey. You're safe. I'm going to help you, okay?"
She mumbled something but her voice was too weak for me to hear her. Without waiting another second I lifted her into my arms and turned toward the stairs.
"No," I heard her gasp and I stopped immediately.
"I need to take you to a hospital?"
"No. Please. Just take me to Jake."
Jake?
"You're hurt and Jake isn't-"
"Please, Jack. Please just take me to Jake."
My entire body froze solid. My arms constricted and her whimper of pain proved that I wasn't in control. That voice saying my name… it was something I would never forget for as long as I lived.
"Ari?"
She groaned and her head dropped to my shoulder. She was light, barely over a hundred pounds if I had to guess. She was too skinny, too pale, too different.
I loosened my tight hold on her so I wouldn't hurt her anymore and somehow unlocked the door to the apartment and hurried inside looking around for a comfortable place to put her. I didn't know what had happened to her so the bedrooms were out of the question. Scaring her would defeat the purpose of helping her. I laid her on the couch as carefully as possible.
"What can I do?"
She closed her eyes and her face scrunched up in pain.
My blood boiled. I knew what had happened. The only possible thing that could have happened. Getting Jake would cause a whole new shit storm of problems, but at that very moment, I didn't care what would happen. As long as I could ensure Ari's safety… well there wasn't anything I wouldn't do.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Jake.
"Please. No police. I don't think I can…"
"Shhh, I'm calling your brother. He's downstairs right now."
The line clicked on and Jake's grumble came through. "What the fuck do you want now? I'm almost done."
"Get your ass up here. Now. It's Ari."
I didn't bother waiting for a reply. I threw the phone down on the coffee table and knelt in front of the couch where Ari was currently trying her best not to scream.
"I need to check you over."
"My body is fine. Just a little sore. It's my head that's the problem."
It was then I noticed the cut over her temple and the hair matted with blood on the side of her head.
"What the fuck happened?"
She closed her eyes once more, her body cringing in pain. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and tear the place apart. In the next second, Jake burst into the apartment, his face pale, his eyes hard when he looked at me. Then he saw his sister lying on the couch and the fear was wiped away. Rage took its place.
"Why the fuck aren't you at the hospital?" he shouted.
I opened my mouth to answer him, but Ari spoke first. "He'll find me. You know as well as I do that place is a big red target."
"Not with us there, Arianna."
"Shut up and help me, Jake."
Jake sighed and buried his fingers in his hair. He had been on edge since his parents called a few months ago and told them that Ari was back. He hadn't shared a ton of details with me, but it was enough. I was in the same frame of mind as Jake. I wanted this prick dead. No, I wanted him to suffer the same hell Ari had.
I moved away from the couch to let Jake get closer to his sister. In all the years I had known these two, never once did they argue the way normal brothers and sisters argued. Sure, Jake had been annoyed on occasion whenever Ari had convinced us to let her tag along, but I think he was more than okay with it. He loved his sister and he would die for her.
Since Ari had been in town, Jake was a loaded gun. He always checked on her, but he tried really hard to let her have her independence. Didn't mean he didn't somehow have eyes on her every second of the day.
I had kept myself busy, letting the two of them reunite and have their time together before I ruined it with my presence. I knew Ari hated me. I had hurt her deeply and didn't know how to fix it.
Maybe I couldn't, but it didn't mean I wasn't going to try.
It would just take time.
Jake frantically looked Ari over and it appeared that he was about to lose it. Ari started to sit up as if she were going to hug him, but the pain forced her back down. After everything she had been through, there was still a bit of the Ari I knew in there. The one that never hesitated to give comfort where it was needed. The one who loved Jake and I hoped in some way still loved me.
Jake asked her a question that I couldn't make out, but even if I was listening, I couldn't focus on anything other than Ari and how broken down she looked. She was tiny. Skinnier than she should be and her face was pale despite the bruises already darkening her smooth skin. She needed to eat and she needed rest. Otherwise, she would fall over with the slightest breeze.
How she got to the apartment without collapsing was a miracle. She got away. She was still a fighter even though any other woman her size wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Jack, is Amanda home tonight?" Jake asked me and turned my way.
"Yeah, I think she is. I'll call her."
He went back to quietly speaking with Ari, holding her hand and making her smile weakly. I wanted to be the one to comfort her and hold her and tell her how much I fucking missed her, but it wasn't my place.
Not now.
I dialed my little sister's cell phone and she picked up on the third ring.
"Hey, bro. What's shakin' bacon?"
I didn't even have the ability to smile at the moment. My sister had been through a lot since we left our home so long ago. Since we left her best friend and all her plans had to change. She had been bitter for a while until she realized how badly I was suffering myself. She didn't know I had feelings for Ari. Didn't even think it was possible and when I told her how much I desperate
ly loved her once best friend. Everything changed. She kept her plans, worked hard in school, and supported me in any way she could.
"Amanda, we have a situation and we need your help."
"What's going on, Jack?" she asked quickly, her tone turning cautious at the seriousness in my voice.
"It's Arianna. She's... God, she's hurt bad and she refuses to go to the hospital. We need you, sis."
"What happened? Tell me where she is injured."
I heard a rustling sound, letting me know that Amanda was moving and ready to leave right away.
"Aah, her face. The fucker hit her a lot. She has a cut lip, a swollen and bruised eye. I think her ribs are hurt, too. She was passed out when I found her and came to after a minute, but shit, Amanda. I think she might have a concussion or something and the bruises..."
"Okay, Jack. Calm down. I need you to remove her shirt and take a good look, check for any internal bleeding. Look for deep bruising and cuts on her torso, massive swelling. You said her ribs are hurt and we need to make sure they aren't broken and threatening to do any damage. Talk to her, listen to her breathing. Get some ice for her, too. It will help with the pain. I'm on my way."
"Thanks, Amanda."
"Jack, is she... do you think she will be okay?"
I sighed and raked a hand through my hair, tugging to keep my head straight. "It will take time. She's been through a lot, Amanda. She doesn't look healthy and her eyes... shit, they look like they have dealt with a lot."
"We'll take care of her, Jack."
"I know. See you soon."
I clicked off and turned back to Jake who was in the kitchen putting together an icepack. I knelt next to Ari. "Amanda is on her way, but she said to check for signs of internal bleeding, a massive bruise and swelling or something like that. We need to take your clothes off and look because if there are any, you're going to the hospital."
She didn't look happy and I don't know why I expected any different. Her refusal to go to the hospital surprised me at first, but the fear in her eyes helped me understand. This guy needed to be found and dealt with. I would do it myself, but Jake and I had already agreed that the best way was to let the police take care of it. Otherwise, we would find ourselves in some deeper shit and then what would happen to Ari?
"Do it," Jake insisted. He said he was leaving to get some supplies and next thing I knew, Ari and I were alone.
Ari's eyes widened when she looked at me. The chocolate brown the same color as I remembered, but dull and angry.
"I can wait, Jack."
"No you can't. Doctor's orders."
I ripped off the tattered remains of her shirt and she didn't fight me. She just closed her eyes and breathed through the pain. She had light bruising along her ribs and the clear print of a boot mark. I had never wanted to rip into someone so much in my life. This fucker was dead if I ever saw him.
I didn't touch her even though my fingers itched to get a feel of her flawless skin. I shook my head and chided myself for being such a fucking jerk. She was lying on this couch, bruised and beaten, and I still wanted her in every way.
When my eyes landed on a large section of raised skin, I froze.
It was a scar. Still pink and viciously jagged. Whatever did this... it hurt. Of that I had no doubt.
"Ari."
I could barely get her name out of my throat. Everything had squeezed tight. My fists clenched until my nails bit into my palms and it took everything I had not to punch the first object I could find that would break.
"Don't tell Jake. Please."
Don't tell Jake? She should be telling me not to leave her alone while I go hunt this fucker down.
"How?"
Her eyes darkened and her lips flattened to a thin line. "How do you think?"
I wanted to make it all go away for her, but I knew I couldn't. She had suffered through more than any of us realized and it broke my heart to see her like this.
"I'm going to kill him."
Ari closed her eyes and pain flashed over her bruised and swollen face. I brushed my fingers over the scar and tried to follow it to the end. Jesus! It was long. Imagining what she went through when this happened made me angry. No man should ever raise his hand to a woman, but this... this was too much.
"The two of you won't be doing anything," she said firmly and shifted on the couch. I wanted to keep my hands on her, hold her, erase the last six years. "Roger can do more than beat up a woman half his size. I don't want you guys any deeper than you already are."
"Ari."
"No, Jack. Please. Just keep your mouth shut about this or Jake will go apeshit. You and I both know that he is already straddling the line. One push and it's back to all the shit you left us with."
And there it was.
The reason she hated me. The reason I had no chance of giving her any sort of comfort at the moment. I had left her without a goodbye or even an explanation. Jake and I agreed not to bring her into our shit. She would be safer.
And what the fuck did it accomplish?
She ended up with a prick that laid his hands on her. Laid his hands on my Ari and destroyed any sense of happiness she might have had. He filled her world with darkness and she was no longer the Ari from before. She wasn't the happy girl that could always make me laugh. She wasn't the same woman that smiled at everyone and brought men to their knees.
But I still loved her and I wasn't going to give up until she realized that no matter what has happened to her and no matter how much she has changed, I'll still be here.
She can fight me, try to hurt me, and cuss me out, but I won't leave her again.
One day, she'll know the truth. One day I'll explain everything and hope that she can forgive me. But not today. Today, I needed to take care of her and let her feel what she needed to feel to get through this.
Then I would make sure she was safe and if I knew Ari, it wouldn't be an easy task. She wanted her independence and she wanted her life back.
I was going to give her that life back no matter the cost.
Ari does Yoga
Tonight was the night I betrayed my best friend.
Well, it isn't really a betrayal, but I had never kept secrets from Jake before and this was a pretty big secret. Training Ari to fight wasn't going to go over well if he found out, but I couldn't say no anymore. She wanted this, needed this.
I just couldn't say no to her.
I knew it would give her confidence and it would help her feel a little safer, but I dreaded the thought of her ever having to use any of it. Her self defense classes were a good start and I was glad to see her taking charge of her life like that. This was going to be something completely different and if she didn't take care of herself, she could lose what little control she had left in her life.
I made her promise to listen to what I said and to do what I told her so she could stay healthy and not wear herself out while we trained. I told her that if I noticed anything wrong, I would stop.
She easily agreed which didn't help my nerves.
I was walking around my gym making sure the guys had everything they needed and finishing up with Luke who had a fight coming up in a few weeks. The man was built and he could take down the Hulk if he needed to. I always loved the sport of MMA, but taking it to a professional level never appealed to me. It would turn into work instead of a hobby that I loved and I had no intention of hating it.
The noise around me disappeared and I looked around to see the guys standing there with their tongues hanging out of their mouths and staring at the same place.
When I turned to see what had fascinated them, I felt my stomach drop to the floor and my cock immediately hardened until it was just painful enough to make me angry.
Ari was doing yoga.
Did she have any clue what she looked like doing that shit?
She couldn't know because she just kept bending and folding, twisting and stretching without a care in the world. I watched her, hell, we all watched her. For a moment,
I debated on whether or not I should stop her. She looked happy and peaceful and I hated to take that away from her. Then I heard a few groans when she folded herself into a pose that just had to be a fucking joke invented by some perverted hippie.
Damn you, Amanda.
There was no doubt who had taught her this shit. Amanda was a yoga freak and lived and breathed it. She told me she was going to show it to Ari as a form of meditation or something like that and at the time, I thought it was a great idea.
My sister wanted to kill me.
I was sure of it now.
I hated her... but damn I loved her for teaching it to Ari, too. If only we were somewhere private.
God, she was the sexiest thing I had ever laid eyes on and she had no fucking clue. To think that I had my hands on her a few nights ago, inking her beautiful skin. I wanted to see the tattoo again. My mark on her body that made the ugly reminder of her past beautiful. I wanted to be hovering over her from behind and kissing every line and curve on her body as I thrust into her and took us both to the edge.
Another groan came from behind me and I glared at every single one of them.
"Get back to work, fuckers!"
They didn't stop looking at her and I couldn't bring myself to blame them. Ari's body was stunning and the weight she had put on over the last few weeks filled her out to the point of near perfection. Perfection I wanted to get my hands on.
I hurried over to her place on the mat and dropped my bag with a thud.
"Let's get started, Ari."
She gave me the most innocent look before the heat in her eyes almost made me drag her out of here and show her exactly what I wanted to give her for the rest of her life. She still felt it and my cock wanted more.
I shifted on my feet, praying she wouldn't see the very obvious bulge in my shorts and her eyes wandered over my body. I had never been more proud of the work I had done over the years to get in the shape I was now. Her expression showed appreciation and desire and fuck if I didn't want to freeze time.
"I still have about ten more minutes. You can do whatever you need to but I kind of have a routine that I want to complete."
Ricochet Page 27