A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance)

by Replogle, Natalie

  Her dad’s question came as a slap in the face. Ava had been so worried about him when he came to her apartment, she didn’t even think about asking him what really happened. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with looking for bullet holes she might’ve thought to ask him what actually happened in the building.

  “Yes. I’m sure you saw that there was a drug exchange that went bad. I’m part of the unit that works inside the building and assesses the situation. If the circumstances are a setting that my unit can handle, we go in and take care of the problem. If it’s beyond what we can do or if it’s too dangerous for our inside unit, we call in backup and penetrate together.”

  “Oh my goodness, so what happened?” Her mother asked sweetly. She was a mother above all else, whether it was her child or not. It must be that inner instinct.

  Matt reached over and took Ava’s hand under the table. Either he wanted the affection or he thought she needed moral support for what he was going to say.

  “Well, we felt the problem was more about hotheaded teenagers riding on power than intending to use their weapons on each other. We burst in and before we got halfway to the group, the guns were on the floor along with themselves.” He looked over at Ava. “It was nothing, really.”

  Nothing. His definition of nothing and her definition of nothing were quite different.

  Her family packed in a few more questions about his job and Jake quite strategically moved the conversation to personal questions. His skills as an investigative reporter shined as he threaded his questions throughout Matt’s responses to get the answers he was satisfied with. As a whole, their inquiry into Matt’s life came across tasteful and Matt held his own but by the time the questions tapered off she was surprised they hadn’t asked his shoe size and if he could get his dental records.

  Her family seemed happy for her and their excitement showed despite all the questions. She continued to be blessed by her family’s supportive streak. They could be overbearing and in her face at times, but they did it out of love. Their encouragement helped settle her nerves about stepping into the dating world again.

  Finally they cleared the table and headed for the kitchen.

  “Hey Matt, you want to come out with us men and shoot some hoops?” Josh asked as he placed his dirty dishes into the sink.

  Matt glanced over at Ava for the okay. “Sure, I’ll do about anything to get out of washing dishes.” He looked down at his dress shoes. “I’ll either use the shoes as an excuse if I lose or a huge asset when I rub it in your face that I won.” The guys all laughed as they headed out back to the court. Without needing words, Ava could tell the votes were in and Matt had passed with flying colors.

  After the kitchen had been cleaned up and the boys had finished their macho basketball game they settled in the living room. Lucy walked into the room with spoons in her hands.

  “Anyone interested in a game of Spoons?”

  Matt passed, claiming this was a sight he needed to see. He sat on the couch with her parents while the four of them got on the floor in a circle. Williams’s family night tradition came with dinner and games. “Spoons” had been a childhood favorite. They put the spoons in the middle, pulled out the cards, and the madness began. Everyone held an extremely competitive side, so no one would go out easily.

  Lucy was out first and Josh followed her in the next round. Jake and Ava were left for the last round. It was for all the marbles and bragging rights. Their hands flew through the cards. They both grabbed at the last spoon together. Her brother was stronger, but she had more spunk. Before she could stop it they were wrestling on the floor, with everyone laughing and cheering expect for her mom, who was warning them about the table in the corner.

  Ava held her own until Jake started playing dirty and tickled her. She was a goner and let go immediately. “Cheater,” she shouted while laughing and getting up from the floor.

  “All right, let’s take a break and get some ice cream,” her mom interrupted.

  “Did you make that, too, Lucy?” Josh teased.

  “Very funny, Josh … and I could if I wanted to.” Lucy shot back in a mimicking voice and then punched his shoulder. He grabbed his arm, faking that it hurt.

  “Hey, you better be nice, one of these days she’s really going to whoop up on you,” Ava said, joining the friendly banter.

  “Oh Ava, are you feeling left out?” Josh came over and put her in a head lock while taking his knuckles and raking the top of her head with them. She detested when he did that. He knew it and savored the enjoyment of irritating her.

  “All right, kids,” her mom laughed while herding them into the kitchen, “I guess things will never change.”

  Change. Ava looked over at Matt and he smiled. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her life was changing, but would it end up for the good? She could only hope and pray.

  Ava made her way across town toward Kim’s house, still in disbelief that Kim had called and asked to talk. It had been so long since she’d called the first time in the middle of the night and this time her tone didn’t seem as hopeless.

  The last few weeks had been driving Ava crazy, not knowing how Kim was doing. Tessa always seemed fine at school and would answer her questions, but now that school had dismissed for the summer, she was clueless on the situation without her little inside scoop.

  She reached for her sunglasses and put them on when the sun came out from behind the clouds. Stopping for a red light, she took a breath to calm her nerves.

  A few nights ago she and Matt had been talking about Kim. Ava shared her frustrations about not hearing from her again while Matt voiced his concerns about the situation. He had respectfully asked that Ava stay away from the house. She appreciated his desire to protect her. They didn’t know how Ray would react if approached and Matt was afraid of what he would do if he found Ava at his house again.

  Remorse clogged her thoughts for not following his suggestion, but Kim had asked her to come and she couldn’t chance Kim changing her mind if she asked to meet elsewhere. As she approached Kim’s neighborhood she turned on her turn signal and merged into the right lane toward her exit. Taking out her cell phone, she dialed Matt’s number, hoping to catch him at a good time. It was Monday afternoon and he was working, but usually he answered unless in the middle of something. His voice mail came on immediately. She left a message telling him where she was headed.

  Kim’s house had changed since the last time she had been here. The yard had been mowed, the broken shutters fixed, and the porch boasted a new coat of paint. Flowers now bordered the sidewalk and Ava recalled Tessa talking about the new flowers.

  Kim ushered Ava into the house quickly, being forewarned that they didn’t have much time to talk because Ray would be home for dinner in a couple hours.

  “Thanks for coming, Ava.” Ava wished she had better prepared herself for the unexpected appearance of Kim. She had lost weight and her eyes were sunken in with black circles underneath. Despite the hot temperature outside, she dressed in pants and a turtleneck. Her left hand was wrapped in gauze and her hair was pulled back, exposing a deep purple bruise on her left cheekbone.

  Ava reached in and gave Kim a hug. She could sense Kim’s resistance at first, but slowly she relaxed and accepted.

  “I’m glad you called me. How about I help you make dinner while we talk?” Ava offered. She didn’t want Kim to get in trouble if dinner wasn’t on the table when Ray got home.

  Kim sat at the breakfast table peeling potatoes while Ava chopped vegetables at the counter. “Ray wasn’t always like this, you know,” Kim began. “He used to be such a gentleman, but once he moved in everything changed.”

  “Tell me about it.” Ava didn’t want to say much. This meeting was for Kim to talk and get things off her chest.

  “Once he moved in he became controlling and always needed to know what I was doing and who I was with. At first he started hitting me because of his bad days at work but then later on he also di
d it because I didn’t do something his way or I voiced my opinion. Last week I accidentally burnt his eggs so he burnt my hand.” Kim lifted her wrapped hand to show Ava. Her eyes spoke of the pain that had been inflicted upon her.

  Ava swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m so sorry, Kim.” Her words didn’t do justice to the deep sadness she had for Kim.

  Silence lingered for a moment. “Did you know I had to quit my job?”

  “No.”

  “Ray made me.”

  “Why?”

  She pulled up the sleeves on her shirt to expose the bruises that covered her arms. “People were starting to notice. I’ve also had to switch doctors a few times to make sure no one would catch on.”

  Ava fought against the tears threatening to show. Kim needed her strength, not her pity. In a sad way, it all began to make sense. Without a job, Kim would feel she had no other choice but to stay with Ray. Without an income, she wouldn’t be able to provide for Tessa and the fear of losing her probably outweighed the fear of Ray.

  She shifted her piles of vegetables and grabbed the carrots and began slicing. “Why didn’t you talk to someone earlier?” Her question held no judgment, just seeking understanding.

  “I didn’t know who to talk to. I have no family here and I’ve lost all my friendships since I’ve started dating Ray. My life is so out of control right now, Ava. I don’t know what to do!”

  Sobs erupted from Kim’s chest and filled the room. Ava stopped cutting the carrots, grabbed a tissue from the top of the desk, and placed it in Kim’s hand. Kneeling beside her she placed her hand lightly on Kim’s arm, making sure not to put too much pressure on the bruises that hid underneath her cotton shirt.

  “Kim, I know you’re scared and in fear for Tessa’s safety, but you have to get Ray out of your life. I can help you, but only if you are willing.” It was the hard truth. If Kim didn’t jump on board, all her efforts would be meaningless.

  “I just feel so alone.” She wiped away the new tears that stained her face.

  “You’re not alone, Kim. I’m here whenever you need me and most importantly, God is with you. He knows your hopes, fears and your insecurities. He made you and knows the number of hairs on your head. With God’s help you can do this.” She didn’t plan on preaching, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share God’s love. Human efforts could only go so far. The only way Kim would truly feel free would be with God’s help.

  Kim didn’t object to her sharing about God. Ava took it as a sign to keep rolling with it and encouraged her to attend the support group at her church, but the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway cut her off. Kim jumped up on her feet and looked out the window. “Oh no,” she panicked. “It’s Ray! He’s home early!”

  Ava peered out the window and gasped when she noticed that he had blocked her car in. Ava’s stomach churned wildly. She had no way of escape. If she stayed it might help Kim … or make it worse.

  “I can leave, Kim.” Thinking the scenario through she realized she could always walk down the block and have someone come pick her up. However, Ray would still know she had been here because of her car. She wasn’t sure what would be in the best interest of Kim and there wasn’t a lot of time to come up with a well thought-out plan.

  “No, it’s too late. Go up to Tessa’s room, it’s the first door on the right. She should be in there looking at books. Hurry, Ava. Run! And lock the door behind you!”

  Without arguing Ava turned and ran to the stairs. In her haste she tripped on the second step and didn’t get her hands out in time to brace her fall. She smacked the right side of her face hard on the stairs. As she scrambled up the rest of the steps she put her fingertips to her nose for pressure to stop the bleeding from the impact. Her right eye throbbed and made her sight blurry.

  She entered Tessa’s room bubbly in hopes she wouldn’t frighten the little girl. “Hi, Tessa!” she exclaimed cheerfully.

  Tessa looked up from the book that had been grabbing her attention and her eyes grew big. “Hi, Miss Williams, what happened?”

  Ava shut the door behind her and locked it. Looking down at her shirt, she cringed. She had blood stains all over the front of her shirt. She was going to have to step up the bubbly.

  “I was coming up to see your beautiful butterfly room and I fell on the steps.” She scanned the room, “Wow, your room looks great.” She hoped her diversion worked. She found a tissue box, thankful for something other than her hands and shirt to stop the blood.

  “Thanks. Wanna see my butterfly book?”

  “Absolutely.”

  It didn’t take long for the yelling to start downstairs. Tessa kept right on telling her about each butterfly as if nothing was happening. Ava sat in shock.

  This was normal.

  Ava couldn’t hear what they were saying. The words were muffled, but intense. Finally Ava couldn’t tolerate just hiding up in the room any longer. She couldn’t bear to leave Kim defenseless downstairs, even if that was her wish, it was time for Ava to do something.

  As Ava stood she heard Kim scream, followed by a loud crash and then an eerie silence. Enough was enough. Ava pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. Tessa started to cry and Ava put her arm around her while she gave the dispatcher the address and information on the situation.

  Heavy footsteps stomped up the steps. “Hurry, please,” she pleaded into the phone.

  The door knob jiggled followed with a fist pounding on the door. “I know you’re in there, Miss Williams! It would be better for you to just open the door.”

  He swore at her. Tessa screamed while cowering behind Ava. Ray pounded on the door again with more force. Ava jumped up and maneuvered Tessa’s dresser in front of the door. She tried to move the bed, but it was too heavy. Wiping the sweat from her hands onto her shorts, she was able to grip the bookshelf easier and push it in front of the dresser.

  She quickly moved to the window, unlocking it with haste and pushed up the heavy glass, hoping for an easy escape. Her heart sank with disappointment. It looked to be a good fifteen feet drop to the ground below. She could probably make it, but the distance would be too far for Tessa.

  She had done the best she could do. Only God could protect them now. Ava picked Tessa up off the floor and carried her into the little alcove of her closet. Tessa shivered. Ava wrapped her arms tighter around her.

  Ray continued to hit the door as the wood started to splinter. Her obstacles wouldn’t stop him much longer. In the distance she heard the sirens. Rescue was on the way, but would it be soon enough?

  Matt listened as dispatch gave the location of the call and asked all units in the area to respond. Matt turned his squad car around in the empty parking lot and raced east out of town while radioing back that he was on his way. He wasn’texactly in the area, but nothing would stop him from responding to this call. He knew the address by heart. Ever since Ava confided in him at the playground that evening about Kim, whenever he was in the vicinity he would pass by her house just to check on things. He hadn’t mentioned it to Ava yet. She didn’t need to know about the depth of his concern for Kim. It would have only worried her more.

  He flipped on his lights and siren and maneuvered through traffic. Matt had received Ava’s voice mail only an hour ago. Did she have enough time to talk to Kim? Had she already left? The pit of his stomach churned with the reality he feared would be true … she was still there.

  When he arrived, Kim’s house was surrounded with three squad cars and an ambulance. A disgruntled man he assumed to be Ray was being escorted out of the house in handcuffs. Matt parked the car and jogged up to the house. All hope diminished when he spotted Ava’s car blocked in the driveway. His heart shot up into his throat at the sight through the open front door of the house. Someone was lying on the floor being prepared for loading onto a gurney. Not sure how he would handle it if that person was Ava, he leapt onto the porch and peered over the EMT’s shoulders to see a woman he didn’t recognize.

  Relief wa
shed over him.Thank You, God.

  Thankfully Kim appeared coherent and her condition didn’t look life threatening. Matt surveyed the house. The dining room table sat sideways and the chairs were scattered near where she laid. He poked his head into the kitchen. Vegetables sat on the counter and peeled potatoes scattered around the room.

  Where was Ava? He headed upstairs when he noticed an officer at the door at the top of the stairs. “This is the Rockford Police Department. You’re safe now,” he heard the uniformed policeman say to the door.

  Matt skipped a few steps and reached the top in seconds. “Who’s in there?”

  “We don’t know for sure and the door is locked. The lady downstairs kept crying out for her daughter, Tessa. We’re assuming she’s in here,” the officer replied. Matt had seen him around the station before but didn’t know him well.

  “May I?” he asked, not wanting to overstep, but if Ava was in the room she would respond better to his voice than a stranger’s. The officer nodded his approval and stepped out of the way.

  “Tessa, my name is Sergeant Matt Thompson and I’m here to help you. Can you open the door, please?” He hoped the silence didn’t mean that something was wrong.

  “Matt.” His knotted muscles loosened with the sound of Ava’s voice.

  “Ava, can you open the door?”

  “Yes.”

  Scuffling noises started inside the room and the sound of her grunting as if furniture was being pushed around. Finally the door jiggled and opened. He rushed in and swept her up in his arms. Matt ignored the dried blood on her face for the time being only because she seemed okay. He held her and stroked her hair while she cried softly. Pulling her back, he caressed her face. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why is there blood all over you? Did he hit you?” His resentment toward Ray brewed.

  “No. My battle wounds are between me and the steps. I tripped while running up the stairs. I’m fine.”