“Foxy, I’ll be back. Rory, I’m going to check on your mom. You did good coming to me before the cops. I know it doesn’tseem like it right now, but things will get better, okay?” I move toward Ronnie and press a kiss to her lips.
“Jude, call the guys. Please don’t go there by yourself,” she pleads.
“I’m calling them, promise. Take care of my sister for me?” I’m throwing her in headfirst. We’ve yet to discuss my past and how it could affect our future.
Fuck me.
“I will.” My hand cups her cheek. I give her a quick nod and then move toward Rory.
“Jude, I’m sorry to bring this to your doorstep.” My sister’s bone fucking tired, like she took on the weight of the world, and it chewed her up only to spit her out.
“Rory, love you, sis. But if it’s anyone who’s going to be sorry, it’ll be me. Let Ronnie take care of you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I go to touch her shoulder but think better of it and instead kiss the crown of her head. I’m grabbing my keys, sliding on a pair of shoes, and walking out the door in record time.
20
RONNIE
“Rory, honey. I don’t think I can clean you up much more. How do you feel about taking a shower?” I ask softly, afraid she’ll break down at any moment to the point where it’ll take a toll on her already beat-up body.
“Yeah, this is really bad, isn’t it?” She looks at me. Most adults would lie. I’m not most, and I’m unable to do so now.
“Do you want the truth?” I give her the option. Rory nods in response. “It’s not ideal, and I’m hoping your brother doesn’t go off half-cocked and get himself some pretty, silver bracelets. Then again, I’d be there every day to visit him and bake him a cake full of nail files.” Rory cracks a smile, and I continue on, “But your brother is smart. He’s got a great group of friends. And until we hear from him, all we can do is hope for the best.” I hold my hand out, more than ready to guide her into the bathroom. I’m sure washing her hair willbe impossible. Rinsing it might be the only thing she can tackle for today.
“Yeah, I hope he’s dead. I hope Mom used whatever she could to her advantage and took him out. People like him don’t deserve to walk free. All they’re good for is fertilizer in the ground.” The vehemence in her statement reminds me of how Jude sounded earlier.
“I agree.” Rory slides off the barstool, hitting the tile floor harder than I’d have liked. Especially since she doesn’t have any shoes on her feet. “How far away do you live from here?” She’s wearing a baggy shirt and shorts, no shoes, only socks. I’m assuming her phone wasn’t in reaching distance to call anyone. That, or she was running on adrenaline, and her focus was on getting to Jude.
“In a car, like, ten minutes. Walking and running more like thirty minutes.” She looks away from me, probably worried I’ll judge her, but that’s definitely not the case.
“Damn,” I reply as we walk through the house. I’m mentally cataloguing what I have here at Jude’s place that she can wear after her shower. Rory is smaller than me, but I should have a pair of shorts she can fold over, and there’s always a shirt of Jude’s she can use as a top.
“Yeah, I know calling the cops might have been a better idea. Except we’ve gone that route before, and nothing helped. A restraining order is nothing but a glorified piece of paper. The cops show up, he’s gone, and then all they can do is make a note. Mom went to court, tried to tell the judge that this would never help and she was scared not only for me and herself. Mom, she’s selfless, worrying about other women and kids he would do this to.” We make it into thebathroom. I turn on the water, making sure the temperature is lukewarm. My brother used to get into fights with other boys in the neighborhood. They’d make some kind of smart remark about me, and Zane would lose his shit. I tried to hold him back too many times, until I finally would tell him he’s being stupid. When I’d rush to the bar to tell Dad, he’d shrug his shoulders and say, “Serves ‘em right.”
“You did what you had to do with what you had to work with.” I keep my eyes averted, giving her a semblance of privacy while she attempts to undress.
“Ronnie, I can’t do this on my own.” The bathroom fills with steam, and I abandon keeping my back to her while she wrestles with her emotions.
“Well, you won’t ever have to,” I state, more than likely overstepping my boundaries since this is Jude’s sister, but ask me if I care.
“Thank you. I kind of meant getting my clothes off.” A tiny smile appears for what I’m sure is the first time all day.
“Oh, yeah. I’ll help you. Shirt first?” I ask, glad she won’t attempt to do this on her own and potentially make her injuries worse.
“Please.”
“Alright, we’re going to do one arm, stretch the shirt out a bit, and then go from there. Let me know if it gets to be too much. I can always grab a pair of scissors and cut the fabric.” In fact, the nurses at the hospital would do the same. I really do think Rory should see a doctor. Broken ribs could lead to punctured lungs, and while I’ve cleaned my fair share of bumps and scrapes, this is way out of my comfort zone.
“I will,” she replies. We go through the process of gettingher undressed. I’m trying to be gentle while biting my tongue when more marks appear on the sides of her body. The shirt clears her head, and I toss it to the ground. And while I’d love nothing more than to burn them to a fiery crisp, I’ll end up washing them, just in case.
“Shorts now? Then I’ll give you a towel to hold up while we work on your undergarments. The socks may be a problem. We can always have you get in the water, allow them to soak, and loosen them up a smidge in order to pull them off.” A few minutes later, with a lot of hissing from Rory, she’s stepping into the shower while looking longingly at the tub. Her hand stays in mine, the towel wrapped around her torso being held by the underside of her arms. When I get a glimpse of her back, it’s just as bad as the front.
Jesus, I really hope Jude does a number on the piece of shit.
“I’m good from here,” Rory mutters. Her socks came off easier than expected, the only plus I’ve seen out of this whole ordeal.
“I’ll go grab you some clothes of mine and Jude’s. I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot here for you to choose from.” I pull another towel out of the cabinet for her hair. The one she had wrapped around her body is now hanging on a hook right near the shower stall.
“Thank you, Ronnie.”
