AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Fifteen
Jackson
I’d never been so damn flustered in my whole life, but seeing Lena standing there with my shirt clinging to her breasts like that, I’d lost my ability to speak. All I could think about was how perfect her breasts were, and I felt like a complete douche because I couldn’t stop staring at them. I was supposed to be trying to gain her trust, not making her think I’m some perv. I should have tried harder to avert my eyes, but man, I am a hot-blooded guy, complete with a high level of testosterone that always showed up when I least expect it. The sooner I got out of there, the better, for both our sakes.
Maybe Brodie and Doc were right, and I shouldn’t get mixed up in this. Lena was a pretty girl under that bruised and beaten face. Somebody beat the crap out of her—a somebody who might come looking for her.
I paced the floor of the kitchen from one end to the other, running my hand through my hair as I thought. Let him come, I decided. Let him try to lay another hand on her and see how far he gets. When I get through with him, he won’t be able to use those hands for a long time for anything, not even to get his own rocks off.
I swiveled my body, swinging my fist out through the air, just missing Brodie’s jaw by inches as he jumped back.
“Whoa, bro. What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m ready to pound the ass wipe who decorated Le … Lana’s face and used her body as a doormat for kicking the shit off his boots.”
“What? Did she tell you who it was?”
“No, but when I find out … I’m going to make him wish he’d never met her.”
“I hope you’re just blowing smoke because you, more than anyone, should know what could happen if you lay a hand on that creep.”
“That’s only if he can prove I threw the first punch.”
“Yeah? And who’s to say he couldn’t. Lana? Don’t count on it. Women like her always end up sticking up for the creep who beat them. You know that.”
I grabbed the collar of my brother’s shirt and shoved him against the wall. “Don’t talk about her that way. She’s not like those other women who keep going back to the bastards who beat them time and time again, defending the S.O.B.s like they’re mini-gods.”
“How do you know? You’ve known her for what, ten hours?”
“I just know.” I shook my head, let go of his shirt and stepped back.
“Shit. You’re falling for her. Already? Don’t be stupid, Jack.”
I shot him a dagger-riddled stare, but he continued anyway. “I’m not saying anything you don’t already know. She might be a nice girl.”
“She is!”
“Okay, but … look, I didn’t mean to imply she wasn’t nice. I’m just saying what usually happens in abuse cases. If it was abuse.” I glared at him again. “I suppose it could have been rape. Then, of course, she wouldn’t defend the guy. All I’m saying is be careful, Jackson. It seems to me that anyone cruel enough to do what he did to Lana would go out of his way to get you thrown in jail for messing with even one strand of his hair. Plus, abused women usually defend the abuser. If it was abuse, we’ve seen it before, right here in our own little town, Jack.”
Brodie was right. We had seen it with our uncle. Late one night, right before last call, a man and woman were arguing. It suddenly got more heated and turned ugly, with the guy striking the woman and knocking her four feet back into the bar until Uncle Joe stepped in to defend her. Joe was a big man and had no problem beating the guy until he was out cold. Broke his nose, too. The cops came, and the woman took her boyfriend’s side, accusing Uncle Joe of starting the fight. It was their word against his since there were no other witnesses, and Uncle Joe spent the next six months in jail for battery and assault. I didn’t want a repeat of that.
“I know you’re right, but don’t let it go to your head.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, big brother. You’ll always be the one I look up to.”
* * *
It was past midnight,and I’d left Lena alone for too long. If she fell asleep, and I didn’t wake her, and if she did have a concussion, she could lapse into a coma, though I honestly didn’t think that would happen. She seemed too alert, for one thing. Secondly, she didn’t have any other symptoms, like vomiting, which usually accompanied a concussion. I liked the idea of checking on her every couple of hours anyway.
The lights were off inside the rental, so I figured she was asleep. I didn’t want to scare her awake by knocking on the door, so I used my key and let myself inside. I felt as if I were trespassing or invading her privacy, but I figured she knew I’d be coming up again to check on her. She lay on the daybed on her side, her bruised eye hidden against the pillow. Her other eye was closed, and she looked very much like an angel. She was beautiful. As I approached her side, she stirred a little, then sprang up and screamed. Pulling a hammer out from under her pillow, she raised it in the air, ready to strike at me. I thought she was going to kill me.
“It’s me! Don’t hit me,” I said, grabbing her arm, holding it steady as I coaxed the hammer out of her hand and into mine.
“Oh, Jackson, I’m sorry. I thought you were … I didn’t realize it was you.”
“I guess I don’t have to worry about you defending yourself.”
“I found the hammer on the floor over by the window. I felt more secure with it under my pillow.”
