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“You’re safe now.” I kissed the top of her head and hugged her.
“I had never been so terrified,” she said. “But I knew I had to do something. I fought for my life, and I won."
The tears forming in the corners of her eyes glistened.
Gently, I wiped them away and stared at her for a few moments, gathering myself because I was so close to breaking.
"Baby.” I finally found my voice. It was low and hoarse. “I can't imagine what that must have been like. I will forever be sorry I wasn't there. I promise I will never let you be alone again. I don't know what I would’ve done."
Kenna wiped the tears that were coming from my eyes.
"Ryan, it's okay. I'm here, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
With that, we both just held on to each other. I'm not sure how much time passed before a nurse stepped into the room.
"Hi, Mackenna,” the nurse cleared her throat. “I have your discharge paperwork."
20
CONOR
“I need to fuckin’ punch something,” I grumbled under my breath.
I had never felt such anger in my life. Twice I'd seen my sister beaten, and it was two times too many. My hands shook with the urge to kill the man responsible. I knew he had been arrested and was somewhere in the same hospital. He was lucky to be in custody, or nothing could have stopped me from ending him.
As I exited the hospital and headed to my truck, I heard my brother's voice coming up behind me.
"Conor, stop for a minute." Finn grabbed my arm. The same one he had held in my sister's hospital room. Granted, I had punched my best friend in the face upon learning he was sleeping with my sister.
This night can’t get any worse.
I yanked my arm back and kept moving. I really needed to hit something or someone, but I didn't want it to be my brother.
Finn followed me, and when we reached the truck, he walked in front of me. Before I knew it, he swiped the keys out of my hands.
"What the fuck, Finn? Give me the keys. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit right now."
Without missing a beat, Finn snapped back at me, "Get in the fucking truck, Conor. We're going to Micky's. We'll get what she needs, and then we're going to Ryan's. Stop with the bullshit."
Angry and unable to deal with Finn, I turned, made my way to the passenger's side of the truck, got in, and slammed the door. We didn't speak a word on the way there. I sat, fuming with rage, trying to calm myself down. Before I knew it, we were pulling into the parking lot of my sister's apartment.
Any calmness I had gained from the ride evaporated the moment I saw the dried blood on the hallway floor. It was a stark reminder of how bad things had gotten for Micky. Finn and I continued walking, neither one of us saying a word.
When we reached the apartment, there were still a couple of police officers there. We explained who we were, and honestly, they knew us. Many officers trained at our gym. One of the officers, a woman, recognized us and stepped forward.
"Hey, guys," she said, her eyes filled with sympathy. "I know you're here to get some stuff for Micky. I'll let you in."
As we followed her, she looked back at Finn and flashed a brief, supportive smile. We mentally prepared ourselves for what we were about to see. It wasn't until we reached the bedroom that I started losing my shit again.
“I’m going to fucking kill this guy, Finn.” I glared over at Finn and saw the same look I knew I had.
Finn’s hands ball up into a fist so tight his knuckles turned white. Without a word, my brother turned away and walked out. That’s when I knew for a fact that he understood the growing rage I now felt. Deciding it was best to give Finn a minute, I moved through my sister’s bedroom.
I grabbed her suitcase from the closet and reached up for a few sweatshirts and t-shirts she had on the shelves. I didn't think she would need any jeans, so I left the closet and moved to her dresser. Next, I grabbed some sweats from one of the drawers.
As much as I didn't want to grab any of my sister's undergarments, I knew she needed them. I opened the top right drawer, reached in, and grabbed a handful, hoping I got what was needed and enough of them. I threw everything into the suitcase and made my way to the bathroom for her toiletries, grabbing everything I thought she needed. I would just go to the store if I missed anything. I needed to get the hell out of here. Seeing the blood, my sister's blood, in the bathroom was making me sick.
When I entered the living room with the suitcase, I didn't see Finn, but Pete, an officer I knew, approached.
