AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Juliet, no!” I hear a guy’s voice behind me, and it’s then I feel the hand.
The pressure . . . the grip.
The restraint.
The pain.
PULLING THE KAYAK in, I hear Clay’s voice, and then I hear the scream. Whiskey and I both turn toward the house, and he takes off.
What the hell is going on?
Following closely behind him, I round the corner just as Clay bends over and picks someone up off the driveway. Blonde curly hair drapes over his arm and I think my heart stops.
She came!
She actually came. I don’t know why I didn’t think she would, but here she is, and it’s then I realize she’s hurt. Hysteria shoots through me, and then complete agony.
“What happened?” I yell, running to them and taking Ava from him. Her eyes are closed and blood is dripping down the side of her face. Clutching her to my chest, I gasp for air to keep myself from losing it.
“I don’t know.” There are tears in Juliet’s eyes as she sweeps Ava’s hair off of her face. “I tried to stop her, but when I touched her, she kind of freaked out, slipped, and hit the ground.”
Glancing at Clay, I know he knows, but Juliet doesn’t.
The thought of her having another panic attack and me not being here to protect her is almost too much to handle. She got scared and had to experience that asshole in her mind all over again. I desperately want those memories diminished, not enhanced. Sucking in my irritation, I push past them both, and head straight to my room. Bryce is in the corner by the couch—I hate that this is scaring him.
“Clay, grab a washcloth and let’s see if we can get the bleeding to stop,” I toss over my shoulder.
Ava groans in my arms, her face scrunches up in pain, and she turns, snuggling into my chest.
Lying her down on my bed, her eyes open and she blinks at me.
Blue to blue.
My heart stops as I fall into the ocean of her eyes.
Seconds pass as we stare at each other, and Clay runs in with a towel. Her eyes cut from me to him, and then to Juliet who is on the other side of me. Ava’s eyes widen and panic streaks across her face.
“Here,” Clay shoves it at me. I take it and press it gently to her head. She winces and tries to pull away from me. Yeah no, I hate to break it to her, but I am done with her pulling away. She’s here, which means she’s mine, and despite everything at the moment, I am so happy.
Holding the towel to her head, it quickly fills with red.
“Shit.” I know head wounds have a tendency to bleed a lot, but this seems excessive. I pull the towel away to get a better look. There at her hairline, the skin is split open, and it’s too much. She’s going to need stitches.
Replacing the towel, my eyes find hers just as they start to water. Looking away from me, she closes her eyes and her chin starts to quiver.
“Ava.” She squeezes them tight. “Please keep your eyes on me.” The demand in my tone is soft, but it can’t be missed. She opens her eyes and I fall all over again.
I would be lying if I said I’m calm and under control. Because I’m not.
This time when we go into the urgent care, two things happen. One, we are recognized, and two, every person working there remembers us and eyes me suspiciously.
Yes, I understand that us showing up with injuries twice in two months doesn’t look the greatest, but I would never lay a hand on her and they make me feel like the bad guy I’m not. Sideways glances, whispering, frowning, I’d bet just about anything that tomorrow’s headlines call me abusive.
On top of that, Ava does what Ava does, and she closes in on herself. The entire drive there, she keeps her head on the window with her eyes shut. In the examining room, she talks to the nurses and doctors, but never me. And on the way back, the only thing she mumbles is that she wants to go home. By the time we pull up to the house, my nerves feel like they’re about to explode.
Cutting the engine, I look over to Ava and she is studying her car. Her car is the only one in the driveway, both Juliet’s and Clay’s are gone. I briefly wonder where they’ve gone, and then decide I don’t care.
“Thank you for taking me,” she says quietly, before looking over at me.
