Back to the Top (Ross Records) (3) (14 page)

I flinched at his words and the volume of his voice. Fear returned as Brad’s face contorted in rage, turning a deep red.

“Sorry,” I said, although I had no clue what I was apologizing for. I just wanted him to step back and give me some space.

“Sorry?” he said, inching closer, bending to leer in my face. “Is that all you can say? After all I’ve done for you and your family, this is what I get? This and a pathetic apology?”

I took a step back, which was a mistake. He seized my arm, squeezing. I didn’t bother to struggle, knowing it would only make it worse.

“Are you sleeping with him?” he asked, his eyes blazing. “Tell me the truth, Isabella. Are you sleeping with him?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. I didn’t see his hand until after it collided with my face.

“I told you not to lie to me,” he continued, increasing his grip on my arm.

Anger began to compete with fear as my spine straightened. My free hand went to my throbbing cheek as I met his eyes.

“Let go of me,” I ordered. “And don’t ever touch me again.”

He hit me again, near the eye, with enough force to knock my head into the wall. Never had I seen him so angry but I couldn’t stand there like a frightened rabbit. I had to get away from him.

“Let me go,” I said, my eyes watering. “Right now.”

“I’m the one calling the shots,” he said, but I barely heard him. I lifted my knee as hard as I could, connecting with his most private body parts. He released me instantly as he doubled over, groaning. I didn’t wait to see what he would do next – just snatched my purse and keys from the table near the door and ran, stopping only to get inside the car. I looked up in time to see Brad standing in my doorway, shock on his face. He shouted something to me but I couldn’t hear him as I cranked the engine, backed out of the parking lot, and shot off into the night.

Eleven

It wasn’t until I hit the interstate that I realized I was sobbing. I’d been far too busy watching the road and my rearview mirror for Brad’s car to worry about anything else. Once I entered the late traffic, I tried to relax, only to have a buzz in my seat. Leaning forward, I yanked my phone out of my back pocket and glanced at the screen. It was Brad. Ignoring his call, I tossed my phone on the passenger seat and concentrated on driving.

Nearly an hour later, and a bucketful of tears, I pulled up to the newly installed gates and jabbed the buzzer several times, worried that Brad had somehow caught up to me.

“Yeah? Who the hell is it?”

“It’s Iz,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Please, let me in?”

“Iz?”

“Just open the gate!”

The gates creaked open and I punched the gas, zooming up the dirt drive and stopping in front of the pole barn. As I opened the car door, I spotted four dark shadows on the porch, one of them sprinting down the steps.

“Iz,” Jake said as I got out of the car. He reached me, slightly out of breath, and yanked me to his chest. “Are you alright? What happened?”

I shook my head, not able to speak. I just leaned into him as all the shudders and shakes that had threatened to overtake my body during the drive finally let loose.

“Come inside,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he led me to the steps. “Let’s just get you inside.”

The crowd hovering near the door parted as Jake escorted me in the house and to the living room. He gently sat me down on the sofa and sucked in a breath when he got a look at my face.

“Holy shit, Iz,” Ronnie gasped, standing in front of me. “What happened? Who hit you?”

“Did that son of a bitch hit you, Iz?” Jake asked with controlled fury.

I shook my head, sucking in oxygen like water in the desert. I didn’t want to talk about the ugly scene in my apartment. I just wanted to bathe in the presence of my friends.

Matt zipped out of the room and returned a moment later with an ice pack. Sinking beside me, he pressed it to my face. I smiled my thanks but the gentleness that was always present in his eyes had been replaced by cold steel.

“Who did this to you?” Nick asked as he sat on the coffee table. “You need to tell us, Iz.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said as I took the ice pack from Matt and leaned into Jake. “Please.”

“We should call the cops,” Ronnie said as he whipped out his phone.

I shook my head. “No. No, it will make things worse.”

“What things?” Jake asked as he eased me back. “Iz, you’re not going back there.”

“I’m not,” I said, exhaustion sweeping over my body. “You’re right, I’m not. But it’s over now and I don’t want to call the cops. I don’t want a big deal and more tabloids and all that.”

Jake shot Nick a look before pulling away, gently pushing me to Matt, who draped a comforting arm around my shoulders. Jake got to his feet and pointed at Ronnie.

“You have a kid and a wife,” he said as Nick stood and moved beside him. “And Matt has a wife. You guys stay here with Iz. Nick and I will take care of this.”

“No,” I said, wriggling out of Matt’s grasp. “No. Please, Jake, just stay here. I don’t want you going after anyone. I don’t want you or anyone else getting into any trouble.”

Jake’s eyes bored into mine. He stared into my face, studying my features, before slumping his shoulders and returning to his seat. “Fine, Iz. For now. I’ll stay here with you tonight but I will pay that bastard back for hitting you.”

“I’m fine,” I said, stifling a yawn. “It’s nothing, really. I’m just … tired.”

“Okay. Let’s get you upstairs,” Jake said, helping me to my feet. “We can talk about this tomorrow.”

Nothing sounded better.

When we got upstairs, Jake led me through his bedroom and into the bathroom. He flipped the toilet lid down and nodded. I sank down, watching as he retrieved a washcloth and wet it under warm water.

With soft hands, he cleaned my face, barely touching the sore parts. Once he finished, he left me to rummage through the dresser drawers in his bedroom and returned with a t-shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts.

“Why don’t you change and then hop into bed,” he said. “I’m going to go downstairs and talk to the guys for a second.”

I grabbed his wrist as panic returned. “Please, Jake. Don’t go after Brad.”

He squatted in front of me, brushing the hair off my face. “I promise I won’t, Iz. Relax, okay?”

Nodding, I gave him a weak smile, the knot between my shoulders loosening. Standing, he helped me to my feet and, holding my hand, guided me to his bedroom. He tossed back the blankets, dropping my hand to do so, and then pointed at the bed.

“Get in,” he said. “Get some rest. I’ll check on you in a bit.”

“Thanks,” I said as my eyes fluttered shut. I didn’t hear him leave the room.

When I woke next, it was still dark and I had the impression that I hadn’t been asleep for long. Turning my head, I spotted light drifting out from the bottom of the bathroom door. A second later, it disappeared as Jake emerged. Quietly crossing the room, he sat on the side of the bed, brushing my hair back from my face.

“Jake,” I whispered.

“Sorry, Iz,” he said. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep. I’ll be right across the hall.”

“No,” I said, grabbing his hand. “Stay here, please.”

“Are you sure, Iz?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, as I scooted to the other side of the bed.

With slight trepidation, Jake climbed in beside me, pulling the sheet over his body. I moved closer, burrowing into his side. He kissed the top of my head as I closed my eyes once more.

***

The next time I woke, sunlight was pushing through the opening between the heavy curtains, forcing its way to my face. Birds sang outside the window, greeting another beautiful day.

Turning my head, I winced as my sore cheek touched the pillow. Memories of the night before returned as I looked for Jake. His side of the bed was empty.

I padded to the bathroom, Jake’s t-shirt falling to below my knees, covering the shorts he’d given me last night. When I peered into the mirror, I grimaced at the ugly purple and black bruise under my eye and the angry red mark on my cheek.

“Great,” I muttered as I carefully washed my face, ran my fingers through my unruly hair, and searched for a toothbrush. The only toothbrush I could find was Jake’s and even though we’d shared many things that summer I’d stayed with him, a toothbrush wasn’t one of them. I decided I’d just have to run into the little town and get one later.

After fussing with my hair – finally using Jake’s comb to tame some of the wilder locks, I wandered downstairs in search of the other humans.

At the bottom of the steps, voices drifted toward me from the kitchen. Obviously, the others were still here. With a shrug, I pushed open the kitchen door to find Jake, Nick, Ronnie, and Matt sitting around the table, nursing coffee.

“What’s this – a meeting of the minds or a Knights of the Round Table session?” I asked, hoping to inject some humor into the air. I didn’t want them focusing on my bruised face or a hunt for Brad’s head.

“Morning, Iz,” Nick said, rising from his chair to fetch a mug from the cabinet. He poured coffee and then set the mug in front of the empty seat next to Jake.

“Thanks,” I said, inhaling the rich, caffeinated smell rising from the cup.

“How are you feeling?” Jake asked.

“Fine,” I said, forcing a smile. All eyes were on me, making me squirm in my seat. “Honestly, I’m okay.”

Jake opened his mouth to protest but Matt cut in. “I called Greta. She’s going to bring some clothes over for you in a little bit.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Why isn’t she here?”

“We had a session last night,” Ronnie explained. “We were going to work on music all weekend. We usually just crash here when we do.”

“Oh,” I said as heat flooded my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” Jake said, dropping a hand to my knee. “We’re glad you came here.”

Nodding, I dropped my eyes to the warm liquid in my cup. “Thanks, all of you.”

“Iz, what happened?” Ronnie asked amidst little sounds of annoyance and irritation. Ronnie ignored them as he kept his eyes on me. “We’re not supposed to bug you about it but I cannot sit here and do nothing when one of my best friends has bruises on her face.”

I was touched beyond words and couldn’t stop the tiny smile from spreading across my face. “I appreciate that, Ronnie. Really. But I don’t want any of you involved in this. He won’t hurt me anymore because I’m not going to go back there.”

“Good,” Jake said, giving my knee a squeeze.

I turned toward him, my heart filling with love. “Is it all right if I stay here for a little bit? At least until I can figure out what to do.”

The guys snorted as Jake’s cheeks flushed. “Of course. Stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks,” I said with a sigh. “I better call my dad and let him know what’s going on. I think my phone is in the car.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Jake said, shooting evil looks at his friends. “Come on.”

Once outside, I hurried to the car to retrieve my phone, wincing at the missed calls and text messages. Brad had been a busy boy.

Without listening to any of the messages, I called my dad while Jake leaned against the car, watching my face.

“Bella?” my dad said as soon as he answered. “Where are you? Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, puzzled. I glanced at Jake, wondering if he’d called my father while I’d been sleeping. “I’m at Jake’s.”

“What happened?” Dad asked. “Brad called here last night in a rage. He said you left him, that you’d been cheating on him the entire time you were engaged.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “Well, not all of it.”

“Talk to me, Belle,” he said.

Slowly, aware of Jake’s constant gaze, I explained to my father what had been happening, glossing over the incident that made me leave. I didn’t need him hunting Brad, either.

“Did that son of a bitch hit you?” he asked with barely controlled fury.

“It doesn’t matter, Dad.”

“It matters,” he said. “I’ll kill him.”

“Leave it be,” I said. “Please. I left him and I’m not going back. I’m not going to marry him, either. Jake said I can stay here while I figure out what to do.”

“Okay,” Dad said, releasing a sigh. “Fine. Stay there – Brad can’t get to you. But I’d like you to come home, soon, and tell me and your mother everything that is going on.”

“I will,” I promised. “I just wanted you to know that I’m fine and that I’m at Jake’s. Everything is okay now.”

“Is Jake there now?” Dad asked.

My stomach fell as I looked at Jake. “Yes, he’s right here.”

“Can I speak to him?”

Jake held out his hand, expecting it I guess, so I handed over the phone.

“Rick, hey,” Jake said. He listened as my father spoke, nodding every once in awhile, finally pulling a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. I shot him a questioning look – I hadn’t seen him smoke since Ronnie’s baby was born – but he just grinned as he popped the cigarette into his mouth and lit it.