Beautiful Storm (12 page)

“Y
OU FUCKED-UP BASTARD
.” The cold words come from a voice I recognise.

There’s an enormous crash followed by shouting, but I’m unable to hear anything being said. A loud buzz in my ears is the only thing my brain can focus on. I crawl onto my hands and knees, knowing I need to get away. Strong arms wrap around me and lift me from the floor. My legs instantly flail.

“No. No. Get your fucking hands off me,” I scream, while scratching at the arms pinning me against them.

“Shh, sweetheart. It’s only me. Shh.” Once the calmness of Alex’s voice registers, it saps my last shred of strength, and I weaken in his arms. “We’re getting you out of here.”

As he carries me, I’m oblivious of where I am but not where I’m going. All I know is Alex is taking me away from the place I feared living in for a lifetime. Angry and hurt, the tears start to fall. One by one they stream down my face. All the while his words of comfort try to ease the pain.

His hands no longer rub reassuring circles over my back. Dazed, I barely feel him place me down and bandage my hands and knees. He leans over and straps me in the car. The only thing making me aware of where I am is the vibration beneath me.

I sniffle up my nose and wipe the mess from under it. “Can you take me to Noah?” My words are hopeful even though I know it’s the last place I should be. He wouldn’t want me either. When I glance at Alex, his jaw flexes and he gives a firm shake of his head.

“Not a good idea, sweetheart. Noah would kill him.”

A soulless laugh escapes me. “Not anymore.”

He flicks a glance at me, then back to the road, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. I’m not sure what he’s thinking but then he gives a sigh.

“I’ve known men like Noah before. The live hard, play harder, type.” A smile quirks on the side of his lips. “You stopped that dead in its tracks. I was always waiting for him to fuck up with you, but…” His fingers stop tapping and grip the steering wheel. “I promise you, whatever you said or did wasn’t enough to stop him loving you.”

“How would you know?” I snap.

The half-hearted smile turns into a full one. “Oh, I know.”

I don’t deserve the faintest hope telling Noah I never loved him wouldn’t affect the way he feels about me. I want him to despise me, especially now. I can’t ever run the risk of him finding out what I’m hiding from him. The fate would be too much, for both him and the little life I have in me. I’m just thankful my shoulder and knees took the brunt of Mac’s wrath. At least I know my baby is safe. I decide it’s best to change the subject.

“Where are we going?”

The smile fades, and from his profile I can tell he’s scrunching his eyebrows.

“First, I’m taking you to a friend to get your injuries sorted out. Then I’m taking you away from here.” His voice softens. “I know he threatened to kill Noah and your baby. I know what he demanded of you. The security guard Mac fired showed me earlier. He wasn’t sure what to do with the information. Why does the bastard always pull shit when I’m not on shift?” The anger in his voice overwhelms me. Alex is usually so soft-spoken.

I’m thankful James told Alex. He shouldn’t have been on shift. He had two days off. “Why would it even matter to you?”

“You really think I’m heartless, don’t you?”

Mac has made me distrust my judgement. I turn away from him and stare out the side window. “No.” How could I ever think that?

Panic rises in me. “We need to go back.” I break into a cold sweat. I never want to be near Mac again.

“What? Why?” He alternates his gaze between me and the road ahead.

“I need my bag,” I answer. My voice is small. I know it’s a foolish request, but it holds both my credit cards and my phone. Without it, I have no ability to pay for anything. And more importantly, the phone contains photos of Noah. I don’t want to be without those.

His face relaxes. “I got it.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. Several tours will do that to you.”

The conversation dies. Alex looks focused on driving, apart from the intermittent clench of his jaw. The silence forces my mind to deal with the earlier attack. I try and distance myself from it, but the images rerun over and over, blurred and fuzzy, but no less painful. Renewed tears start to fall.

The car stops and warm arms wrap around me. “It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

Held tight, I sob into his chest and let the pain out. It’s better out anyway; keeping it in will do me more harm. When my chest stops heaving, he releases me.

“We need to get out of the car now, okay?”

I sit up and try and rearrange my dishevelled dress, but the way my hands are bandaged stops me. My breathing stutters and I fight to regain my composure, refusing to let any more tears fall over that bastard.

Alex gets out, comes around to my side, and opens the door for me.

“Can you walk?”

“I think so.”

He gives me his hand and helps me to my feet. My knees burn and are stiff, pain shoots through my legs.

“You sure?”

Mac has taken enough from me; he won’t take anymore. I nod, fight through the pain, and walk, aided by Alex, towards a little cottage with a painted red door. “Where are we?” I glance around trying to figure it out. But I’d paid no attention on the drive.

“My mate Jase’s house.”

“Oh, okay. Is he a doctor?”

Alex bursts out laughing, a real belly laugh, and shakes his head. “No, he’s not. But he does know his shit.”

As we reach the door, a man opens it. His smile is kind, but when he turns to Alex it disappears. “Do you know what you’re doing?” he asks his friend.

Alex sighs. “Can’t this wait until we’re inside at least?”

Jase opens the door wider and beckons us in. “You need to phone him. He’s going apeshit,” he mutters as we follow him into his home. “Why’d you turn your phone off?”

“Why do you think?”

“Sending a text then going silent was gonna send him over the edge.” He takes us through into his cosy lounge. “Make yourself at home.” He gestures towards a battered sofa.

I collapse onto it, my energy level at an all-time low. Both Alex and Jase remain standing and continue speaking.

“Yeah, well it was for good reason. Would you take care of Liz’s injuries?”

Jase’s expression darkens. “Did you take care of the bastard?”

“As much as I could for now.”

This appears to appease him. He turns to me and his expression lightens. “Let’s have a look at you. See what we need to fix you up. I’ll just get my bag.” He turns and walks out.

Alex turns to me. “I need to make a call.” My breaths labour. “I’ll only be in the kitchen.” He walks over to me and cups my hands in his. “Breathe. I promise Jase won’t hurt you.”

I search his eyes and see his conviction. The pressure in my chest releases a little. “Okay,” I reply quietly.

He smiles at me, squeezes my forearm, then leaves. His voice rumbles in from the other room. I can’t hear what’s being said, but the security of the sound of his deep tone calms me.

Jase returns with a backpack and settles at my feet. “Okay, let’s take a look at you.”

My dress is draped over my knees and he touches the hem to lift it. “No.” I push his hands away. Clenching my legs together, I bend and wrap my arms around my knees. The whole movement hurts like hell.

There’s a clatter as Jase falls backwards and Alex rushes in, phone in hand. “What the fuck?”

Jase holds his hands up in the air. “Mate, I just went to lift her dress over her knees.”

“Liz?” Alex waits for my confirmation.

Heat rises, overtaking my whole body. “I… um…” I take a deep breath and rush the words out. “I have no underwear on.”

Both men visibly relax. Jase gets to his feet and leaves the room.

“I’m sorry,” I call out after him. I’m so ashamed.

Alex smiles at me. “No need to be. It’s not your fault.”

But it is my fault. I got caught out. Now I’m facing the consequences. “I think someone wants you.” I point to his phone. I can hear a voice shouting on the other end.

He lifts the phone to his ear and speaks. “Give me a sec… Yeah, everything’s okay, just hold on.”

Jase returns and holds out his hand to me. “Here. I know they won’t fit right, but it’s something.” He shrugs.

I look at what he’s holding out.

Both men glance at each other, and Alex smiles at me. “Everything okay now?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Good. I need to finish this call and I’ll be right back.”

Jase’s face flushes. “I, er, I’ll just go with him for a minute.” He follows Alex out.

I open up the neatly folded boxer briefs, spreading them over my knees. My heart misses a beat. The kindness of these two men helps to erase the horrors from earlier. But neither of them can help erase the scar of Noah on my heart. An image of him walking in, half naked, flashes in my mind. His dirty words, his gentle touch, his deep love. I let myself bask in the memory before it’s replaced with dark, haunted eyes as he walked away. That’s a scar I wouldn’t want erased.

I drag myself from my thoughts and struggle to pull on Jase’s underwear. They’re a loose fit, but cover up the area needed. It’s hard for me to ignore the bruises forming on my thighs, but I try.

There’s a tap on the door and Jase pokes his head around. “Am I safe to come in?”

His question provokes a small smile from me, until my cheek stings. “It’s your home.”

Jase strides in and again kneels at my feet. “Okay, you ready to do this?”

After I give him my consent, he rummages in his bag and pulls out dressings, spray plaster, and a folded pouch, amongst other things.

He goes about unwrapping Alex’s makeshift dressings. His brows pinch when he removes the final wrap, and his lips form into a thin line.

“Right. First things first. Have you had any painkillers?”

“No. We haven’t really had time.”

“Let’s get that sorted then. I’m going to have to work on you for a while.” He rubs his forehead with his fingertips. “There’s a fair amount of glass in these wounds.”

Again he leaves the room but comes back with a glass of water and a couple of tablets in his hand.

“Don’t worry, they’re just over the counter painkillers, but I think you’ll need them to take the edge off.”

I take them from him and swallow both down with the water. If Alex trusts Jase, that’s enough for me. And since the adrenaline has seeped from my system, the pain in both my hands and knees has increased tenfold.

He makes small talk for twenty minutes while he waits for the painkillers to take effect. I find him kind-hearted, even if he is a little rough around the edges, but equally there’s a darkness about him. When he’s happy that enough time has passed, he undoes the pouch to reveal a series of medical implements. Choosing a pair of tweezers, he sets about removing the shards from my knees. Alex enters the room and sits down opposite me.

“How’d it go?” Jase asks Alex, without looking at him.

“About as good as you’d expect. He was pretty pissed, but he understands.” I wonder who they’re referring to but have no time to ask.

“Yeah, I bet. What are you going to do now?”

“I’ve pulled in some favours and arranged a house for us. Also, I think it’s best we change Liz’s identity too. I’m not sure how far Mac would go to find her.”

Jase nods and continues to clean and redress my cuts. He’s gentle, and every time I take a sharp breath he halts and inspects my face before he carries on.

“Who’s
he
?” I finally ask and wince as Jase wraps gauze around my palm a little too tight.

“My boss,” Alex replies.

“Mac?” My voice rises.

He shakes his head and gives me a small smile. “No, sweetheart. He was never my boss. I work for Pegasus. The firm that runs your… runs his internal security.”

Jase finishes up, wipes his hands down his jeans, then stands. “There, all done.”

There must be more I can say to him but all that comes out is, “Thank you.”

“Anything for —” he begins.

“Time for us to go,” Alex cuts in, and gives Jase a hard stare.

I’d wonder if there’s a problem between them, but Jase seems unaffected and grabs his backpack off the floor. He sorts through it and gives us some more painkillers and spare dressings. “Replace these in a few days. Try not to get the others wet either.”

Jase gives me an awkward hug. The men shake hands and give each other one of those back-smacking man hugs.

Alex turns back to Jase as he leads us to the front door. “Thanks for everything, mate.”

“No worries… He doesn’t know, does he?”

Alex shakes his head and Jase’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t reply. I’m too tired to wonder what they’re talking about.

When we get to the car Alex helps me into my seat, then hops in the driver’s side. “Do those feel better?” He gestures towards my new bandages.

“I guess so. The painkillers worked pretty well.” Or maybe it’s the numbness in my heart spreading throughout my body.

He reaches into the back and then hands me my bag. “So, are you ready?”

I have nothing left here, or anywhere. “Yes.”

When Alex pulls away from the curb, my heart constricts. I want to tell him to turn around, to take me to Noah. But this is for the best, it’s the only option. Instead, I find my phone, scroll through the pictures of him, of us, and let a single tear fall.

There was never a choice for me to make.