Rebuilding Stone (The Stone Brother Series Book 2) (8 page)

We found out this morning that the trial is set for nine
months from now. Evan called and said Aaron’s lawyer was offering a plea deal
of five years. There is no way I’d let Aaron get off that easily. I never stood
up to him during our relationship until that awful night. By going to trial,
it’s my way of standing up to him now.
 

I’ve tried to stay busy to keep my mind off of everything.
Besides work, therapy and my self-defense classes are what keep me sane. Lani
is on her way over to walk me to my self-defense class.

Maddox is working right now, and no doubt about it, he will
come by later to check on me like he always does. It makes me feel safe knowing
Maddox is doing everything he can to make sure nothing happens to me. I’m
surprised at how my feelings are developing for him. Part of me feels like it’s
too quick to be in a relationship, the other part of me knows it’s been Maddox
all along. I think about what it will be like when we finally kiss. He still
isn’t pushing me, and he remains as my constant supporter. If I am waiting on
Maddox to make a move, it won’t happen. He has told me over and over that when
I’m ready, I should let him know. Now it’s awkward because I’m almost ready,
but I don’t want to be the first one to make the move.

I hear a knock at the door. Lani's here, so I take off
toward the door and fling it open.

Oh my God! It’s Aaron! I start backing away while trying to
shut the door. Aaron pushes the door with enough force that I think it comes
unhinged. I’m not going down like this, not in my home—the place I’ve
worked hard to feel safe.

“What are you doing here, Aaron?”

“I just came to talk. I told you that you would never be
safe, you stupid bitch.”

“You don’t control me anymore! You’re nothing but a big
pussy.” My mind is racing with things I’ve learned in my self-defense class.

“A big pussy, eh?”

“Yes, you heard me. NOW GET OUT!” I go to shove him out the
door but he grabs my arm and pulls it behind my back. The most important thing
I’ve learned in class is to try to remain calm. I think about what my first
move should be. I knee him in the groin. Aaron doesn’t let go, but I can tell I
got a good shot to the nuts. He shoves me onto the couch as I struggle against
him. I don’t care if struggling dislocates my shoulder—I’m fighting. I
scratch at his neck and pull on his ear.

“STOP! I’m calling the cops!” She yells the same words she
did when she saved me from rape almost ten years ago.

Aaron lets go of me and stalks towards Lani. He gets to a
mere inch from her face. I watch as he runs his gross fingers up and down her
arm. He leans into her and runs his disgusting tongue up her neck. She starts
hitting him.

“Leave her alone,” I growl, as I rush towards them. With one
shove from Aaron, Lani hits the wall and crumples like a rag doll. As much as I
want to check on her, I can’t. I grab everything in my path and start throwing
it at him. I make contact a few times with various objects, but it doesn’t faze
him. At least now, I have the couch between us, which is more than I had
before. We circle around it for a few seconds, and then Aaron lunges at me. I
jump back, and as my terrible luck would have it, I trip over a lamp cord.
Dammit. I’m not hurt, so I start kicking as Aaron approaches me. I get a second
good kick to his nuts, and he backs off for a second, giving me just enough
time to land another kick. Only it doesn’t faze him, and he grows angrier.

I’m just leaving work, and I head to Kerrigan’s like I
usually do now. We are finally making progress. I want so badly for this whole
Aaron mess to be behind us. I know it never will be, though, because it’s the
horror she lived through. It’ll be something she will always remember, and as
much as I hate it, it’s a part of who she is now.

 
When I pull up
to Kerrigan’s, I get a sick feeling because Lani’s car is still here. I know
Lani had to work this evening after she took Kerrigan to self-defense class.
After doing a shitty parking job, I run straight toward the apartment stairs,
taking two or three steps at a time.

When I finally get upstairs, I can see the door is hanging
open. I approach slowly, and it’s killing me. I want to see Kerrigan so I’ll
know she is safe. As soon as I get a better view, I can see Lani is lying on
the floor. I get on my radio and quickly call it in, and as I continue through
the door, I hear struggling coming from the bedroom.

Without thinking, I bust in. It’s not the right or the smart
thing to do, but I need to see her. I find Kerrigan struggling against Aaron; her
workout shorts are ripped.

Aaron Reeves is dying today. Time of death: RIGHT NOW. I go
over and grab him off her. I start to place him under arrest, but I hold his
hands lightly in hopes he makes a move. He does. I let him land a couple of
punches to my face. I can feel blood pooling in my mouth.

Perfect, Aaron, now I can do what I’ve wanted to do for a
long time. I unleash all the fury that’s been building inside of me. I land an
uppercut and it throws Aaron off balance. I can tell he is dazed when I throw
him to the ground. I grab him by the hair and smash his face into the ground a
couple of times. I take a few deep breaths and while I know I can’t give into
my murderous rage right now, I do give in just a bit and punch him a couple
more times in the ribs. When I roll him over, I cuff him and leave him lying on
his back. Then I hear the fucker mumble.

“This never ends,” Aaron grunts out. “Never. Even with me in
jail, Kerrigan will never be safe.”

“The hell she won’t!” I get down on the floor and whisper in
his ear, “It’s over, Aaron. Unless you want to be the little bitch in prison,
it’s over.” When I get back up, I kick him in the nuts again for good measure.
Fucking bastard.

I turn around to look at Kerrigan, who is trying to cover
herself. I only saw her ripped shorts. I didn’t notice her shirt had also been
ripped. I rush to her drawer to grab her a T-shirt.

“Kerrigan?” I try to get her attention before I hand her the
shirt.

“It’s never going to be over! I’m dead, Maddox, I’m dead.”
She doesn’t cry; it's like she is trying to find a way to accept her fate. She
believes him. Shit.

“Hey...here,” I say, as I give her the shirt. I turn my back
to give her privacy. Why can’t I fucking keep the girl I love safe? I can’t
even face her right now. Not knowing what else to do, I walk past Aaron one
more time and kick him in the face. He groans, so I decide to kick him one more
time to shut him up.

We just left the police station where Maddox and I both gave
statements. Now we are on our way to the hospital to visit Lani.

Aaron made sure I would never feel safe. It only reconfirms
my decision to leave Chicago. I will make plans after I go see Lani.

“Kerrigan, I want you to know that I will look into the
threats Aaron made. In the mean time, you and Ari could crash at my place.”

“Maddox, no. You aren’t going to be safe because of me. Lani
is in the hospital because of me. He touched my best friend, ran his disgusting
tongue up her neck. It’s my fault, Maddox. He won’t stop. I don’t know what I’m
going to do, but right now I do know that no one else I love will be hurt
because of me.” Oh my God—I just told him I love him. Indirectly, but
still.

“Hey, I know that the people who love you would do anything
for you,” he says. “Yes, that includes me.”

I want to cry and put everything out in the open but I just
can’t—I’m leaving.
 

“Answer me one thing. Be honest...” I say, “...if the roles
were reversed, and you leaving meant that everyone you knew would be safe,
would you still feel the same way?”

Kerrigan is telling me goodbye. I know it. She can’t leave.
We are just starting to make progress. My future is with her.

“I’d do anything to protect the people I love. That means
I’d do anything for you. I can keep you safe. Yes, I would, if that meant you
were safe. You don’t need to, though. I promise to protect you, Kerrigan.”
After I say that, I instantly feel stupid. She knows I’ve never kept her safe.
I drove her to Aaron, and I wasn’t there for her tonight. That's why she wants
to go. She has no confidence in me.

My job is to serve and protect, and I can’t even protect the
most important person in my life.

I walk into Lani’s hospital room. I hate feeling like she’s
in here because of me. Thankfully, she's okay. They are just keeping her overnight
for observation. Lani is awake and calls me over to the bed. She extends her
arm, and I take it as I sit next to her.

“Lani, I’m so sorry.”

“Please, Kerrigan, don’t be. Don’t beat yourself up over
this. I’m glad I was there.”

I’m
not happy she
was there. I hate that people I love are greatly risking themselves to save me.

I have to just blurt it out and finally say it out loud,
““Lani, I’m moving to Kentucky.” I can see Lani start to tear up, but she knows
it’s what’s best.

“When?” she asks.

“I am going to talk with Molly. I don’t know for sure,
hopefully soon.”

“Will you come back?”

“Honestly, Lani, I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Maddox is going to be devastated,” Lani states. Yes, I
know. He is the reason I haven’t left yet. He is unfinished business, but
leaving means everyone is safe.

“I know—I have to leave, though. I love you, Lani;
you’re my best friend. Promise me that you’ll let the high school incident go.
I don’t want to worry about you being in danger. Please!”

“I
can’t
let it
go, Kerrigan,” Lani replies, “I’ve tried. We were almost raped. Missy was.”

“You could be putting yourself in danger. Please let Maddox
take care of it,” I plead with her.

“No—I hate that I’m so scared all the time!” Lani’s
scared?

“You’re scared? Why, Lani?” I realize now that this has been
a one-sided friendship for far too long.

“Because I can’t live! I can’t have fun—I can’t relax.
I think every man is a rapist, a bastard. I sleep with science club nerds
because they’re who I feel safe with.”

“Lani, I love you, but
please
,
let this go. Turn it over to Maddox.”

“Kerrigan, I need this. I need to face what’s been holding
me back. I need to do this—for
me
.”

“Promise me, if you ever feel like it’s too dangerous,
you’ll turn to Maddox. Trust me, I am speaking from experience.” If I had
reached out early on, none of us would be in this hospital right now.

“That I can promise. I feel like I’m so close to finding out
the truth about that night.”

After Lani is done talking, I realize that Lani, Missy, nor
I ever moved on from that night. As much as I hate the danger I think she is
putting herself in, I don’t want to stop her because I know how it feels,
standing up to a man who has scared you for so long. It makes you feel
strong—and almost unbreakable.

I’m sitting outside of Lani’s hospital room. Of course, I am
thinking about all the ways I’ve failed Kerrigan again. I called Noah, who
apparently called Evan because he came rushing to my side. I need to start
calling Evan first because Noah is turning into a gossip. I let out a little
laugh.

“Any word?” Evan asks.

“It looks like Aaron will remain in jail.” This time, he
can’t say it was a coincidence.

“And Alani?”

I hold back my laugh. “She’s fine. They did a CAT scan,
everything looked good. She has a bump on the back of her head. They are
keeping her just as a precaution.”

“What happened?” Evan asks.

“When I got there Aaron had Kerrigan on the bed trying
to...” I can’t say it.

“You got there. That’s all that matters.”

“Not soon enough. He violated Lani and was trying to rape
Kerrigan.” I hang my head as the image comes back to me.

“What the fuck do you mean
violated Alani
?” Evan jumps out of his seat and starts pacing.
Lately, I’m seeing a side of Evan I didn’t know existed. It makes me wonder who
Evan really is.

“I guess he ran his tongue along her neck. He shoved her
into the wall afterward….”

Evan keeps pacing the floor and his fists are clenched. He
undoes his tie and loosens the top button of his shirt. He is barely holding it
together.

He finally breaks the silence.

“I need to speak with Kerrigan. Is she in there?” Again, I
want to laugh. I know he just wants to see for himself if Lani is okay.

“Yeah, let’s go.” I lead the way and open the door, and what
I see kills me. Two best friends in an embrace. I clear my throat to let them
know we are here. Kerrigan just turns her head slightly to the side and looks
back at Lani. I don’t know what else to do, so I sit in the seat next to Lani
and grab her free hand. I know my behavior has been self-centered and focused
on Kerrigan, leaving everyone else open for attack. I need to get my head on
straight, too. I have no idea how to do that, with all this shit going on.

“How are you feeling, Lani?” I ask.

“I’m fine. No pain whatsoever. I wish they’d let me go
home,” Lani says, irritated.

“Well it’s better that you’re here,” Evan says.

“Why are
you
here?” Lani asks Evan.

“To check on both of you and see if either of you need
anything.”

“Yeah, right. Probably wanting to check and see how much
longer you’ll be working for free,” Lani smarts off.

“You know what, fuck you, Alani!” Evan gets up and storms
out. I go after him because I know she struck a nerve with him. When I get to
the hall, I see him push the elevator button.

“Evan, wait up!” I call out, jogging down the hallway.

“WHAT?”

I swear I want to laugh. “You see what Noah and I mean now?”
I jokingly ask.

“No, I’m just trying to help. That bitch doesn’t know when
to stop, though.”

“Whatever, man.” I let it go because they are both adults
and will work this shit out on their own.

“Do me a favor, Maddox. Stop touching Alani,” Evan says as
he enters the elevator.