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“Not fucking likely,” I grumbled, sending Harleigh another text. Her cell was switched off, but it made me feel better doing something—anything—to try to fix the absolute shitshow that had unfolded tonight.
The second the car pulled up outside my trailer, I shouldered the door open.
“Nix, come on, man. Maybe we should—”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I waved them off, needing to be alone.
But the second I stepped into the trailer, I sensed it.
“Jessa?” I called out, a cold ball of dread plunking in my stomach. Silence answered me and I scanned the place for any signs of her.
Nothing.
But something was wrong. I knew it. Too many times, I’d walked in on something bad happening. It was in the eerie calm, the chill in the air.
“Jessa?”
A faint cry came from her bedroom, and I blew down the hall, grabbing the handle and shouldering the door open.
“N-Nix,” she squeaked.
“Shit, shit.” I rushed to her side, dropping down to the floor and brushing the hair from her barely recognizable face. One side of her face was swollen to the point her eye had closed up.
“He did this?” I seethed, pure rage boiling in my veins.
She nodded, clutching my arm. “D-don’t do anything… he’ll… please…”
I pulled out my cell phone, but she knocked it out of my hand. “N-no EMTs or police. You can’t, Nix… can’t…”
I dropped my head, inhaling a sharp breath. This was fucked up. Her face looked shattered, the bruising deep and angry.
“Do you think you can move?” I asked and she nodded again.
“Okay, stay here. I’m going to pack you some things and get you out of here.”
Because there was no fucking way I was going to leave her here in this state. He would kill her. One day, my old man would go a step too far and kill her. Unless I could make her see there was a way out.
I swallowed down the tears burning my throat, the backs of my eyes. Jessa needed me to be strong. She needed me to figure this out.
Rushing to their closet, I grabbed the backpack at the bottom and began filling it with her clothes. When there was enough to get her by, I texted Zane and told him to meet me outside in ten.
“We need to go,” I said, bending down to wrap my arm around Jessa’s waist. She cried out and it was then I noticed the way her arm lay protectively in front of her body.
After helping her to her feet, I slowly lifted her t-shirt, almost puking at the sight of her ribs. She quickly snatched her t-shirt down and wouldn’t meet my heavy gaze.
“Come on,” I said, barely holding onto my restraint. “Let’s get you out of here.” Taking most of her weight, we moved through the trailer to the living area.
Neither of us could come back. At least, not tonight. Not until we figured out some things. So I left Jessa sitting on the couch, while I grabbed a bag of my own things.
But when I stepped back into the living area, Jessa wasn’t alone.
And my old man gave me a feral grin as he drawled. “Always trying to play the hero, aren’t you, kid?”
My eyes flickered open, stars swimming across my vision.
Whoa, that hurts.
Everything fucking hurt.
