Break Away (34 page)

When I got closer, I heard a loud crash coming from inside, and I really started to panic. The prospect of something bad happening to her had me moving as fast as I possibly could, desperate to get to her. The thought of losing her was too much to bear and I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to her. I needed to protect her. I’d let so many people down in my life, but I couldn’t let Olivia down.

I heard her muffled screams as I broke through the door to her apartment. There was a man inside, and he had her pushed up against the wall with his hands on her throat, roughly restraining her to try and keep her from screaming. Rage tore through me, pulsing through my veins and thumping inside my skull. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and ripped him away from her, tossing him violently to the ground before checking on Olivia.

“Are you okay, baby?” I gently cupped her cheek, looking down into her beautiful eyes that were full of fear. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, and while I was distracted, something hard hit me on the back of the head and knocked me to the floor. My head was spinning, but when I heard Olivia scream, I was on my feet in an instant. I pulled him away from her and stood between them, not letting him get anywhere near her.

“Liv, get out of here,” I ordered, never taking my eyes off him. “Go somewhere safe and call for help. Now.”

She hesitated but finally backed out of the living room. I was calmer now that I was facing him head on because I knew that, just like everyone else I’d faced in the ring, he didn’t stand a chance against me. Unlike my other opponents, though, this guy had messed with my girl, and there was nothing that was going to stop me.

I watched him, waiting. But instead of making a move toward me, his lips turned up in a cunning smile as he pulled out a knife, pointing the sharp, shiny blade right at me.

“This isn’t some fucking fist fight,” he snarled. “Your underground fight club bullshit won’t work here.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Maybe not, but I’m warning you… if you take a shot at me, you damn well better make it count, because it’s the only one you’re gonna get.”

I resisted the urge to attack first. This wasn’t two guys exchanging blows in a makeshift ring anymore. I needed to be smart. I remained still, studying him and waiting for him to make the first move. As soon as he came at me, I was ready, bending away from the knife and striking him with a hard blow to the side. I heard the crack of his ribs, and he stumbled back, but I wasn’t finished. I threw a powerful punch to his jaw, then another, and another.

He got a couple of hits in, but nothing could stop me. Adrenaline pumped through me as I landed one shot after another until he was no longer fighting back. I would have kept going, probably until he was dead, but a gentle hand on my arm stopped me.

“That’s enough. Come here.” Olivia’s voice shook as she pulled me back.

Letting his body flop to the ground, I kneeled next to Olivia, frantically looking her over to make sure that she was okay.

“I’m sorry, Liv. I shouldn’t have left you. I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around me. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t believe you came back. I thought you were gone and I was so scared…”

Her whole body was shaking, and I kissed her forehead, holding her tight against me. “Shhh… it’s okay. You’re okay.”

She pulled back suddenly, glancing down and noticing the tear in my shirt and the blood that covered it. Her face blanked and she looked back up at me. “Oh God, Dex…”

Carefully, she lifted my shirt and saw the long gash in my skin where his knife had made contact. The cut wasn’t too deep, but it was bleeding a lot. Olivia began crying hysterically, frantically trying to stop the bleeding with a dishtowel from the counter.

“Baby, it’s only a flesh wound,” I assured her, stroking my hand along her damp cheek. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“I love you,” she cried into my shoulder. “I love you so much, Dex. I don’t know why it took me so long to tell you because I’ve loved you for so long. I was scared, and I was being an idiot… and of course, I trust you. I trust you with my life. I’m so sorry for acting the way I did, and oh God… I can’t lose you, Dex…”

“You won’t ever lose me, Liv. It’s going to be okay.” I ran my thumb over her trembling lips, tracing along the edges before softly brushing my mouth over hers.

“I love you more than anything,” I whispered.

***

I hated hospitals. I’d learned the hard way that nothing good ever happened in a hospital, and being there made me nervous. It brought me right back to the day that my mother died, when I’d gotten the phone call telling me that she’d been in a car accident and I needed to get to the hospital right away. When I’d arrived there, no one would tell me anything. All I’d wanted to do was see my mom, but no one would let me, and I couldn’t understand why. One of the nurses kept patting my arm and telling me that everything would be okay, and for a short time I actually started to believe her. Until a somber-looking doctor wearing blue scrubs walked up to me with a look on his face that told me everything I needed to know—that my mother was gone, and I was alone. I’d barely heard a word he said after that, but I continued to stand there, frozen in place, pretending to listen. When the truth hit my stomach, I ran out of there as fast as I could, emptying the contents of it behind a bush near the entrance. I didn’t bother going back inside, because what was the point? My mom was gone, and there was nothing that anyone in there could do to change it.

Dex kept insisting that his injury was minor, but I didn’t relax until I heard the doctor confirm that he was going to be fine. It hadn’t been easy to get him into the examination room because he was more worried about me than himself, even though he was the one bleeding all over the place. Despite my concern, the doctor told us that the wound looked a lot worse than it actually was, and after a few stitches he would be able to leave.

I’d never been so relieved. The fear I felt when I saw Dex’s shirt covered in blood was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It had completely consumed me… terrifying me and breaking my heart at the same time. In the moment when I thought I might lose him, everything that I’d been afraid of and all my reasons for holding back became irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was how much I loved him. I realized then, that the only thing worse than losing him, would be losing him without ever telling him how I felt.

Cringing, I watched as the doctor began stitching up the wound. Dex only smiled at me, completely unfazed by the pain as he held my hand in his, gently running his fingers over mine as if to remind us that we were both okay. He hadn’t let go of my hand since we left the apartment. When the doctors tried to keep me from going into the exam room with him because I wasn’t family, Dex had made it very clear that he wasn’t leaving my side, even if it meant going home without any treatment. Fortunately, they had decided to make an exception for us, given the circumstances.

Two police officers had shown up at the hospital shortly after we arrived, and while Dex was filling out paperwork, one of them approached me.

“Hello, Ma’am, I’m Officer Bishop. Would you mind giving me your statement and answering a couple of questions?” He smiled gently, “I know you’ve had a rough night but I promise it won’t take up much of your time.”

I nodded. He led me over to the seating area and brought me a cup of coffee, which I was incredibly grateful for considering that it was nearly three o’clock in the morning.

On autopilot, I went through the whole night, unable to stop the quiver in my voice and the slight shake of my hands as I described Steven’s harsh grip on my throat, the frightening look in his eyes and the fear I had when I thought I might die.

“This Steven Chambers… you said he’s your ex-boyfriend, correct?” I nodded, and he jotted my answer down on his report. “When was the last time you had any contact with him?”

“Not since May,” I said. “I haven’t seen or heard anything from him since I left New York. Well, not that I was aware of, anyway. He called from a blocked number a couple of times, but I didn’t know it was him until tonight when he told me.”

“Anything suspicious or unusual other than the phone calls?”

“Sometimes I felt like there was someone watching me… following me… maybe taking pictures? I thought I was being paranoid, though. I had no idea Steven would try and track me down.”

“Has he ever shown this kind of aggressive behavior before?” he asked. “Or demonstrated violence toward you or anyone else?”

I thought about it for a minute and shook my head. “Not that I ever saw. I mean, he’s a spoiled rich kid who’s used to getting what he wants, but in all the years we were together, he was never violent. I never thought he was capable of something like this…”

A short time later, he finished with his questions. “I think that’s all for now, Ms. Mason. If we need anything else from you, we’ll call you down to the station, but for now you should go on home and get some rest. They’re probably still collecting evidence at your apartment, and it might be a little overwhelming. Is there somewhere else you could stay for the night?”

“Yes, I can stay at my boyfriend’s. He should be finishing up any minute now.” I took a deep breath, needing to know one more thing before I could leave. “Um, Officer… what kind of condition is Steven in?”

“When we arrived at the scene, he was unconscious, but still breathing. He was beaten up badly, but from what I understand, he’s likely to make a full recovery.”

I was relieved that he wasn’t dead, but most of that relief was for Dex. I didn’t want him to face any kind of trouble for protecting me. I’d seen the pure rage on his face while he was hitting Steven, and there had been a moment when I wasn’t sure if he would stop. Thankfully, I’d been able to pull him back. “What happens next?”

“He’ll be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, criminal trespassing and harassment. As soon as the doctors discharge him, he’ll appear in front of a judge for arraignment. Likely, he’ll be released on bail until the hearing, but there’s already a restraining order in place to keep him away from both you and Mr. Porter.”

I wasn’t too worried about Steven coming after me again. I knew that as soon as his father found out what he’d done, he would do more to keep him in line than any criminal justice system ever could. Not to mention, I had Dex, who would always protect me and keep me safe.

Officer Bishop handed me a card with his information. “If you need anything at all or have any questions, don’t hesitate to call.”

I thanked him, and a few minutes later Dex walked through the hospital doors, shirtless with a white bandage covering the wound on his abdomen. He had a small cut above his eyebrow and few bruises forming on his ribs, but was still as gloriously beautiful as ever. I ran over to him, burying my face in his chest as he pulled me close and said, “What do you say we get the hell out of here?”

When we got to Dex’s house, he led me straight into his bedroom, helping me out of my clothes before slipping one of his soft tee shirts over my head. After tucking me under the covers, he dropped a kiss to my forehead. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll be right in.”

As tired as I was, I didn’t fall asleep, and after a while I got up and went in search of Dex. I found him out on the balcony with his elbows resting on the railing and his head hung low. There was a glass of whiskey next to him and it was obvious that something was troubling him.