I'm Your Bully (Bully Book Series 1) (9 page)

Emma’s head bounced off the wall, blood exploding from a cut above her eye. 

“You’re a fucking tramp, just like your whore mother.”  Her father backhanded Emma and split her lip as he stood shaking over her. Emma’s momentarily happy life shattered inch by inch.

“Daddy,” was all she got out before his fist connected again, this time making her ear ring. 

“Your mother used to hide money from me.  Said it was for my own good.  I know what’s best for me.  This is my house and you are my daughter, I’m not having you turn into a lying cheating whore just like her.”  Her father shouted as spittle started to run down his chin, “God, help me, I’ll teach you the consequences of hiding things from me.”

One of Emma’s eyes hurt so bad she couldn’t open it, but her other one was wide open in terror watching her daddy as he picked something off the floor he’d thrown in her face when she’d walked in the door. Slowly backing away from her father Emma moved toward the kitchen.  If she could make it to the back door she was running to Jax.  She needed Jax.  She needed him right now.

“See this ten dollar bill?” the old man said menacingly as he approached her, Emma raised a hand to protect her head as he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her face up toward him. 

Then he tried to shove the ten dollar bill in Emma’s mouth. Tears welled in her eyes from the stinging pain on her scalp.

“Whore’s only love money. Like your mama did, she took off with some rich old man to be his whore.”  Her father laughed cruelly as Emma futility tried to jerk away from him, crying out as he ripped chunks of her hair out by pulling her close to him again.  “Whore’s eat money like other people eat food.  Is that what you want?  That kind of life?  Is this what you want?”  He started to pinch Emma’s chin with his free hand that held the bill.  Emma squealed as pain shot through her jaw.  Kicking back at him, she landed a kick square at his knee.  He dropped her momentarily and Emma scrambled away.  He was quickly right behind her. Emma heard her shirt tear as her dad whipped her around and landed a slap across her face so hard she saw stars.

Emma slid to the floor, her body instinctively rolling into a fetal position when he landed his vicious first kick.  She cried but she didn’t beg him to stop anymore.  The smell of stale beer and liquor filled her nose as daddy punched and kicked, the stream of unintelligible words like a man possessed spewed out at her.  Then she was beyond hearing.

+

Waking up stiff and sore was not entirely new to Emma.  Rolling to her back she stared up at the kitchen ceiling.  A beeping noise snapped her out of her momentary daze.  Pulling the phone out of her pocket Emma saw she had been out for several hours. 

Having no clue where her dad was, Emma hoped he was gone. She could hear a TV playing in the living room so he might have stumbled off to sleep his drunk off there. 

Silencing the phone Emma flipped toward the texts she had received while passed out.  They were all from Jax. 

At first they were sweet then they turned suspicious and demanding, “
Where r u
?” 

Emma wanted to text him, “help” or “come get me” but instead she just fisted her phone, got to her knees and then her feet using the wall to help.  Slowly creeping upstairs to her room, Emma all but collapsed onto her mattress.  Tears leaked out of her eyes and into her ears and downward, Emma was afraid.  Afraid that Jax would get in trouble if he found out what her dad did. 

She didn’t want her dad to get in trouble either because Emma loved him.  How fucked up was that?  What did that make her? This was all going to go badly, she thought. 

If she could just keep it together long enough Emma could make enough money and get out.  No one would get in trouble, Jax wouldn’t know how fucked up she was and then maybe he would still be into her. 

Jax didn’t strike Emma as someone who would take being blown off lightly, but she didn’t have a lot of options.  Calling the police was not going to work. Daddy would get in trouble for a few days then probably be out within a week.  Emma just wanted out, away from all this. Going to the hospital was going to take a day or two. Fearing that her daddy might not let her go was in the back of her mind.  He didn’t know about the phone she had.  Dread was crawling its way into Emma’s chest. She hurt so bad, she just wanted to lay there and die.  It did occur to Emma that maybe she wasn’t thinking rationally.  Maybe making any decisions right now was a bad idea.  But Emma had to make a plan.  Making the best of a bad situation wasn’t working.  In the mean time she would ignore Jax and get the hell out of town when she could.

+

Y won’t u talk to me?

Where r u?

U home?

U sleepin?

Then Jax stopped texting her for two whole days.  Emma cried and clutched the phone to her until finally he broke the silence.

I tried to see u but ur dad told me u hated me and to leave u alone? 

The next text was

WTF....

Calling in sick the last two days at work, Emma was pretty sure that Jax would have checked there to see what was going on only to find that she was talking to them, but not him.  Emma was scared, more scared then she’d ever been.  She hurt so bad that moving from the bathroom to her bed was excruciating.  Her ribs protesting violently to every breath and movement she made.  She moved like an old woman hunched over and slow. 

Emma had tried to make one attempt to leave the house to go to the emergency room, but her dad had stood at the bottom of the stairs blocking the landing.  Being too stiff and sore to fight, Emma turned around and went back to her room. 

She thought that all her Dad’s anger had been from finding out Emma had stayed the night at Jax’s house, but instead he hadn’t even noticed she was gone all night. Looking at the ripped up books, flipped over mattress and clothes strewn all over the place, it looked like someone had tossed the place.  Fuzzy images of coming home that night flashed in her mind, images of her dad throwing her favorite book in her face and screaming about her leaving him. 

Emma could remember running for the kitchen on instinct as he snatched her by the back of the head. Assuming from the destroyed state of her room, her dad had found her get away money when he went through Emma’s things looking for booze money.  The smell of alcohol would forever sicken her stomach.

Jax probably hated her now.  It was probably for the best that he didn’t get involved in this drama, he had a good life.  He didn’t need the trash from next door complicating things for him.  He was going places, she was going nowhere. 

Looking down at the little slim black phone Emma popped the battery out of the back.  She crept over to the small pile of her things on the floor she’d been able to salvage and hid it in case her dad came back looking for something to pawn or trade.  Emma returned to her mattress and lay down with her back to the window. 

+

A hand covered her mouth. Cringing at first, Emma relaxed as she saw Jax hovering above her in the dark of her room.  He released her lips and slowly, gently bent down and kissed a little bruise on the side of her face. 

Jax took in her condition with one glance then got up and started shoving Emma’s stuff into garbage bags.  He went to her window and dropped the bags containing everything Emma owned out into the night air. 

“I know my stuff is not as nice as yours, but I still need it.”  She tried to joke, but Jax’s posture said he wasn’t interested in listening. 

Then she was being lifted into Jax’s arms, blankets and all, and carried toward the window. 

“Are you planning on tossing me out the window too?”  Jax looked mad enough to do it.  “Wait, Jax, what’s going on?” 

As they approached the window she saw Paul’s blond head staring at her from a ladder leaning against the side of her house. 

“Hey, talk to me, Jax.”  She was getting louder and a little bit pissed off.

“You are moving in with me.” Jax didn’t sound like he was interested at all in her opinion on the matter.

“What? Are you crazy? You’ve hated me forever and just because you've been nice to me for a couple months you think I’m moving in with you!”  Emma was furiously whispering and clutching her side as she did it.  Jax was nice and warm, but being held right now didn’t feel that great.  She was one big giant bruise. 

Anger started to burn in Emma’s belly as she watched him just nod at her. She grabbed one of Jax’ ears and twisted it toward her lips.

“Hey,” Jax said a little louder and scrunched his face up in annoyance like a little kid in trouble. 

“Who do you think you are?” Emma was acting irrationally and knew it but damn she wanted in on this little plan he had cooked up.

Jax turned his head away from her so she let go of his ear and stood to his full six foot two height then carefully lowered her out of the window into Paul’s waiting arms.  From her window he looked more like a thief than a knight in shining armor, well he was sort of stealing her. 

Looking down at Emma’s little stubborn and bruised face Jax leaned toward her.  Kissing her softly on her lips Jax said, “I’m your bully.”

Emma watched as Jax disappeared back into her room and Paul began climbing down the ladder slowly.  When Paul got to the bottom he glanced at Emma’s face and sucking in a breath he expelled it slowly saying, “bastard.” 

He carried her over to a waiting car and carefully maneuvered her on to the backseat then got in on the driver’s side and waited.  Her bags were already in the trunk.  The longer they waited for Jax the more worried Emma got. 

“Where is Jax?  Why isn’t he here?  Can’t we just go?” 

Paul ignored her, but then said, “I think Jax had something to say to your dad before we go.” 

Emma wanted to leap out of the car, but was not in any condition to make it to the house.  That day her dad had kept her from seeking help she doubted now she would have made it to the hospital on her own. 

“Like what?” she asked.

“Well I’m guessing he will say a few words and do a whole lot of punching.” 

Emma tried to squirm to look out of the back window, but she couldn’t twist around without majorly hurting herself so she sat worriedly until the car’s interior light finally turned on and Jax slid into the seat next to her.  The car started and Paul began to drive. 

Jax didn’t say anything just simply pulled Emma against him when she started to wince at every bump in the road.  Emma noticed the wet blood on his knuckles as he held on to her.

+

Emma was x-rayed, poked and prodded.  A few bruised ribs and a concussion had occurred when her dad attacked her, but none of the damage was permanent. 

The nurse and doctor had both given Jax a few nasty looks before they eventually figured out he was the one who had insisted she be seen. 

Jax didn’t want to leave her side, but respected the doctor’s wishes to talk to Emma alone to be sure of her story.  Emma hadn’t said much but they referred her to a woman’s shelter and gave her the number of a social worker for the hospital that could help her if she couldn’t go home. 

They took photos of her bruises and told her if she changed her mind they had everything in her records if she decided to press charges.  It was clear they wanted her to talk to the police, but had to walk a fine line between trying not to scare off victims or put them in more danger after they left the hospital. 

Emma left with a few brochures and telephone numbers wondering if she was going to end up needing them.  It was scary, the thought of having to go to a shelter, but she couldn’t go back home.  Not anymore, things had gone way too far this time. Either her dad went to jail or she left.  Emma had made up her mind enough was enough. He deserved jail, but at the moment Emma just wanted to rest and not think of the next move yet.