Stephan (10 page)

I drove home taking a long detour. I needed
to calm down before I saw my family.

*****

Jade

I went to my bedroom and cried. Stephan was
getting to me, breaking down my guard, making me rethink that maybe
not all men were arseholes. He was slowly convincing me I could
have him even though he was way out of my league. I had nothing and
trash to his royalty.

When I saw Stephan waiting outside of my
classroom today, my heart had missed a beat and a lightness came
over me. I knew in that moment he could really hurt me, not like my
mother or any of her many boyfriends, but break my heart to pieces
kind of hurt. I don’t think I have the strength to survive that
kind of hurt. I don’t have much, but what I do have I’m desperate
to keep.

I don’t know how long I cried and felt sorry
for myself when I heard my grandpa yelling for me. I wiped my tears
and went to find him. As usual when he was home, he was on the
couch in the lounge room.

“Get here now, girl.” I hesitated for a
moment and Grandpa stood, his face was red, his fist clenched at
his side and the anger radiating off him. I tried to think what I’d
done the last few days that might have pissed him off. Nothing. I
went to school, hung out with my friends or Stephan.

He grabbed my arm dragging me to him.
Stumbling, I righted myself. “Yes, Grandpa.”

“You don’t listen do you?” He shook me.

I tried to relax so it wouldn’t hurt too bad.
When I didn’t answer he slapped me across the face. The sting of
his hand brought tears to my eyes and I fought to keep from
crying.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa. I don’t know what I
did.”

He punched me so hard I fell onto the flat
screen TV. The screen smashed and I cried out as the glass cut into
my legs. Grandpa dragged me off the TV swearing.

“Look what you did, brat.” He turned me to
see the broken TV. “You broke my new TV.” He pushed me to the floor
and kicked me over and over. I curled into a fetal position as he
yelled, “I told you to stay out of trouble. I warned you I didn’t
want any attention on me. You are a stupid, stupid, whore of a
girl, running around with a Silverman boy. I have everyone watching
now.” He yanked me up by the hair and I couldn’t help but scream
from the pain. “Do you realize how many customers I’ve lost in the
last couple of days thanks to you and your whoring ways?” He spat
in my face with each word, then slapped me and punched me in the
stomach. I fell to the floor and vomited, which only made him
angrier.

I had been beaten many times by my mother’s
boyfriends and clients who came for product and she’d run out. I’d
fought back every time with them, but this was different. This was
my grandpa. I had no one else but him, but I couldn’t take
anymore.

He came at me again, and I gathered what
little strength I had and I kicked and hit him. Screaming, I fought
with all I had left in me. Then I hit him in the balls and kicked
him while he was down, then I grabbed my bag by the door and ran
out of the house. I needed to get away before he got up and killed
me.

*****

Stephan

My phone started beeping, and I frowned as I
pulled it out of my pocket. Jade’s phone tracker was going off
telling me she wasn’t at home. I’d turned on the tracker, scared
she’d something stupid after our argument—but it had been hours
ago. I’d driven around, finally calmed down and was now home with
my parents.

“You okay, son?” my dad asked. We were
playing pool. He and Mum against me and Derick.

My chest hurt and something didn’t feel
right. I hopped she hadn’t been at home stewing and was now running
or going out. “I don’t know. I feel off. Jade promised me she
wouldn’t go anywhere, and her tracker is telling me she’s out. We
did have a fight, but it was hours ago. The tracker is moving but
not fast like she’s in a car.”

“Stephan, if your gut is telling you
something is wrong check it out. You know Jade. Would she leave
tonight?”

Jade did like to defy me, but I had a feeling
she wasn’t doing that now. I looked at the screen and saw she’d
stopped. It was weird though, stopped in what I knew to be bush
land not far from where she lived. “Something is not right, Dad.
Look.” I showed him where the tracker had stopped.

“Maybe she dropped the phone?”

“But why would she be there anyway, even if
she did drop it.” I rubbed the ache that formed in my chest.

“You’re right, Stephan. Let’s go.”

Dad, Derick, my mother, and I ran to the
garage. “Mum, stay here. I need you here in case she shows up. I
may need you to call your friends too.” Mum nodded and I hugged her
as Dad grabbed the keys to the Range Rover.

We all got in and Dad opened the garage door
and started speeding down the driveway toward the location on my
phone. “Call Brand and make sure he’s ready. We don’t know what
we’re going into.”

Driving to Jade’s usually took me twenty
minutes, Dad made it there in under fifteen. I jumped out of the
car even and ran toward the beeping only to be held back by Brand
and David.

“We go first. Stay close behind.” Five men
surrounded us as we walked into the bush. We were quiet, we’d been
trained well.

As we got close to the location flashing on
my phone, I heard a voice. “You can’t hide, brat. I know you can’t
have gotten far. Come to me now and the punishment will end
quickly.”

My skin chilled and I prayed we got to Jade
before the other person did. I clenched my first and swore whoever
it was would pay if he’d laid even a finger on my little bit.

I saw her before the others. She lay sprawled
out on the ground. I broke from the circle around me, not caring
about anything besides getting to Jade. I crouched next to her as
the late afternoon sun was almost hidden from the trees. She didn’t
move and my heart was beating a million miles an hour almost
stopped. She was covered in black and purple bruises, one eye was
swollen over and the other not in much better shape. Her lips were
swollen and cut.

I didn’t want to touch her worried I’d hurt
her more. I didn’t even know if there was anywhere not bruised or
battered, from what I could see nowhere looked pain free. “Little
bit, I’m here. You’re safe. Wake up. Show me those chocolate
beauties.” She didn’t answer and I looked up at my dad and the
guards. “Dad?”

Dad knelt beside me. “We’ve called the
ambulance. They’ll be here soon. You need to move, son, so I can
check her pulse.”

I nodded numbly as my dad reached over and
gently placed his fingers underneath her neck. “She’s alive,
Stephan.”

I blinked. It hadn’t even crossed my mind she
could be dead. I just knew she was hurt. Looking around now, I
noticed Derick and three of the guards were gone.

“Brand and Royce went to see who was calling
to her, and your bother and Owen went to flag down the police and
ambulance.”

I couldn’t talk. I nodded and gazed down at
my bruised and broken woman. Rage like nothing I’d ever felt before
spread through me. I stood, and then stomped off in the directed
we’d heard the voice. I knew Jade was safe with my dad but the
dickhead who hurt her was fucking dead. I cleared the trees to see
the pub and noticed Royce and Brand holding an old fat man who was
trying to fight them.

Going to them, I let all my rage out. “Let
him go. I want to beat him while he attempts to fight back.” Brand
let go and stepped away but Royce studied me for a moment before he
nodded to me and let go of the arsehole. I got right up in the
bastard’s face. “You like hitting people who can’t defend
themselves. They are half your goddamned size? Let’s see how well
you fight with someone who can hit back and harder.” I punched him
in the face dodging his fist. I repeated my action again aiming for
his other eye. I smiled when I heard the crunch of his nose
breaking. I kept hitting and punching until Brand pulled me
off.

“You need to go. I can hear the sirens.”

I felt a lot calmer now as I stared at the
beaten man. “How you gonna explain that?”

Brand shrugged then punched the concrete wall
of the pub. “There we go. I defended myself and he fell a lot.”

Royce chuckled and I looked over to see him
giving a filthy look to the scum doubled over. Royce glanced up at
me. “Go, kid. We’ve got you covered. Your girl needs you.”

I ran back to where my dad and Jade. He was
on the phone still sitting next to Jade. I plonked down on the
other side of her. She groaned and I leaned forward. “Wanker,
you’re here. I met your dad.”

My girl was okay if she was calling me names.
“I’m here, little bit. I’ll never leave you.”

“I hurt,” she rasped out.

I swallowed the lump clogging my throat. “I
know. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t answer and her eyes closed
again.

“Stephan, you need to keep her awake. Don’t
let her sleep. The ambulance is here now. I was told not to let her
sleep.”

Crap, I didn’t know what to do to keep her
awake without hurting her further. Leaning down, I gently brushed
her hair away from her face. “Jade, you need to stay awake.”

“Mmm,” she groaned.

I needed her to stay awake. “I put the
tracker on your phone and linked it to mine. It’s how I knew where
to find you.”

“Hate you.”

I smiled and thanked God I knew how to press
her buttons. “I bet you don’t. I bet you love me.”

“Err, dream on.” Her voice was getting
fainter but she was still fighting with me.

I stroked her cheek and glanced at my dad who
was still talking on his phone. “I do. They are all filled with
you.”

A wretched sob escaped and tears slid down
her cheeks. My heart crumbled at the sight. I’d never felt so
useless. I sighed when I saw Derick and Owen guiding the paramedics
to us.

The paramedic took in the situation and went
to Jade. They went to work asking her questions trying to keep her
awake. When she stopped they turned to my father who was still on
the phone. Dad pointed to me and the paramedic turned back to
me.

“Can you tell me about her? We need to get
her out of here fast so walk with me.” Two paramedics lifted her
onto a stretcher and I chased after them scared when she didn’t
wake while they were moving her. “I got out of her that she is Jade
Black, seventeen, and not allergic to anything that she knows of. I
need to know if she has had anything broken before, and everything
you can tell me that might help her.”

I was glad for the report I’d gotten on her
and told them everything I knew. The police were near the road and
I could see them talking to Royce and Brand, but I didn’t see the
bastard. I got in the ambulance still talking. I wouldn’t leave
her, they would have to pry me from her side.

*****

I knew why my dad had been on the phone. As
soon as we’d arrived at the hospital a group of doctors took over.
A nurse came over to me and dragged me from Jade. “She is in the
best hands. I have no idea who she is but she must be important.
They are our senior doctors and I’m told we have a doctor flying in
from Sydney and arriving any minute.”

I owed my dad big time. He must have pulled
favors and pushed his weight around. I paced the waiting room eager
to hear any information on Jade. It was my mother’s arms coming
around me that had me stopping. “Your father and I just became
temporary guardians.”

Love spread through me as I looked down at my
mum. My parents were awesome, repeating again that I owed my dad
big time. I knew then for sure who the bastard was I beat. “It was
her granddad, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. He is in custody and it doesn’t look
like he’ll be released. The police searched his place. They got a
tip and someone came forward claiming something. The police are now
searching his property. They found a couple of judges happy to help
them.”

“Thanks. I’m lucky to have you.”

My mum stretched up on tiptoes and brushed my
hair out of my eyes. “I didn’t do anything, baby. It was all your
father.”

I knew she was lying. The judges where Mum’s
friends.

I don’t know how long I waited, but minutes
passed by like hours. Derick and my dad soon joined my mother and
me, and David and Owen were hovering around.

“How are Brand and Royce? They aren’t in
trouble?” I didn’t want them arrested for what I did to Jade’s
grandfather.

Owen smirked. “Nah, you didn’t get them into
anything they can’t handle. I heard from Royce about ten minutes
ago and he said the police seem preoccupied with what they’re
finding at the pub, and the arresting officer saw how clumsy her
grandfather was tripping and falling everywhere.”

I nodded and clenched my fist feeling my skin
stretch over my cuts. I didn’t realize I’d hurt my hand when I was
beating the arsehole.

Finally a doctor a friend of my parents,
Steve Deed, came over and spoke to dad. “Jade’s in recovery. She
had a stomach bleed, which we stopped and will monitor. Her
appendix was damaged and we removed it. Her left arm is broken in
two places and her right is sprained. Her jaw was dislocated and we
have fixed it. She has stitches placed on the back of both her
legs, but what we are most concerned about is her concussion. We
can see from her scans she has been hit on the head several times.
The records sent over show that she’s had several broken bones.
I’ve spoken to DoCS and been told she was removed from two
situations. I will be sending my assessment to them and the
police.” The doctor’s eyes softened. “Lucas, Evelin, if you need
anything to help keep the girl safe, don’t hesitate to ask. Poor
girl needs a break.”

My dad shook Steve’s hand. “Thanks for
coming, Steve. I hope your report and recommendations help.”

“That’s okay, Lucas. I’m glad I came and
could help. I’m staying until she’s awake and out of the
woods.”