Unspeakable (26 page)

Is he trying to torture me
?

When he set me on the ground, we stood there, our bodies touching, looking in to each other’s eyes. He reached up and placed a lock of hair behind my ear before grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the Jeep.

He spread the blanket on the ground and sat down on it. “Wait until you see this. You’ll love it.” After he pulled me down on the blanket next to him, he laid down on his back. “Lay down.”

I eased myself next to him. “What am I looking for?”

“Just look up,” he whispered.

“It’s beautiful.” The sky was so black, not like in the city where the lights turned it into a murky gray. Stars were sprinkled across the inky sky, bright and beautiful, twinkling like they were winking at us. “I’ve never seen so many stars.”

“You can’t see them in town with all the lights.”

“It’s amazing.”

“I come here sometimes to think. It calms me,” Brody murmured.

“Thank you for bringing me.” I looked at him. He stared at the sky. I took my time looking at his profile, my eyes roaming over his face. He hadn’t shaved and a day’s worth of stubble covered his cheeks, giving him a sexy, rugged look.

He reached out and threaded his fingers through mine. I turned and gazed at the stars. It was perfect, lying with him in the dark, the stars shining above us. I wasn’t sure how long we lay there silent, holding hands. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours—it didn’t matter. I could have stayed there all night with him. It felt right.

“Why do you stay with him?” Brody asked quietly.

I opened my mouth to answer, but closed it and shook my head. My eyes filled with tears. I didn’t have an answer to give him. Not a good one—not the truth, anyway.

Brody rolled to his side and wiped my tears away with the pads of his thumb. “You’re not happy with him. Anyone who pays attention can see that. And I swear on my life if he hits you again, I’ll kill him.”

“Jaden doesn’t hit me.” I tried to pull away, but Brody held me in place.

“Willow, I’ve seen the bruises. Everyone has.”

“He’s never hit me. He’s a jerk sometimes, yeah, but he’s never hit me. I’m just clumsy, and I bruise easily. I’m fair-skinned, so they look worse than they are.”

Please, please just let it go.

Brody shook his head. His hand fell away from my face and he reached down, pushing up the sleeve of my shirt, looking in my eyes. “You can’t hide them all with big bracelets and long-sleeves.” His fingers lightly traced the bruises circling my wrist. His touch was so gentle.

“I… I stumbled and—”

“You said you’d never lie to me. Don’t lie for him. These marks are the perfect imprint of a hand.” His voice was hard, and I flinched.

What do I say? How do I get him to leave it alone? The truth? Can I tell him the truth? I want to tell him, tell somebody.

“It’s late. I need to get home before they miss me.”

Brody sighed and let go of my hand. “Okay.”

We picked up the blanket and climbed into the Jeep. Brody was silent as he drove me home, stopping a few houses away from mine.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I turned and smiled at him. “Thanks for tonight. It was… perfect.”

He didn’t smile back. “Willow, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Tears pressed at the back of my eyes. “Yes, it does,” I whispered before climbing out of his Jeep. I ran to my house, slipping through the door with tears staining my face.

I wish you were right and things could be different. But wishing gets me nothing. He knows what she did. What I did. She could’ve gotten to him. But she didn’t even try… neither did I. Jaden has his hooks in me until I can leave and get as far away as possible.

Breathe. Just breathe. This won’t last forever.

Friday night, my favorite night of the week. Or not. I sat on the bleachers right behind the players and watched the football game. Exactly where Jaden told me to be. I didn’t get to spend time with Jenna or Tim or any of my other friends. He didn’t even want me getting up and leaving to go to the concession stand alone. Karen followed me. I felt like a fugitive.

At least I was going to get to see Brody for more than just an hour that night. I was staying over at Jenna’s house. Jaden wasn’t pleased, but I told him he could go do something very naughty to himself that involved an ‘F’ and ‘you.’ Something I didn’t generally say, but it fit the situation and Jaden just brought it out in me. He took the hint, for once, and gave in without too much of a fight.

Jenna was all for Brody and me spending the evening together. She even had the logistics of how I’d get in and out of her house all worked out. I loved her. I just had to wait for the game to end and for Jaden to shower, blow dry his freakin’ hair, change, and then take me home. By the time he did that, it would be two hours after the game ended. Jenna and I planned to meet up three hours after the game. She’d pick me up and then drop me off at Brody’s house.

It was planned out perfectly. But there was a saying about the best-laid plans. They rarely worked out. Jaden didn’t bother showering. He just changed and met me in the car. He wanted to go to Jamieson’s party. He knew I was supposed to be at Jenna’s that night, so my curfew wouldn’t be an issue. When I pitched a fit about having to go to the party, he told me to tell Jenna to meet us there.

“She doesn’t want to be at a party with all your skanky friends any more than I do,” I snapped. That earned me a smack on the mouth.

“Check the attitude, Willow.”

“Take. Me. Home. Now.”

He drove to the party, despite my demand to be taken home. I expected no less. When we got to Jamieson’s, I rummaged in the kitchen drawers until I found a phonebook to find a number for a cab.

Jaden ripped the book out of my hands and grabbed my cell phone. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Calling a cab to take me home,” I said, reaching for my phone.

He held my phone over my head. “You’ll leave when I do,” Jaden said, tossing my phone at me.

As soon as Jaden walked away, I texted Jenna and asked her to pick me up. She was there in twenty minutes—it was the longest twenty minutes of my life.

We were halfway home when I saw a car that looked a lot like Jaden’s Mustang in the side mirror. I turned in my seat to get a better look and could see the cherry red paint when it drove under a streetlight. I was sure it was him. “Crap. Jaden’s following us.” My voice cracked.

“What do you want me to do?” Jenna glanced at me.

I faced forward and sighed. “Just take me home so I can grab my stuff, and come get me at ten like we planned.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone with him. He’s been drinking, and he’s pissed off.” Jenna shook her head.

“Everything will be fine. I won’t be alone with him. My mom and Ralph will be there, remember?”

“Yeah, we both know Ralph won’t give a rat’s ass what Jaden does.”

Jenna’s comment surprised me and I glanced at her, fumbling for something to say. “My mom with be home. It’ll be fine. You’ll be right back to get me.”

“Yeah. Be careful.” Jenna dropped me in front of my house. “I’ll see you in an hour,” she said before she drove away.

Jaden was out of his car before the tires finished squealing in my driveway. And he wasn’t happy.

Me: Is your mom home?

Brody: No. Why?

Me: Just asking. Gotta go.

Brody: Everything ok?

Me: Yeah. See you later.

Brody: K.

Jamming my phone in my pocket, I slipped out of my bedroom. I crept through the house and out of the sunroom door. If I rode my bike to the field between our subdivisions, I could cut through the yards and get to Brody’s house quicker than if I stayed on the roads.

I rode my bike to the field. There was a trail carved out where neighborhood kids rode their bikes, jumping off ramps made out of cinder blocks and old plywood. I flew down the trail, dodging the bike ramps. My teeth clamped together when my bike jumped over the bumps and ruts in the ground. Thank goodness, I had a mountain bike. Nothing else would have been able to handle the wicked trail. When I got across the field, I dumped my bike against a fence before jumping it.

I darted through the backyard, jumping over toy cars, pails, and shovels littering the ground next to a sandbox. When I came to the road, I turned right, making my way to Chestnut Trail and taking a left. I ran to the end of the street where a beautiful Victorian house sat. Climbing the stairs to the large wraparound porch, I bolted to his door, sagging against it. I stood there, trying to catch my breath, blinking back the waves of nausea and dizziness washing over me. I felt like I’d been on a tilt-a-whirl a few hundred times. I could barely walk straight I was surprised I’d made it to his house at all.

I was still propped against the door when the porch light flickered on. I took a big step backward just as Brody pulled the door open. He stood there in nothing but a pair of sweatpants.

Oh, this wasn’t a good idea. He’s half-naked and looks so much better in person than in my fantasies—all of which involve him.

“Willow? What’s wrong?”

I stepped into the light streaming from the door. Brody’s face hardened. I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I’m gonna kill that sorry son-of-a-bitch.” He reached out and pulled me gently into the house, shutting and locking the door behind me. “What happened?”

I started to cry. Not little tears. I sobbed. Brody wrapped me in his arms, my head against his chest. I could hear his heart beating a steady rhythm beneath my ear. The warmth of his skin enveloped me, and I lost myself in him. He held me like that for a while—I don’t know how long—smoothing my hair from my face or running his fingers up and down my back.

When my sobs turned to soft sniffles, he led me to the couch. “Sit down and tell me what happened,” he said and sat next me, angling his body toward me.

“I need to use the restroom.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on.” He caught my hand in his when I stood.

“Brody, I really need to use the restroom first.” He let go of my hand. “Will you text Jenna and let her know I’m here?” I asked over my shoulder as I walked into the hall bathroom.

Splashing cool water on my face, I wiped the running mascara from my eyes. Then I stood and stared at the face looking back at me.

My eye had a jagged cut above it. Dried blood was smeared over the side of my face. Pieces of hair were stuck in it. The top lid on my eye was already turning a deep purple and swelling. My lip was bleeding where I bit down on it when he hit me, but so far, it wasn’t swelling. I didn’t look half as bad as I felt.

I finished in the bathroom and walked into the hall. The room tilted to the left and the lights blinked on and off. I felt like I was twirling around and around like I’d done playing as a child.

“Brody?”

He was there in an instant. At least, it seemed instantaneous. But then again, I wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. One second I called out to him and then I turned, realizing I was lying on the floor in his arms.

“What happened?” I whispered.

“You passed out. Let’s go. I’m taking you to the emergency room.”

“No!”

“Willow, you have a gash on the back of your head. Your hair is matted with blood. You probably need stitches. You need to see a doctor.”

“No. I’m not going to the hospital. I can’t. I came here because I thought I could trust you.”

“You can trust me. You can always trust me, but I really think you need to see a doctor.”

“No.”

Brody sighed and helped me up. “Are you still dizzy?”

“Not as long as you’re holding me up.” I smiled at him.

“Let’s go upstairs. I think there’s a first aid kit up there.” Brody helped me up the winding stairway and into the master bath. “Sit here.” He pulled out a small bench covered in pink brocade.

“I can’t sit there. I’ll get it dirty.”

“It’s fine. Sit.”

“Stop being so bossy, Ace.”

“Then stop being so damn pigheaded and let me take you to the hospital,” he snapped.

His arm darted out in front of me, and I flinched away.