E spat out, “You’re fucking delusional.”
Tar got in a good right hook as blood shot from E’s mouth. “You’re the one not seeing things clearly,” he growled. “She let that mother fucker touch her.”
E returned fire with a left jab as they rolled across the mats. “She was forced.”
Tar pinned him down. “Are you trying to tell me that if you watched that bastard do that to Lacey you’d be fine with it?!”
It was the same conversation they had in E’s nightclub. And though E chose to see it through Keeley’s eyes the entire time, now, he was beginning to see things from Tar’s perspective. Before he could say anything, Tar flipped him and held his arms behind his back.
“She let that son of a bitch fuck her.” He yanked harder, bringing a harsh grunt from E. “Not with his dick. But he absolutely fucked her until she came.”
E managed to get his body in position to gain the upper hand. He locked Tar tight in a body scissor. “She loves you. You are the one she wants.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tar growled, “She wants pain more than she loves me. I saw the proof of that with my own eyes.”
E yanked him up by his T-shirt and spat right in his face. “You’re a fucking coward. She needs a man. One strong enough to help her fight those motherfuckers that taunt her day and night. She needs to know that true love exists. That nothing she does is unforgiveable. That she matters. That she’s worth loving and honoring and cherishing!” he snarled as he took a step back. He let his fist fly forward and Tar did nothing to defend himself. Blood shot across the room as E seethed, “You’re right. If you can’t be that man, get the fuck out.”
Tar cocked his jaw and nodded. “It’s for the best.”
“Fuck. You.” E was right back in his face. “Don’t come back. Do you hear me? You walk out of here, don’t you ever fucking contact her again.” E knew if he stayed there he’d beat the shit out of Tar, so he spun around and marched out before he did just that. Keeley didn’t deserve a man who wouldn’t fight for her.
“Tell Keeley …” Tar ground out her name. “Hell, tell her whatever the fuck you want. I’m done.”
E glanced back over his shoulder and locked his boiling gaze on Tar’s. “If she recovers from her head injury, I’ll never speak of you again,” he vowed.
Tar rushed after E. He might be pissed as hell at her for what she’d done. Wanted to tear that fucker Braxton apart limb by limb, a slow agonizing death. But he never wanted Keeley hurt. At least not physically. Wanting her to suffer emotionally like he was, at the moment, wasn’t something he cared to examine closely. “Wait!” He clasped E’s shoulder, earning him a menacing growl. He ignored it. “What did you just say?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. She needs people who actually give a damn. She needs a man who will lay it all down for her. Only her.” E walked out.
And Tar was left standing there wondering, What the fuck do I do now?
Lacey stood next to Keeley holding her hand. The conversation with the doctor was still echoing in her ears.
“We need to take her in and relieve some of the pressure on her brain. You can go in to see her for about five minutes.”
Lacey held onto her composure, barely. “Will she have permanent damage?”
“Hard to say, ma’am.”
“Is there anything I can do to help my sister?”
“Yes.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Pray.”
She stared at her beautiful twin sister wondering if she’d ever be able to laugh with her again. Would she recover? Be the same person? Keeley might be on a dark path but she wasn’t unredeemable. Yes, she’d made some awful mistakes and done things that were difficult to forgive. But deep down, she had a beautiful heart. She deserved to live. She should have a shot at a second chance. Her life couldn’t end this way. It just couldn’t. Lacey sobbed and hit her knees on the cold tile floor pleading with God to save her sister, promising she’d do anything. “Please, I beg you, don’t take her away,” she wailed as strong, warm arms wrapped around her from behind.
“He hears you, Sweetness. Let Him do what He does best.” E’s voice cracked from so much emotion. His heart breaking for his beloved wife and Keeley.
Lacey whimpered, “You mean heal her?”
“I mean, save her.”
She looked down at the tiny Keeley, who appeared more child than woman, and whispered, “Live.”
The room became a bustle of organized chaos as a team of medical personnel came in and wheeled her sister out for surgery.