Protect Me(25)

Garrett’s hands firmly grasp at my dress. I know what comes next. Nothing excites him more than knocking me around; showing me how big and strong he is. He continues to grind his measly erection against me as he rips my dress from my body. His hands are everywhere. Hands that I once thought were so gentle and soft. Now, they are only rough and cruel.

Garrett removes my panties - the white lace thongs that I’m required to wear everyday - and pushes me down, hard against his desk. I start to retract into myself as he pushes my legs apart. I close my eyes and go to my safe place, deep in the recesses of my mind.

A place where there is no pain and no Garrett.

A place where only the light shines.

A place where I can be free.

I startle awake from another deep, dark nightmare. My sheets are sweaty and tangled around my legs. My breathing is quickened and labored. My heart rate is fast and unyielding.

I am alone. Garrett is not here. Garrett doesn’t know where I am. As long as I keep moving every couple of months, the chances of him finding me are slim.

I hang on to that little sliver of hope because the reality of him finding me is just too terrifying.





Chapter Five


Nate




As I pass the Welcome sign at the edge of town, I know exactly where I’m going, and it isn’t home. My car drives straight to the bakery as if completely on its own. I pull into the alley and park out back. The lights are on inside, but I still can’t help but to glance up at Lia’s apartment. For what? I don’t know. But the need to check on the apartment - on her safety - is overpowering.

I give the door handle a little turn, knowing that it’s probably locked. Once it’s confirmed, I knock loudly on the back door. It doesn’t take but a few seconds before my brown-haired, gray-eyed beauty is opening the door. The way the light filters around her in the early morning, presenting her in a warm, angelic glow, makes me want to kiss her so badly. Fuck, I’d give anything for just one kiss.

I’ve thought of no one else since my brother’s phone call last night. I told him I was just calling to check in, but I knew exactly what time it was. I knew that unless a call came up last minute, he’d be heading towards our parents’ house for dinner. Heading towards Lia.

I’m pretty sure he figured out real quick that I was interested in more than just shooting the shit with him. He was teasing me about Will and Lia, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t piss me off something fierce. If I could have, I would have crawled through the phone, punched Jake in his smug trap, thrown Lia over my shoulder, and hightailed it out of there.

“Good morning,” she says with a warm smile as she pulls the door open further.

“Mornin’,” I reply, stepping inside the warm room filled with the sweet scents of sugar and dough.

“Coffee?” she asks as she heads towards the already brewed pot.

“Yes, please. Decaf. I’ve been dreaming of that and a cinnamon roll since I left St. Charles.”

“Well, I just brewed this pot. How was work?” she asks as she fills up the Styrofoam cup.

“Good. Two big calls overnight so I’m exhausted.”

“What happened?” she asks as she fills up her own cup with regular, adding just a pinch of sugar and a bunch of French vanilla creamer.

“Car accident on Route sixty-four. Minivan with a few teenagers tried to pass a semi and didn’t realize the car in the other lane was a lot closer than they thought. They left the roadway and hit a ditch, rolling the van. All three kids were wearing their seatbelts and are definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow, but they are fortunate and alive. Minor injuries compared to what it could have been, though the van was a total mess. We had to cut the kids out of the wreckage. Also fortunate that the other car and semi weren’t involved.”

“That’s so scary,” she replied with the shake of her head.

“Yeah, it is. The other was a house fire, contained to the back bedroom. Pretty sure there’s a young man getting his ass handed to him for smoking in his bedroom as we speak.”

“Well, sounds like he’s fortunate, too.”

“Yeah, he’s probably grounded for life, but at least he’s alive,” I reply as I take another sip of the coffee. Even for decaf, it’s fucking heaven.

Lia is staring at me over her coffee cup as if waiting on me to say something. I clear my throat and lean back casually on the counter.

“So, do you have any plans tonight?” I ask.

Lia looks at me for a few seconds, wheels turning in that beautiful head of hers. “No,” she finally replies.

“Well, I was thinking that maybe you’d like to go out to dinner tonight. I know you have to work tomorrow, so it won’t be anything late. There’s a great steakhouse in town, but Friday or Saturday nights are the best nights to go there. So, I was thinking about Mexican. If you like it, that is. Or we can go to the Italian place on the edge of town. They have a pretty decent…” I let my voice trail off when I realize I’m blabbering like an idiot. Shit. You’d think this was my first time asking a girl out. Smooth, douchebag. Real smooth.