Redemption(68)

Under normal circumstances, I would have smiled and thanked him, but all I could do was nod as I sped away from the parking lot, the tyres screeching as we went.

“Have you got a plan?”

I gripped the steering wheel tightly. The more I thought about Tara being there alone with that monster, the more I wanted to fucking explode.

“No,” I said through clenched teeth. “I just want him dead. But I want him to suffer first.”

Dean gave me a smirk and nodded. “Good because I’ve got just the thing for him, Jimmy. I think you’re going to like it.”

He didn’t say anymore and I didn’t ask. I could tell Dean was as anxious to get to him as I was. The more I drove, the more I thought it was probably better that I had him with me. Dean was a lot more calculated than I was. He could plan things down to the last detail. If I was on my own, I’d probably kill him and be done with it. At least Dean could rein me in a little, make a plan for the scumbag. One I’d no doubt fucking enjoy.

The drive took about fifteen minutes and it was the worst fifteen minutes of my life. The last time I had ever felt this way was when I heard Grace had been in a car accident. I vowed never to care enough to get in this position again, but Tara changed all that. The first time I saw her in that bar, my world came crashing down— in a good way. I never believed in love at first sight, but I knew something between us sparked that night. I just had this sense that there was more to her than just a good fuck. Don’t get me wrong. I did want to fuck her, but I wanted more than that. I just wanted to be with her. That night at the bar was one of the best nights I had ever had. I will never forget the secrets we shared as she poured her heart out about her fucking numpty of a husband. The whole time she was talking about him, I was clenching my fists, ready to jump the fucker. How dare he think he can come back and take her away from me. How dare he even fucking try.

Screeching to halt in front of her house, I didn’t even bother closing the door behind me as I rushed up the front walk. The door was ajar, so I pushed through and screamed Tara’s name. I didn’t hear anything at first, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned and saw Tara on the floor, her clothes ripped, her face swollen, blood dripping from her mouth. I was about to rush to her when a figure appeared at the other end of the house and darted out the back door.

Dean grabbed my shoulder. “I got this, Jimmy. You go see to Tara.”

I nodded and Dean sprinted off. I had no doubt he’d catch the fucker. I had seen Dean in action before and, on occasion, he had outrun me.

Running to Tara, I bent down and cupped her face in my hands. “It’s okay now, Tara. I got you. I’m not going to let him hurt you again. You got that?” She nodded and let out a little heart-wrenching sob. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” She shook her head. “Where did he hurt you?” Tara pointed to her face, then her heart. Fuck, I wanted to kill the son of a bitch.

Running to the fridge, I got out some ice, a cloth to wrap it in, and some tissue for her split lip. I ran back and gently pressed the ice to her eye. Tara winced, but smiled at me. My heart ached and my body thrummed. I wanted to kill her ex-husband right now, but Tara had seen enough violence for one night.

I looked at her ripped clothes, then back at Tara. “He didn’t…”

Tara shook her head. “No. I told him someone was coming and he beat me instead.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn’t stop the rage I felt. Once Dean found him, I was going to teach him a lesson.

I stroked Tara’s hair and cradled her in my arms. She seemed to grip me as though I would suddenly vanish, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

As I was thinking about what to do, Tara’s mobile phone rang with the familiar sound of “Bump and Grind” by R. Kelly. She looked up and was starting to move when I put my hand out to her. “Stay still. I’ll go see who it is.”

Tara nodded as I walked up to her phone. The name “Jessica” was flashing up on screen, so I answered. “Tyler.”

“Jimmy, thank fuck. I’m going out of my mind. Is Tara okay?”

I sighed, thinking about the what ifs. It made me fucking angrier with every minute that passed. “She’s fine. The fucker beat her, but she’s fine.”

Tyler gasped. “Does she need to go to the hospital?”

I looked at Tara as she leaned her head back to the arm of the sofa. “She says she doesn’t want to go.”

“Drive her over here. I’ll look after her. Tell her I won’t take no for a fucking answer. You got that?”