Stephan(26)

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.