She tried to pull away from him but he wasn't letting that happen. He pulled her after him, straight into the den. He pushed her onto the couch and glared, letting her know she needed to stay exactly where she was. He walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a generous amount of bourbon and gulped it down. The burning feeling, as it washed down his throat, eased his temper. He took a deep breath and headed to the phone.
Nicole watched him wearily, as he picked it up. He spoke for a few minutes before she realized what he was doing. He'd called a wrecking yard and ordered her car to be destroyed. She came unglued.
"How dare you have my car destroyed? You call them back right now and tell them I want it going to the shop," she demanded of him.
"There's no chance in hell you're driving that car again. Do you know what could've happened to you out there on that dark road? You're incredibly lucky it was me who found you and not some sick and demented fool," he yelled right back.
"I don't call it lucky, you being the one to come to my rescue. I would've rather taken my chances with a psycho," she said, too angry to even think about what she was saying. He was getting rid of her car and there was no way she would drive his, so she would be without transportation.
"You're pushing me to the ends of my limit, Nicole," he said, as he stalked towards her.
"Good, then maybe you'll figure it out and leave me the heck alone," she shouted. Ryan completely lost his temper. He was trying to do everything to make sure she and her sister were comfortable and she didn't appreciate a damn thing. He was standing close to her and lifted his hand quickly in the air, in a show of frustration and what happened then would change his life forever.
Nicole saw his hand rising towards her and terror took over. She cried out, with real fear and dropped to the ground, cowering. It had been so many years since she'd been beaten she'd forgotten you couldn't get a man that angry. She rolled up on the ground in a fetal position, her mind back to those teenager years when her father had beaten her so bad she would black out.
Ryan stood there in complete shock, his hand still in the air. He looked at Nicole and saw she was truly terrified. She had a haunted expression on her face and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, someone had beaten her. They'd not only beaten her, but had done it so badly she was no longer in control of herself, from just the thought of him hitting her.
Ryan's temper evaporated instantly and all he wanted to do was protect her, even if it was from himself. He'd never in his life even thought about hitting a woman but she didn't know that. He didn't even think she knew exactly who he was at that moment.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Nicole. I don't care how bad we're fighting, or how angry I am. I'd never hurt you. Do you understand?" he asked her softly. She wouldn't look at him. She was in her own world right then. "I'm going to take you upstairs," he told her in the same soft tone. He didn't want to scare her any more than he already had.
He needed answers to what had happened to her. He may have appeared calm on the outside but inside he was a madman. He wanted to rip the person apart who'd dared to lay a hand on her. Had it been an ex-boyfriend? It was the only answer that made sense to him. How could she have allowed a man to beat her? It had to have happened for quite a long time because terror like that didn't come from a one-time occurrence.
He scooped her into his arms and she let out a little protest but then lay silently against his chest as he carried her up the stairs. He placed her on the bed and went into her bathroom, where he drew a hot bath. He added some different salts and beads, remembering his cousins once said their wives liked to relax with a soothing bubble bath. He figured it would help her and he was willing to do anything to get that haunted look from her eyes.
He even lit a few candles, bringing a comforting ambiance. He knew she loved to take candlelit bubble baths and hoped it would help.
Once the tub was ready, he stepped back into the bedroom and found her still lying on the bed. She looked a bit better but her face was still white and he wasn't happy he'd been the one to make her look that way.
"I'm going to undress you now. I have a bath ready for you. I think it will help calm your nerves," he told her, speaking softly. She said nothing as he started pulling her clothes off. He stripped her quickly and for once the sight of her body didn't send him over the edge of insanity. He wanted nothing more than to console her.
He carried her into the bathroom, gently lowering her into the tub. She sunk into the water and a sigh escaped her throat. He didn't want to leave her but he needed some answers and he was sure he wouldn't get them out of her, so he needed to seek out Patsy.