“She’s here.” Her voice broke on a sob, causing me to slam the gas pedal down hard. “Her ex…it’s bad…get here now.”
No, no, no, no. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t lose her. I just couldn’t.
“The kids,” I whispered into the phone, remembering they still needed to be picked up.
“I’ll call Savannah. She’s on the list. Just get here.”
Throwing the phone onto the passenger seat, I pushed the car as fast as it would go, finally squealing into the lot of Elegant Nails five minutes later. That had been the longest drive of my life. As I jumped from the Jeep, I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, alerting me that help was on the way. But I was unable to focus on anything but Kenzie lying motionless on the gravel.
“Oh, God. Beauty, wake up,” I begged as I pushed past the people who surrounded her, falling to my knees over her body. Blood poured from gaping cuts on her lips and cheeks, bruises marred her beautiful face. “Come on, baby. Wake up for me,” I pleaded, feeling completely helpless as I cradled her limp body. “I need you to wake up. Please, baby.”
The loud shout of, “Get the fuck off me!” pulled my attention over to where three men were struggling to hold on to another one. Through eyes bleary with tears, I was able to make out the dark haired, blue-eyed man, and my gut told me it was him. It was Lance struggling to get away from the men restraining him.
“Motherfucker!” Jumping to my feet, red clouded my vision as I charged him, visions of Kenzie lying hurt and bleeding ran through my mind. He’d done that to her. He’d caused her that pain.
And he was going to fucking pay.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” As if my body had detached from my brain, I planted my shoulder in his gut, taking him down to the ground in a heap. It was his goddamned turn to bleed. I got several good punches in, getting a sick pleasure at the sound of his nose breaking before someone was pulling me off him.
“Brett, man, you gotta calm down,” Luke spoke in my ear as I fought against him. “Calm the fuck down! I don’t want to have to arrest you, too.”
At the threat of not being able to stay with Kenzie, I finally relaxed against his hold. I’d been so consumed with rage that I hadn’t even noticed the police cars and ambulance pull into the parking lot.
“Paramedics are loading Kenzie in the ambulance now, brother,” Luke told me. “Let me handle this piece of shit. Go take care of your girl.”
Rushing back over to Kenzie, I took her hand in mine, grasping tightly as the paramedics wheeled her gurney into the ambulance. After jumping in, I turned back before the doors closed to call out to Lizzy. She stood there waiting for us to pull away, tears rushing down her cheeks, her hands over her mouth as she cried for my girl.
“Call Savannah,” I said. “Make sure there’s someone to keep the kids. Do not let them find out about this.”
Her head bobbed up and down, “Yeah, okay. I’ll handle it and meet you at the hospital. Take care of her, Brett,” she ended on an anguished whisper.
“With my life, Lizzy-Lu.”
I turned my attention back to Kenzie, taking in her mangled face as the doors were slammed shut and we drove away. Right then and there, I prayed to God that if he made sure she was all right, I’d spend the rest of my life protecting her.
“The motherfucker hasn’t said a word since we dragged his ass in.”
I barely registered what Luke said as I paced the waiting room, anxious for news on Kenzie. She’d woken up halfway to the hospital, sobbing hysterically and talking about having to take the kids and go. She wanted to run again. Lance had found her and her flight instinct had kicked in hard. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d be damned if I let that son of a bitch take them away from me.
“I swear to God, Luke, if I get my fuckin’ hands on him, I’m gonna kill him.”
“He’s in lockup, man. Just focus on your girl for now. You have any idea how he tracked her down?”
I raked my hands through my hair as I collapsed down into one of the hard plastic chairs. “No idea. When she woke up in the ambulance, all she’d say was that she needed to leave. That she needed to get the kids and they needed to take off. She wants to run again, man. I can’t let her do that. I can’t lose them.”
“Shit,” he muttered.
“Yeah.”
“What are you gonna do?”
My head dropped in defeat as I admitted, “I don’t have a damn clue. Right now, I just need to know she’s okay.”
As if God was answering my prayers, the doctor came walking into the waiting room. “You’re family of Ms. Webster?”