I didn’t want to believe it, either. I was trying to find a way out, and you just did that for me. Thank you. Thank you for saving me.”
“No. Nonononono, that’s not what this is. I’m not saving you; I’m saving him. Saving him from you.”
I’m fucking terrified, so it’s easy for me to cry. “He hit me. Only once, but it hurt so bad. He’s so big, and I’m so afraid what’s going to happen if he does it again. I didn’t hit my brother, Jesse. I lied about that. Damien stomped on my hand with his steel-toed boot because I slipped on some water that spilled out of my glass. He said it was my punishment for being so stupid. He doesn’t let me leave the house, you know that. He made me stay home after he almost broke my hand for three days. He made me quit my job, too. Please, Jesse. Don’t go to him. I don’t want him to hurt you, too.”
“You’re lying.” Her voice is quiet, and I know I’m getting to her. “You’re a liar.”
“I wish I was. Yes, it’s true that he’s attractive on the outside, but beneath all of that he’s vile. You don’t want to go back there. Not to Damien and not back to that. You know what it’s like, Jesse. You’ve already been there.” I pull at her heartstrings, reminding her of the abusive relationship she got out of almost two years ago.
Her lip trembles, and I feel the rope around my wrists loosening. “No. Not him. Not Damien. He won’t hurt me. He’s going to protect me.”
“That’s what I thought, too. But I was so scared to tell anybody because I didn’t want him to find out and come after me. I need you to help me. How do I get away from him? What do I do? How did you get free of Jacob?”
“You’re lying. You want me to think that so I’ll let you go.”
“No, she’s not. The dumb bitch is right. I was only with her so I could get closer to you.” Damien’s voice makes me whimper, and Jesse jumps up but keeps the gun pointed at me as she peers up the stairs. Her injured shoulder is slumped more than it was before. “Hey, angel.” He looks into Jesse’s eyes, and I have to swallow down the acid bubbling in my throat from the soft look he’s giving her.
She sighs and he angles his head at the steps. “I love how cute you sound when you laugh. Why don’t you go back upstairs, and I’ll take care of this, and then we can finally be together without her in the way.”
Damien lifts his hand to her, but she jumps back, gun still trained on me even though it’s clearly evident that she’s in pain. He drops his arm, clearly testing the boundaries. “I want her gone as much as you do, but sweetheart, if you do that, then her brother will be mad at me. And he can hurt me. You know who her brother is, right?”
“The fighter.”
“Yes. You don’t want him to hurt me, do you, darlin’? Not again.”
“He hurt you?”
Damien nods frantically. “Yes. Really bad. When Bella told him we were dating, even though that was never the case, he went crazy. I tried to fight him, but he was just too strong. If she gets hurt because of me, I don’t think I could take him again.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have to deal with that. I’ll take care of him.”
“No, you won’t. He could hurt you too, and it’s my job to protect you from men like him. My princess won’t get anywhere near him.”
Hearing those words out of his mouth is fucking torture and it takes all I’ve got not to react outwardly.
He finally makes it down a step, and Jesse doesn’t flinch, rather blanches in fear. “But… the police could find out and then we could get in trouble. We could go to jail.”
“No, no, no. Do you think I would let that happen to you?” Another step. Only one more before he’s on the concrete. “I’d never let that happen, Jesse. I promise. Let me get her outta here. Then it’ll just be me and you.”
“Me and you,” she whispers.
On the final step, he holds his arms out as a show of surrender. “Me and you. Finally. Isn’t that what you want?” He continues without waiting for an answer from her. “I don’t want