Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
A spen sipped her coffee as she sat on the bed and looked out the window into the backyard. She was distracted.
Jesse was on her mind. He’d been on her mind all morning.
Why was it so hard to be honest with him? To tell him that her ex-boyfriend had hit her and she’d stayed? She wanted to be stronger than this, but there was this stupid block, and because of it, she was disappointing everyone.
Well, it was time to start breaking that block, one person at a time.
She took two deep breaths before lifting her phone. It rang three times before Callie picked up.
“Hey. Good timing, I just finished teaching a class. It was a good one. Everyone was sweating up a storm. You would have hated it.”
Aspen swallowed. “Do you have a second to chat?”
“Of course. I always have time for you. Is everything okay?”
Her eyes closed and her nose wrinkled. “I’m ready to tell you.” Well, not completely ready. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be that ready.
There was a small pause before Callie spoke. “You can tell me anything, Aspen.”
“Dylan hurt me.” Her nose wrinkled. It was the first time she’d said those words out loud…but surprisingly, they didn’t hurt as much as she’d thought they would. Maybe they even lifted a small weight off her chest.
Callie’s voice got low. “Hurt you how?”
“He hit me.” When Callie kept quiet, Aspen kept going. She had to get it out before she froze or got scared or ran from this conversation. “Then he said sorry. He gave me flowers and begged me to take him back…and I did.”
Okay, that part hurt.
“Oh, Aspen.”
“The next time, he pushed me into a bookshelf. There were a couple of times when he grabbed my arm so tightly, he bruised me. And the last time, he hit me so hard I fell onto the coffee table and it broke. I had to kick him in the balls to get away.”
She absently ran her fingers over her palm, almost able to feel the glass cutting into her all over again.
Callie’s breathing was a little heavier, and when she spoke next, she sounded like she was crying. “Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was embarrassed.”
“But—”
“I know you’re going to tell me that I shouldn’t have been. That it was him who did the wrong thing, not me. But the abuse actually started before it became physical. I should have left so much earlier, but he made me feel like…like I needed him. He’d yell at me. Try to control my movements. And when he hurt me, he made me feel like it was my fault. Then he was so nice after, and I just turned into this pathetic woman who accepted his excuses.”
“Aspen, you never have to feel embarrassed with me. You never have to feel ashamed or like you did anything wrong. You’re my best friend, and someone hurt you. I needed to know that.”
“I know.” And she really did. If situations were reversed, she’d be unbelievably hurt that her best friend hadn’t shared this. But her head had been a jumbled mess since Dylan. There wasn’t a single fragment of her life that he hadn’t touched or affected.
“Even though I never saw the bruises, I think a part of me knew it was something like that,” Callie said quietly. “But I was hoping I was wrong.”
“I covered the bruises with makeup. I wore long sleeves. And I smiled and used humor to cover the pain.”
A sniff sounded over the line. “But you’re out now. You’re safe.”
So she’d thought. Dylan was starting to feel like the nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. “Dylan might be in Amber Ridge.”
“That son of a bitch! Lock and I will be on the next flight over there—”
“ No .” The word was out so quickly, Callie hadn’t even finished the sentence. “You’re pregnant. I don’t want you anywhere near Dylan. You’re staying in Misty Peak, where you’re safe. I have Jesse looking after me, and he’s just as capable of protecting me as Lock would be.”
“But—”
“No buts. You need to promise me you’re not coming, Callie. Please, for me.”
Callie’s voice softened. “Fine. I’m not coming yet . But I hate that I’m not there. And I hate that you didn’t tell me. But I also get it. You went through a trauma and you needed time to process it. I’m glad you were strong enough to end things with him.”
Strong…it was a word she hadn’t associated with herself since Dylan.
“I’m going to tell Jesse.” Even if it felt like the hardest mountain to climb.
“That’s good. Let him in, A.”
She blinked back tears. “I miss you.”
“Oh, Aspen, I miss you so much.”
The doorbell rang. That would be Luke with her laptop. “I need to go, but thank you for listening to me. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you.”
“You never have to apologize to me, Aspen. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Aspen hung up, immediately wishing she hadn’t. God, she wished she had her best friend by her side. But she hadn’t been lying…she didn’t want Callie anywhere near Amber Ridge if Dylan was here.
Dropping the phone to her mattress, she rose and walked to the front door, where she looked through the peephole. Luke’s back was toward her, and he wasn’t in uniform, but her laptop hung from his hand.
She flicked the lock on the door and opened it. “Hey. Thanks for—”
He turned—and terror hit her in the belly, knocking the air right out of her. “Dylan…”
“Hi, Aspen.”
She tried to shove the door closed but he slammed his palm on the wood, pushing against her.
“Really?” he said in an almost humorous tone. “I don’t even get a hello?”
He was too strong. He forced his way inside and she jumped back, fear making her head swirl.
“Get out.”
He lifted a brow as he tossed her laptop onto the side table. “Out? I just got here.”
“You’re not welcome. You shouldn’t even be in Amber Ridge.”
“I can be wherever the hell I want.” He stepped toward her. “And if you hadn’t run like a fucking rat, I wouldn’t have needed to come.”
“I wouldn’t have had to leave if you’d left me alone.”
He laughed, but this time, there was no humor in the sound.
His gaze caught on a photo on the wall. One of Jesse and his siblings. “And do you know what makes me even angrier? That you’re living with him . Have you had sex with him?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Of course you have, because you’re a fucking whore.”
As he continued to move forward, she stepped back, getting closer and closer to her room, where there was a lock on the door and her phone on the bed.
“What I do with my life is none of your business,” she said firmly. “We broke up.”
Fury darkened his eyes to black. “ You broke up with me . You never stopped being mine.”
He lunged, and she turned and sprinted down the hall.
The second she was in her bedroom, she slammed the door and flipped the lock. A loud thud of a body hitting wood sounded, making her jump.
“Open the door, Aspen, now .”
She stumbled back, her heart catapulting into her throat. Her gaze rapidly shot around the room. Phone. She needed her phone. She sprinted to her unmade bed and ran her fingers over the sheets.
Shit . Where was it?
Another bang, what she assumed was a shoulder slamming into the door, caused her to flinch.
Come on, come on! It’s here somewhere.
Finally, she felt the edge of the cell.
Thank God.
Another slam of a shoulder on the door. The wood creaked, the lock groaning at the weight of his body. He was going to get through. She knew that with every fiber of her being, and the thought was terrifying.
The tremble in her fingers made it hard to unlock her phone. Twice she keyed in the wrong numbers. And when she finally had it open, it took her far too long to find his name.
Finally, she hit Call, and it rang.
Another slam against the wood. Another groan of the lock.
One ring, and he answered. “Aspen—”
“I need help!”
Jesse’s voice changed. Became harder…alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
“Dylan’s here.”
Movement sounded over the line. “What do you mean, he’s there?”
Another bang. She didn’t have long. She searched the room for a weapon. There had to be something. “He’s inside the house! I’ve locked myself in the bedroom but—” The next bang made her entire body flinch. “He’s going to break in.”
“Luke will be there soon—”
“No. Dylan had my laptop, Jesse! He must have done something to Luke.” Her gaze landed on a bottle of perfume sitting on the dresser. She sprinted across the room and snatched it up.
“Aspen, I’m coming.”
He wouldn’t get there in time.
The door slammed open and the phone dropped from her fingers. She turned, the perfume hidden behind her back.
“Making me angry isn’t fucking smart, Aspen.” He inched forward, suddenly looking ten times taller than the last time she’d seen him. “After you broke up with me, I tried to give you a chance to make things right. You chose not to. Then you left. Made me search for you. Big mistake.”
Her back hit the dresser. A couple more steps and he’d be within touching distance.
“You hurt me , Dylan. You broke us! How was I supposed to stay?”
“I did those things because you made me angry . You pushed me to do all that, just like you pushed me to search for you.”
He was serious. He really blamed her for his actions.
He moved so quickly, she didn’t have time to run. He wrapped his fingers around her neck and squeezed, lifting her up until only her toes touched the floor. “You don’t fucking leave me. I say when we’re done.”
Air… She needed…air.
She swung her arm around and sprayed the perfume into his eyes.
He howled and dropped her, her body hitting the floor hard. She gasped for air, grabbing at her throat. She wanted to stay exactly where she was. Breathe. Recover. But she forced herself to get up and run. She got three steps in before Dylan’s large body landed on top of hers. Her head hit the floorboards hard, and black dots danced in her vision.
He flipped her over. His eyes were half closed, red and watery, as he blinked rapidly. “You’re going to pay for that, whore!”
He swung his arm back, but she moved her head just in time. His fist hit the floor, and she swung a knee up between his legs. He cried out, and she rolled away.
She was just pushing to her feet when a gunshot rang through the room.
She screamed and looked up to see Luke in the doorway. Blood trickled down the side of his head, and he swayed on his feet. Her gaze shifted to the gun in his hand, then back to Dylan.
“Hands up,” Luke shouted, his words almost slurred.
God, he looked a step away from passing out.
“Backup is on the way,” he shouted, but his eyes were half closed.
She turned back to see Dylan pushing to his feet. He was only up for a second when Luke swayed again, this time the hand with the gun lowering slightly as he grabbed the doorframe to steady himself.
Dylan took off, sprinting forward and shoving Luke to the floor as he ran.
Jesse sped toward his house. The drive was short, but right now it felt too fucking long.
Dylan had gotten in. Dylan was in his house with Aspen, and Jesse wasn’t there to protect her.
He took a hard right and his gaze went to the rearview mirror. A few deputies trailed behind, but dammit, he needed someone there right fucking now.
His muscles tightened when he looked at his phone. He hadn’t disconnected the call. There’d been a gunshot and Luke’s voice. But after loud footsteps, there’d been almost nothing.
Had someone been shot? Who?
He took a sharp left onto his street and slammed his foot onto the brake outside his house. The second he was out of the car, he was running, sprinting up the walk and into the open doorway.
Inside, he did a quick scan of the living room and kitchen, weapon raised, before racing down the hallway to Aspen’s room. He stopped at the sight of Luke sitting on the floor, head in his hands, and Aspen kneeling beside him.
Her eyes met his and the air rushed from his chest. She’d only just risen to her feet when he tugged her into his arms. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“Luke saved me.”
Luke coughed from the floor. “No. I’m the reason the asshole got in.” He pushed to his feet but immediately reached for the wall.
“Hey.” Jesse grabbed his arm. “You’re bleeding.” It was dripping from his head.
“I’d barely stepped out of my car when he hit me from behind.”
“I think he has a concussion,” Aspen said quietly. “I’ve called an ambulance.”
Footsteps sounded from the other room, and a second later, Claudia, Margot and two other deputies stepped inside.
Margot gasped and ran straight to Luke. “Oh my God, are you okay?”
While the deputies took care of Luke, Jesse steered Aspen toward the bed. She perched on the edge, and he knelt in front of her, his gaze immediately going to the red finger marks on her neck. Anger gripped him, damn near sucking the air right from his chest.
“He put his hands on you.” It wasn’t a question. Fuck, he needed to get control of himself. “Tell me what happened.”
“I thought it was Luke. His back was toward me, and I didn’t look at him properly, only saw the laptop in his hand, so I opened the door. I couldn’t shut it in time, and Dylan pushed his way in. Then he was calling me a whore. Telling me I shouldn’t have left.” She drew in a ragged breath. “I ran in here and locked the door to call you, but he broke the lock. I fought him. Then Luke shot at the corner.”
Probably because he knew his faculties were compromised and didn’t want to risk hitting Aspen.
“Then Luke almost passed out and Dylan ran,” Aspen continued. “I’m sorry.”
Why the hell was she sorry? Jesse tugged her back into his arms. “ I’m sorry. I should have brought your laptop myself. You should have been safe in my home.”
If he’d been the one to bring the laptop, that fucker would be a dead man right now. Next time he showed his face, he would be.