38. Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Thirty-nine
Alec
“Are you going to tell me how exactly she fell out of the shower?”
“No,” I reply to Samantha, tugging a cigarette from behind my ear and lighting it.
I’ve felt even more angry than I was. I’m not sure if it’s because I had to sit on the sideline, or whether it’s because I can’t protect Summer from here.
Regardless, I haven’t been able to sit still since she left.
“She’ll be fine, you know.” Samantha forces her tone to stay calm, only to make me feel better. It does the exact opposite.
“You have no idea what he’s capable of. What he has done. You weren’t there.” I bring my cigarette to my mouth hoping to ease up some tension. It doesn’t help. It hardly ever helps at times like this.
The truth is, I’ve never wished for someone to be beaten to death more than I’d love to watch her father be pummeled. I know how fucked up that sounds. My own girlfriend’s father.
“Maybe not, but what happened when you were there? Did it ever occur to you that it was done because you were there? I’m not saying Raleigh isn’t at fault; he sure is because who in their right mind would choke their own child to near death? But I don’t think it would have escalated as much if you weren’t with her. Chloe being in there right now is the best option.”
I listen to her. I do. And I can’t say that she’s completely wrong. It’s a damn fact that I pissed off the asshole by being with his daughter. But there comes a time when a line needs to be drawn. He’s crossed the line multiple times. He’d do it again.
I lean my head against the headrest, puffing away at my cigarette and pretending that everything is fine. There isn’t a single cell in my body that has enough motivation to argue with Samantha, so I don’t.
Her hand swings around the seat. She places it on my arm, leaning over. “I’m only trying to help.”
I couldn’t hold back the laugh. It’s sarcastic, and full of rage. “You’re doing a real shitty job.”
“Don’t be such a dick,” James barks in defense.
I ignore him, too, because he’d be just as much of a dick if he felt close to what I’m feeling. Maybe if he took his dick out of his ass once in a while and actually settled with someone instead of fucking them and leaving, he’d understand.
A few minutes later, I light up another smoke. James, Samantha, and Tyler all make small talk in the backseat. Their voices fade slowly as an unwanted replay creeps through my mind.
Raleigh’s fingers wrapped around Summer’s neck, creating a sickening feeling to coil through the pit of my stomach. I can almost hear her gasping for air and choking on her own spit. I can see her face turn red with each passing breath as she struggles to shovel air into her lungs. Soon, the smell of fear and desperation fills the air as she works to break free from his grasp, only to come up short. My body tenses up as I feel the pressure of his hands on my own neck. The thought alone is enough to make me shudder in horror.
I’m startled by Samantha’s hand on my arm again, jumping and creating a fist with my hand, but I stop myself before it comes in contact with her face.
“What the fuck!” James shouts, pulling Samantha back.
“You seriously need to relax. You’re losing it,” Sam points out.
I groan, rubbing my free hand down my face before flicking the ash off the end of my butt out the window. I shake the memory and thoughts out of my head.
“I can’t,” I admit. “I should be inside with her.”
“We already talked about this. We’re not getting into it again.”
Tyler jumps in. “Chloe is a badass, I can promise you that. I know you haven’t had much time to get to know her, but she wouldn’t let anything happen.”
For a long beat, I let their words sink in. All of their words. I understand what is at stake if I would have gone inside, but that doesn’t outweigh this feeling. I should be the one to protect her.
The entire situation is so fucked up. On top of that, I don’t particularly appreciate being left in the dark about what’s happening inside and knowing exactly what could fucking happen.
Regret hits me hard. I should have fought harder to protect her when Raleigh’s grimy hands were around her throat. I know I’ve done everything I could have given the circumstances, but I should have done more. Right now… I can’t sit here and do nothing.
I shake my head, fed up with waiting. “Fuck this.”
“Alec, don’t,” Sam starts but I open the door and slam it, stalking my way across the parking lot. “Alec!” she shouts, getting out to chase me down.
I’m halfway to the door when it opens. My heart regulates when I see Summer and Chloe come out, but I’m left instantly frowning at the sight of her puffy eyes, and arms wrapped tightly around her stomach.
If someone touched her again, I swear to fuck, I will stride in there myself.
Chloe shakes her head, and that’s enough for me to know not a single thing was done. I jog the rest of the way, wrapping my arms around Summer’s waist. Chloe removes her from Summer’s back. Summer instinctively shoves her face into my chest, her breath trembling.
Chloe and I exchange glances again. She breathes in. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
My eyebrows pull together. If she can’t hold herself together, how is it not as bad as it looks?
I pull Summer’s chin up, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes slowly open, red blotches around her green irises. My chest pinches tight.
“What happened?”
Her lip quivers as her chest rises. “He said… he said he’ll look into it but can’t promise it’s enough.”
My stomach does a quick one-eighty, and my muscles ache from how tight they’ve become. “How is it not enough?” I don’t mean to shout, but I’m damn right pissed off.
Summer’s sad eyes fall, shaking her head as she places it back against my chest.
Chloe’s hand comes onto my shoulder, and she gives me a soft smile. “I’ll wait in the car. I won’t leave until I know she’s OK.”
My arms squeeze around Summer a little tighter. “What did he say?” This time, I keep my voice softer, not wanting to upset her more than she already is.
She moves out of my grip, hopping to the side. I swerve to help her keep her balance and off her hurt ankle. “There’s a possibility they will need more. The first step is to bring my father in for questioning. In which he’ll deny everything. Brentley made it clear that I have to stay away from the house.”
My jaw ticks, and I stop walking. “Let me talk to him. We can’t just leave everything like this.”
Summer shakes her head no, and I want to ignore it, but she tells me, “There’s nothing else we can do right now. It’s a waiting game from here.”
My jaw clenches so tight that I feel the muscles contract. This is absolutely unbelievable.
***
I’m fucking pissed.
My fingers tighten around the lighter in my hand. I flick it violently, watching the flame dance in the still heated air for a mere second before bringing it to the end of my cigarette.
I can’t believe after everything on that drive, everything that prick of a man has said and done, he still hasn’t been condemned. How can the police not consider him a threat to the entire town?
My nerves do somersaults in my stomach, pinching my insides like a vile. I’m so outraged. This feeling needs to stop before I start to fucking break shit.
Dragging my free hand down my face, I think of every scenario that could be done. There is a difference between what is legal and what is illegal, and what Charles fucking Raleigh has done over the years is beyond the point of unlawful. It’s a straight crime. A crime against humanity and being a civil fucking human being. The legal way of how everything works is utter bullshit.
My opinion may not mean much, and I understand he needs to be brought in for questioning first, but what I don’t understand is how they can let him get away with abuse. To his own child, nonetheless.
Abuse is abuse. Whether your child is a grown adult or not. It’s unnatural, and anyone capable of such a thing deserves to pay.
The tip of my cigarette glows a fiery red as I suck in another drag, feeling the smoke curl down my throat. It brings me a slight sense of calm, keeping me from doing something stupid.
I’ve lost track of time. I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting outside my apartment. The sun is setting, and I know I should get back upstairs before Summer does something idiotic, like attempting to walk down the stairs without help.
She needs to see a doctor and get proper care for her foot, but she’s being too stubborn. I’d have better luck dragging her ass to the walk-in myself. As a matter of fact, I just might do that.
Stuffing the end of my smoke out and shoving it into the tall ashtray I leave on the side of the front steps, I fling the door open and stride back into my apartment. It’s quiet, but something doesn’t sit well with me as I walk into the living room.
Before I went downstairs, the television was on, but now it’s off, and the small throw blanket Summer was using is tossed onto the floor. There’s a faint sniffling sound coming from the bedroom, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the reason.
I push open the cracked door to find Summer curled on the bed with the blanket covering most of her. The staggered breaths coming from her lungs pain me.
When she notices me, she tries to hide her wet, red cheeks, but the tears fall so heavily down her face that it’s impossible to hide them. It’s a battle she can’t win, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to help her try.
I tug the blanket slightly to reveal the rest of her face and reach over to brush the tears off her soft cheek. “Have you taken anything for the pain in your ankle?”
She sniffles, wiping her nose along the back of her hand. “Not since this morning.”
My lips purse. “How about I get you something for the pain, and we can get some sleep?”
Summer nods. Her eyes drift close, and the scrunch in her face doesn’t go unnoticed as she struggles to contain more sobs. I push through the pain in my chest and move through the apartment to the medicine cabinet, where I keep all of my over-the-counter medications, and shuffle through them for Tylenol. When I find it, I hurry my way back into the room.
Popping open the bottle, I take out two capsules and open the water she left on the nightstand. “Here, this should help the swelling, too.”
Her eyes lock with mine before she slowly perks up, takes the two pills, and swallows them. I take the bottle from her hand and help her get comfortable again.
“Alec,” she whispers. “Thank you.”
My fingers breeze through her hair and slowly down her delicate face before I press my mouth to hers. “I love you.”