48. Courage
forty-eight
Courage
M y heart drops as Brad moves into the light.
“Sorry, I didn’t get the chance to take you to prom tonight. Maybe you’ve heard. Someone’s been spreading lies about me.”
I step back. He’s standing between me and the house, between me and a door that locks, my phone, and safety.
“I was hoping we’d at least get one last dance.” This close, I recognize the slur in his voice, the haze in his eyes.
I keep backing away. Trying to keep my breathing even, my voice steady. “No. You need to go.”
“Not this time, Babe.” He grabs my arm. I wrench it away and run. If he’s sober, there’s no way I can outrun Brad. Drunk, I might have a chance. I run toward the side of the house. The door into the garage is never locked.
I’ve almost made it when he lunges, grabs me around the waist and tackles me to the ground. My chin strikes the edge of the steps. I see stars. My vision clouds. I’m fighting to stay conscious.
His body is crushing me. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. He pins my arms to my sides. A warm trickle of blood slides down my neck from the cut on my jaw. I scream.
He claps his hand over my mouth. Then he laughs. “Scream all you want. No one can hear you this far out off the road.”
He grabs my wrists together and jerks me to my feet. I struggle against him, but his grip is like a vise. He leans his mouth against my ear. His breath is hot and smells like beer. “I heard you’ve been talking about me. That you’re willing to do whatever it takes to bring me down.”
I lean back and kick hard, but I miss my target and end up kicking his thigh.
He pitches forward but steadies himself, then tightens his grip on my wrists until I think he’s going to crush them.
He drags me toward his truck, parked behind the shed where I couldn’t see it.
I’m struggling and kicking, but he's too strong for me.
He wraps his arms around my chest and picks me up.
I lean over and sink my teeth into his arm, hard, until I taste blood, until he howls like a wounded animal and releases me.
I fall from his grip and hit the ground at a run. When I glance back, he’s holding his arm. “I’m going to kill you!”
Too far to the house, I run for the barn, slam the door behind me, and fasten the latch.
I reach the stairs to the loft as he pounds on the door.
The wood creaks and splits with every thud.
The latch won’t hold for very long. I fumble in the dark until I find the opening to the grain bin.
I duck down inside and pull a wooden crate in front of the opening.
The room is dark. I try to quiet my breathing. My heart is pounding in my ears.
Silence.
I close my eyes and pray that he gave up.
Wood splitter, glass shatters.
“Je-ss-ica, are you here?” Brad’s voice floats up from below. The stairs creak with footsteps.
He’s circling the loft. Swearing under his breath. Tripping over the junk that fills the space. Kicking things aside.
I hold my breath, pushing myself farther into the corner.
Brad laughs. “I know you’re up here. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way—your choice. We have all night. Why don’t you come out and play? You don’t have to—” He stops, and I hear it too.
“Jess?”
The voice sounds far away, too far, but I know it’s Jacob.
I hold in my scream. I’ll only get one. What if he doesn’t hear me? I imagine him walking around our yard. I left the lights off in the house. Brad’s truck is hidden. Jacob won’t know anything is wrong. He’ll think no one is home. He’ll leave.
“Jacob!” I scream.
Brad throws the crate aside. His face is at the opening.
I scream again and try to flatten myself against the wall.
He grabs my leg. I kick and his nose. He’s bleeding, but still dragging me out.
I hang onto the sides of the bin, digging my nails into the walls.
He’s too strong. He jerks me through the door.
I get another half a scream out before he clamps his hand over my mouth. “Shut up.” He hisses.
I try to bite him again, but his hands move to my throat. I can’t scream. I can't breathe. Black spots form in front of my eyes.
“Jess?” Jacob’s voice is closer.
Brad turns towards the stairs. His grip loosens.
With all the breath I have left, I scream, “Jacob!”
Running footsteps. Brad drops me then kicks me in the stomach, knocking any breath I have left out of me. Sparks of pain behind my eyes blind me. I curl up in a ball.
Jacob is on the stairs. “Jess!”
I can’t answer. My stomach rolls with pain and nausea.
He’s beside me, bent over in the dark. “Jess! What happened?”
“Brad,” I gasp. Brad is behind him. He swings a wooden bat.
Jacob turns and ducks. The bat glances off his forehead, knocking him to the floor.
He sits stunned while Brad circles, waiting for another opportunity to strike.
As soon as Brad gets close enough, Jacob jumps to his feet and pummels him. They crash against the wall.
I scoot into the corner, away from the struggle. My hand brushes against cold metal. I curl my hand around it, pulling it towards me. Tyler’s twenty-two. The one he uses to shoot barn pigeons. I grasp the gun with both hands and pull myself up.
Jacob is bleeding from a cut above his eye. Brad’s nose is dripping blood. They’re struggling for control of the bat. I level the gun at Brad. He’s too close to Jacob. I can’t get a clean shot. Jacob trips backwards over a pile of cords. Brad falls on top of him.
“Stop!” I yell. Brad looks up at me. Jacob shoves him to the side. I pull the trigger.
The shot is deafening.
Jacob doesn’t move. I’m frozen with the gun to my shoulder, my finger still on the trigger.
After forever, I find my breath. “Did I kill him?”
Jacob moves to the still, bleeding shape on the floor.
Brad moans.
“He’ll live. You just grazed his hip. I thought you said you were an excellent shot.”
“I wasn’t trying to...to kill him,” my voice shakes. The gun in my hand trembles. “I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
Jacob takes the gun from me and leans it against the wall. “Are you okay?” He brushes the hair back from my face. He touches my chin. “You’re bleeding.”
“So are you."
“I am?” He wipes his hand across his brow, and it comes back wet with his blood.
Brad moans again, louder, “My leg.”
Jacob turns back and bends over Brad again. “We’d better call an ambulance. And the police.” He stands up and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He nudges Brad with the toe of his boot. Brad howls.
Jacob looks at him with disgust. “You’re lucky Jess was the one with the gun. I would have blown your head off.”
Gray spots appear in front of my eyes. I fight them, but sink to my knees. Jacob is beside me.
“Jess, are you okay?” He grabs my shoulder. “Jess!” He wraps his arms around me as I slide to the floor. “Jess, stay with me!” I know he’s shouting, but his voice is far away. I’m falling down a long, dark tunnel. His face swims in front of me. “Jess.”
Everything goes black.