Chapter 24 #2
My hands came over his, and he laced his fingers through mine.
“Well, I had my phone in my pocket, but there was no reception. He’s a complete psychopath and turned the music on extra loud when he left the room.
I screamed for the first half an hour before I realized no one was going to hear me.
No one was coming. They were probably all watching the show.
My voice was loud, but not over the blaring music.
It was pitch black in the closet and creepy as hell, and I knew my head was throbbing and bleeding pretty badly, so I was trying to keep my wits about me. ”
“This is fucking outrageous.” His voice was angry, yet not loud.
“I was in that closet for over an hour. I tried kicking the door open, but it didn’t work because the space was so tight, I couldn’t take a step back to put any force behind it.
” I remembered the feeling of panic that he’d forget I was in there in his drugged-up state and end up going out partying after the concert and leaving me there.
“I turned on my flashlight and immediately saw all the blood on my hands, which freaked me out, and I knew I needed to get to a hospital. I guess my survival skills kicked in. I had a bobby pin in my hair, and I took it out and spent a good thirty minutes trying to move the lock on the door. It finally worked, and I didn’t know where to go.
I had my car parked in back, but I was afraid I couldn’t drive with my head hurting so badly. ”
“What did you do?” His voice was eerily calm, but I could feel his anger as I lay with my back to his chest.
“When I came out of the room and ran toward the back door, I bumped into his head of security at the time, Carlos. He’s no longer with Beckett.
He just took my hand and hurried me out the back door.
I told him I didn’t think I could drive, and he said he’d drive me in my car to the hospital.
He never asked for the details; he just asked me if Beckett had been responsible, and I said that he had.
He stayed with me at the hospital and then drove me in my rental car back to the hotel after.
I asked him not to speak to anyone about it, and he said he would never tell a soul, but he was never going back to work for that asshole again.
We’ve kept in touch over the last year. He went on to work for an actress and is much happier now. ”
“I’m glad he was there to help you. So what happened at the hospital and after?”
“I got seven stitches in my head, and I never told a soul. Henley was finishing up law school, and I knew she’d freak out and want to come make sure that I was okay.
And after being shoved into a closet and feeling helpless, I didn’t want to feel that way again.
I didn’t want anyone to help me. I wanted to spend my energy figuring out how to help myself if that ever happened again.
I started training with Coach Jones so I would be capable of protecting myself moving forward.
I never spoke to Beckett again. I blocked him and ended all communication.
But he’s shown up a few times when I’ve been out publicly.
This last time was over the holidays at a restaurant in front of my entire family.
I think he thought he could pull me back into his disaster of a life.
Tonight felt different. Like he saw us together, and he believed it. ”
“I think he saw your strength and was intimidated by it,” Rafe said, hugging me tighter. “I’m so fucking impressed by you. My fierce, strong Wildcat. I knew it the first time I met you.”
“That I had a mean right hook?” I chuckled.
“Nope.” He barked out a laugh. “I mean obviously, I felt that hit to my throat. But I could tell you were someone who didn’t take any shit. Someone who could take care of herself.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking down at my pruned fingers. “Should we get out?”
“Yeah.” He pushed to his feet, taking me with him. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before wrapping one around me and then drying off every inch of my skin.
I smiled down at him when he bent down to dry my feet. “You know I can do that myself, right?”
“I don’t doubt that for a second. I just want to do it for you.
” He winked and then stunned me when he scooped me up like a baby and carried me to the bed, setting me down so my head was resting on a pillow.
“Thank you for telling me what happened. Thank you for trusting me with it. I promise you, your words are safe with me.”
“I believe you,” I said as I sat up when he started to step back. “Hey, do you want to sleep in here tonight?”
“Really? Isn’t that breaking your rules?”
“I think I broke several tonight, like when I had sex with you in the dance studio and then told you my deepest secret while sitting naked in a bathtub with you. This is hardly one to be concerned about.” My teeth sank into my bottom lip. “Unless you prefer sleeping alone?”
He leaned closer, resting his forehead against mine. “I hate sleeping down the hall. It’s a really dumb rule.”
I laughed and flicked him on the shoulder.
Even though I couldn’t agree more.
Sleeping apart was a really dumb rule.