My phone was lost in the bottomless pit of my purse. Jude was on duty, and if I could only grab it and call him, he’d bolt here in his cruiser. But that wasn’t an option until I escaped into my car and drove off. I wrapped a hand around my quivering wrist to stop my keys from jingling.
I did a quick sweep of the street behind him. I saw no one. Just me and this very angry man who had about fifty pounds on me and looked ready to charge.
“You fuck one of the cops. Maybe more, who knows? Got it made in this town, don’t you? What a cute little fortune cookie you are.” I swiped his hand away when he tried to touch my face. His mouth hardened for a minute and then curled into a smirk.
I wrapped my hand around the handle of my car door and clutched my keys with the other as he came toward me. I drove my elbow into his face when he tried to grab me, just like Eric had taught me before I’d started first grade and had made me repeat with him all through high school, feeling and hearing the crack of bone as Artie stumbled back.
I climbed into my car, but I couldn’t shut the door. My gaze dropped to where Artie had lodged his foot inside before I could close it and drive away. I tried to kick his foot away before he grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me out.
I lost my footing and ended up face down on the concrete, my ears ringing from the impact. Rolling up to sit, I couldn’t get the balance to stand. My legs and feet were still okay, but the adrenaline was pumping through my system too fast. The only thing I was able to do was slip my foot in between his and shift enough to catch him by surprise and make him trip and fall.
He joined me on the ground, pulling me by the back of my shirt when I tried to crawl away and feel for where I’d dropped my keys. If I could press the panic button, the piercing sound through the quiet night could get someone’s attention, but my keys were too far out of my reach.
“Stop!” I shouted, but the echo of my scream came back to me on the desolate street. “Get off me,” I grunted, pulling up my knees as much as I could to kick him off me.
“Not so brave without an audience, are you?” I tried to squirm away from the blood pouring out of his nose and dripping on me.
He pinned my arm to the ground, but I launched my other elbow against him, this time getting him across the mouth. He muttered a “Fuck” and slapped me across the face with the back of his hand.
My ears rang even more, like a clanging inside my head that grew so loud, it reminded me of sirens. I put my hands over my face, curling into a ball as I rolled over.
I swung at him with my eyes closed, but I only punched air. He’d either fallen off me or stood. Through my hazy vision and something else dripping into my eyes, I couldn’t see what was going on.
“Claudia, it’s me. Baby, can you hear me?”
I blinked, only able to hold one eye open as I tried to turn to Jude’s whisper.
“Babe, I… Where…” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper as I reached for Jude.
“Shh, it’s okay.” He lifted me off the ground and settled me into his lap. “I’ve got you.”
“I think…I think I’m bleeding,” I told him, swiping the back of my hand over my soaked forehead.
“Yes, you are. Don’t touch it. I’m getting you to the hospital.”
I tried to make out the muffled sounds in the distance, the static of a radio and another deep voice giving codes and asking for a medic to the hospital.
“Who’s that, Jude? Is he calling a doctor?” The pain was settling into my jaw and head, making the words hurt as they came out.
“He’s calling an ambulance,” he whispered into my hair. “That’s Max. I asked him to take a ride here with me when you didn’t text me back. I had a bad feeling and…” He shook his head and drew me closer to his chest. “Fuck, I should have been here sooner.”
“What about me? She broke my nose.”
I almost wanted to laugh at Artie’s garbled whining.
“I got this, Davis. Take care of your girl, and I’ll get him booked at the station.”
“I think I can stand,” I said into Jude’s neck. “You can’t carry me around all night,” I tried to joke with my raspy voice.
“I’d carry you forever, baby.” His voice cracked as he pressed a gentle kiss to my temple.
Artie muttered more curses behind us as Jude slowly helped me up to stand.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My head. My side a little. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I didn’t think—”
“Shh, I didn’t either. At least not this bad. But he is never going to hurt you again,” he said, cupping my chin to ease my head up. “I promise.”
