“No. I have to.” The tears begin again. You’d think I cried everything out of me, but they just keep flowing.
“No. You don’t.” He removes the knife from my hand and pulls me into him, holding me as I bawl harder, the sobs so gut-wrenching that it causes my already bruised body to ache more. “Did he do this to you?”
Chapter Five
Judge
I’m so glad I was on my way to her already. After speaking to her grandmother earlier, I knew I had to check on her. When she got out of her car, I yelled her name repeatedly. She mustn’t have heard me, but I couldn’t believe what I saw. Blood dripped from her body, and she appeared out of it, not even acknowledging me as I rushed after her.
She didn’t lock her door, so I went right in. I’m glad I did, because nothing could prepare me for what awaited me when I finally got to her. My beautiful girl was ready to end her life. Her face and body already bruised and broken.
Holding her against me, I survey the damage to her back through the mirror and realize we have to do something right now. If she thinks her only escape is suicide, then I’m taking control and overseeing her life until she realizes I’m here to protect her. She’s at the end of her rope, and I’m stepping in.
Slipping my cell phone out of my pocket, I call Hammer, who waits for me in the truck. “Initiate the extraction, right now. Plans have changed.”
Before leaving Jupiter, I set up teams through the security company Gambit works with to evacuate all the Rezos. The final step was protecting my sister, and there was only one person whom I trusted to do that. I’ll have to face the ramifications later, but right now, everyone’s safety is all that matters.
Lifting Evie into my arms, I carry her to the small bedroom where I set her on the edge of the bed. Taking in my girl's fully decorated space, I realize she put her own personal touches into this room, but not the living room or kitchen. There is Taylor Swift memorabilia all around her, but the rest of the apartment is a crazy mix-up of fabrics and drawings, and her kitchen table houses her sewing machine. It’s disorganized chaos, but still all my girl.
Her bed is piled high with pillows in various shades of pink, and a faux-fur comforter covers the mattress. The drapes are pink as well, and pictures of her family are scattered around. In her closet, I find it overloaded with clothes, but there, on the top, are two large suitcases.
All hunched in on herself, Evie continues to cry. “It’s all my fault. If he’d never found me, they would be safe. You must let me go so I can save them. He’ll find out about you soon enough and come after you, too. I’m the problem, don’t you see that? Even Ruby is in danger because of me. He threatened her a couple weeks ago. It’s why I haven’t spoken to her.”
Pausing from packing, I squat down in front of Evie. Gently, I take her battered face in my hands and say, “Baby, you aren’t the problem. He is. I’ll save you.”
“You can’t. He’ll kill Gigi and my parents.”
“Your parents and grandmother will be safe within an hour.”
“How?” Her eyes widen as much as they’re able. One is starting to swell around the edges, and I notice it’s on the same side as the ear caked with dried blood. He must have hit her with an open palm, and from the amount of blood, I’d assume he burst her eardrum.
“Hammer, get me a cloth to clean her up,” I holler out so he knows where we are. I heard him come into the kitchen earlier.
“Holy shit,” he says from the doorway. “I’ll have Lach waiting at the clubhouse when we get there.”
“Yeah. I think her eardrum has burst.”
Evie looks up at Hammer. She carefully brushes her long hair back, trying to clean herself up. I hear him move away while keeping an eye on my girl. When he returns a few moments later with a warm, fluffy pink washcloth, I kneel before her and carefully wash the blood from her face, the side of her head, and then the makeup.
“I’m getting you out of here and somewhere safe until we can get control of Justin.”
“What about school and the team?”
“Your coach is being notified as we speak, and so is the school. You’ll be able to do the rest of your classes through distance education, and then take the finals. I’m in charge of you now. I’m not letting you go. You can’t make decisions like you almost did, because that would take you away from all of us.”
“What about my kitten?”
“Hammer and I are packing up all your stuff. Your kitten will come with us. Hopefully, Bear won’t eat it for a snack.”
She asks, “Who’s Bear?” and I can’t stop myself from leaning in and taking her lips in a soft kiss.
“He’s my dog.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll go.”
“No, I guess, baby. You are no longer in charge. I told you I am. Besides, I wasn’t asking.”
Moments later, guys from Shiver of Chaos walk in and start packing up everything. We don’t have much time here without Justin knowing. He’s under surveillance and is currently with Paris, so my girl is safe for a few hours.
