Evie starts groaning when she moves now; the pain is getting to her. Her poor body was put through a lot over the last few hours. Hammer told me that Lach would be off his shift at the hospital by the time we got to the clubhouse, so he could check her over. Lach is the town’s physician. He has a small private practice, but he also works every other weekend in the ER at the hospital the next town over. He’s also been the club’s doc since he prospected years ago.
“Try to relax, baby, we’ll be there in another ten minutes or so.”
“Okay,” she murmurs as she shifts, trying to find a comfortable position. “My back is starting to hurt.”
“How is everything else?”
“It all hurts.”
“I can imagine. I’ve been in fights before, so I know that pain. What cut into your back?” When I cleaned her face earlier, she shifted around so I could get to the cut on her back.
“A towel dispenser.”
“What the fuck?” Hammer says from the backseat. “How did that happen?”
Evie adjusts herself so she can acknowledge him, too. “Well.” She takes a deep sigh and starts the story. “I was in the restroom when Paris confronted me. I sassed her, and she didn’t like that. She went to attack me, and I moved so that she slammed into my hands. I’m tired of her bullying me. I stood up to her.”
“Good. The best way to stop a bully is to show them you aren’t intimidated by them anymore,” Hammer says.
“Well, she fell but over exaggerated it, as if she knew Justin was right outside the door, because he came in and helped her up, coddled her, then attacked me. He backhanded me before slamming me into the wall behind me. That’s when I hit the towel machine the first time. When I told him no, he smacked me again.” She points to her ear. “He smashed me against the wall a couple more times, and it cut into my back from that. That’s also when he shoved me so hard that my head hit the wall.” Her hand goes to the back of her head, where I felt the lump earlier.
“Jesus, baby, how often did he physically abuse you?”
“It was what I thought I had to do. The day you came to the game in September is when it really started. I’d already broken up with him, but I went home for dinner, and his family was all there with mine. He announced that we were back together and talking about a quick wedding.” She pauses as if she’s collecting her thoughts. “He took me aside afterward and told me that if I didn’t marry him, he’d kill my family. Since then, he’s beaten me several times. But so has Paris. She thought they were going to be together, but instead, he just sleeps with her and wants to marry me. She once told me that she was the Marilyn to my Jackie. She knew how much I thought Jacqueline was a fashion icon.”
I don’t have the words, but thank goodness Hammer does. “I’ve seen it many times. You and other women think you must put up with the abuse, either to protect someone or because he has you convinced that it’s all your fault. Typically, by saying, ‘Look what you made me do.’”
“That’s exactly what he said to me earlier.”
“It’s not you. It’s all on the abuser. They feel inadequate, or something else in their mind is scrambled.”
“Thank you for saying that. I kept your card, but I just couldn’t see a way to protect my family.”
“I get it.” Hammer shrugs it off.
Another call comes through the car, and at first, I consider taking it directly on my phone, but Evie will want to know if her family is safe.
“Hello,” I answer. “You’re on speaker.” Again, I let them know. This time, the caller pauses.
“It’s Ridley.” Her voice breaks through the quiet. Evie sits up at the sound of a woman’s voice on my speaker. An evasive woman. “Evelise, I expect that you're sitting there, and that’s why Judge said I’m on speaker.”
“Yes,” Evie responds.
Justin broke my girl so far down that it’ll take some time to make her understand that I’m only interested in her.
“I have a message for you from your family.”
Evie sits forward. “You know my family?”
“Yes, I’m in charge of their security. I sent a couple of my guys with them on their trip. They wanted me to tell you that they love you and wish you had told them what Justin was doing to you.” Ridley pauses. “They are safe now, so what I’m about to tell Judge, don’t worry about, okay?”
“Uh, okay, I guess.”
“Judge, you were correct, and it was a good thing we did this tonight. My team intercepted an apparent attack on the parents. They are safe and were never touched. We will be questioning the attackers as soon as we can, but we wanted to secure the family first.”
“Okay, keep me posted.”
“I will.” Ridley hangs up, and Evie turns toward me.
