“I'm so glad you just said that,” I forced out through the strain of holding the door.
“Why’s that?”
“Because I just got that on camera,” I said.
He froze.
I risked pointing a finger at the corner of my porch. “If you look over your shoulder, you’ll see it.”
He glanced over his shoulder and saw it. When he looked back at me, I knew I was in trouble. He shoved my front door open, making me stumble back a step. I barely saw the back of his hand before he struck me and I fell to the floor. Blood coated my tongue and spots speckled behind my eyes.
I was grabbed by my hair. “Get up,” he ordered, yanking me by my hair. My training kicked in then. Grabbing his hand, I spun around on my butt so that I was facing him. I threw my foot up into his groin and he released me. I scrambled to my coffee table and felt around underneath for my gun. The moment my hand touched it, I could see him coming for me in my peripheral vision. I ripped the gun free and pointed it at him when his hand was inches from touching me.
I stared him down, my hands steady and my finger hovering over the trigger. I’d never shot anyone before. I hoped I never would. However, if he tried to touch me again, I wouldn’t hesitate.
He stood straight. “You don’t know what you’ve just done, little girl,” he seethed down at me. “You show anyone that camera footage, I will hang you from the nearest tree and make it look like a suicide.”
“Get out of my house,” I bit out. My lip hurt with every word.
He smoothed down his uniform before he walked out, leaving the door open. I didn’t move as I listened to his car start and drive away. Slowly, I stood on shaky legs and shut and locked the door. Leaning against it, I just breathed. In and out.
It’s going to be okay. You are okay.
I needed to figure out what to do. It didn’t take long. It was time to call my uncle.
I went and got my burner cell phone from my room. I need you to call me, I texted him. Apart from my check-ins, we hadn’t talked on the phone since I’d gotten out of the hospital. Five minutes passed and my burner started ringing. Seeing as he wasn’t calling me on my personal phone, he didn’t have access to an untraceable and secure line.
“Hello,” I said, answering.
“Are you safe?” There was no beating around the bush. He got straight to the point.
I whimpered as I tried to hold it together. “I don’t think I am.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
I told him about all the bullying happening at school. How Cassy and her friends had destroyed my car. I told him how her father, the sheriff, had showed up and attacked and threatened me.
“Fucking Christ, you have the worst fucking luck,” he cursed. “How badly did he hit you? Did you lose consciousness at all?”
“No. He just backhanded me. All I can tell is that I have a split lip. I haven’t looked in the mirror yet.”
“He just backhanded you? Really, Shi?” He let out a slew of curses that would have made a sailor blush. “You should have shot the bastard.”
Maybe I should have. Not much I could do about it now. Fingers crossed, I hadn’t just made a huge mistake.
He sighed. “Do you think you’ll be alright until Monday? That’s the soonest I can get there.”
That was the day after tomorrow. “I think I’ll be alright.”
“Despite what happened, are you okay?” he asked.
“Right now, I don’t know. I might need to move my session with Dr. Bolton up,” I said.
“Dr. Bolton? You’re back in therapy?”
“Yeah, I need to tell you about that, too.” With a heavy sigh, I explained how I’d been failing to deal with my grief, and everything that had happened that had led me back to going to therapy. The only thing I avoided talking about as much as I could was the guys.
“Well, you’re definitely my niece. I got suspended from school for kicking another kid's ass, too,” he said.
“That’s all you took away from what I told you?”
“No, I heard it all,” he assured me. “I’m glad to hear that you’re back in therapy.”
We hung up not long after that.
I went into the bathroom to assess the damage. My bottom lip was split and swollen. I also had a small bruise already showing just below the corner of my mouth. I knew there was no way to hide it. I did entertain the idea of lying. Then I remembered the promise I’d made to Creed.
I debated for hours on what I was going to tell the guys. By the time the four of them got off work, I had a bag packed and I was waiting on their couch. Three out of the four had smiles when they saw me sitting there as they walked in. That was, until they saw my face.