“No, I’m not going to see Brennan. He’s not happy with me right now. Don’t blame him. I’ll find somewhere else.”
“Devon, I don’t like this,” Garrett said.
“Well, I don’t like the possibility of getting hit again,” she said with a finality to the statement.
“I…don’t blame you. I’m so sorry, Devon. I didn’t know. I would have never let you leave if I knew,” he rambled on with his apology.
Devon shook her head, trying to understand his words. The adrenaline from her confrontation with Reid was wearing off, and she felt herself slipping toward unconsciousness. The stars were coming back, and her head was pounding. Her cheek had gone numb, and the blood had stopped, but she didn’t think feeling numb was a good thing. Numbness meant severe pain later. Her eye was swelling, and she wondered if it would seal shut.
“What are you talking about, Garrett? I’m not feeling that well,” she whispered. Her voice was slipping. This wasn’t good.
“Devon, I’m so sorry. I know you have no right to forgive me. I don’t expect you to. I wouldn’t forgive me,” he said.
“Garrett, I’m over the kiss. It doesn’t even matter anymore,” Devon said softly.
“Not the kiss, Dev,” he said. “More than that—”
“Whatever you’re talking about, it doesn’t matter. I’m alive. That’s what matters.”
Garrett sighed on the other line. “It’s not all that matters. It’s the most important thing, but it’s my fault that it’s even a consideration.”
Devon sat up slowly and tried to piece together what he was trying to tell her. Something more than the kiss. Something that mattered besides her being alive. Something that was his fault. Her heart sank.
“What are you trying to say, Garrett?” she asked, the fear of his answer creeping into her voice.
“I’m so sorry, Devon. I was the one who answered your phone when Reid called.”
Devon felt all the air whoosh out of her lungs at once. Garrett had been the one who had talked to Reid. That was how Reid had gotten to her so fast. She hadn’t gotten a chance to ask him, and likely, he would have lied anyway. It just didn’t make sense. Why would Garrett do that?
“I know. I’m sorry, Dev.”
He sounded miserable, but he knew nothing of misery compared to her.
“I was trying to protect you. I was trying to get him to leave you alone. I never expected him to show up.”
Maybe Garrett had been trying to protect her. Maybe he had answered to tell Reid to f**k off. Maybe he hadn’t expected Reid to show up, and if that were the case, he certainly wouldn’t have expected Reid to hit her. Maybe those things were true, but it was still inexcusable. Garrett was the only one who had known the whole story. He was the only one who knew what it meant to keep it all a secret.
“Devon? Are you still there?” Garrett asked into the phone.
“Yes. Just keep Hadley safe. Don’t let Reid inside. No matter what he says, don’t let him in,” Devon said, sticking to business. She didn’t know what Reid would do, and right now, that was more important than dealing with Garrett.
“Devon—”
“Do you not understand that he’s dangerous?” she asked gruffly into the phone. “Stop with the self-pity for one second, and tell me that you will do what I told you. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“I understand,” he said, her harsh words clearly sobering him up.
Devon hung up. That was all the confirmation she needed. As long as Hadley was alright, then Devon just needed to worry about herself. She couldn’t think about Garrett right now. That anger would make her boil over. The only benefit from his words was that it shocked her system, keeping her awake long enough to reach her destination.
THE CAB PULLED over, and she paid the bill. She didn’t feel too bad as long as she didn’t touch her face. She knew this was nothing compared to how she would feel tomorrow. Her head was pounding, and that was the worst part. She just wanted her headache to go away. She hoped it didn’t last that long.
Devon stood before the door with a sigh. She reached her hand up to knock, but then she dropped it back down again. There wasn’t anywhere else for her to go or anywhere else she wanted to be. Still, she felt terrible. Her injuries went far beyond the physical. She hoped, with time, she could rectify everything in her life. Time was all she had to offer. She didn’t know if it would be enough.
Reaching out for the source of courage that had pushed her to this point, Devon knocked on the door. A short while later, the door swung inward, and Brennan stood before her, shirtless. She sucked in a deep breath. He looked gorgeous. He was a bit of a wreck with tangled hair and rumpled shorts, but it worked for him. Everything seemed to work for him.
“Devon,” he said softly, his mouth falling open at the sight of her. His eyes grew wider and wider as he took in her swollen eye and the blood that had fallen on her dress. “What happened to you?”
He looked shocked, and she didn’t blame him.
“Can I come in?” She looked over her shoulder. She was worried that Reid had somehow been able to find out where she was.
She waited for Brennan to say something, but he didn’t. He just stared at her. Then, when she opened her mouth to say something else, he moved forward and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms encircled her waist, holding her tightly. He breathed her in as she tried to hold back the tears. Just being held had never felt this good.
He pulled back and found her lips. He kissed her with a desperation that bordered on delirium. She returned his eager kisses and backed him into the apartment. She wanted this. She wanted him. He was the only thing that had kept her going through the entire ordeal with Reid. Thinking about Brennan had given her a reason to push forward and get away from Reid. She didn’t have to be under Reid’s hold any longer. She was better than that, and Brennan had been the one to show her that.
Devon broke away long enough to shut and lock the door. She wasn’t going to take any chances.
Brennan had his hands back on her immediately, pulling her in and holding her close. “You came back,” he said. “You left, and you came back.”
He walked backward with her down the short hallway and turned into his bedroom. The whole place smelled so much like him that it made her dizzy. Or was she already dizzy? She didn’t know. All she knew was that Brennan felt right.
“I came back,” she repeated.
He bent down and brought their lips together again. She felt like everything that had happened since Reid had returned to her was just a fleeting moment in time. Each kiss from Brennan was healing the wounds, pushing all the hate out of her life. Being there with him was like starting fresh all over again.
“You can’t leave again,” he said when they finally broke apart.
“I’m not going to,” she told him.
“I’m serious, Belle,” he said, brushing his lips against hers again. “Watching you walk out the door was like hearing that my dad had died all over again. I don’t want to let you go.”
“I never wanted to let you go,” she said, swallowing back the tears. “But…I had to for your own safety.”
The tears flowed freely then, and the pounding in her head intensified.
God, it hurts so bad, she thought.
“Shhh,” he said, pulling her into him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about my safety. I can take care of myself. I only worry about you.”
“I didn’t want him to hurt you,” she blubbered through her tears.
“That guy? Your ex?” He really looked at her and examined her swollen eye. “Did he do this to you?” He sounded equal parts shocked and angry.
Well, maybe he was a bit more pissed.
Devon nodded, but that was a bad idea. “I don’t…feel too well,” she said, resting her hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, look at me.” He softly cradled her head in his hands. “What did he do to you? Do you remember?”
“Yeah,” she said, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“Hey, hey, now. Just look at me. Look at me.” He stared into her eyes, looking at them under the light. “Just tell me one thing that happened.”
“He tried to rape me,” she whispered, saying it because it was the one thing that stood out.
Brennan hissed between his teeth as his eyes hardened. He looked murderous. She had never seen him so angry before.
“Anything else?” he said through gritted teeth. “Did he shake you really hard? Or did you hit your head when this happened?” He pointed at her eye.
Did she hit her head? She was having a hard time remembering what happened. She had a foggy thought about a side table. Wait…yes, she had hit a side table. Stars. She had seen a lot of stars.
“I hit the corner of a side table,” she said, her voice slurring.
“Okay.” He scooped her up in his arms before she could collapse. “I think you have a concussion. We should get you to a hospital.”
“I can’t go to a hospital!” she cried hysterically. “He’ll find me!”
“Devon, please let me take care of you.”
“No hospitals!” she repeated.
“You’re not exactly in a condition to argue with me.”
Carrying her over to his bed, with one hand, he pulled the comforter back on his bed and gently placed her down. He grabbed an extra pillow and stuffed it behind her head, so she would be more comfortable for the time being.
“Please,” she said, drawing her knees up to her chest, “I’ll let you take care of me. Just no hospitals.”
Brennan sighed in a way that showed he was going to give in. How could he deny her anything when she was in such a state?
“Alright. I know a thing or two about concussions, but if it gets worse, I’m taking you to the hospital. You might need an MRI to check for brain damage. I’m not going to f**k around with head injuries just because your ex might find you. Deal?” he asked.
“Deal.” She was able to relax now that she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some ibuprofen and an ice pack.”
He returned with the medicine and a large glass of water, which she took without complaint. She placed the glass on the nightstand and then leaned back into the bed. He adjusted the ice pack to the back of her head and Devon winced slightly at the tender spot. She already felt much calmer and so comfortable. She just wanted to sleep. Her eyes fluttered closed. It felt nice.
“Hey,” he said, sinking into the bed next to her. “No sleeping just yet. I want to make sure you’re alright.”
“No sleeping. Got it.”
Brennan found her hand and circled his thumb against her palm. “Can you tell me what happened? It might help you stay awake.”
She nodded slowly. She had been planning to tell him that night anyway. Now, she was here, like fate had reasoned that this was their night together. Too bad fate had taken a pretty disastrous turn.