One More Taste (One and Only Texas #2)(50)

“It’s Haylie’s neighbor,” Carina said, answering. Her face turned white as she listened to whoever was on the line. “Is the yelling still going on?”

Dread sank like a rock in Emily’s stomach. “What is it?” she whispered.

Carina ignored the question. She reached a hand out and gripped Emily’s sleeve. “Breaking glass? Are you sure?”

The tone of Carina’s voice, the call from the worried neighbor, yelling and breaking glass … Emily knew what those signifiers meant.

“Mrs. Cordera, would you go knock on their door? See if you can disrupt it,” Carina said. “I’m calling 9-1-1. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

Emily couldn’t decide where to direct her anger—at Wendell, at Carina, or at herself for, apparently, not being good enough to be trusted with the information. Clearly, Haylie and Wendell’s marriage wasn’t just dysfunctional. This went way beyond Wendell having control issues and Haylie needing to learn to stand up for herself, as Carina had led her to believe. “He’s hurting her, isn’t he?”

Carina dialed 9-1-1, then turned terrified eyes on Emily as the phone rang. “Yes, hello, um, I think my sister’s in danger. I just got a call from her neighbor about a fight between her and her husband, and I have reason to believe it’s getting physically violent.”

Emily’s heart sank. Hearing the words, calling the police. This was real. This was happening. While Carina filled the dispatcher in on the details, Emily grabbed her purse from its spot in the pantry, then gathered Carina’s purse and keys. At the last moment, she remembered she had dinner on the stove. She turned off the heat, but didn’t bother to do anything to preserve the food. None of that mattered now in the face of Haylie’s danger.

“I’ll start the car,” she mouthed to Carina.

Emily climbed into the driver’s seat of Carina’s car, which was newer and faster than Emily’s. Carina didn’t question the choice. In a daze, she sank into the passenger seat, gripping her cell phone too hard. On the drive, Carina dialed Haylie’s cell phone and texted her over and over, to no avail.

“I don’t understand what Haylie’s doing home, anyway. It’s the middle of a workday,” Carina said.

“She was in Knox’s office, cleaning up broken glass when I delivered Knox’s breakfast around nine. I guess the bottle of scotch tipped over. Or maybe Haylie bumped into it. She didn’t say. Anyhow, Knox was already out and about with some building inspectors, she told me. Maybe he let her go early because it’s Friday.” After a moment’s deliberation, Emily added, “This isn’t the first time, is it? There’s a reason you have Haylie’s neighbor’s number programmed into your phone.”

Carina’s attention slipped to the window. “No. This isn’t the first time.”

Emily pushed Carina’s car even faster and gripped the steering wheel harder so she wouldn’t shake like Carina. She wished she could be mad at Carina for misleading her about Haylie’s situation. It would be so much less scary to be angry at her friend than at a monster like Wendell. But focusing her outrage and fear on Carina would only be deflecting. Still, she wanted to know why Carina hadn’t felt comfortable being honest.

“I would’ve been there for you and Haylie,” Emily said. “I would’ve tried to help even. I wish you would have felt comfortable confiding in me.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve only known for a couple months, and not because Haylie told me. I saw bruises on her arms. You know I’ve been trying to get her out of the situation, but she won’t leave him. Heck, she won’t even admit he’s abusing her. She keeps swearing that they’re happy and everything’s okay. I don’t know what to do. She’s desperate for no one to know. I realized right away that I couldn’t tell anyone because if it got back to my dad, he’d make the situation even worse.”

That was the truth. Emily could easily imagine what Ty would do if he found out that his little princess was being abused. “He’d kill Wendell. He’d storm in and shoot the bastard dead.”

“He would. And then he’d go to jail for murder. Or, if he didn’t succeed, he’d make Wendell look like the victim in Haylie’s mind. She’s so brainwashed that she’d do anything to defend Wendell, like she does to me anytime I suggest he’s less than a perfect husband. Even worse, if my dad or I spooked Wendell, what if he left Texas and took Haylie with him? You know he would. They’d disappear, and then what could I do to try to save her? Nothing. It seemed safer to keep them here and try to convince her to leave him.”

Emily hadn’t considered the possibility of Haylie and Wendell leaving, but Carina was right. That would be devastating for everyone and put Haylie in even more danger.

Carina continued, “I’ve been trying everything, reading books on how to help battered wives leave their husbands, trying to get Haylie into therapy. I’ve contacted shelters and gotten information about how to get Haylie out of the situation when she’s ready, but I don’t know what else to do. She has to find the courage to take that step. I can’t make her save herself.”

Emily reached across the seat and took Carina’s hand. “You’re doing the best you can.”

“So many times, I tried to tell you, but with your history with your father, I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do. You hate talking about your past and I didn’t want to trigger anything. And I didn’t want you to spring into action and spook Wendell into taking off with Haylie. I’ve been so scared.”