Come Back for Me (Arrowood Brothers #1)(23)

“Hadley?”

“She’s safe,” I tell her quickly. “She’s at my house.”

“I need to get to her.” Ellie tries to get up but cries out.

“Ellie?”

“My ribs. My stomach . . .”

I clench my teeth to stop myself from doing something I’ll end up in jail for. She’s hurt and survived God only knows what. For her, I need not to be anything like the man she just saw.

“Can you walk?” Her lip trembles, and she tries to turn away, to hide the bruise forming on her cheek. I lift my hand, but she jerks away. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” She tries to stop me. “I need Hadley, and I need to get out of here.”

“I won’t hurt you.”

“Is she somewhere safe?”

“She’s at my place,” I answer.

Her eyes meet mine and tears fall. “Thank you for coming for me.”

If she only knew that she’s what kept me coming back time after time. It was the night we shared, the smile, the laughter, and everything she gave me that once. I felt alive, worthy. As though I could be someone’s hero. I would come back for her every day of my life even if I knew she could never be mine.

“I’m glad I got here in time.”

She wraps her arm around her stomach and gasps. “Ellie?”

“It just hurts.”

I want to rip his arms off. How dare he do this to his family? His wife and daughter should be all that matters, and he broke them both tonight.

I glance back over to where he’s standing, arms behind his back, and I hope those metal cuffs are so tight they are digging into his skin. He watches me, and I move to obscure her from his view. He doesn’t deserve to look at her.

She makes another sound, and I don’t know how to help her. Never have I felt so inept before. “What do I do?”

The tears that have been brimming fall along with my heart. “Just get me to Hadley.”

I nod, and then Sheriff Mendoza calls our attention. “Ellie, I have a few questions I need to ask.”

“Okay. But I have to get to Hadley.”

The quiver in her voice tells me she’s on the brink of losing it. She needs to see her daughter. “Would it be possible to have her give you her statement there, where they’re both safe?” I ask.

Mendoza looks to her and then nods. “Of course. I’ll have Deputy McCabe bring Kevin down to the station, and I’ll drive you both over.”

Ellie looks as though she’s ready to break. Her hands are shaking, and she keeps sucking in air when she moves. “Can you stand?” I ask her quietly.

“Help me?” I put my hands out, not knowing where to touch, but she can barely move to take the offered help.

Fuck this. I lean down, and as carefully as I can, take her into my arms. “I’m sorry,” I say as I hear her squeak.

“Don’t apologize, thank you. I don’t think I could walk.”

I lift her, cradling her as gently as possible to my chest. “I won’t let you fall.”

And God help me, I won’t let him hurt her again.





Chapter Ten


Ellie





The sun is coming up as I sit on Connor’s porch swing, a blanket draped around my shoulders and a cup of tea in my hands. I’m numb, that’s all I can process. Nothing feels real. It’s almost as if I’ve settled into a dream-like state and have been watching everything that has happened, not living it.

Even though, I know that isn’t true. The pain I feel burring through my chest every time I take a breath is proof.

The other thing I feel is safe, or at least the safest I can be. Connor has been at my side or within view each moment, making sure I know I am protected and my daughter is as well. He was there when I refused the ambulance, knowing I couldn’t leave Hadley and that I wouldn’t allow her to see me in a hospital.

He sat in the back of the police car with me as silent tears drifted down my face. I was in pain, yes, but more so . . . broken. When we reached the entry to the driveway, he squeezed my hand gently in reassurance. I wiped my eyes and shoved down my sadness because I needed to be strong again. Hadley needed that.

Nothing could’ve stopped me from getting to her, so he ensured I was out of the car and standing before he went and opened the door. She rushed out, terror etched on her face, and then relief.

All I could do was touch her face, and give her assurance I was okay. Whether she knows it or not, she’s the bravest person I’ve ever known. My daughter saved my life, and I will never be able to forgive myself for it.

I comforted Hadley as much as I could before giving my statement and allowing the police to take photos of my injuries. As Connor bandaged my ribs, he had explained that they would need them for the court case. While he worked, I learned that he was a medic in the navy, which is why he wouldn’t let the EMT, Sydney, touch me.

It was a whole other level of humiliation, but I was grateful for my ability to shut myself down and be numb to it all. I let Connor do what he could and pretended I was on the beach, away from it all. I simply held my daughter, forgetting the pain, as she drifted off.

The door creeks open, and I startle, but Connor raises his hands immediately. “It’s just me. I’m coming to check on you.”