When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(60)

I hear the familiar sound of a zipper being lowered and quickly shut my eyes to endure whatever pain and force Craig is intending to use against me. Tears betray me as I try to stay strong. They fall down my cheeks through my clenched eyelids landing on Craig’s sheets. Craig forces his knee to spread my legs further apart as I try to clench them together as my last effort at defense. I lose that battle. I manage to weasel one of my hands away from him as I fight against his chest.

“Quit fighting it, Ken. You’ll like it I promise,” Craig whispers in my ear.

“Don’t call me Ken,” I manage to force out even though I know he probably can’t hear me. I don’t want him to taint that along with my body.

Reaching above my head I find a shelf full of trophies knocking them down in hopes to gain someone’s attention. Someone has to hear the plastic hitting against the walls. I close my eyes and pray not even sure if I believe in anything in this moment fighting against Craig’s strength refusing to let him do what he wants to me.

The next thing I know there’s the sound of wood cracking throughout the room. I close my eyes out of fear of meeting Craig’s stare. Even with the loud banging I hear to my left, I can’t force myself to open my eyes to see what’s happening around me. There’s a stirring in the room right before I feel the pressure above me dissipate. Craig’s body isn’t on me anymore. I can breathe.

There’s shouting with a horrifying cracking of bone hitting bone. My breaths are becoming harder and harder to push out of my lungs as I replay Craig trying to steal what was never rightfully his. I lay there not fighting, feeling numb as more and more tears make their decent from my cheek down onto the pillow that will forever be stained with the fear and pain I feel.

Kennedy, get up. Just get up before he comes back. GET YOUR ASS OFF OF THE BED NOW.

Now is when you fight.

I don’t know what’s happening around me. I’m laying here vulnerable waiting for Craig to finish me off only to discard me as if it doesn’t matter how he’s treating a defenseless girl who has no strength to fight back. The noise in my ears is ringing deafening loud---a combination of me crying, catching my breath, and the glass shattering somewhere in the room.

“If you ever so much as look in her direction again I swear to god I will fucking kill you,” a strong familiar voice shouts loud enough to make me cower into a ball on the bed. The voice is muffled as if it’s far enough away, but I know it’s coming from inside the room. I will my legs to move, to get out of there. The only thing I want is to escape my nightmare.

Soft hands reach down scooping me up off of the bed. I flinch at the initial contact until I realize I’m no longer lying in that bed. I curl into my savior’s chest listening to his heart beat using him as a guide to get my breathing under control. His scent penetrates my senses letting me know that everything’s going to be okay. I’m safe now.

I wrap my arms around his neck as the tears fall harder.

“Ken, listen to me. I’m right here with you. You’re safe now. Try to take a deep breath for me, baby,” Graham’s voice whispers in my ear on repeat until we make it outside into the cool of the night. The sharp air runs over my body causing goose bumps to jump up on every last inch of my body. I curl in deeper to Graham’s chest looking for refuge.

A car door opens and I’m placed down onto a smooth leather seat. I reach for the familiar hand refusing to let go. “Please…” I panic not wanting any distance between us.

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I just want to get some heat pumping into the car to warm you up. I promise, Ken,” Graham brushes his hand along my tear soaked cheek. He looks devastated as he walks around to the front of the car pushing the keys in his ignition. The heat quickly forces through the car as he turns the knob. It only takes a few seconds. The lack of contact with him makes it unbearable. I need him near me.

“Graham…” I push out in a whisper. He slams the driver’s side door to run over to slide in next to me in the back seat.

His arms quickly wrap around me sheltering me from everything that has happened. “Look at me,” Graham demands in the lowest of whispers.

I do what he asks as he looks me over. Every inch of my skin is investigated thoroughly. I know what he’s doing---looking for any marks or proof of what has happened. As his eyes make there decent up my legs slowly landing on my wrist I can hear his audible gasp. With no need to look at what he’s seeing I continue to look in his eyes waiting for anything to shine through. Only pure rage is there quickly replaced with guilt.

“That son of a bitch,” he punches the back of the seat in front of him making me jump in surprise. Graham quickly panics knowing that his reaction to my bruises scared me. “Oh god, Kennedy, come here. I’m so sorry. The last thing you need is me losing my shit in front of you.” He pulls me into his side tucking me underneath his arm placing comforting kisses on the top of my head.

“I tried to scream. I did but I didn’t think anyone would hear me. I thought that I was alone up there. I swear…I tried to scream,” I confess pushing myself away from him so he can see the seriousness in my eyes as they well up with another storm of tears. I felt the need to explain myself as to how hard I had tried to fight. I don’t want Graham to think that I’m weak or that I went down without a fight.

“I know baby. None of that matters. You’re safe now,” Graham pulls me into his side where I fit perfectly again. He reaches into his pocket to grab his cellphone. “I’m calling 911, Kennedy. You need to report him…you have to report what he’s done.”