Hidden Away (KGI #3)(45)

The hope in her eyes damn near undid him. It was gone in a flash, and her expression went dim again.

“Now tell me where you’re hurt. Do you need to go to the hospital?”

She flushed and shook her head. “He hit me a few times. Tore my clothes.”

He touched the side of her neck where the bruises had already formed. “What happened here?”

She twisted away and pulled her torn shirt up to cover it. “It’s nothing. He held me by my neck while he ripped my shirt.”

Sean itched to get his hands around Matt’s neck.

“Tell me what you want to do then. I’ll take you to the hospital if you want to go.”

“I just want Marlene,” she said in a small voice.

“Then I’ll take you home. Okay? I’ll call ahead to make sure she’s there.”

“Won’t she be at the hospital with Sophie?”

“I think right now you need her more,” Sean said gently.

Rusty breathed a sigh of relief and then she looked at him. “Thanks. You’re not so bad, you know? For a cop.”

Sean shook his head. “We’re not the bad guys, Rusty.” He glanced over at her car. “Do you need anything out of there before we go?”

“My purse. And my school stuff.”

“Okay, sit tight while I go get it. I’ll need to call a wrecker to come get the car.”

“Frank and Marlene are going to be so upset,” she said. “They just got me that car and I promised to take care of it.”

Sean paused and then leaned back into the car to look over at Rusty. “They’ll be happy you’re okay. They don’t give a damn about that car.”

As he walked toward the wrecked car, he pulled out his cell phone. “Marlene? This is Sean. Yeah, Rusty’s okay. Look I know you’re probably on your way to the hospital but ... Rusty really needs you right now. I’m going to take her home if you can meet me there.”

CHAPTER 16

SEAN parked his patrol car outside Matt Winfree’s home and sat for a moment trying to get his anger under control. Dealing with teenage punks of Matt’s ilk wasn’t anything new, but this time really set him off. It was no secret there was no love lost between him and Rusty. She’d been obstinate, obnoxious and rebellious from the first moment she’d learned that Sean was a cop. Half the time he wanted to shake her senseless. The other half, he preferred to just avoid her. But she didn’t deserve this shit with Matt. For all her faults, he knew beyond her tough-girl exterior lay a very frightened, insecure girl who just wanted what other teenagers took for granted. Someone to love her and give a damn.

He got out and walked toward the front door. Matt’s father, Tom, opened it when he was halfway up the walk.

“Sean,” he greeted. “What can I do for you?”

Sean stopped a foot in front of the bottom step. “I need to talk to Matt, Tom.”

Tom frowned and his brow drew together. “Is there a problem? He just got in from school. He’s up doing his homework.”

“You need to get him. I need to have a private word with him.”

“I’ll get him, but I’ll hear whatever it is you have to say.”

Sean shrugged. “If you insist.”

He stood outside, hands shoved into his pockets while he waited. A few minutes later, Tom returned with Matt and they stepped outside onto the porch. Matt glanced nervously between Sean and his father and then his lips curled and he went on the offensive.

“No matter what that little bitch said, I didn’t do anything.”

“Watch your mouth,” Tom barked. “You’ll show some respect.”

Sean leveled a stare at Matt and enjoyed watching him squirm. “Well now, I hadn’t said anything at all. Interesting that you get on the defensive right away now, isn’t it?”

Tom’s eyes narrowed and he fell silent as he stared at his son. Then he turned to Sean. “What’s going on here, Sean? Just spit it out. What is it you think Matt has done?”

“I don’t think anything,” Sean said softly. He looked past Tom to Matt and then took a step forward. “You’re damn lucky I don’t haul you down to lockup.”

Matt smirked, though his eyes betrayed his panic.

“Rusty isn’t pressing charges, though I tried to talk her into it. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to stuff you into a cell. But let me tell you this. If you so much as breathe her name—even once—I’ll make your life miserable. You got me? You don’t talk about her. You don’t brag to your buddies that you got next to her. If I hear a single word that you’ve done anything to make her miserable at school, I’ll come down on you so hard you won’t be able to take a piss without me breathing down your neck and then you can kiss your football scholarship to UT good-bye.”

Matt paled and Tom’s perplexed expression turned angry. “Matt, what the hell is he talking about? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Matt spat out. “The little bitch is a prick tease.”

“I saw the bruises on her neck. I saw the tears in her shirt. You wrecked her new car—which, by the way, you are going to make restitution for. You’re getting off scot-free, which pisses me the hell off. But it ends right here and now. If you don’t think I’m serious, you just try me. I can ruin your life, and moreover, I’d take great pleasure in doing so if you do anything to give Rusty a hard time.”