Understood (Unspoken #1)(20)

“You don’t have to defend your reaction,” Jake said gruffly. “Not after what he’s done to you.”

“I grabbed the phone and hid in the bathroom,” she continued. “He came to the bathroom door but you got here before anything happened.”

Wes nodded. Then he sighed and ran an aggravated hand through his hair. He looked apologetically at her and Jake.

“Best we can do is bust him on violating a restraining order. He’ll be out before the paperwork is dry.”

Ellie stiffened and turned her face back into Jake’s chest.

“Just make damn sure he gets the hell away from her,” Jake growled. “Tell him to go back to New York where he belongs and to leave her the hell alone. Because if I ever see him back here, I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”

“We’ll find out what he was up to and make damn sure he doesn’t pull a stunt like this again,” Wes assured.

“Thank you,” Ellie said in a low voice. “Thank you for getting here so fast.”

Wes stood up. “It won’t happen to you again, Ellie. Not on my watch. I’ll have a squad car come by here regularly to check in on you.”

“She won’t be here,” Jake said bluntly. “I’m taking her home with me.”

Wes nodded. “Take care, Ellie.” He turned and walked to the door.

Ellie let out an exhausted sigh as the door closed behind Wes. Jake’s arms tightened around her.

“Let’s get you some clothes and whatever else you need. You’re going to stay with me for awhile.”

She nodded. As he started to pull away from her, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly against her.

“Thank you, Jake. Thank you for coming for me.”

He kissed her temple and stroked her hair. “There should never be a doubt, Ellie. I’ll always come for you. Now let’s get you out of here. You look like you’re about to fall over.”

Chapter Eleven

Ellie slept most of the afternoon. Jake had tucked her into his bed then climbed in beside her, covering every inch of her body with his. She knew it was his way of reassuring her, and she was glad for it. She had fallen asleep with her face snuggled into the crook of his arm.The sun was setting when she awoke. She blinked a few times trying to make sense of the events of the day. Had Ray really shown up on her door after all this time? Just a day after publicly accusing her of infidelity?

The phone rang, jarring her from her dream-like state. Beside her Jake cursed and rolled slightly so he could yank up the phone.

“Hello?”

There was a long pause as she listened intently.

“Fuck, no. I don’t want her any more upset than she already is. Is he leaving, at least?”

Another long pause.

“Good. Maybe he’ll stay away for good now.”

Jake hung up and tossed the phone away from the bed.

“Jake?”

He turned back to her, curling his arms around her. “Sorry to wake you, sweetheart.”

“I was already awake. Jake, what was that about?”

He stiffened. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Jake, tell me.”

He sighed. “Apparently Ray isn’t leaving quietly. He’s holding a press conference from the airport. He’s flying out to Houston and then back to New York in an hour.”

A tingle of dread snaked up her spine. “And when is the press conference?”

“In five minutes.”

She paused for a long time, uncertainty rocketing through her veins. Finally, she took a deep breath. “Turn on the TV, Jake.”

“Ellie, no,” he said vehemently. “He’s not worth it.”

She slid a hand up his chest and touched his cheek. “You’re here, Jake. Nothing can hurt me. I believe that. If he’s going to cause more trouble, we need to be prepared. We need to know what he’s saying if we’re going to deal with it.”

He blew out his breath in a long whoosh. “Are you sure?”

“As long as you’re here with me, yeah, I’m sure.”

He reached over to the nightstand and picked up the remote. He turned on the TV then flipped through the channels until he reached the local affiliate.

She sucked in her breath when she saw Ray standing in front of a crowd of reporters. He looked tired and haggard, a far cry from the smooth, polished man she’d seen on television just the day before. He resembled someone with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Her brow crinkled in consternation as the cameras zoomed in closer and he began to speak. Jake’s arms tightened around her in support.

“A few hours ago, I was arrested outside the home of my ex-wife Ellie Matthews.”

A flash of something that looked like regret glimmered in his eyes.

“I didn’t go there to cause trouble,” Ray continued. “I went there to apologize. I handled it all wrong. I shouldn’t have just shown up like I did. I ended up scaring her, which was not my intention. Though, she has every right to fear me.”

Ellie’s mouth opened in shock. She remembered him saying over and over how sorry he was, but all she’d focused on was the fact that the monster who had hurt her so many times was in striking distance of her again.

“You see, I lied in my interview with Marty Stevens yesterday. Ellie wasn’t the problem in our marriage. I was. It took me watching the playback of that interview to see just how far I had sunk. You’ll never know how hard it hit me to see the man I had become.”