Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(28)
“Jack…please. Just stop.”
All she could see was Jack in this same hospital bed, bruised and bloody and broken. She was already healing, she could feel it, but Jack wouldn’t have that, and she couldn’t deal with him being hurt because of her. She looked away from Jack’s gaze, shook her head. Tears dripped from her chin, and she refused to wipe them away.
Jack did it for her, taking her face in both hands, wiping the tears with his thumbs, kissing her lips with a trembling intensity, struggling to be gentle but wanting to crush her with passion. Her cracked heart broke further when he walked away without looking back. When she opened her eyes, Jack was gone.
Alone, Miriam wept until there was nothing left inside.
*
Ben arrived at the hospital as she was pulling out the IV a few hours later. A nurse was standing at the doorway, looking on disapprovingly. Miriam had explained that she couldn’t afford to stay, and that she was feeling better. Her doctor had come and examined her after Jack left, and was puzzled by how fast her bruises were fading. Her ribs were still cracked and sending lances of pain through her at every breath, but she refused to stay.
“Miriam,” Ben began, “Look, I’m—I don’t know what happened—”
She whirled on him, eyes blazing. “You don’t know what happened? You f*cking snapped is what happened, you bastard!” The nurse, still watching, gasped and scurried away, calling for security.
Two overweight security guards appeared at the door a moment later. “Is everything okay, ma’am?” one of them asked.
Miriam took a deep breath and waved them away. If she tried to have them remove Ben, he’d flip out, and Miriam was too tired and sore to deal with that kind of scene right then. “It’s fine. It’s not what it looks like.”
The nurse, a middle-aged black woman, gaped in disbelief. “That’s a bunch of bull, honey, and you know it. This A-hole here worked you over but good, and you can’t try to tell me otherwise.” Ben rounded on the nurse, and Miriam grabbed his arm, pushed him out of the hospital room, following behind him.
“It’s none of your business, lady,” Miriam said, wanting nothing more than to stay and make them take Ben away.
“Your funeral if you go with him,” the nurse said, following them. “Foolish girl! He’s gonna kill you sooner or later. I saw you when you came in, sweetheart. You were half-dead, and it wasn’t no accident, neither.”
“I’ll be fine.” Miriam knew it was lie.
“Your funeral,” the nurse repeated. She didn’t seem surprised, though. Perhaps she’d seen more than her share of battered women come through the hospital and leave with the men who’d put them there, denying the whole thing had ever happened.
Once she was out of the hospital and in Ben’s car, Miriam felt the reality of what she was doing rush in on her. Ben was still seething, deep down. He was here because he felt bad on the surface, but she could sense his anger. She was being stupid, and she knew it. But she didn’t care. It didn’t matter. She was back to what she knew. This was familiar. This was easiest.
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Miri. Really. I overreacted. I’m sorry.” Miriam huffed a laugh but otherwise stayed silent. “Okay, fine, then. You don’t have to talk to me. Are you hungry?” Miriam just shrugged. Ben rolled his eyes and checked his phone.
“Fine,” he said. “Be that way. I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?”
“Like that fixes it?” Miriam knew better than to expect true contrition from him.
“Well, what do you want from me? I said I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.” He was heading up I-75 toward Troy, going ninety-five in the fast lane. Miriam felt a wave of disgust as she realized where he was taking her.
“Whatever,” she said. “Can we go somewhere else, please? Anywhere, literally anywhere but there.”
“You love Ruth’s Chris, don’t you?”
Miriam wanted to laugh and cry. This was not the conversation she wanted to have. She was still fighting the agony of bruised ribs, and her eyes were still purple from his fists, but all he could think about was steakhouses. Nothing had changed, and nothing ever would.
Jack was gone, and she was back where she started.
She just shook her head, choking back a sob. “Whatever, Ben. Whatever you want is fine.” The sense of entrapment washed over her, making her want to jump out of the car. It’d be so easy, wouldn’t it? She watched her hand inching toward the door handle, helpless to stop it. This was one way out of this mess. Her fingers found the cool metal of the handle, and she pushed the door open. Blacktop and yellow lines blurred in the crack between door and handle; she heard Ben yelling next to her, but his words were buzzed and muddled and distant. All she had to do was jump, and she would be free. There was nothing between her and the freeway. The freeway. Free.
Free.
Miriam pushed the door open wider and leaned out, feeling the wind buffeting at her, snatching and tangling her hair. Freedom would come quickly.
Chapter 9
Carson
Present Day
Carson sat across from Rhonda Grimes in the cafeteria of the Detroit Mercy Hospital. The Styrofoam cup of black coffee was hot in his hands, and he listened carefully as Rhonda spoke.