"Actually, no, not really. I had an incident with Angelina," I explained.
"Did she say something to upset you? Is she still there? Put the bitch on the phone. " I heard his truck crank up. He was already heading back.
"No . . . no . . . shes gone. Uh, Blaire showed up and . . . uh, scared her off," I tried to explain, though I wasnt sure how to.
"Scared her off? What the hell did she do to you? Are you alone?" The panic in his voice was nothing compared to what he was going to feel when he found out what really happened.
"Blaire is still here and so is her husband," I reassured him.
"Rush is there? Good. Stay with them. Where are you?"
"Behind the parking attendant building. "
"Im almost there. I love you, stay with me. Dont black out. Im coming. "
"Okay. I love you, too," I replied. He knew I was close to getting lost in the monsters in my mind.
I hung up and looked over at Blaire. "Hes on his way. "
"Good. Well wait with you," she replied, then opened her purse and pulled out a wet wipe. "You want to clean the blood off your lip before he gets here and goes after Angelina?" she asked, holding it out to me.
I hadnt realized I was bleeding. I took it from her. "Thanks. "
The sound of Woodss truck broke through the silence and I wanted to weep in relief. He was here. His door swung open and he jumped down and came running over to me. I felt like sagging in relief. He was here and I was okay.
"Dammit!" he roared, furious, as he took in my face. He pulled me into his arms and held me tightly. His breathing was fast and hard. He was upset. "God, baby, I am so sorry. Shes gonna pay for this," he said as his hands starting roaming my body to make sure I was okay. I wasnt okay. But I would be.
"Its fine. I think Blaire scared her," I assured him.
"What did Blaire do?" he asked.
"She pointed a gun at her and threatened to pierce her ears," I explained.
Woods cocked an eyebrow. "So, Alabama pulled her gun out again? Thanks, Blaire," he said before kissing my head. "I love you. Im here and youre going to be okay. Stay with me. I got you," he whispered in my ear. He knew I didnt want them to know how close I was to getting lost in my head.
"Im glad I found them. You need to do something about that woman; shes a crazy bitch," Blaire said, then turned to walk back to Rush.
"Thank you," I called out after her. Shed literally saved my life.
"Youre welcome," she replied with a sweet smile. She didnt look like someone who had just pointed a gun and threatened to pierce someones ears with it. I now knew that under that beautiful, innocent-looking exterior, Blaire Finlay was a tough badass. I wanted to be her one day.
Page 7
Woods
I turned on the shower, then reached for Della. Streaks of blood were still visible on her face. Shed tried to clean it but shed left some of the proof behind. A bruise was forming on her face and blades of grass in her hair clung to the tangled mess.
She wouldnt let me call the police. Shed cried and begged me not to. I was going to kill Angelina myself. Shed hurt the most precious thing in my life and she would pay for it. Id make sure she paid over and over again. But right now I had to keep Della lucid and out of her head.
I reached for her shirt and had started to lift it over her head when she cried out in pain. I froze. "Whats wrong, baby?"
"My ribs," she said in a tight whisper.
Fuck. I forced myself to calm down. The anger rolling over me was getting worse. I was going to snap. The tank top she was wearing was ruined. Blood and grass stains had made it unsalvageable. I reached up and grabbed the neckline, then ripped it in one swift move. It fell to the ground behind her and my eyes found the bruised skin. It was too much. Seeing the dark bruise covering her side broke me. I had let this happen to her. I had left her alone and let this woman into our lives. This was my fault.
My knees gave out and I fell before her. Knowing that she was hurting was too much. The sob that filled the bathroom was mine.
"Woods, please dont," her sweet voice begged. Dellas hands caressed my head in her attempt to comfort me. Me. I wasnt the one who had been attacked. She was the one with bruises and covered in blood but I was the one on his knees, crying. "Its okay, Im okay," she tried to reassure me. She was in pain and she was worrying over me. I was a man, dammit. I couldnt break apart on her. It was my place to take care of her, not the other way around.
I forced myself to stand up and focus on undressing her. I needed to clean her. I had to fix her. Make the pain go away.
"Woods?" Her voice was soft and unsure. I knew the tears were still rolling down my face silently. I couldnt seem to make them stop. I was trying. They werent going away.
"I need to clean you. Let me clean you," I said, finally lifting my eyes to look into hers. She wasnt about to leave me anymore. The glazed look that Id seen in her eyes earlier was gone. I had her back with me.
"Okay," she said simply, and stepped into the shower.
I undressed and followed her inside. She wasnt standing under the warm water.
"I need to wash your hair," I told her, moving close to her body and running my hands down her arms.
"Be gentle with my head," she said.
Her head? What the fuck did Angelina do to her head? "Whats wrong with your head, baby?"
She dropped her eyes from mine as she stared down at the marble floor. "She pulled a lot of my hair out. It burns," she said so softly I almost missed it.
My body trembled. Holy hell.
"I will be ge
ntle. But we need to clean it. Do you trust me?" I asked as she stared warily back at the water. Then she nodded.
I moved her under the water and pressed kisses to her lips while whispering comforting words to her as she winced.
Gently, I washed her hair, then moved to clean her body. She flinched as I touched the tender spots. Each flinch from her body caused my chest to constrict. Once she was clean I wrapped a towel around her and carried her to bed. I needed to hold her but first I wanted her checked out.
"Im going to call a friend of mine. Hell come here and check you out. I need to know youre okay. Your ribs could be broken. "
She started to shake her head but I couldnt give her this. I had to know she was okay. "Della, I have to. I cant not make sure youre okay. Please, baby. Hes a sports doctor. We use him at the club during tennis tournaments. Hes a friend. Its okay. "
She finally nodded. "Okay," she agreed.
I didnt want to leave her in there alone but I wanted to talk to Martin without her hearing me. I didnt want to scare her.
"Hello," Martin said after one ring. I had his private line for emergencies. The club had been using him for over twenty years.
"Martin, its Woods. I need you to make a house call. My girlfriend was beaten up tonight by my crazy ex-fiancée. Im worried her ribs could be broken or she could be internally bleeding. I dont think Angelina is strong enough to actually cause internal bleeding but I still need Della checked out. She wont go to the hospital. "
Martin let out a low whistle. "Damn, Woods. That is some fucked-up shit," he replied.
"Yeah, it is. Can you come check her tonight?"
"Im on my way. Ill be there in twenty minutes. Are yall at your house?"
"Yeah, thanks, man. See you in a few. "
Della hadnt been thrilled about Martin checking her out but Id held her hand while he felt her ribs. She was bruised but that was it. Hed left her some pain pills. They had successfully knocked Della out within thirty minutes. I wasnt going to be able to sleep, though. I had something I needed to do.