He squeezed my arms tight, pushing me away from the car, and slapped me across the face. As I turned my head to look at Kendrick, the same paparazzi that had followed Kate and I stood at the end of Kendrick's car, camera pointed. He snapped away pictures. "Ah, this will be so good," he muttered as he continued to click away while Kendrick held onto me.
Kendrick shoved me to the ground for a chance to grab the paparazzi’s camera. The paparazzi took off, and Kendrick grabbed me, picking me up. The second I was on my feet, I lifted my knee and kicked Kendrick in the balls, a whoosh of air escaping his lips as he doubled over in pain. I took that as my chance and ran right into traffic, dodging cars with their horns blaring, tires squealing as they hit their brakes to avoid hitting me.
I was almost across the road when I glanced behind me and saw Kendrick lunge into traffic, forgetting all about the paparazzi, running towards me, dodging cars. I continued running, finally making it to the sidewalk, when I heard a squeal of tires on the pavement. I turned around and watched breathlessly as a red truck plowed into Kendrick, sending him flying into the air. Immediately my hands covered my mouth to keep from screaming as I watched Kendrick fall into another car, bouncing off that and landing on the pavement, lying in a very unnatural position.
Cars came screeching to a halt, drivers getting out and looking to the man who lay in a heap in the center of the road. "Someone call 911," I heard someone say.
I could barely move, and then I looked at the red truck. That was when the door opened and I watched Sara climb out of the driver's side. She stared down at Kendrick's body and then up to me, horror in her eyes. Slowly, I went to her. Once at her side, she looked up at me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, looking back over my shoulder at the still heap on the pavement. "I think so," I murmured.
"I saw you jut out into traffic. He was after you. I didn't mean to hit him. He just kind of ran in front of me."
"He was after me, Sara," I said, turning my head so she could see the fresh slap that he had delivered only moments before.
Sirens started wailing in the background as police and an ambulance arrived on the scene. It was only a matter of moments before the paramedics had taken Kendrick, with zero vital signs, to the hospital.
Chapter 15
Ben
I was sure my heart had stopped when Jess had called from the New York Police Department to tell me that there had been an accident. I had rushed down to the department to find Jess crying in the hallway. I had finally calmed her down just in time for us to receive the news that Kendrick had succumbed to his injuries. Jess had only nodded as she received the news. She had made no comment. She just gripped my hand tightly while she listened. I was afraid that at any point she would break down, but insteadshe was quiet as I drove her and Sara back to the apartment.
We walked Sara up to her place, and the girls hugged for a few moments before saying good night. Then I rode the elevator up to her floor, her hand in mine. I pushed the door to Jess's apartment open, turned on the light, and let her walk in before me, my hand resting on her lower back. "Why don't you take a seat on the couch and relax. I'll make you some tea."
Jess nodded. "I think I will take a shower and get changed."
Those had been the only words Jess had muttered since she had called me to come and pick her up. I watched as she slipped her shoes off and wandered down the hall to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her, while I went into the half-torn-apart kitchen, filled the kettle, and put it on to boil. She'd been in the showerfor almost half an hour, and while waiting for her, I pulled the blinds and turned on the TV, letting the noise drown out the silence. I'd just gone into the kitchen when I saw her out of the corner of my eye.
"Are you hungry?" Jess asked, coming around the corner. She was dressed in sweats, and she lay down and curled into a ball in the middle of the couch.
"I could eat," I said, glancing at my watch and realizing I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. "Feel like Chinese?"
I watched as her eyes lit up at the idea. "My goodness, do I ever. It's been years since I had Chinese."
"All right, give me a minute." I chuckled as I did an internet search for the nearest Chinese restaurant and picked up the phone. I placed a rather large order from Chow's Chinese, so Jess could have leftovers. "Should be here shortly," I said and put the phone back on the charger.
"Perfect. I'm so hungry."
The kettle whistled,and I quickly stopped and poured the boiling water over a tea bag. "Here you go," I said, setting the cup down on the table in front of Jess. "You okay?" I questioned, sitting down beside her.
She sat there staring into the cup of tea I had just brought to her. "I just can't believe he's gone. It feels kind of surreal, you know? I'm free. I can do what I want."
"You are, and now he definitely can't hurt you anymore," I answered, taking in the bruise I noticed had formed on her cheek earlier. "Does this hurt?" I asked, reaching out and cupping her cheek, running my thumb gently over the puffy green and yellow bruise, causing her to flinch.
"A little," she whispered. "Really, though, it's nothing. They've been much worse."
I frowned. Nothing. What did she mean nothing? In my mind, Kendrick was lucky he was dead. I got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. I placed a few ice cubes in a bag and wrapped it in a towel. "Here, keep this on it. It should help with the swelling." I held the wrap up to her cheek.
Her fingers grazed mine as she took the ice from me and held it against her cheek. I sat down beside her and she lay down, resting her head in my lap. I pulled her hair back off her face and soon found my fingers running through her soft hair, just as I used to do when we were younger. She gave a soft little moan and closed her eyes.
We'd stayed that way for close to half an hour. The longer I sat there staring down at her, the longer I thought about how badly I wanted to kiss her again. The urge built, and soon it was coursing through my body. I almost didn't know how I would continue to fight the urge until a knock on the door dragged me away from my thoughts. "That would be the Chinese," I said, winking at her, while I supported her as she sat up so I could stand.
In a matter of seconds, I had paid and brought the bag of food in, setting it on the table in front of the couch, the scent of egg rolls filling the air. I grabbed some plates from a box that sat against the wall along with spoons and forks, and in a matter of minutes, the food was on the plates and we sat together, side by side, eating dinner.
"I feel so guilty, Ben," Jess blurted as she placed her plate down on the table in front of her.
"Why?"