Chapter 15

"You're at the same place as before?" he questioned with worry.

"Yes. Call me right when you pull up and I'll come out," I whispered, trying to think of a plan. "Come now." My voice shook as I struggled to get the last words out.

"I'll be there." He hung up.

I hung up the phone and clutched it to my chest. I couldn't believe that he found me. I thought that I was free of him for good.

A few minutes later, there was a light knock at the door.

I sat on the edge of the tub and kicked it with my boot. "Go away," I screamed. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Avery," Caleb said softly. "It's me. Can we talk?"

There was no reason for me to talk to him. After seeing my dad and hearing that he knew Aunt Pam, it became very clear to me that he was dealing drugs. That would be the only thing connecting them.

"There is nothing to talk about. You don't know shit about me and I want to keep it that way. Go away," I growled.

It was silent for a few minutes before I heard noise outside the door again. It sounded as if someone had fallen against the door.

"You listen here you, selfish little girl," my father hissed. "Your mother is going to die and you won't even go and see her. What kind of a person does that make you? You're no better than me." He laughed. "That's why no one will ever love you and you will never know what love is,” he sang his voice teasing and hateful.

The tear stopped and suddenly I felt like exploding.  How did he know what I was capable of when I didn't even know myself?

"Go to hell!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed so loud that it hurt. It took everything in me not to cover my ears from myself. "You are wrong."

I heard laughter on the other side of the door that made my blood boil. "You are still that stupid little girl. I thought that you grew out of that stage." He slammed his fist into the door and then fiercely turned at the knob. "Stupid little-"

I lost it. Something inside of me took over and I ran over to the door and yanked it open, body shaking and heart pounding in my chest.

My father stood there unsteady on his feet as he glared up at me with shock in his beady eyes. "I'm not that same girl," I said bravely. "I'm all grown now and I'm not going to take your crap anymore."

He stumbled into the wall while reaching out for my coat. His hand missed and he nearly fell to the ground. His eyes burned into me as he pursed his thin lips, the graying hair covering most of his mouth. "You get back here. I drove a long way to get your ass," he hissed.

"Go to hell," I shouted, as I brushed past his drunken body. I was getting out of there. I had to.

I ran past Caleb as he attempted to grab my hand. "No Caleb."

Caleb shook his head and wiped something off his nose. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was drugged up. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't know."

I threw my arms up in the air and then reached for my purse. I hated Caleb for this. I hated him for bringing hell back into my life. "I'm out-"

"Stop!" My father cut me off as he reached for my purse. "You're not going anywhere." He yanked me by my purse so that I was in his reach, then he reached for my hair and yanked me down to the ground.

A screech escaped my parted lips as my head bounced off the table leg, sending a wave of pain throughout my head.

I could see Caleb behind my dad as he attempted to reach for his arm to pull him away, but my dad shook him off and came at me anyways.

Before I knew it, his hand was around my throat and squeezing. "Let go," I whined, fighting for breath. "Stop-"

We all froze as the door to the house swung open to Jace standing there. The look on his face was fierce as he looked down at me on the ground and then to my dad that still had his hand on my throat. His strong jaw clenched as he stepped into the house.

My heart pounded at the sight of him.

"Let go," Jace demanded. "I won't hesitate to fucking kill you, you piece of shit."

My dad looked up at him as if was just his imagination. Then a smirk crossed his twisted face. "Screw off. It's none of your business." He pushed me further into the floor as he began to dig his nails into my neck.

I desperately grabbed at his hands attempting to pry them from my neck.

"You piece of..." Jace's words trailed off as he gripped my father's neck, placing him in a headlock. "Let go or I will snap your fucking neck."

My dad’s grip on my neck loosened, but then suddenly his fist connected with my right eye as a smirk crossed his face. I winced back in pain and covered my face as I watched Jace tackle him to the ground and hold him down by his neck.

Everything around me blurred as Jace's arm continued to swing never letting up on my father.

Caleb attempted to stop Jace, but not even that would get Jace to stop.

"Stop," Caleb shouted. "You're killing him."

I shot up from the ground and that's when I noticed all of the blood that surrounded them. Looking at it made me feel dizzy. Then panic set in. I couldn't let Jace kill him. "Jace," I shouted.

As soon as the word came out, he froze. He dropped his arm to his side and looked up at Caleb. "You idiot. I should kick your ass for letting her get hurt."

Caleb stood there in shock as he watched Jace get back to his feet. Not another word was spoken between them as Jace brushed past Caleb and stood before me.

His handsome face looked pained as he reached for my hand and helped me to my feet. He slowly reached out his hand and delicately caressed my swollen face, as he looked me in the eye. His green eyes were strained and full of hurt.

"I promised to never let you get hurt," he whispered. "I failed you and I'm sorry."

My heart beat rapidly in my chest as his fingertips softly touched my face and trailed down to my lips. The touch of his skin made me feel safe and all that I wanted to do was curl up in his arms and get lost.

"It's my fault," I whispered. I threw my arms around his waist and buried myself in his firm chest. The smell of him was so familiar and calming. Being that close to him made me realize what I had been missing all along. Why had I been so stupid?

He squeezed me close to his chest and tenderly pressed his lips to the top of my head. "I will never let him hurt you again." Jace promised.

"Shit," Caleb mumbled, interrupting the moment.

We both looked over to see Caleb standing above my dad. He bent down and held his hand above his mouth. "He's barely breathing," Caleb panicked. "You better get out of here. Now, before I call the cops."

A small part of me wanted to run to my dad. To make sure that he was going to be fine, but the bigger part of me told me that I needed to get Jace out of there. He was only protecting me. He never meant to hurt him.

"Jace." My voice shook as I reached for his arm.

Jace took a deep breath and bit his bottom lip. "I didn't mean to hurt him that-"

"I know," I cut in. I knew that Jace meant well. He was taking care of me as he promised. Just as he did that day when Max touched me.   

"Take that monster and get out of here," Caleb spat. "That's who you choose to be around? He's dangerous, Avery."

"He's not. He was-"

"It's fine, Avery. Let's get out of here." Jace said, pulling me into him.

I took one last look at my dad as he coughed and struggled, spitting up blood. My legs grew weak as I let Jace lead me outside and to his Mustang.

Jace opened the door for me and gently helped me inside before running over to his side and roughly shutting the door behind him.

He shoved the keys into the ignition and then reached over and cupped my face. He was silent as his eyes studied mine. My heart sped up. Both of us started to shake, as he looked me in the eye. "I'm going to take care of all of this. I promise."

I sat back in my seat and squeezed my eyes shut as Jace shifted the car into drive and took off. The tears rolled down my face leaving little wet spots on my shirt and jacket.

I could see Jace turning to look at me every few minutes, but I was in so much shock that I couldn't even get words to form.

I shook my head and slammed it into the seat. I didn’t know what to think. If my father died then Jace would probably get thrown into jail, not to mention the fact that my mother could already be dead.

The car was silent as we pulled up in front of Jace's house. He took the keys out of the ignition and looked over at me. "I have something to tell you." He forced out. "I should've told you in the first place."

My whole body started shaking as I attempted to look over at him. The look on his face was one of worry and pain. I wanted to reach out and hold him, to comfort him. "Tell me," I said softly, wanting him to know that he could tell me anything.

Jace leaned his head back and squeezed his eyes closed. He nervously played with the steering wheel as he pursed his lips. "That girl. The one that was in the picture that broke." He paused and looked away.

"Yes," I pushed.

"That was a close friend of mine. Zara was her name," he whispered. "Her boyfriend used to beat the crap out of her. She would come over at least once a week with bruises and cuts, crying and telling me all of the horrible things that he did to her. Finally, one day after I had enough and couldn't take anymore, I found him when he was alone. I found him and I beat the crap out of him." He stopped and looked over at me.

I nodded my head for him to continue.

He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his messy hair. "Zara came home just in time… she stopped me. He was barely breathing by that time. Fuck!" He slammed his head into the seat. "It was the same thing that happened tonight. I didn't mean to do so much damage, but something takes over me and when I care about someone I want to protect them."

I reached over with shaky hands and grabbed his face. I looked him in the eye, while rubbing his cheek. "What happened to her?" I questioned.

His eyes became glassy as he quickly turned his head away. "She felt bad for him so she stayed by his side. A week later he beat her...to...death." He choked it out. “I should’ve done more to save her. After that I promised to never let that happen to anyone that I cared about again.”

My heart sank to my stomach as I sat there, mouth open in shock. I was speechless. Jace had probably spent all of that time blaming himself. That's probably why Max said that he hadn't changed. He meant his violence, but it wasn't fair. He was only protecting his friend. "It wasn't your fault," I blurted out, wanting to cry and hold him and tell him that it wasn’t his fault.

He looked over at me with a look of shock. His eyes softened as he reached over and ran his finger over my lip.

"I missed you. I've been wanting to do this for so long now." He leaned in, pressing his lips against mine, causing me to become breathless.

My arms instantly went around his neck and squeezed as he pressed his lips closer to mine causing us both let out a moan of passion.

The kiss was broken up as loud knocking on the car window shocked us out of our own little world.

We both looked up in surprise to see a police officer with one hand on the window and the other gripping the top of his gun as if he was ready to pull it out at any minute.

His tall build leaned into the window as he nodded his head and waved his thick arm. "Jace Montgomery," he said stiffly. "Please step out of the car."

This can't be happening....

I watched in horror as Jace stiffly pressed his face into the steering wheel and huffed, before slamming his right fist into the roof of his Mercedes. "Dammit," he mumbled.

I felt sick to my stomach. Caleb called the police! My father died? Jace is going to jail?

I couldn't control my thoughts or emotions as I reached for the door handle, hands shaking as I pushed the door open. I placed one shaky leg after the other down to the dirty gravel as I attempted to get out of the car. My right leg gave out, but I quickly caught myself before I could fall down to the ground. "No!" I shouted. "Jace didn't do anything-"

"It’s fine, Avery." Jace shook his head and looked toward the ground. "I will take full responsibility for what I did," He said while stepping out of the car and leaning against it, eyes glued to mine. "I'm sorry, Avery.

"No," I whined. "I won't let you go to jail." I looked up with pleading eyes as I stood in front of the police officer. "It's not his fault. You can't-"

"Look here." The police officer cut in. "I don't have all night to listen to you two whine about a ticket." He looked between the both of us and raised an eyebrow. "You both act as if you've never received a speeding ticket before," he grunted, while pulling out his pad of tickets.

My eyes wandered over to Jace as he relaxed and leaned into his car door. "A ticket?” He questioned.

The police officer stood tall, brown eyes concerned, with an annoyed look on his face. "Yes, a ticket. Did you expect that since you got away from me back there that you wouldn't be getting a ticket," he growled and rolled his eyes.

"I ran your plates and name. I knew you'd be coming back here sometime." He held out a pad of paper and pulled off the top sheet. "I followed you for almost five miles, with you going 20 over the limit. You better slow down and save a life, boy."

He did save a life. Mine.

My heart started beating at its normal rate as the police officer took Jace’s information and made him sign for his ticket. A few minutes later the police officer was gone and on his way to ruin someone else's night.

Jace quickly walked around and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me close. He pressed his face against mine and softly kissed under my ear. "It feels so good to have you in my arms," he breathed. "I didn't want to have to give that up again."

I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his scruffy cheek. I was just so happy that he didn't get arrested and all that I wanted to do was be close to him.

"Thank you," I whispered into his chest. "You have done so much for me. I don't know. I just don't. What would I do with without you?"

Jace cupped my face in his hands and looked me in the eye, eyes gleaming, as he rubbed his thumb over my lips. "You'll never have to find out."

With that, he firmly pressed his lips to mine, while snaking his arms around me and lifting me off the ground. My whole body relaxed into his as he carried me through the yard and into the house, his lips still pressed against mine.

Once inside he gently laid me down on the cool leather couch and pressed his body between my parted legs.

Moaning, his lips pressed further into mine as I gently snaked my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his messy hair. He smiled into my lips as he ran his fingertips up my sides and then rested them on my face.

"Jace," I breathed.

Jace kissed my lips once more and then gently ran his mouth over my neck. "Yes," he said softly, his breath tickling my neck.

I leaned my head back in delight as his lip ring brushed just under my ear, causing my whole body to jerk in satisfaction. "I - um," I moaned. "What if something happened to my father? Caleb might send the police here. Then what?"

The kissing stopped and Jace slowly pulled away looking me in the eye. He softly ran his thumb over my bruised eye and then turned away in disgust.

"I did what I had to to protect you. I would do it all over again too." He paused to take a deep breath. "I owe Dex everything for letting me know what was going on with you. I couldn't sleep because I was so worried about you. I sat up all night just thinking about you and ways to get you to come back home. Then to my surprise, Dex called me and told me his concern. I got there as fast as I could and it was a good thing that I did. If something happens to your father then I will take what I get." He smiled and reached for my hand. "All that matters is that you're safe."

I squeezed his hand, pulse racing and my head spinning. He made my heart melt. "I've never told you this, but... I only feel safe when I'm with you." I looked up into his beautiful emerald eyes and felt relieved that I had him in my life.

"You have no idea how happy you just made me." Jace grinned before he leaned in and placed a short, sweet kiss on my lips. "I wish that I could've done the same for a few others that I care about." He paused and swallowed, a look of regret in his eyes. "When I first saw you, there was something in your eyes that told me you needed me. I needed you too."

“I do need-“

We both pulled away as a red car pulled into the driveway, the headlights shining through the open door. I knew right away that it was Caleb.

Jace jumped up from the couch and raced over to the door. I could tell by the look on his face that he was willing to do whatever it took to get Caleb out of my life for good. He reached for the door and pulled it open with hate.

I followed close behind as Jace stepped out of the house and onto the lawn. My heart raced with every move that both men made.

Caleb cautiously stepped out of the car, but didn't come any closer. He glanced in my direction and then quickly locked his eyes on Jace. "I dropped her father off at the hospital." He paused and ran his hand over his forehead. "If I would've known how he was then I wouldn't have invited him in my home."

Jace clenched his jaw as he leaned into the porch. You could tell that he somewhat believed him, but didn't want to.

"It doesn't matter. You are still a piece of shit for not protecting her. She was in your home and you stood by like an idiot." He shook his head and slammed his fist into the side of the house. "I should kick your ass for not protecting her. Are you fucking stupid?"

Caleb shook his head back and forth as he slapped his forehead. "I was in shock. I was stupid. I don't know," he muttered. "I didn't know what to do. He was drunk and drugged up and-"

"So were you," Jace cut in. "You were drugged up and didn't want to deal with the cops. You knew that if you protected her that the cops could've possibly of gotten called. You were too busy protecting yourself."

Caleb turned his head and slammed his hand into the car door. Then he looked up at me with desperation in his eyes. "Avery."

"No, Caleb." I turned away, staring at the split wood on the porch railing. "I don't want to hear anything that you have to say. Just leave."

"I know where your mother's at."

Caleb’s words made my heart stop. In all of the commotion, I had managed to forget about my mother and the fact that she could be dying. Both of my parents hurt and on the verge of death. "What," I questioned.

Jace looked back at me with a confused look on his face. "Avery," he whispered.

I forced my eyes to meet Jace's as I nervously ran my hands through my messy hair. "My mother is in the hospital." I pulled my eyes away from Jace and looked back over to Caleb. "Tell me," I demanded.

Caleb gave Jace a hard look before he bent into his car and then stood back up with a small folded up paper in his hand. He looked down at the paper and then back up at me. "I'll give it to you. Not him." he said nodding his head toward Jace.

Jace gave Caleb a dirty look before he pressed his head into his outstretched arm and gave me a nod.

I let out a nervous breath and took a step forward. All though Caleb hadn't physically hurt me I was still cautious around him. "Give it to me and go please."

I stepped up to Caleb with Jace keeping a watchful eye on us the whole time. Caleb gave me a weak smile and placed the paper in my open hand. "For what it's worth; I do care about you," he whispered, barely audible.

I closed my hand around the folded paper and took a step back. I didn't want to hear that Caleb cared for me. It suddenly made me feel bad for all that I had put him through. I would never show it though. He got his payback, even if he didn't mean to. "Bye, Caleb," I mumbled, taking a step back.

Caleb clenched his teeth as he backed away from me and shook his head. "Bye." He gave Jace one last look before he hopped into his BMW and drove away.

Jace was instantly at my side. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled my head down to his chest for comfort. His breathing slowed down as soon as Caleb was completely out of sight. "Would you like to tell me about your mother?" Jace asked as he softly rubbed my head.

I pulled my face away from his chest and looked up at him. "She's in the hospital." I felt the tears start to fall as soon as the words escaped my lips. "I think my father beat her. She needs me, Jace."

Jace leaned his head back in a struggle to control his anger. I could see how much it hurt him to see women being abused. It was something that he had dealt with in his past and I knew that he would put an end to it all if he could. "I'll take you there as soon as we wake up. I would feel better if you got a little rest first."

I nodded my head in agreement, just now realizing just how exhausted I felt. If it wasn't for Jace holding me, I would've probably of been on the ground. "Thank you."

Jace smiled and placed a kiss on my nose. Then he smoothly grabbed the paper from out of my hand and opened it. He read it to himself and then looked over at me. "She's only about 45 minutes from here. I'll get you there. Let's go inside and rest first. Just long enough for you to gain your energy. You’re going to need it to be there for her."

I gave him a thankful smile as he held my hand and led me inside.

Being back in Jace's home gave me that same safe, at home feeling that it always did. I had to admit that it felt great to be back. Jace and I may have still had a lot to catch up on, but at the moment the only thing that I could think about was my mother's safety. "Thank you," I said. "I owe you so much."

Jace pulled me into my old room and gently helped me into the bed. It was soft and cozy just liked I remembered and the faint smell of Jace's cologne still lingered on the blankets making me feel safe. He lay down next to me and stripped us both of our jackets before we got lost under the warmth of the blankets. “You being here is enough.”