Page 97 of Loved By You

“Get off me,” I hiss, bringing my knee up again to meet his balls and this time I manage to hit him hard. He groans and hunches over and I see that as my moment to break free and run upstairs to the girls. I’m almost at the staircase when he grabsme around the waist. I kick and flail my arms and legs around, making it hard for him to keep hold of me.

“Stop, you crazy bitch,” he shouts, slamming me against the bannister face first, hitting my head so hard my vision blurs for a few seconds. A pressure in my chest builds, making it hard to breathe.

I slump to the ground, my hands bracing against the bottom step as I try to get my bearings. A sharp pain shoots through my head, making me whimper.

The unmistakable sound of a belt buckle makes my blood run cold, my limbs begin to tremble uncontrollably as he tugs at my robe, causing the burn of bile to return to my throat and my body to go numb. I will myself to move, but I’m frozen, fear taking over.

Come on Ria, fight.

I somehow find the strength to kick my leg out behind me, my foot meeting his shin making him growl in pain, and just as I try to free myself from his grip, a little voice rings out from the top of the staircase.

“Mommy?” A sleepy Lexi is silhouetted on the dark landing. Silence falls, Alex not moving.

“Go to bed, sweetie. Mommy and I are talking,” Alex says sweetly.

“Why was Mommy screaming? Are you hurting her?”

I swallow hard, my tongue feeling like lead in my mouth. I try to speak, to reassure my baby girl that I’m okay, but he beats me to it.

“We were playing. Mommy was excited. We are just having a nice little chat about what we are going to do as a family tomorrow, so be a good girl and go to bed.”

I glance up the stairs just in time to see Lexi mumble an 'okay' and walk back to her bedroom. The relief is instant that she's away from him, but I'm still stuck here.

“Alex, please, you need to go. You're gonna scare Lexi. Just let me go,” I beg. He shoves me forward and releases me, so I slump onto the stairs.

“I don’t want you anyway. You make me sick. I bet you’ve been fucking all those guys in that club. You can do what you want, but I’m taking my girls.”

Alex steps over me and walks up the staircase, making his way to the girls' bedroom. My protective instinct kicks in and I run after him, lunging for him before he can reach them.

“You are not taking my babies,” I growl as I fall into the wall, my shoulder hitting the concrete, but I don't feel any pain, adrenaline taking over my body.

“Fucking watch me,” he barks. I pull his arm, tugging him back towards the stairs, fighting to get past him, but he shrugs me off, sending me careering backward, and I let out a scream.

The world goes into slow motion as my foot misses the top step and I fall. My last thought is a wish: that Jack gets back in time to save them.

Chapter Forty-Four

Jack

I drive back to Ria’s, taking in the Christmas lights that cover the houses on her street. I love living in New York but there is something about this small town just outside the city that Ria found herself in that has that feel of home that I want. The smell of our Chinese takeout fills my car, our car. I love saying ‘our’, this is it for me, Ria, and the girls and as much as I love her little home, I want to find somewhere that is ours, something we choose together.

I tap my fingers against the steering wheel to the radio when a bright light floods my car, so bright I have to squint and raise my hand to shield my eyes. The car is coming at me full speed and I pull the wheel with force to miss it as it speeds past.

“What an asshole,” I shout, pressing my car horn.

I pull into the driveway and get the bags of takeout. I exit the car and walk up the steps to Ria’s house but something feels off. It’s the same feeling I would get when on the frontline in Afghanistan when the enemy was closing in, or before we entered a compound. I notice the front door is open and I drop the bags, racing up the porch steps.

My heart constricts when I see Ria laying in a heap under her white robe at the bottom of the staircase, a small pool of blood on the floor next to her head.

The air leaves my body and my knees buckle.

I find my bearings, stagger over to her and fall to my knees. “Ri, baby, can you hear me?” I rush, panic filling my voice. I press two fingers to her pulse point on her neck and lean my ear to her mouth to check her breathing. It’s shallow, but it’s there. I know I shouldn't move her. I’ve dealt with many casualties when on tour and I acted without a second thought, going through the motions, the relevant checks, and administering the first aid they needed. But this isn't a comrade, a brother in arms, or even a friend.

This is Ria, my Ria, the love of my life. Laying lifeless in front of me, blood dripping down her perfect face. My chest tightens at the thought of losing her. I stroke my hands over her head, trying to see if I can find the source of the blood loss.

“Ria, sweetheart, it’s me. I need you to wake up for me okay, wake up, baby.” I stroke the hair away from her face with one hand and fumble in my pocket for my phone.

I dial 911, my fingers shaking so much I have to redial the numbers several times to get it right.

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