Page 6 of Beaten

He was, but I wasn’t okay with him knowing my shameful secret.But he can help me. Damn it. My emotions were all over the place; I was grateful for the support, embarrassed by my circumstances, and afraid Craig would come here and try to drag me back home. No, not home. The apartment we’d shared wasn’t my home anymore. Tears welled in my eyes as my emotions got the best of me.

“Emily, you know Jamie won’t judge you.” Chris addressed one of my unspoken fears, but I didn’t believe him. How could anyone look at me and not judge me for being so weak?

“Okay.” I didn’t think I had a choice, besides he was right, Jamie was a trained professional. I’d known him for as long as I could remember. Craig hadn’t killed me, but my embarrassment might—I had a major crush on Jamie back in junior high and high school.

“Anyway, dinner’s ready.”

Chapter 3

Jamie

The bar stool felt harder than I remembered as I waited for Chris. We used to be regulars here, and we’d chosen it out of nostalgia rather than any real desire to hang out in a loud sports bar. Looking forward to the evening, I’d arrived early. A night out with my best friend was exactly what I needed to get out of the funk I’d been in for the last week.

It’d been great seeing Chris at the ribbon cutting ceremony but there hadn't been much time to talk, so I was happy he could get away for a few hours tonight. It’d been too long since we’d last seen each other, and it’d be nice to catch up. I was busy with SSI; and my god-daughter, Zoe, had him and Vicky burning the candle at both ends. I made a mental note to plan a day we could all get together. I could use a day with them—Zoe’s laughter was the best anti-depressant. Thinking of Chris’s family reminded me I wanted to ask himabout Emily, he’d seemed off when Jack asked about her at the opening.

When I saw Chris walk in, I waved him over. We shook hands and hugged, patting each other on the back, the way men do. “It’s good to see you, man. How’s dad-life treating you?”

“Good, other than the sleepless nights and non-stop dirty diapers.” Chris’s laugh made it obvious he was loving every minute of it. “How about you? How’s the new place working out for SSI?”

After Isabelle’s death, I turned in my badge and started Sheppard & Sons Investigations, a personal protection and investigation company, with my dad and brother, Jack. It wasn’t easy for Dad and I to leave the police force, we were third generation cops, but it was the right decision for both of us. We were still serving our community, but we didn’t have to wait for the 9-1-1 call to help them. We could offer protection before the crime was committed, and didn’t have to deal with the bureaucracy or red tape of law enforcement.

“It’s great. We’ve grown a lot in the last year and we’ll be hiring another full-time person sooner rather than later.” I waved the bartender over. “Let me buy you a beer.”

“Thanks. Is it cool if we grab a high top instead of sitting at the bar?”

The change in Chris’s tone caught my attention. “Yeah, no problem.”

After we sat down, I asked Chris what was going on. He made a joke that I never missed anything, “Must be a cop thing.” But his laugh sounded forced.

“It is.” It was also a best friend thing. “Spill it.”

“You remember my sister, Emily?”

I raised an eyebrow. Of course I did. She was the awkward teenager in braces who wanted to tag along everywhere we went. She and Jack were were about the same age and were both sophomores when Chris and I were seniors. I’d only seen her a few times since graduating. The last time had been at Isabelle’s funeral, but I’d been so consumed with grief I barely remembered talking to her.

“She’s in trouble, and I could use your expertise.”

My back stiffened. It had to be bad if he needed my kind of expertise. “What kind of trouble?”

Chris sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before answering. “Her ex hit her.”

“Fuck.” The thought of any man hitting a woman pissed me off. The thought of someone hitting Emily made my blood boil. I’d do whatever it took to help Chris, and Emily. But first things first. “Is she somewhere safe right now?”

“Yeah, she’s staying with our parents.”

I nodded. Glad she was nearby.

“She left him two days ago, while he was in jail, but she’s worried he may come after her.”

Without thinking, I switched to professional mode. If the asshole got arrested, it was bad. “Tell me everything you know.” I took out my phone and typed notes as Chris filled me in.

Chris didn’t know if Craig was still in jail, so I made a note to check if he’d made bail. “Has he made contact?”

“Not that I know of, but I can ask.” He took a swig of beer. “She said it wasn’t the first time he-”

“Not the first time?”How long has this been going on? My expression must have looked accusational because his tone was angry when he replied.

“Don’t look at me like that Jamie. Christ, if I’d known, I would’ve dragged her out of there.”

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