Page 23 of Beneath the Scars

"He was emotionally and physically abusive our entire childhood. It all built up to one day when he came home after going on a bender and pushing things too far. I still don't know what pushed him over the edge, and I'll probably never know. It doesn't matter though. He grabbed a baseball bat and came for me and Becky. We ran to the kitchen, and he cornered me." My voice wavers and breaks as the emotions threaten to overwhelm me. I can see it happening in front of me as if I'm some kind of fucked up spectator.

"He swung. I could see the bat coming for my head, but Becky stepped in front of me before it hit me."

She took my hit for me. She gave her life for me. My sweet, sweet sister stepped up and took the hit that was meant for me.

"I'm supposed to be dead. She's supposed to be here now. Becky was always the better of the two of us. She had so much life to live. Her body collapsed in on herself so fast once our dad's bat connected with her temple. After that, things are a huge blur. He took the bat to the stuff on the kitchen counters. Glass everywhere. At some point, he pushed my face into the glass shards littering the floor, using me as his punching bag."

I remember everything hurting. The pain of the sharp edges digging into my face was so vivid, but the ache in my heart at having to watch my sister's lifeless face in front of me overshadowed everything else.

"I passed out, and when I woke up later, it was when paramedics were loading me onto a stretcher. I fell in and out of consciousness after that, and when I finally woke up in the hospital two days later, it was to find out that my dad had taken his shotgun to himself after he'd finished on me. He must have thought he'd killed me, too."

I let out a huge sigh, releasing the build-up of tension from having to dive into the dark memories. "It's not everything, and I'd love to say things got better after that, but it didn't really. Being the kid of a killer came with its own set of problems," I whispered against Byron's chest and tightened my arms around him when his body tensed at my words. He hasn't given me any indication of his thoughts and emotions, and I appreciate it. He has given me a safe space to get it out without making it about him. This was the first time he's shown any reaction to my words.

"It's okay, honey. No one knows about my past anymore unless I want them to, and the only thing I still need to deal with is the stares and reactions to my face."

Byron pulls away and lifts my chin so I'm forced to look up at him. "Thank you for sharing, beautiful." His mouth descends, and his lips claim mine in a soft kiss.

"All you've done is prove to me what an amazingly strong person you are. Everyone has scars, Lily. Some of us just don't carry ours on the outside. I personally think it only makes you more fierce for having to deal with the physical scars as well as emotional ones."

I knew he was the right person to share it with. In his arms, I feel safe and accepted.

There's a knock on the door, and a quick look at the clock shows it's after eight. "Who's that? Did you order something?" I ask Byron as he falls back against the bed, letting out a huge sigh.

"That's Agent Jones. My partner for the foreseeable future." He sounds less than pleased. Byron mentioned that his boss sent someone to come help him on the case, but I thought he'd be glad for the assistance.

"Why don't you like him?" I ask, resting my chin on the back of my hand on his chest to look at his face. He peeks down at me before answering.

"It's more that he doesn't like me, which makes things a tad uncomfortable."

I am completely familiar with the feeling of working with someone who makes things awkward for you. I kiss his chest before pushing up from the bed. "Want me to get dressed and out of your hair?"

"No!" He follows me up and grabs my hand to stop me from getting off the bed. "No, I'll get rid of him. There's nothing we can do tonight that can't wait until tomorrow morning anyway."

Byron grabs his pants on the way to the door, and I admire the view as he bends over to slip his feet in. I'm treated to the pleasure of his naked back and the low-riding black trousers as he opens the door enough to stick his head through.

"Jones, you made it." His words are cordial enough if a bit clipped. I can't hear the agent respond before Byron speaks up again. "Yeah, it's been a long couple of days. Going to get some sleep and then hit the street tomorrow."

There is another short pause, and I watch as Byron's body tenses at whatever the other man says before he responds. "No. It can wait. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

He pushes shut the door, not giving Agent Jones a chance to respond.

When he climbs into bed, he pulls me tight against him before kissing the top of my head. "I know it's early, beautiful, but I wasn't lying. I'm beat. Can we get some sleep?"

"Uh-huh," I respond, snuggling in.

But I can't help feeling like there is suddenly a chasm between us that wasn't there five minutes ago.

***

And it's still there when we wake up the following day. Byron is sullen and withdrawn. I know it has nothing to do with what I shared last night, but it's hard not to take his sudden about-face personally.

"I'll grab a cab to the hospital," I tell him as I finish my coffee. "You meet up with your partner, and I'll see you tonight." I reach for the door, hoping he'll stop me. When he doesn't, my heart sinks, and I slip out without another word.

Jayne's waiting for me in front of the large metal doors with two cups of coffee, and I could kiss her. I'm so relieved to see her. I've not had much time to spend with her due to everything happening, and the few texts jumping between us haven't felt like the right way to share.

"Thank fuck," I tell her as she hands me the extra cup. "I have been dying to talk to you."

My voice betrays all the emotion built up, and what should have been a happy talk turns into something sad and tense as I tell Jayne all about the creepy fucker leaving me notes and the man who stole my heart. And maybe even working his way toward breaking it at the same time.

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