Page 66 of The Way Back Home
“I told you. She’s resting.”
Alex’s eyes dropped to the towel Josh held in his hand—more red than white—even as his nose picked up the distinctive coppery scent. The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees. Without warning, one fist came out and hit Josh squarely in the face. The crunch of bones breaking was loud in the eerie silence. Before Josh hit the floor, Alex was sprinting upthe steps two at a time, fast and silent, adrenaline surging.
When he reached the bedroom, he took one look at the still, bloodied figure on the bed, recognizable only by the dark hair and petite build. He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and forced himself into triage mode.
One eye was swollen shut. Distended cheekbone. Lips and nose busted and bleeding. Half of her face was a deep, angry shade of red. He cataloged her visible injuries as he went, gauging the level of severity.
“Sheriff, call an ambulance!” he shouted.
He leaned over Teagan and felt for a pulse. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch.
“Alex …” she whispered, her voice thick, as though fluid was pooling in her throat. “Go …”
“It’s over,” he said, wiping at some of the blood.
He’d been in tough situations before. More than he could count. But this hit different. This was his brother’s woman. The one who had brought Noah out of his darkness and back to the family. The one who was willing to sacrifice herself for people she barely knew.
“Don’t move. Don’t speak. You hear me? Help is coming.”
“Josh …”
“Sheriff’s got him downstairs. We know everything, Teagan. He’ll never hurt you or anyone else again, I promise.”
Her eyes fluttered, but he could have sworn he saw relief there.
“Hang on, Teagan. An ambulance is on the way.”
Alex started to lift the blanket to assess her injuries and provide whatever first aid he could, but Teagan cried out to stop him.
“Don’t look at me, Alex, please.”
“You need help.”
“It’s too late,” she rasped, struggling to draw breath. “Leave me.”
“Can’t do that, sweetheart. Now please, shut up and stay still until the medics get here.”
“Noah.”
“He’s on his way.”
At least, Alex hoped he was. He’d left half a dozen messages and texts while waiting for the judge to sign the warrant. If only the sheriff hadn’t been at the diner, Alex could have taken care of the situation far more efficiently and preventedthis.
“No!” she cried in a sudden burst of panic, clawing at his hands. Her nails were broken and bloody, some of her fingers at unnatural angles. “He can’t see me like this. Don’t let him see me like this. Please, Alex.”
His cold heart broke as tears fell from her swollen eyes, turning pink in the blood of her bruised and battered face. Her breathing became even more erratic as she struggled. Alex reached behind her to steady her. She flinched, as if that simple touch was painful. He cursed under his breath and added broken ribs and a possible punctured lung to the list.
“Teagan …” Alex’s voice was firm, commanding as she fought for air. He tried to control the rage inside him that wanted to go downstairs and rip that monster apart limb from limb. Breaking the fucker’s nose hadn’t been nearly enough. “You need to calm down right now, or you’re going to do more damage.”
She met his eyes. “No Noah. Promise me, Alex.” Each word was a struggle.
She gripped his hand, but he barely felt a thing. Her eyes—what he could see of them through the swelling—pleaded as loudly as her voice.
How the hell could he keep his brother away? It would be like trying to keep the wind out of the trees. He tried his best to get her to calm down without making that promise, but she was adamant. Blood was bubbling out of her mouth faster now, her breaths were becoming shallower, her skin was a frightening shade of white. Reluctantly, Alex nodded, and Teagan’s body sagged into the mattress.
He did what he could, but it wasn’t much. He pressed a cold compress against her face and held her hand. Tried to keep her awake and lucid. Primarily, he concentrated on keeping her still until the paramedics arrived. Even when they did, she kept her hand in his as she floated in and out of consciousness. He only let go when he heard the familiar squeal of truck tires outside.
Noah.
