Page 54 of Resisting Temptation (Men of Honor 3)
He turns away. “Nothing, I’m fine.”
I grab onto his shirt, trying to force him to look at me and he flinches in pain. “You are not fine. Talk to me, Christopher, please. I can help you.”
He rips away from me angrily. “What the fuck is with you, lady? Why can’t you just leave me the hell alone! I don’t need your fucking help.”
I feel Cade step closer. “Watch the way you talk to her, kid.”
Christopher looks at him sharply. “Fuck you. Who the hell are you?”
“Someone you don’t want to piss off.” Cade’s voice is loaded with warning and I put my hand on his chest, telling him to back off, knowing it won’t help the situation.
Stepping closer, I put my hand gently on Christopher’s shoulders, making sure not to hurt him, and stand directly in front of him. He stares at me angrily, but his pain burns brighter. “Talk to me please. Let me help you.”
He clenches his jaw and his chest starts heaving as he struggles to hold in his emotion. “You can’t help me,” he replies with an agonized whisper. “No one can. I’m fucking stuck with him until I’m old enough to get Ruth Jean and me the hell out of here.”
I watch utter dejection twist his expression before his first sob escapes. He starts sinking to the ground in despair. I lock my arms around him and fall alongside with him. My heart breaks and my own tears start to spill as I feel him tremble against me. I don’t say or do anything but hold him.
We stay like this for a good minute until Cade interrupts. “Red, let’s move this into the truck. It’s not safe to be sitting here like this, and you don’t have a jacket on.”
I bring my face close to Christopher’s so he can hear me over the rain. “Come with me. Trust me to help you. I won’t do anything you are not comfortable with, I promise.”
He’s quiet for a few moments before I feel him nod. He struggles to stand and favors his left side. We walk slowly and Cade opens the back door of his truck for us. I crawl in next to Christopher and grab Cade’s jacket for him, but he pushes it away. “No, I’m fine. You take it.” I don’t argue about it since I know it’s pointless.
Once Cade gets in, he looks in the rearview mirror at me for instruction. “We should go to the hospital,” I suggest softly.
“No! No hospital.”
“Christopher, you’re really hurt and you need to be seen by a doctor.”
“No, I’m serious, Faith. No doctors and no hospital or I’m out of here.”
I let out a defeated breath and don’t push. “All right, we will go to my house.”
The rest of the way home is silent. I rub his back and stay close, wanting to comfort him as much as possible before I need to ask questions. I have no doubt in my mind that after what Ruth Jean told me, and the comment he just made, that his father is the one who did this to him. Which absolutely breaks my heart, but even more than that I’m infuriated.
We arrive home a few minutes later and Cade comes around quickly to help Christopher down, which he doesn’t like. “I’m fine, I can do it myself.”
Cade doesn’t back down. “Forget your pride for a minute, kid, or you’re going to feel like an idiot when you land on your ass.”
Christopher reluctantly lets him take his arm and help him down. Cade makes sure to release him quickly then he moves to me. As I go to jump down, he grabs my hips and lowers me slowly, my body sliding against his hard one and it kicks my heart into overdrive. We are both soaked from head to toe and I watch drops of rain run down his beautiful, strong face as he stares down at me with hunger and also a hint of anger. “Don’t ever run out on me like that again.”
Instead of arguing, I nod, because now is not the time to get into it. He releases me and I already miss his closeness but I shake it off and focus only on Christopher. Taking his arm, I walk him into the house and get him situated on my couch. I try to get him to lie down, but the stubborn boy refuses. I go grab towels and hand one to both to him and Cade.
“Let me look at you,” I say, kneeling down in front of him.
“I’m fine. But I could use some ice and aspirin if you have some.”
I don’t let him blow me off anymore. “Christopher, either you let me look at you or we go to the hospital.”
Annoyance sparks in his eyes and that’s when Cade steps in. “Red, why don’t you go change, get a first aid kit and some aspirin.”
I look back at him and he nods in reassurance for me to leave. I reluctantly walk away and hear them murmuring as I change into a pair of black capri leggings and a thin, cream, long-sleeve, off-the-shoulder sweater. Then I put my fuzzy boot slippers on and head into the bathroom to grab my first aid kit and some aspirin.
Making my way back down the stairs and into the living room, I suck in a sharp breath when I get a look at Christopher with no shirt on. His torso is not much better than his face. The whole left side of his ribs are black and blue with big, angry, red welts across his upper arms and chest, with the imprint of a metal belt buckle deeply grooved into his skin.
I start to feel tears form but I quickly blink them away, knowing I need to be strong for him right now. Cade assesses his ribs as he kneels in front of him, and it makes me wonder why he let him do it but not me. Although he may have been too afraid to say no to Cade, most would be.
