Page 2 of Against the Wall

“You need me? What happened?”

“Please come.”

I didn’t get a chance to say another word before she disconnected the call. A bad feeling came over me as I threw on a fresh pair of jeans and a tee. I doubted she was crying over her deck, so I passed up my work boots for a pair of tennis shoes. It only took me a moment to dig my wallet and keys out of my discarded clothes, and I ran for the door, stopping only long enough to lock the place up. Breaking every speed limit in town, I screeched to a halt at her curb about ten minutes later.

I rang her doorbell and waited. When she didn’t answer, I banged on it with my fist, hoping I wouldn’t shatter the pretty stained glass. Still no Madelyn. I hesitated only a moment before I reached for the knob and let myself in. I heard sniffles and crying coming from the back of the house. When I entered the kitchen, she was curled into a corner near the stove with her phone clutched in her hand and her head hanging down, hair obscuring her face.

Kneeling in front of her, I slowly reached out and tipped her chin up. I couldn’t stop the curse that fell from my lips when I took in her bruised cheek and split lip.

“What the hell did that bastard do to you?” I asked with a growl to my tone.

“He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

My heart kicked in my chest, and I looked her over, but her clothing didn’t seem to be in disarray. I hoped like hell when she said he wouldn’t take no for an answer that it hadn’t meant he’d raped her. I gently scooped her into my arms and carried her into the living room. The waning sunlight filtered through the floor to ceiling windows, but I flicked on the lamp to get a better look at her.

“Do you have an ice pack?” I asked, thinking we needed to get the swelling down in her lip and cheek.

“Freezer.”

I left her long enough to see what she had available. There were two gel ice packs in the freezer door, and I pulled both out, carrying them back to her. I placed one against her cheek and motioned for her to put the other against her lip.

“You need to call the police.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. His daddy is a state senator, and his uncle is the mayor. The police aren’t going to do anything but laugh at me.”

“You need a restraining order, Madelyn. You can’t let him get away with this.”

“They won’t do anything,” she insisted.

“Then they’ll waste their time coming out here because I’m calling them.”

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed 9-1-1. After assuring the operator the guy wasn’t on the premises anymore and answering all of her questions, I sat and waited for the dispatched units to arrive. After fifteen minutes, I could hear sirens in the distance and hoped that was them. I thanked the operator and hung up, taking Madelyn’s hand on mine.

“I’m going to go wait for them on the porch.”

She shook her head and held onto me tighter. “Don’t leave me.”

“Why did you call me?” I asked, having to know why me and not one of her rich friends. It wasn’t like we were close, even if I had spent the last few days drooling over her while I worked.

“You make me feel safe,” she said. “I knew you wouldn’t let him hurt me anymore.”

Pride swelled inside at her words, and she was damn right. I wasn’t about to let anything else happen to her, not if I could help it. If the asshole was as connected as she said, then I knew it would be an uphill battle, but I’d stand by her while she figured things out. Hopefully, the police would listen and actually take the damn report and not brush her off.

When the officers knocked on the door, I yelled for them to come in and told them our location, and as an afterthought, I added that neither of us was armed. A paramedic was on their heels, and I was grateful someone would be able to take a look at Madelyn in case she needed more than ice to heal her. She looked pretty rough.

I tried to get out of the way, but she held tight to my hand when the officers began questioning her.

“And who are you?” the older officer asked.

“He’s my friend, Grady O’Bryan,” Madelyn said. “I called him when Bradley left. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“And that’s Bradley Simon?” the second officer asked, as he took notes.

Madelyn nodded.

“I know he’s supposed to be related to the mayor, but you’re going to do something to stop him from coming back, aren’t you?” I asked.

The officers shared a look, and I knew it meant trouble.

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