Page 60 of If Only You Hurt

With a curse, Tad falls to the ground, grabbing his groin, his face turning red like a tomato.

I rush toward the front door, my fingers shaking as I put the key in the lock and turn it.

The moment I feel the cold air of the New York winter upon my face, I feel the relief wash over me. Shane bypasses me and goes straight to Tad, bringing his hands behind his back and putting all his weight on Tad’s back to ensure he can’t move. Tad would probably struggle, but the pain he’s still feeling from my fight is keeping him from getting out of Shane’s grasp.

Becca engulfs me in a hug, and I begin to cry. The fear I have rushing through my veins feels like it’s going to consume me. I’ve never been more grateful for the self-defense classes I took with my sister and Becca as I am right now. The moment the three of us were in the same city, we took classes because we didn’t feel comfortable living on our own without some way to protect ourselves.

I hear Becca shushing me as my body shakes from the sobs breaking free.

“You’re okay now, Lane. You’re okay, sweetie. I’ve got you. He won’t hurt you.”

I grasp onto her coat and allow myself to let go. All the emotions from the last thirty minutes pouring out of me.

I’m sitting in the police station after giving my statement. The warm cup in my hand is providing me with the comfort I need while I wait for Becca and Shane to finish speaking to the authorities. The police took Tad into custody, and I’m still baffled by what transpired this afternoon.

I hear footsteps, and I look up to find a flustered Ellie searching the precinct for me. The moment her blue eyes find mine, she rushes toward me.

“Oh my gosh, Lane. I am so sorry.” She pushes my hair aside, searching my face for any pain she’s once seen in my gaze. “Are you okay?”

I nod, the emotion creeping back up and threatening to spill again. I finally find my voice to explain more.

“Yes. The paramedics checked me out before I made it over here. They cleared me, probably because Becca said she’d be taking me back to her office to do a proper assessment. But I don’t feel hurt, and he didn’t do more than tug on my arm really hard.”

The moment I say this, my sister takes the blanket that’s wrapped around my shoulders off to inspect any injuries. There are red marks on my upper arm, but nothing that won’t heal with time. The emotional effect is always way deeper anyway.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She pulls me into another embrace, and I can feel that it’s more for her comfort than mine. I know how much I’ve put my loved ones through with all the experiences I’ve had, so I let her have this moment to ensure I’m okay. Soon enough, though, her phone is vibrating, and I can almost bet money it’s our parents.

She keeps an arm wrapped around me while grabbing her phone to answer the call.

“Yes, she’s fine. I promise, Mom. No, Dad, the guy isn’t here. No, I will not give him a message.” A second passes, and then she sounds like she’s trying to get through one of those automated calls to reach an operator. “No. Yes. Yes. No. I don’t know. Yes. No.” She steals a glance over at me and winks, knowing that our parents are not going to allow her to get off the phone until all their questions are answered.

“I promise, if there is anything to report, I will keep you informed. Yes, I’ll start a group chat with Laney. Uh-huh. Yep. Nope. Okay. Got it. Yes. No need. Okay.”

She finally hangs up but doesn't complain. I think now that she is a parent herself, she doesn’t find their behavior as overprotective or overbearing. They care, and that’s where this is stemming from.

“You know you’ll have the Spanish Inquisition when you get back to my house. They’re home with my girls. Tyler is none the wiser. He has a game, and I didn’t fill him in beforehand. I hope you don’t mind. The kid has enough to worry about.”

I give her the best smile I can muster and nod. My parents are just in town for a day between trips.

“I know Mom and Dad come from a place of concern. I won’t judge them for making sure I’m okay. I’ve been through enough to know they need to see me to believe I’m okay.”

We both take each other in. As much as I’m dealing with my own traumatic event right now, I can't help but notice my sister looks different. Now that her concern for me has dissipated, seeing I’m overall going to be okay, she looks relaxed in a way. I wonder what that’s about. I know I can steal her away at some point and have some sisterly time with her to get the scoop. I know I’ll need it after the day I’ve had. And I’m well aware I can point all this back to a certain grumpy man has been spending time with her and it seems to have relaxed her in a way I wasn't expecting.

That’s when it dawns on me, I haven’t updated Grant. Shit. He probably called on the way to bed, and my phone is still in the yoga studio.

“Can I use your phone? I need to message Grant.” I bring my palm out for her to hand me her phone.

“Sure, but just so you know, he’s a step ahead of you. He’s probably in the air right now. He pieced things together and called his sister. That’s why Becca was at the studio when you were arguing with Tad.”

I’m about to open my mouth to ask more questions, but she stops me before I do, as if reading my mind.

“I don’t know how Grant figured it out. I don’t know if Becca really knows. He called her and quickly started telling her that you could be in danger and asked her to go to the yoga studio to check on you. He told her he was headed to the airport to try to catch an earlier flight. I’m not sure if he was able to do so, but I’m assuming he did. He’s quite persistent when he wants to be.”

I type a quick message to Grant, hoping that the moment he can see it, it will prove to him that I’m okay.

Right then, one of the office doors opens, and Becca comes out. Right after her, Shane follows, shaking the officer’s hand behind him. Once all of them reach me, I can feel my emotions getting the best of me again. The tears begin to pool in my eyes when I look up at everyone surrounding me.

“Thank you both for being there when you were. I don’t know what would have happened. I lied to Tad and told him I would go with him, with the plan to get outside and run or scream, or I don’t know what. But he figured it out, and that’s when you caught us. He was trying to go out the back, and luckily, that self-defense move got me out of a bad situation.”

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