Page 7 of Crossing Lines

Before they could answer, Dani Lynn spoke. “No, I am. Just shut the hell up and give me a damn minute.”

I admit it, my Stella was unpredictable on good days; bad days, well, we all avoided eye contact and ran the opposite direction. None of that kept me from loving her, and not even the destruction of my truck could change that. I tried to move toward her, wanting to end this, but Dani Lynn turned and spoke to me in a voice I wasn’t sure carried.

“Stop, let me talk to her. This is not sane Stella. I don’t know what’s happened, but Shelby said she was in a bad place. Trace, just let me see if I can talk her down.” Her eyes pleaded with me; I could see the worry on her face.

I gave her a nod, keeping my eyes on my girl. She was sobbing, her movements a little less powerful now.Shelby had called Dani Lynn? Why hadn’t she called me? What could have made her this upset?

“You bastard! This is all your fault!” Stella screamed again, her voice breaking.

My heart almost stopped.

“What did he do that deserves this?” Dani Lynn asked her.

“I can’t do this!” She wiped her face on her sleeve.

Her rough breathing made me want to hold her even more than I wanted to shake her. None of this made any damn sense at all.

“Stel, come on. You gotta talk to me, chick. I see police cars. I don’t think Wayne wants to come bail you out…” Her ‘again’ was silent, but we all knew it was hanging in the air. Any other time, I’d laugh remembering the last time. But this was no laughing matter. My girl was freaking out, and I had no idea what the hell was happening.

I’d had enough of this. I pushed around Dani Lynn and made my way toward Stella. She turned on me. I swear if she were a dragon, fire would be coming from her. “This is your—fault!” She flung her arms down and hit the truck one last time.

The bat broke, one piece flying behind her and the other still in her hands. I could see blood running down her hands as she leveled a gaze on me that had me wanting to step back.

“Stel, baby, come on. Whatever this is, we can talk about it.” I moved closer, my eyes locked on hers. She took a step back from me and staggered. I saw her tilting to the side and before I could get there, she was on the ground.

“Stella!” Dani Lynn rushed forward.

“Stel, baby, come on.”

“She’s bleeding. Andrew!”

“Move aside, let me in,” Charlie instructed, dropping to the ground, first aid kit in hand.

“Here,” Drew said, handing him a pair of gloves. They lifted her feet, elevating them by bracing them on the truck’s sideboard.

“Stel, come on, wakey, wakey,” Charlie coaxed, waving an ammonia stick under her nose. She came up fighting. I grabbed her arms and held them. She tried her best to get free of my grip.

“Stop fighting, woman. You’re fucking bleeding!” I snarled.

“Stel, hold still. Can you do that for me?” Charlie asked, pressing a small stack of gauze pads to her hand and arm. There was a jagged gash running up her arm. Fuck!

It took me, all of us, a minute to realize that she’d stopped fighting and was quietly sobbing. I wrapped my arms around her and held her back against my chest.

“Come on, sweetheart, talk to me. What’s the matter? What happened?” Her body shook with her silent sobs.

“Dammit, Stella, what did you do!” Shelby dropped down beside Charlie and started to assess the gash on her forearm. It was bad. I thought I’d seen bone, but that could have been my imagination. “What happened here?” she asked. We all looked at each other, then to my truck.

“Stella went a little…” Dani Lynn waved her hand toward my truck. My stomach tightened when Shelby met my gaze.

“What?” She shook her head. “Stella Grace, I swear.” Shelby’s gloved hand pulled her shirt sleeves up, and we all saw the damage. There were cuts and scrapes all the way up her arm. The palm of her hand, where the bat had broken, was the consistency of hamburger meat. Glass and splinters were everywhere.

“I can’t…Shelby…it’s his fault.” Shelby glanced at me then shook her head at Stella.

“You idiot!” Shelby scolded her. “I need her at the office. I’ve got to get these cuts sewn up and get some meds in her. Then we’re going to have a nice long talk. Someone get Wayne; we’re going to need him. Or Carter. Or...both of them.”

“Shelby, what’s going on?” I asked, a surge of panic rolling through my gut.

She shook her head again. “Not here. Come on, she’s going to be alright. Get her up and in my car. Let’s go. Dani Lynn, you ride with her.”

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