Page 106 of Broken Bonds

chapter thirty-six

AMBER

William Baker found me and Jamie screaming and banging on the locked door that was keeping me from my best friend. No matter how hard I kicked, no matter how hard I hit, that asshole wouldn’t let me in. The terrible, petrified sounds Celine was making made me fear what I would find once I finally got inside.

With panic I had never felt before, I grabbed the big jock and begged him to help me. Surprisingly, he wasn’t drunk and quickly complied, his big fists rattling the door within seconds of my broken plea. Jamie clutched onto me as we watched the big linebacker attack the door.

“Open the door, Julian! Open it now!” William demanded before pounding on the door with closed fists. People were starting to watch the scene, and whispers were floating around the small hallway.

Celine’s blood-curdling scream filled the sudden silence, sending chills down my spine and causing William to kick the door down with two swift kicks near the door handle.

The scene before my eyes had me staggering into the doorframe, vomit rushing up my throat. Jamie’s grip on me disappeared as I stared at the horror scene before me.

Julian was standing over my bloody and bruised friend with his jeans at his ankles, a cruel smirk on his face, his dick out for the world to see. Celine was unconscious, bleeding all over the carpet, her lips swollen and cut, her outfit twisted, and her hair a tangled mess.

Before I could move, William raced into the room, tackled Julian to the ground, and started slamming punch after punch into his face. The sound of William’s knuckles hitting Julian’s face made me sick to my stomach, so I dragged my eyes away from the monstrous scene back to my best friend who was crumpled, her limp body resting in the corner of the room.

Dashing over to her, I kneeled on the ground near her head, not knowing where to touch her. Her face was black and blue. There was blood oozing from gashes, and her eyes were swollen shut. I stifled a cry.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Amber, oh, my God!” Jamie screamed from the doorway, her eyes on me and Celine.

“Call 9-1-1! Call them now before I lose her!” The first tear rolled down my cheek as I took in every bruise on her skin. Looking up when the sound of William punching Julian disappeared, I noticed Julian was unconscious, his face bruised and bloody, and William was leaning against the wall, looking at me with wide eyes.

“I warned her. I told her to get away from him.” Pain flashed through his eyes as he looked at my broken best friend. “She didn’t listen. God, he almostrapedher.”

“He almost killed her!” I screamed, breaking down into sobs, grasping Celine’s hand, scared to touch more of her frail body.

The sound of shocked voices from the doorway caught my attention, and I saw the party-goers watching with drunken curiosity. Some of Julian’s teammates filtered into the room. Two of them blocked the curious crowd while the other threemet with William in the center of the room, hands balled into fists when they looked at Celine.

“They’re coming! They’re coming, Amber!” Jamie wrapped her arms around my shaking body and looked down at Celine, a sob ripping from her throat.

“I should’ve stopped her,” I croaked. But it didn’t matter how many should haves I could come up with, it didn’t change what had happened.

Jamie and I cried until the EMTs surged into the room with cops on their tails, and suddenly, the room was in absolute chaos. The team was pointing to a still unconscious Julian on the ground and then to Celine, their voices blurring as the EMT in front of me kept throwing out questions.

“Name?”

“Celine Wilson,” I managed, my voice breaking as I clung to her hand, afraid to let her go.

“Age?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Is the patient pregnant?” he asked, opening her eyelids and shining a small pen light into her eyes.

“No,” I whispered. She would’ve told me if she and Julian had sex. She was holding off, and for good reason, obviously. Look at what he’d done to her.

“Any previous history of injury?”

“She had surgery almost a year ago on both legs.” Looking at her legs, another cry tore from my chest when I saw the bruising, and one of her feet was bent the wrong way. “Oh, God!” I cried, more tears rushing down my cheeks.

The female paramedic who was checking on Celine looked at me and then nodded at the man opposite her. He strode over and pulled me away from Celine, his arms holding me up as Jamie followed.

“What is your relationship with the patient?” he asked me, his tone not unkind.

“She’s my best friend.” Through my watery eyes, I watched as they lifted Celine onto a stretcher, and panic clawed at my chest. “She’s my best friend.” I crumpled to the ground. Jamie was beside me instantly, cradling my head in her hands.

“Breathe, just breathe,” she coaxed as the world began to spin, and I felt myself falling away. “Celine needs you,” Jamie reminded me. “Get yourself together, Amber.”

---