Page 102 of The First Chord

“I will, I promise.” I reached up for another quick kiss. “But I’m going to try and get some sleep. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Ronnie rubbed the middle of his chest and eyed me warily. “Were you in pain?”

“No, nothing like that.” I flashed a smile. “Just excited about you springing me out.”

The relief he felt was palpable as he breathed out and relaxed his shoulders. “Okay. Don’t forget to call me.” He pointed at the new phone that he’d arranged for me. Everything had been transferred from my old one by the phone company, texts, pictures, contacts, all of it, so I didn’t need to ask Jimmy for it back.

“See you in a few hours.”

“Three, at most, and if she tries to get us to stay longer, I’ll just do a runner.”

I laughed, imaging Destiny chasing after him. “Don’t upset her too much. I’m sure she’s got a great right hook.”

“She doesn’t scare me,” he lied and headed for the door. “Love you and see you later.”

Sighing dreamily, I gave him small wave. “Love you, too.”

When the door clicked shut, I gingerly got up and made my way to the bed, knowing that I would sleep soundly. And I did, only rousing briefly three hours later when a fully clothed Ronnie slipped in bed behind me and wrapped me in his arms.

* * *

Pain sliced through my head as my neck was pulled to a strange angle. Someone was yelling at me, in my face, and my heart was racing with fear. My cheek was struck, sending me stumbling, and then I was falling as the mean eyes watched me until I was a crumpled heap on the floor.

“Oh my god, oh my god.” Sweating, with my heartbeat thudding in my ears, I lay there with a paralysing fear suffocating me.

“Amber, baby, what’s wrong?” Ronnie pulled me into his arms, making soft, assuring strokes down my back. “What was it? A nightmare?”

I lifted my head and grabbed at his t-shirt with shaking hands. “I saw it, Ronnie, I saw what happened.”

“What? When you fell?”

I nodded and he cupped my face so that I was looking directly in his eyes when I said, “It was Jimmy. He hit me. Outside the ladies bathroom, he pulled my hair and then he hit me, and I stumbled, and I fell. He was awful, said horrible things to me, but then he hit me, he backhanded me across the face.” I gripped him tighter as I tried to control my breathing. “I tried to get away from him, but he wouldn’t let me past. He grabbed my arm and pulled my hair and then he hit me, and I stumbled, and I fell. It was Jimmy, Ronnie, he didn’t push me, but he made me fall.”

My chest was heaving as I repeated everything that I’d recalled in my dream. It had been like a movie playing out in front of me and I remembered every single thing. Every word, every facial expression, every act of pain and violence.

“It was Jimmy,” I whispered, my throat prickling with emotion as the tears started to creep down my cheek.

“Okay, baby,” Ronnie soothed, pulling me against his chest. “It’s okay. He’ll never hurt you again. I swear. It’s okay.”

I could feel his heartbeat as he embraced me in his warmth and safety. It was manic, beating fast and hard, matching the rhythm of his heaving chest. While he held me gently, the anger was oozing from every one of the pores of his stiff body.

After a while, he slowly released me and, as if I was a baby, he laid me back down against the pillows.

“I want you to just lie here, okay?” He brushed the hair from my damp cheeks as his eyes searched mine. “Lie here while I make a call.”

Unable to speak I nodded. The fear was crippling, like the accident had only just happened. That Jimmy had only just tormented and abused me. That only seconds before he’d hit me. My hands began to shake as I thought about what might have happened. What the consequences could have been.

“It was him,” I whispered.

“I know and I’m going to sort it,” Ronnie said as he pulled the duvet up closer to my chin.

“No, don’t go to him. Please, Ronnie, don’t do anything.” I couldn’t stand the thought of him getting into trouble. Desperately I reached for his t-shirt and pulled on it. “Please don’t.”

He shook his head, all the while gently stroking my cheek. “Hey, hey, come on calm down. I’m not going anywhere. I wouldn’t ruin my life for that piece of shit.”

“You swear?”

“I swear. I’m just going to call Ali. Okay?”

---