Page 178 of Saving the Halfback

“Run,” I told Gracie. “Go to the house, lock the door.”

“What about you?” she cried.

I didn’t care, I just needed her safe. I shoved her back, and she took off toward the porch but stopped there, crying as she held on to the rail. Pops ran back with her, standing on the porch, his bark relentless.

That was okay. All of Ed’s focus was on me, and Ed didn’t scare me anymore. I had grown so much since I had last seen him. I felt bigger than him. I’d learned how most of his words were lies. I had others who raised me up so high that I could finally see him for the small, broken man he was.

He lunged for me, but I dodged him, plowing my fist into the side he cradled so dearly. Ed cried out in pain, followed by a line of curses. “I knew you’d go to them. Once a whore, always a whore.”

“I see now why you only go after little girls. Sick, pathetic excuse of a person. You’re no man.”

Ed threw his fist at me but stopped at the roar of an engine.

Nolan.

Nolan jumped off the ATV before it came to a complete stop, putting himself in front of me and landing a fist into Ed’s face. “Go to Grace!” he yelled, blocking a blow from Ed.

I rushed over to Grace and pulled my phone out while Nolan and Ed grappled with one another. For someone recovering from being in a coma, Ed was strong. He had been a farm hand his whole life, though. Manual labor was in his blood.

I quickly called the police, telling the operator everything as fast as I could. I wasn’t sure what the exact address of the house was, so she was asking me questions to try to locate it.

Nolan threw his fist into Ed’s stomach, sending him to the ground. But Ed bounced back. “Watch out!” Grace screamed. Ed had grabbed a plank of wood and jumped up, slamming it into the side of Nolan’s face.

I dropped the phone and ran when Nolan fell to the ground, wincing and holding his head. He blinked rapidly, as if trying to get his vision back.

Ed grabbed the plank and turned on me. “We’ll see how much they love you when you look just like me,” he snarled.

I put my hands up to block the first hit, the force to my shoulder so strong, something popped, and I screamed. After that, I lost track of how many times the plank smashed into my body. I could do nothing but protect my head, at this point.

The assault was brutal, similar to how I imagined he’d felt when I attacked him with that shovel. Nolan staggered to his feet and threw himself forward, running into Ed and knocking him down.

Ed got up quickly, turning on Nolan, who was still trying to orientate himself.

“Hey!” I yelled at him. “You are just as weak as I remember,” I goaded.

I heard cars in the distance, doors opening and shutting, but that didn’t stop Ed. He pulled a small flip knife from his pocket, then grabbed me by the hair and ran the blade along my face. I screamed as warm liquid dripped down.

Ed turned around briefly, looking to see who had arrived. When his cold eyes turned back down at me, satisfaction crossed his face. The moment that passed between us seemed to move in slow motion. And then it clicked.He thinks he hurt me? He thinks he broke me? Because he beat me?A smile of my own spread across my face because I knew exactly who had shown up.

“You may have broken me as your princess, but they will always love me as their queen,” I rasped, spitting a mouthful of blood at him.

His smile turned to a snarl, and he raised the knife above his head, ready to plunge it into my neck.

I flinched when two gunshots went off, one after the other. Ed cried out, releasing my hair and stumbling to the side before falling to the ground.

The hot copper taste filled my mouth while I sank to my knees. I didn’t hit the ground like Ed did, though. Hands grabbed me.

“Just stay still, Bailey.” Nolan’s voice was raw. He was on his knees, crippled over as his hand hovered above my cheek. “There’s a lot of blood.”

“Where’s Gracie?” I asked. I couldn’t hear her cries anymore. Pops, too, had stopped barking. I looked up at Chase and froze with how pale he had gone. “Is she okay?”

“Lachlan has Grace.” Ethan knelt down, taking his phone out and quickly putting it to his ear. “We need an ambulance.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s deep…” I reached my hand up to the side of my head, where pressure was building, and winced as it stung. I looked at my blood-coated hand.

Gurgling sounded beside us, capturing my attention. I turned my head to see Ed attempting to crawl away. Ethan swung around, but Lachlan’s voice rang out clear. “He’s mine!”

Lachlan stalked forward to the body in question, assessing him for a moment before driving his boot into Ed’s side. There was an audible crunch that had my stomach roiling. Lachlan grabbed him by the shoulder and flipped him over onto his back before placing his foot on Ed’s chest.

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