Page 69 of Rage's Heart

He finally passed out

The last message had come in around 3 AM. My hands were shaking as I hit the call button, swinging my legs out of bed.

It rang four times before Sarah’s answered, her voice sounding small and tired.“Hey.”

“Sarah, oh my God,” I rushed out, my heart in my throat. “Are you okay? What happened?”

There was a slight pause, then a shaky breath. “He... He got really drunk last night. Started going on about how everyone is trying to poison my mind against him, how everything was fine until you started telling me things.”

I could hear the fear in her voice, even though she was clearly trying to downplay it. “Where are you now? Is he still there?”

“No, he left early this morning. Said he had somewhere to be.” She hesitated. “I think you were right about him all along. The things he says when he’s drunk...”

My chest tightened. “Maybe you should come stay with us for a while.”

“I don’t know,” she wavered.

I closed my eyes, recognizing the classic pattern of abuse and the twisted hope that kept victims trapped. “Listen to me. He isn’t going to change. Things will only get worse.”

“I know,” she whispered, and her admission nearly broke my heart. “Can we... can we meet somewhere? To talk?”

“Of course,” I said without hesitation. “How about that little café by the park. The Coffee Press. Can you meet me there in an hour?”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

As we said our goodbyes and I hung up, I realized Rage was standing in the doorway, two mugs of coffee in hand. From the look on his face, he’d clearly heard enough to understand what was happening.

“Chad?” he asked, crossing the room to set my coffee on the nightstand.

I nodded, reaching for the steaming mug gratefully. “He’s escalating. Breaking things. Sarah sounded scared.”

His jaw tightened, that protective instinct I loved so much rising to the surface. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Me either,” I agreed, taking a sip of my coffee that he’d made perfectly. “I’m meeting her at The Coffee Press in an hour. I’m going to do my damndest to convince her to end things.”

Rage’s brow furrowed. “I should come with you.”

I considered it for a moment. Part of me wanted him there—my perpetual shield against anything unpleasant. But another part knew that Sarah wouldn’t open up with him there, listening in. Plus, he was supposed to be at work in less than a half an hour.

“It’s a public place,” I reasoned. “And I think Sarah might speak more freely if it’s just us girls.” When his frown deepened, I added, “I promise I’ll call you if anything feels off, okay?”

He didn’t look happy about it, but he thankfully he conceded. “Fine. But, baby... I don’t trust that mother fucker. I want texts. Understood?”

I couldn’t help but smile at his demands. “Yes, sir.”

“Don’t ’yes sir’ me when I’m trying to be serious,” he grumbled, though his lips twitched. “Just be careful, alright?” His hand came up to cup my face.

I leaned into his touch, warmth spreading through me. “I will be. I promise.”

His thumb brushed over my bottom lip. “Good girl.”

The simple praise sent a shiver through me, my body instantly responding to him like always. For a moment, I considered pulling him back to bed, but Sarah’s frightened voice echoed in my head.

“I should get ready,” I said reluctantly.

He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before releasing me. “I’ll call you on my lunch break.”

Forty-five minutes later, showered and dressed in jeans and a simple blue blouse, I grabbed my purse and keys. Diesel whined from his spot on the couch, giving me his bestdon’t leave me momeyes.

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