Page 53 of Beautifully Wounded

I shake my head.

“Look, I can’t really talk now,” he mutters, moving forward to back me up as he steps back inside and locks the door behind him. “Yeah, I’ll put her on.”

I still at his words, watching as he mutters something else and then holds the phone out to me. “It’s time to find out who ordered me to kidnap you.”

My hands start trembling as I reach out, Ringo’s eyes not missing my reaction, so he passes me the phone and walks me backwards, sitting me back on the end of his bed.

Stepping away from me, he moves to his little kitchenette, opening the fridge and pulling out a Coke as I slowly press the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Oh my god, Abbey! I’m so sorry it had to go down the way it did, but I didn’t know how else to get you away from them and also teach them a fucking lesson.”

Tears flood my eyes instantly at the familiar voice, a sob escaping me in response.

“Abbey?”

“Lexi,” I cry, or perhaps it’s more of a wail, as I slip from the end of the bed, landing on my arse on the grotty looking carpet where I start sobbing uncontrollably.

“Oh Abs. I’mso sorry. I wish you had told me how bad it had gotten. I wish you had let me help you sooner.”

I try to speak, but my words are incoherent as I try to tell her I’m sorry.

My childhood best friend from Fox Pines is the one that saved me. I don’t deserve her kindness after the horrible things I did to her all to protect my own arse, but she’s never given up on me. Hell, she would have come in guns blazing all by herself if she could have. And I bet she wanted to, but her boyfriend Ayden most likely would have locked her away before letting her put herself in danger. Not after everything they’ve been through. What Lexi’s been through.

Strong yet gentle hands slide under me before I’m lifted against Ringo’s hard chest, and I continue to sob as Lexi talks me through it, telling me that I’m safe now. That my parents and Daniel can’t get to me. That I never have to see them again if I don’t want to.

With me still cradled in his arms, Ringo lowers us to the bed, and he holds me tight as I cry and listen to my best friend until my sobs subside enough for me to put words together.

“H-how did you k-know?” I ask Lexi, and she instantly understands what I’m trying to ask.

“Tahli. We’ve been chatting for months on that game app. Koala-roo. I ran into her in the supermarket one day while she was with your mum. She was in a different aisle, getting things off a list, so I was able to talk to her quickly without your mum noticing. She’s the one who mentioned the kids’ game, telling me she can talk to me on it without your parents knowing,” Lexi explains. “I’ve never downloaded an app so fast, Abs. By that night, I was chatting with her, and she started telling me things. She said shejust wanted you to move away to University so you could be away from your parents. She’d been counting down the days with me. I’d planned to come and see you once you left. She said you got into Nursing.”

I nod, even though she can’t see. “Yes. I know it can be studied locally, but I kept telling my parents about a specialty program I wanted to do, saying I would likely be able to earn more money while still having time to raise a family. And they fell for it. I was surprised my mum didn’t look more into it. I just wanted to get away from them so I could figure out a way to run.”

“Shit, Abs. What changed? Tahli was frantic last night when she messaged me. Said Maggie dobbed you in about something and then all of a sudden there was chaos, the wedding was being planned for the next morning, and how terrified she was when she had to watch Maggie help your parents force some sort of meds down your throat.”

Unable to hold back my tears again, another sob escapes me, and Ringo’s large hand starts rubbing my back, offering me comfort he doesn’t have to give me. It’s the only thing that helps the words to come.

“The pills were a sedative. They’ve done it before. They do it when they want to control me. Make sure I do what they want. They would have dressed me in white the next morning and taken me to marry Daniel while I was in a near catatonic state. But they didn’t get to do that, thanks to you.”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it if it weren’t for Ringo. I knew he had the skills to do what I asked, and the ability to make you disappear without a trace so your parents can’t find you.”

My eyes dart up to Ringo, his face kind of blurry given its close proximity. He glances down at me, pulling back a little so we can seeeach other, and I continue talking while he stares down at me.

“How do you know him?”

“Long story short, you know the guy that took a bullet for me when my brother…” She trails off, “Well, yeah, you know that guy?”

“He died, didn’t he?” I was sure he died.

“Yeah. Muz died. Ringo is his older brother.”

“Oh.” My lip trembles again and I study this big lethal man holding me as a flash of pain passes his expression before he tries to hide it.

Can he hear what Lexi is saying?

I suppose he might be able to given how close we are right now.

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