Page 90 of Heart of Stone
It was only by some miracle I didn’t lose it at that thought. How could she think she wasn’t the most important thing in my life?
Probably because I hid something so monumental from her.
When we were only a couple hundred feet away from her cabin, Cole started laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Is that her place? The one that’s got all those decorations?”
“How’d you know?”
He huffed. “Lucky guess.”
We made it to the cabin, and just before I was going to climb the stairs, Cole put a hand on my shoulder. “If she’s cool with talking tonight, I’ll head out. Otherwise, don’t push her.”
“When did you become an expert on women?”
“I didn’t. I just know, based on everything you said about her today, that you don’t want to screw this up. So, we’re going to do it the right way.”
I let out a deep breath. And just as I was about to respond to him, to thank him for being such a good friend, we heard a loud thud against Natalia’s door at the same time she screamed.
Cole and I took one look at each other and raced up the stairs. I banged on the door. “Natalia?”
Cole’s hand went to the doorknob and twisted. The door opened, and what I saw when we pushed the door open had my blood boiling.
Natalia was on the ground, face down, just a few feet in front of the door, and standing a few feet away, chest heaving, was the guy I could only assume was her ex-boyfriend.
I didn’t think. I just reacted.
Without another thought, I hopped over Natalia and went after him. Cole was behind me; he’d see to it that she was safe while I did what I’d been wanting to do from the moment I knew this poor excuse of a man existed.
My fists flew, and with one perfectly executed swing, he dropped to the ground, whacking his head on the arm of the couch on the way there. “You should’ve considered yourself lucky that you’ve made it this far without any consequences and stayed away from her.” I landed another blow to his jaw. “Now, you’re dealing with me. And you’ll be lucky to leave here in handcuffs instead of a body bag.”
He spit up blood. “Fuck you!”
My fist connected with his face again. And from that point forward, I didn’t need any more words. My hands did the talking. My feet got in on the action.
Blood sprayed, bones crunched, and it still wasn’t enough.
I got lost in it, in seeking vengeance for what he’d done to Natalia. Something snapped inside me, and I just kept going. I couldn’t walk away, couldn’t allow this asshole to consider the possibility of ever approaching her again. I didn’t feel fatigued; I didn’t need a break.
What I needed was for Natalia to know she’d never have to worry. I needed her to know she didn’t have to be afraid. I needed her to understand I’d do anything to protect her. Love her.
He stopped struggling, stopped fighting back not long after I’d gotten started. But I kept going. It wasn’t until Cole came up behind me and pulled me off. “It’s alright, Reid. He’s not going anywhere. You’re good. He’s down. Go to your girl.”
Chest heaving, my eyes landed on her. She was sitting in the corner of the room, blood on her face and hands. Tears were running down her cheeks.
I went to her and crouched in front of her. “Where are you hurt?”
Natalia didn’t respond. Instead, she burst into sobs, but I had no clue if it was because she was injured or upset with what she’d learned today. Perhaps it was a combination of everything.
All I could do was wrap my arms around her and attempt to soothe her.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but the next thing I knew, the police were swarming the place, paramedics had arrived, and a frenzy of activity was all around us. Natalia was my only concern, so when she was loaded onto a gurney and put into the ambulance—her ex was being transported in a separate one with a police escort—I climbed in with her.
As the paramedics, and eventually, the doctors, worked to evaluate the extent of Natalia’s injuries, neither of us spoke to each other. She answered the questions she was asked, and I did the same. Beyond that, she’d been poked, prodded, and taken for tests. I sat there, feeling helpless as we waited for answers.
Ultimately, Natalia was admitted. While there were surface injuries like bruising, swelling, and minor lacerations, those weren’t the worst of it. The doctors had determined that she’d suffered a concussion and wanted to keep her overnight for observation. On top of that, there was blood in her urine, indicating she had severely bruised kidneys.
