Page 20 of Fight for Me

“Please, Claire. Don’t think that. I love you and I need you so much. You’re not losing me. I’ll be back, I swear,” I say even though I’m aware that it could possibly be a lie. I know there’s a big chance I won’t be back. But Claire will be okay, she’ll be safer without me in her life. She’s my soft spot, the one person my father can use against me, and I can’t put her in jeopardy like that. Not my sweet friend.

I close my eyes and lie down on the bed, comforted by Brody’s masculine smell surrounding me.

“Claire, are you still there?” I whisper when there’s nothing on the other side for a while.

“Always,” she whispers back.

“I need to know that whatever happens, you’ll be all right. I need to know I still have you somewhere in the world. Safe and sound. Can you promise me that? No matter what?”

“Of course, Jenny. The same goes for you.”

“I love you, Claire. I have to go. I don’t know when I’ll be able to contact you again.”

“I understand,” she says softly. “The important thing is that you’re away from that monster. I’ll be waiting. I love you too.”

I close my eyes and grimace. “Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

I disconnect the call and stare at the white ceiling for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting up. I groan silently, my whole body protesting at the sudden movement. Pretending like I could move normally in front of Brody took a lot of effort. I know he already saw me yesterday, bloodied and barely standing, but my pride can only take so much at this moment. So even though I would gladly stay on the comfy bed and take a much-needed nap, I lift my ass and walk out of the room searching for my grumpy rescuer. There’s shit we need to go through before I can rest.

The living room is empty, so when I hear a murmur coming from the kitchen, I turn in that direction, slowing my movements once I make out Brody’s voice talking to someone on the phone.

“...no, no. Of course, that wouldn’t be wise. Yes, I understand your point, man.”

I take a step closer and peek through the doorway. Brody’s back is to me as he nods to whatever he hears on the other end.

“No. But I would rather not turn the girl in. There has to be another way... No, I won’t fuck up the investigation, but by doing it your way, I would put myself in the spotlight too.”

He tugs on his hair as if frustrated and growls. “Look, I get your point, and I know I’ve messed up, but I won’t back out now, so you can either help me out or shut the fuck up and let me do the work. I’ve been here for two years, and we’re almost there, I can feel it. But we have to deal with the girl first so she’s not hurt even more in the crossfire.”

Again, more listening, more nodding.“No, yeah, all right. No worries, I will get that motherfucker. He’s getting careless, it’s hard to cover your tracks when you’re all over the place... Yeah, I will brief him when it’s time. Don’t make the call for now... Yeah, I’ll call you when I know something. Yeah, later.”

Brody ends the phone and hangs his head with a long sigh, then startles me. “It’s rude to eavesdrop, Jen.”

I walk into the kitchen and cross my arms. “How long did you know that I was listening?”

He turns his head to look at me and smirks. “Ever since you came in. I saw you lurking in the reflection of the microwave.”

“Shit,” I mumble as I glare at the damned treacherous device, and startle again when Brody starts laughing at me, his voice deep and rich. God-damn it, even his laugh is attractive.

I scowl at him to hide my real reaction to seeing his beautiful smile. “Good to see you’re enjoying yourself.” I snap my fingers. “Now, if you’re finished with your comedic act, I think we still have some things to discuss. Who was that on the phone just now? And don’t tell me it’s not my business or ignore me again because I will seriously lose my shit,” I end with a huff.

Brody’s laugh dies down, but he still grins at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. God, have mercy on me.

“We wouldn’t want you to lose your shit. So, I guess we better get to it.” He indicates for me to sit in one of the kitchen chairs.

“Gladly,” I grouse, plopping down ostentatiously.

He shakes his head, but then gets serious again as he takes the opposite seat.

“Okay. I made a few calls and, unfortunately, staying here with me is out of the question for now. The good news is, I found you a place at the women’s shelter in Madison.”

When Brody sees the look on my face, he’s quick to add, “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but you’ll be safe there. And remember that this is only meant to be a temporary solution, just to get you out of town until I can straighten everything out.”

“What if you can’t?”

He casts me a questioning look from across the table so I clarify. “What if you can’t straighten it out? What if my father wins? What then?”

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