Page 47 of The Write Knight

?“I need a statement of what happened, Miss. Also, from talking with the other patrons at the bar, it seems he assaulted you first. Would you like to press charges?” he questions, while taking out his notebook and pen.

?“If I press charges, does that mean I’ll have to see him again in court?” I fret because I never want to see him again. And then a thought comes to mind. Jacob, himself, is a lawyer; he’s going to get out of this somehow. He’s a dirty lawyer, just like the partners in his company. Panic begins to bubble up inside me.

?“Yes, you would see him in court,” the officer replies and slides his notebook across the table toward me. I sit down in front of it. My hand is slightly shaking as I take the pen. I look at Miles and he gives me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder.

?“I’m afraid to press charges. I don’t ever want to see him…”

Before I can finish, Miles interrupts me saying, “We will be pressing charges. You can let Mr. Mathis know we will be seeing him again.” He speaks directly to the officer, not looking at me. My mouth is gaping wide.Did he not hear what I just said? What is he thinking?I clear my throat and look at Miles.

?“Maybe we should discuss this in private,” I urge, trying to be stern. But I’m still quite shaken by how horrible tonight has gone. He gives me a firm gaze that tells me this isn’t up for discussion. I didn’t know he could be so domineering. I mean, I knew he was protective, but this is something on a whole new level. It almost scares me at what he would do to someone. This is the second day in a row that he has hit someone on my account. A thought creeps into my mind.Miles is going to see that I bring more trouble than I’m worth, and he will leave me. Itake a deep, staggering breath. Writing my witness statement with fresh tears trailing down my cheeks, the salty tears begin to burn the eye that got hit. I can feel the pressure of it, and I know it’s already swelling. It’ll probably continue to do so until I can get some ice on it. I can barely see out of it as I try my best to recount all the events of this whole fiasco, hoping I don’t leave out anything.

Chapter 31

Miles

I glance down at my strong girl as she fills out her statement. I didn’t know what time to come pick her up because she didn't know when she would be finished. Depending on what time the parties left, determined when Lizzie would be off the clock. Grief fills me as I realize I could have gotten here too late to save her from that maniac. The thought makes me tense, causing my stomach to churn.What if I had sent Thomas here instead of me? What if Jacob had managed to take her?My mind begins spiraling, but I manage to keep control for Lizzie’s sake. She needs me right now, more than ever. I need to be her rock through this. I need to show her how strong she was through this whole ordeal. She hasn’t said much, but I know there will be a meltdown soon. Once she truly realizes what she went through tonight, Lizzie will be vulnerable. And I will be there to hold her hand.

A thought comes to mind, and I grab my phone from my pocket. Scrolling through the contacts, I find the one I’m looking for—Travis James, owner of the largest security company in New York. I shoot off a quick message for him to call me as soon as he can in the morning. I need to get Lizzie and Sarah’s apartment safe, and he is the only person I trust with the job.

?I met Travis when we were freshmen at Princeton. We were roommates and both of us were there to play basketball. We became as close as brothers over the years. I have no doubt that he’ll be able to supply the security Lizzie and Sarah need now. She may fight me on this, but it isn’t up for discussion. With this psycho ex of hers, she can never be too cautious. Hopefully, Jacob will spend some time behind bars, but I’m notnaive enough to believe he will remain there. I’m sure he’ll be out tomorrow on bail, and I bet he’ll go for her again. He doesn’t seem like the type to take a loss. Before I pocket my phone, I shoot a text to Marcie, our PR manager. I need to let her know what happened and to be on the lookout for videos and images that I know were taken tonight. I don’t want this incident to get to the media. They’ll have a field day with it, and it could negatively impact my company. She is already dealing with a bit of fallout from the gala incident. Thankfully, the press was mostly gone when I hit Timothy.

?Putting my phone away, I look back down at Lizzie, seeming to still be in shock. She is no longer crying but looks deep in thought. After finishing her report, I quickly jot down what I saw and everything that happened once I got involved. We hand both of our testimonies to the officer, who has been talking in hushed tones with the manager the whole time.

?“Thank you for coming out tonight and for seeing to that restraining order,” I point out, handing him my card. “Please call me if there is anything else that needs to be done to get this fucker off the streets and behind bars.” Nodding, the officer takes the reports and packs up his things. Pulling Lizzie to her feet, I lean down to steady her so we can get out of here. I need to get her home, and I know Sarah is anxious to see her, as well. Before we can leave the locker room, Rachael clears her throat, making us both turn around to look at her.

?"Hey, you doing, okay?” Rachel asks Lizzie. She gives her a shoulder shrug and fresh tears begin to stream down Lizzie’s face. “I hate to do this, but I had to call Sergio and let him know what happened here tonight. It's my responsibility to report these types of situations to him." She pauses and takes a deep breath. Whatever she has to say, it doesn't seem like it will be good news. Whatever it is, it’s making Rachael fidget with her hands. I don't know how much more Lizzie can handle tonight. "Unfortunately, he views this place as family friendly, and he doesn't want this type of drama to drive away business in the future. Obviously, he knows it wasn't your fault, Lizzie, but he wanted me to let you know that tonight would be your last shift. He said he would pay for your shifts next week, but that tonight was the last time you would be on the floor. He also mentioned that he hated to lose you becausehe knows how much of an asset you are. Unfortunately, it’s company policy. Oh, I'm so sorry, Lizzie. I hate that you are going through this." She pulls Lizzie from me and hugs her tightly, rubbing her back as Lizzie slumps into her embrace. Small tears form in both of their eyes, as they let each other go. "I will keep in touch. Take care of her," she says directly to me. I nod my head, and Rachael all but sprints from the room.

?"What am I going to do?" Lizzie whispers, looking up through the left eye that isn't completely swollen shut like the other. Fuck me. I can’t stand the sight of her like this. She looks so broken and fragile. I know she’ll get through this because she’s strong, but it’s going to be a rough road ahead.

?"For starters, we’re going to get your eye checked out and make sure you don't have a concussion. Then we are going to your apartment. You and Sarah are going to pack a bag to come stay with me tonight. I’m not letting you out of my sight, and I will feel better knowing Sarah is safe as well. I have a friend that will be going to your apartment to install a state-of-the-art security system, but in the meantime, you both will be staying with me. I met Travis in college, and he’s the best of the best with security. He will make sure your apartment is safer than Fort Knox.” She just bobs her head up and down. I know this is too much for her to process right now, so the best thing I can do for her is make the decisions. She doesn't need to think about anything more than she has to.

?As we walk out to the main restaurant, I see that most of the patrons have cleared and only a few employees, some officers, and the emergency medics remain. One of the EMTs comes up to us and asks Lizzie if she needs to be checked out.

?"Yes, she does. She was hit pretty hard in the eye, and then stumbled back, hitting her head on a table as she fell. I think she needs to be checked for a concussion," I interject, before Lizzie has a chance to reject the checkup. Instead, she remains quiet and follows the medic.

? "Very well. Come with me, and we’ll get you checked out," the female medic replies, then leads us through the front doors to an open ambulance. Lizzie climbs up onto the seat, and the medic begins doing various tests. While I sit there and watch, I pray there is nothing terribly wrong with her. Her eyehas swollen completely shut by the time we get out here, so the EMT is having to pry it open to track her pupil dilation. I feel terrible that I’m the cause of the pain she is in right now, but I keep reminding myself it could have been so much worse if Jacob had taken her.

After the evaluation is complete, Lizzie is released with the instructions to take it easy for the next week. She’s got to ice her eye several times a day and take anti-inflammatories every eight hours for the pain and swelling. She did end up having a mild concussion, but the medic said it shouldn't cause any problems, that rest is the best thing for her. I will call my doctor in the morning to come and take a look to confirm everything is okay. With Lizzie, I can’t take a chance.

?Once we get to her apartment, Lizzie steps through the door, and Sarah jumps up to embrace her before anything is said. "I was so worried about you. Miles told me about Jacob! I can't believe that piece of shit would do that. He better be locked away for a long time. Gah, I can't even imagine what you went through. Who on earth would have thought something like this would happen, especially the day after your birthday. And you weren’t even supposed to be there today. I thought you were going to be home tonight since I wasn't here when you came by to get your uniform. Shit, come sit down. I'm sorry. Thank you, Miles, for taking care of her and that asshat." She leads Lizzie to the couch while I close the door and lock it. As I sit down beside Lizzie, I pull her against me and rub circles along her back.

?"Can you get her some ice and some ibuprofen?" I request. Sarah hops up and quickly returns with the items. "Sarah, I would feel better if you and Lizzie stay at my place tonight. Since Jacob had people here watching you, I think it's safer if you come home with me." She nods her agreement. Thank God, because I don't have the energy to have an argument over their safety. "Can you pack a bag for Lizzie, as well. Make it for several days. I’m going to take some time off this week, so I can watch over her. She does have a mild concussion." Lizzie turns her head to me with a sad-looking expression.

?"Miles, you don't need to do that. I’ll be fine. I mean, I’ll stay with you, but you don't have to take time off from work.I'll be fine once I wake up in the morning."

?"Shh, it's happening, baby. I already sent a message to Seb, and I will call my assistant in the morning to work on clearing my schedule. It isn't a problem at all, so there is no need to worry about it. I just want you to concentrate on healing." Lizzie sighs, resting her head back on my chest. She takes the medicine and puts the ice pack on her eye, flinching as she does. Sarah gets to work packing their bags, and we are out of their apartment thirty minutes later.

?I give Sarah a quick tour and show her to one of the guest bedrooms. "We are up the hall if you need anything. I’m going to get Lizzie settled in.”

?"Miles, I just truly want to thank you for saving her. She is everything to me, and I don't know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there. I just can't even think about it, or it will give me nightmares.” Sarah sniffles. Hearing the word "nightmare" brings me back to this morning when I woke Lizzie up from one. She mentioned she gets them before something bad happens to her.Shit.I take off down the hall to our room. I must get to her and make sure she’s okay.

???

Elizabeth

Miles comes barreling into the bedroom startling me. He's wearing an odd expression as he approaches me on the bed.

?"Baby, Sarah just mentioned the word 'nightmare,' and it made me think about the one you had this morning. You said it always means something bad is going to happen. Is this the kind of thing that happens?" he wonders aloud, after getting on the bed and pulling me to his side.

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