Eleven

ELEVEN

Josie

"How dare you?"

An unwelcome shiver ran down my spine. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I won't leave. I promise I won't leave. Just, don't do this."

I was begging, pleading. I never wanted to be that woman, but I'd reached my breaking point, and I was willing to do anything to avoid another altercation.

This was terrifying. How had I wound up back here? When would I learn?

I was back at Kurt's place, staring into his murderous gaze, and feeling my aching body trembling with the fear that I felt. Kurt hadn't cooled down from the argument days ago. He was just as livid as he'd been that day, angry that I'd gone behind his back and attempted to come up with a plan to save myself from this mess of a relationship.

This couldn't be happening again. It just couldn't.

I wouldn't survive.

And judging by the pain I still felt in my body, I hadn't even fully recovered from what he did to me before.

"You're not leaving me, because I won't let you go. It's my ring on your finger, Josie. Did you forget that? You belong to me," he shouted.

I was moving my feet backward, knowing I could only go so far before I'd run into the wall and have nowhere else to turn.

Recognizing I had nothing to lose, I took a different approach for the first time in my life. "I'll give it back to you. You don't love me."

"I won't take that ring back. The minute you accepted it and allowed me to put it on your finger, you decided I was the one you wanted to be tied to for the rest of your life. We're going to be together forever."

Shaking my head through the heaviness, a desperation like never before washed over me. "Please, don't do this. Just let me go."

Kurt continued to advance on me, and his voice was menacing. "That's never going to happen. You're mine for the rest of our lives."

The danger was closing in on me. I had no way out. I'd never be able to escape this nightmare. Feeling as though I had no other option, no choice but to give up and accept my fate, tears leaked from my eyes.

I'd made such a mess of my life. If only I'd found the courage to leave sooner.

My back hit the wall; Kurt was closing in on me. I had nowhere to go, no way out. "Please," I begged again. "Please, let me go. I'm sorry."

Kurt moved his head slowly from one side to the other, declining my pleas. "I'm never letting you go. You'll never leave me, and I'm going to make sure of it."

I watched the unmistakable movement of him lifting his arms. I was convinced he was going to rear one of those arms back so he could land a punch. I closed my eyes, clenched my jaw, and lifted my hands to my face to brace for the impact. Then I felt his hands on either side of me, gripping my shoulders as I screamed, "No!"

"Josie."

"No, no, no."

"Josie, honey, it's me. It's Huck."

Huck?

"Huck?" I rasped.

"Yes, it's me," he assured me. "You're safe. I've got you. Nobody is going to hurt you."

It was dark in the room, a faint light creeping in from beneath the door. The sterile smell in the room indicated I was still in the hospital.

I hadn't gone back. I hadn't wound up back at Kurt's place.

It was a nightmare. It was just my mind playing tricks on me. I was here, Huck was with me, and I was safe.

But even if I was able to make that distinction now, it didn't change the ominous feeling that had settled in me as a result of the dream.

The tension was coursing through my body, every muscle, bone, and inch of my skin aching. "What if he doesn't let me go?" I cried.

It was a very real possibility, considering what I'd learned hours ago when the police arrived to talk to me. I'd officially gone about filing a report, needing to recount my whole ordeal. It hadn't been easy, especially when I'd glance toward Huck and see how hard he was struggling not to lose his hold on his emotions. As it stood, the police took my account of everything, making it clear that it wouldn't be up to them to decide what happened with Kurt. I could certainly ask to press charges, but with this being Kurt's first recorded instance of violence—regardless of how horrible it had been—it wasn't likely he'd receive any of the punishment he should have. Recognizing that, I understood it was a very real possibility that Kurt might decide he didn't want to let me go. It was safe to say I was feeling unsettled about that.

Huck's hand gently cupped the side of my face. "He doesn't have a choice, Josie. I'm not going to let him anywhere near you."

My bottom lip trembled. "I'm scared."

"I know you are. But I promise I'm going to protect you. There isn't anything or anyone that is going to hurt you ever again."

I let out an exhale, my ribs thanking me as my body sagged with relief.

Huck stroked his thumb along my cheek and asked, "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

Easing myself back onto the mattress again, I took a few breaths. Then I recounted what had just happened inside my head while I was sleeping. When I got to the end of it, I said, "I feel like I'm never going to get away from him, no matter what I do."

Huck was as reassuring as ever. He kept one hand wrapped firmly around mine. "You will. You already have, because I'm not going to let you go back there. Your body has already gotten away from him, Josie. We'll work on your mind next."

He made it sound so simple. I thought he deserved to have a fair warning. "I don't think it's going to be easy."

"That's okay," he returned. "We'll take it one day at a time. I'll do what I can for you, and we'll get you some professional help, too. Whatever it takes, no matter how long, I'm going to make this right for you."

More tension eased in my body. I'd always known Huck was a good guy, but this was on another level. He was looking after me the way Kurt should have looked after me. It made me realize, even in my current physical state, that I was lucky. Not every woman in a situation like me had someone like Huck to help them through. And though this was just the beginning, I didn't doubt the lengths he'd go to just to ensure I healed both physically and emotionally.

"Thank you for being here with me, Huck. There's likely a very long road ahead, and I can see that doesn't scare you. I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you've already done for me. I couldn't do this without you."

Huck kept one hand on mine and brought the other up to my forehead. He moved his hand back into my hair several times before stopping and offering a light massage in my hair with his fingertips. It was such a sweet and tender gesture, and it made me feel absolutely treasured. "I haven't done nearly enough for you. But you're right, we're just getting started on what's bound to be a long, difficult road to recovery for you. I'm just glad you know I'm not going anywhere and that I intend to be right by your side."

"I'm so lucky," I whispered, feeling my throat get tight.

Huck continued to stroke his hand against the top of my head, the feel of his touch offering so much comfort. "Tired?" he asked.

That was the understatement of the century. "Yeah, a little bit. But I'm fighting it."

"Don't be afraid, Josie. It's okay to sleep. I promise it's going to get better."

I tried to take him at his word. I knew he wasn't lying to me, but it didn't change the fact that my mind was so wound up. I needed something; I needed a distraction.

"Huck?"

"Right here, honey."

"Will you talk to me?" I asked.

"Sure. What did you want to talk about?" he countered.

His fingers hadn't stopped stroking my hair, which not only brought me the comfort I desperately needed, but it offered some encouragement. So, I answered, "I'd listen to you talk to me about anything. You could probably read the dictionary to me, and I'd enjoy it. I don't know. Can you tell me about where you work? Do you like the people you work with?"

"I do," Huck confirmed. "As I told you before, there are several different departments, if you will, within the company, and each is responsible for different tasks."

My eyes were both closed, but I was hanging on to every word. "The private investigators and bodyguards, right?"

"Exactly. In the self-defense and tactical training unit, I've got quite a few other guys I work closely with on a regular basis. My closest friend, Greyson, is one of them."

"That name sounds familiar."

Huck was silent for a moment, longer than I had expected. I might have grown concerned by it, but he hadn't stopped moving his hands in my hair. It was the best thing I'd felt in such a long time that I couldn't just ignore it.

Eventually, Huck explained, "Greyson was with me when I got the call from you, and he was there with me when I came to get you."

"I can't remember much about him, but I recall the name. Does he think this is ludicrous?"

"Only in that he's infuriated about what was done to you."

"That surprises me."

"Why is that?"

I didn't know if he would think I was crazy for saying this. "I guess Harper Security Ops understands these kinds of things happen, but it's probably not normal that it would hit so close to home."

I could have sworn I heard a soft chuckle escape from Huck. I wished it wasn't dark and I could have seen his face. Seeing and hearing his laughter, mixed with the way he was touching me, would have made my whole year. For now, all I could do was use my sense of sound and touch to get me through.

"You'd be surprised by what so many of the guys have endured over the last couple of years," he shared. "In fact, it wasn't that long ago when nearly every member of the team was single. Now, more than half of us are either married, engaged, or in a very seriously committed relationship."

"Us?" The word slipped out of my mouth before I had the chance to stop it. Surely, he wasn't already married or engaged, was he?

"Us as a whole, Josie. Not me. I'm very single. But everyone who is in a relationship hasn't had an easy time of it."

It felt like a lead weight had been lifted off my chest. Huck was single. Technically, despite my overwhelming desire to get out, it was only a matter of days ago when I'd told him I was engaged. Sure, I didn't want to follow through with the wedding, and I had checked out of the relationship from an emotional standpoint a long time ago. But did it make me a hypocrite to feel any type of way about the possibility of Huck being in a relationship? If anyone deserved happiness, it was him.

Not willing to ask that question, I went another route. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"A lot of things happened," he said. "I won't get into all the details of some of them, but I'll give you a snapshot of it from the beginning if you'd like."

"I'd like that."

Huck didn't hesitate to give me what I wanted. Without thinking twice about it, he dove in and told me about his coworkers and the battles they'd needed to face when it came to the women in their lives. He started at the beginning and told me about the first four men who'd fallen hard—Royce, Nixon, Jagger, and Brix.

I was taken aback by how horrible some of the stories were. The women had been through some very traumatic experiences, but I couldn't overlook how Huck shared the ways in which the men had stepped up for the women in those scenarios. Of the four, the one that stuck with me the most was learning about Liv and Brix.

There was something that hearing a story about two people who'd known each other since they were kids did to me. To learn that they'd come out the other side years later, having hidden their feelings for one another but ultimately finding a way back to each other, gave me hope.

I didn't think I was ready to jump into something else right now. I needed time to get past all that had happened, but it was encouraging to know we could have the chance I'd longed for years ago.

"I can't believe all of that happened," I said when Huck had finished telling me about Liv and Brix. "And to know that after all they've been through, the fact that two of the couples are now expecting their first child is wonderful. It gives me hope. Maybe things really will get better for me."

"There isn't a doubt in my mind that things are going to get better for you, honey. That's a promise I'm willing to make."

"Thank you, Huck. Thank you for saying that and for sharing some stories with me. It really helped to distract me, but now I'm feeling a bit exhausted."

"Give in to the exhaustion, Josie. I'll be right here with you for the rest of the night," he promised.

Huck hadn't stopped running his fingers through my hair. And after having been distracted by the stories of his coworkers for so long, that gentle touch mixed with his comforting presence and reassuring words about being here with me allowed me to drift off peacefully.