Thirty

THIRTY

Josie

"Lori? Lori, can you hear me?"

Despite my attempts to rouse her as I shook her shoulder with my hand, Lori didn't respond.

I prayed she'd merely been knocked out. My heart ached. If something happened to her, if she was seriously injured as a result of my mess of a situation with Kurt, I'd never forgive myself. It was one thing to put and keep myself in that situation, and it was something else altogether for an innocent person to be hurt by him.

Lori had been driving, doing her best to get away from Kurt and to the police station, but he was right on our tail the entire time. Understandably, she struggled to remain composed.

I'd been so relieved that I got through to Huck, that he'd answered my call, I stopped focusing on what was happening with Lori.

And that's when it happened.

As Lori slowed the car to make the turn, Kurt rammed into us again, and the car spun out of control. I couldn't recall how many times we spun—twice, maybe—before the car slammed into one parked along the side street. It all happened so fast, even though there was a part of me that felt as though I was moving in slow motion. Somewhere amid the chaos, my phone went flying from my hand, and as we ground to a halt, the airbags deployed.

Whether it was having endured so much physical trauma over the years that helped me or not, I'd never know. But other than being momentarily stunned by what had happened, I hadn't been knocked unconscious.

I reached down to unbuckle my belt, only to discover it was jammed. That's when I started to panic.

Because when I shifted my attention to the window, I saw Kurt making his way toward me. He was seething mad, looking more terrifying than I'd ever seen him in my life. Keeping my eyes focused on him, my heart slamming against my chest, my hand fumbled around for my friend.

"Lori?" I called once more. "Lori, please wake up."

She didn't respond.

I had to get out, to get away. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, the seat belt wouldn't release. Not only could I not unfasten it, but it was pulled taut against my body and wouldn't budge. I had intended to climb out from beneath it, but the belt was holding me so tight to the seat, there was no way for me to get out.

A moment later, my door swung open. Kurt leaned in and brought his face to within inches of mine. "Did you honestly think I'd just let you walk away from me?"

"Kurt, please," I begged.

He lifted his hand up to my face, cupped me beneath my chin, and pressed the back of my head into the headrest. "It's been weeks of following you. Weeks of waiting for that asshole to leave you alone, so I could come back and get what's mine."

"I'm not yours," I spat, the outward confidence a stark contrast to what I was feeling on the inside. I was silently hoping Huck was close to finding me. "I'll never be yours again."

A sinister smile spread across Kurt's face. "Well, you've got that right. But the problem is that you won't be anybody's ever again, Josie."

He slid his hand down, curling his fingers around my throat.

I swallowed hard, feeling his grip tighten against my flesh, and realized he knew precisely the effect he was having on me. "Someone's afraid. You're not so tough without that guy around you, are you?"

"You're a coward," I rasped as he began to choke me. "You can't fight a man, but you can beat up a woman. You're nothing but a gutless excuse for a man."

"You think I care how you feel about me? You're done, Josie. Done."

Without another word, he squeezed my throat so tight, there wasn't a chance I could dream of responding. My hands went to his wrist, and what ensued was a vain attempt to loosen his hold and free myself.

It was at that moment when I wished my recovery hadn't taken so long. If it hadn't, I might have been able to take those self-defense classes with Huck and learned what to do in this situation. I would have had some knowledge under my belt.

With my oxygen supply running short, my panic worsened. Then I recalled the sight of Huck's knuckles when I first woke up in the hospital after he'd rescued me from Kurt's place.

Fists.

I could use my fists.

I released Kurt's wrist, balled my left hand into a fist, and swung it at the side of his head. It was just enough to startle him, throw him off balance, and force him to lose his grip on my throat.

I swung several more times, each punch I landed sending waves of pain up my arm. Kurt stumbled back far enough that I couldn't reach, so I used that opportunity to suck in as much air as I could and try to free myself from the belt.

It was still stuck, and Kurt had righted himself. I was running out of time—Huck had to be close by now.

Not trusting the strength in my hands or arms to get the job done, I figured my legs and feet were the next best option. I pulled my leg back until my thigh was nearly at my chest, and as Kurt stepped in my direction again, I kicked at him.

He jumped out of the way, but I continued to kick. If I could hold him off just a bit longer, I'd be okay. I'd survive.

And I'd be able to get Lori the help she needed.

But Kurt disappeared out of my line of sight just as I heard the distant sound of police sirens.

His truck was still visible from my vantage point, and he wasn't moving in that direction, so I wondered if he'd decided to make a run for it.

I wasn't so lucky.

The next thing I knew, the back door opened, and Kurt's voice sounded behind me. "Looks like someone has gotten a bit feisty during her time away. It's a shame you were never like that when we were together. It could have been fun."

"You're going to rot in prison," I warned him as I flailed my arms above my head, attempting to make contact with any part of his face I could reach.

"I'll be gone before they get here," he said as his fingers wrapped around my neck from behind and squeezed.

No matter how hard I swung, I couldn't hit him. He had to have crouched down low enough to where I'd never be able to hit him. His grip grew tighter and tighter; I wasn't going to make it.

But just before I thought I was going to pass out, Kurt's hands were gone. Listening closely while I attempted to take in some air, I heard grunts of pain and the unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with a face.

Huck.

It had to be Huck.

My body was jerked slightly to the side when a body was thrown against the side of the car. That's when I got the confirmation I'd guessed right.

"I told you what would happen if you touched her."

That was Huck.

And he sounded like he had gone well past the point of self-control. He sounded murderous.

Kurt groaned, an indication that Huck had gotten the upper hand in this battle. "Do you remember my warning? Do you remember me telling you that if you touch her again, you'd be dead. And I don't care if I spend the rest of my life sitting in a prison cell so long as you can't ever lay another finger on her."

My eyes widened in shock.

While Huck had shared that he'd gone and given Kurt a taste of his own medicine and a warning to leave me alone, he hadn't given me any details. I knew he loved me, but the words he'd just said were on another level. He was prepared to sacrifice his freedom for my safety. I felt myself getting choked up, tears welling in my eyes.

"Josie, honey, can you hear me?" Huck called out.

"I'm—" I stopped to clear my throat. "I can hear you."

"Are you okay?" he pressed.

"For now, I am. Lori is passed out, though," I told him as I attempted to look back and see what was happening. It was difficult to do without being able to move my torso away from the seat, but I could tell Huck had Kurt pinned up against the side of the car. "And I'm stuck. I can't get out of the seat."

"Get off me, asshole," Kurt grumbled, shoving his hands into Huck's chest.

In an instant, Kurt was slammed down on the ground beside the car. I could just barely see the top of his head.

The sound of the sirens was getting louder, indicating the police were nearly here.

My nerves were shot, the adrenaline was no longer rushing through my body, and my emotions were getting the best of me.

"You're fucking lucky the police are on their way, because if it were up to me, if they weren't this close, you'd be dead," Huck seethed.

I reached out a hand to Lori, attempted to rouse her once more, but she still didn't wake. Tears spilled down my cheeks, worry for her consuming me.

The next thing I knew, the area was swarming with police cars, and it wasn't much longer before Huck was crouched beside me.

"Josie," he breathed, the relief he was feeling evident.

"Huck," I rasped as more tears fell.

He swiped at the tears and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "Let me get you out of here."

"The belt is stuck, but I'm okay," I told him. "Help Lori first."

Instead of doing as I urged him, Huck reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. Before the blade was even visible, Lori's door opened, and paramedics were there.

"Her name is Lori. She was knocked out from either the force of the impact from the truck or when the airbag deployed," I informed them.

"Thank you, ma'am," the medic replied.

Just as I was about to ask if she was going to be okay, the pressure of the seatbelt against my body was gone. I turned my attention to Huck and noticed he'd cut the belt to free me.

He reached in, slipped one arm beneath my legs and the other behind my back, and lifted me out of the car.

"I'm pretty sure I can walk, Huck," I said.

"I'm taking you to the hospital to get checked out," he returned as he moved away from the car and toward his truck.

"Okay. But I could walk," I reasoned.

He stopped moving, his eyes roaming over my face, and shared, "From the moment you crashed, and the call was dropped, I thought you were dead. I thought I was going to lose you." His eyes dropped to my throat, the muscle in his jaw working to contain the anger that was clear as day. When he got it under control, he continued, "Fortunately, that wasn't the case, but it was clear I just barely got here in time to prevent that from being your fate. So, please, honey, let me take you to the hospital, carrying you in my arms as I do, because for several minutes I thought I wasn't going to have the privilege of being able to do that ever again."

As much as I thought I might die, Huck had endured whole minutes of not knowing what had happened to me. If it helped him feel better to have me in his arms, I wasn't going to take it away from him.

"Okay, Huck. You can carry me wherever you'd like to take me," I acquiesced. "Can we check on Lori before we leave, though?"

He dipped his chin. "Let me get you in my truck, and I'll check on her."

Huck did just that, got stopped by an officer on the way back to his truck, and finally returned to me.

He climbed inside and said, "Lori's got a pulse and is breathing. They're taking her to Steel Ridge General, the same place I'm taking you. The police will meet us there, so they can ask you some questions about what happened."

It was like having a weight lifted off my shoulders to know that Lori was alive. That was all I cared about, so it didn't bother me at all that the police intended to meet me at the hospital to question me. "Okay. Let's get there, so I can get checked out and see Lori as soon as they have her stable."

Huck reached across the center console, took my hand in his, and said, "I love you, Josie."

"I love you, too."

"I'm sorry he had the chance to get to you."

Shaking my head, I insisted, "I was eventually going to have to be on my own. You couldn't physically be with me every second for the rest of my life, but I know you're going to do what you can to prepare me to defend myself from this point forward."

"This is never going to happen to you again, honey, but I'm going to teach you everything you need to know," he insisted.

Smiling, I squeezed his hand. "Take me to the hospital, Huck."

Following a beat, he gave me a nod and took me to the hospital. Despite having insisted to the doctors that I was okay, a full workup was done on me. While we waited for some test results, a couple of officers showed up to ask questions. I told them about what happened, explaining everything in as much detail as I could recall, and Huck was sure to remind them that Kurt had been responsible for putting me in the hospital weeks ago. Since I'd filed a report after that incident, gone to get a protection from abuse order against him, and now had this incident, it was likely I'd finally be able to get some justice for all that Kurt had done to me.

Once I received a clean bill of health from the doctors, was discharged from the hospital, and had assured Huck several times that I was okay, he and I went in search of Lori. She'd woken up and was admitted to a room. Since she'd been knocked unconscious, she was being kept overnight for observation. But she didn't have any other major injuries or ailments, which I was beyond grateful for. And even though I couldn't have prevented anything we'd been through, I still felt responsible for what happened to her.

"I'm so sorry about what happened tonight, Lori," I lamented.

"It's okay, Josie. It wasn't your fault."

"I feel awful about it."

A small smile spread across her face as her eyes shifted momentarily between Huck and me. Finally, she teased, "If you really feel bad, there is a way you can make it up to me."

"Anything," I blurted before taking any time to consider what her request could be.

She hesitated briefly, but ultimately said, "You can cover my shift at the diner for the next few days. I figure it's only fair since I covered for you when you were in the hospital."

I grinned back at her. "I can totally do that."

Lori laughed and asked, "Are you okay, though? Honestly, is this over for you now?"

Once I glanced up at Huck and saw the look in his eyes, I returned my attention to Lori. "I can't say what's going to happen with Kurt just yet, but I'm hoping that what he did to me before coupled with what he did to both of us this time around is going to be enough to result in some serious consequences, like jail time. But I guess we'll have to wait and see where things go from here."

She gave me a nod of understanding. "If there's anything I can do to help see to it that he can't come after you again, I'm happy to do it. I can't imagine how you lived with him for so many years."

"I appreciate your willingness to do that. I know the police said they intend to talk to you as well about what happened, but they wanted to give you time to do some healing before bombarding you with questions," I told her.

"I'm willing to answer any questions they have."

Just then, an announcement came over the intercom stating that visiting hours were over.

Despite the guilt I felt about Lori being in the hospital because of me, Huck and I couldn't stay with her. "Are you going to be okay?" I asked.

Nodding, she confirmed, "I am. I'm going to take advantage of being here and catch up on some sleep I've been missing out on."

"Okay, then I guess we're going to head out," I said.

"Thank you for coming in to see me before you left."

I moved closer to her, covered her hand with mine, and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you for staying cool under pressure tonight and for doing what you did to keep us safe. I'm not sure I would have done so well on my own."

"I only did what you told me to do, so I can't take all the credit. I think we just make a great team, but I already knew that from working with you."

I loved that she saw it that way.

"I'll call you tomorrow to check in," I promised.

"Sounds good. Have a nice night, Josie."

"You, too."

"It was nice to see you again, Huck."

He gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "Likewise."

With that, Huck and I turned and walked out of Lori's room. We spent the next several minutes in silence as we made our way through the hospital and toward the exit. When we finally made it back to his truck and were both inside, he turned to face me, a look I couldn't quite read on his face.

Even though it was late, since it was summer, there was still enough light outside for us to still see one another.

"What is it?" I asked him.

He reached for my hands, lifted them to his lips, and tenderly kissed each of my knuckles. Only after he'd done that did he return his attention to my face. And when he spoke, his voice was strained like I'd never heard before.

"I thought I was going to lose you today," he said. "I thought I was going to be too late."

"You weren't, though. You got there on time," I reminded him.

Huck's chin tipped down slightly. "Maybe. But he was still able to get his hands on you."

"I'm here, Huck. I'm okay. You made it that way."

"I'm going to marry you, Josie."

My body jerked back at the unexpected words, even though my hands remained firmly held in Huck's hands.

Noting my shock and inability to speak, Huck said, "I'm sorry if telling you that isn't romantic, but I need you to know. I've been thinking about it for a while now, but I thought I'd give you time to heal, to get back on your feet, and to just be you. After today, I can't. I want to be married to you, honey, and I don't think I'm going to be able to wait years to make that happen."

Huck Davidson wanted to marry me.

I could have cried.

As much as I appreciated his noble intentions and willingness to give me the time to figure out my life, I didn't need it.

I pulled my hands from his, brought them up to frame his face, and said, "I can't think of anything I'd love more than to know I get to spend the rest of my life with you, to know you'll be there with me through all the things I want to accomplish in my life. It feels right, Huck. It feels like it's the way it was always meant to be. And honestly, this is just hitting me now, but I kind of like the idea of accomplishing these next big things in my life with a last name that belongs to a man who truly loves me instead of to one who could take his hands to me. So, I like your idea, and I'm ready whenever you are."

He glanced outside, returned his attention to me, and said, "I think the courthouse is already closed today."

I grinned at him and shrugged. "They'll be open again on Monday morning."

"Yeah?"

I nodded furiously, the smile plastered on my face. "Yeah."

Huck held my stare for a few more seconds before he kissed me. Then he said, "Tomorrow, I'm taking you shopping for a ring."

My heart exploded in my chest. "And what are we going to do tonight?"

He shot me a knowing look, his lips twitching. "We're going home to celebrate."

Home.

There was that word again.

Maybe he'd been referring to the physical place. But once he'd just said it to me, I realized it wasn't about that at all.

For me, home was wherever Huck was.

Because he was the only one who'd ever shown me how it was supposed to feel inside a real home. It was warm, safe, and loving.

And that was precisely what I'd needed my entire life.

So, I leaned close and kissed his mouth before I whispered against his lips, "Take me home, Huck."

He didn't hesitate to oblige.