Broken (3 page)

As she walked toward me, she started to take off her clothes. By the time she reached me, she was only in her bra and thong. She had a smokin’ hot body and looked hot as hell standing there in her red lace bra and G-string. I stood, picked her up, and made my way over to a pool table.

Maybe she can make me forget for a few minutes.

I could hear Courtney talking to someone, and I strained to hear what she was saying.

“She won’t tell us what happened, Ms. Will, but we know she was assaulted by someone. I can’t help her if she won’t tell me who did this.”

“I can tell you who did it. It was that motherfucking, good-for-nothing boyfriend of hers. Can’t you just go arrest him? I mean, he put her in the damn hospital, for Christ’s sake.”

“Not unless she tells me who did it. I’ve called the police, and she refuses to talk to them. She said she
fell
. They questioned the boyfriend, and he said he was at his office late that night. He said that Whitley left the party without him, and he had to stay for an emergency. He has witnesses saying he was there. He told the police that when he got home, she was lying at the bottom of the stairs.”

Court let out a small laugh. “Of course. He has it all neatly wrapped up, like always. She must have done something to really piss him off. He’s pretty good about hiding it. I only just found out a few months ago that he has hit her before.”

I coughed to let them know I was awake, but the pain that shot through my head and jaw about had me yell out.

“Whit, don’t move, honey. You’re in the hospital.” Court leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I’m going to kill that asshole for doing this to you.”

I slowly smiled. I looked over her shoulder at the tall, dark-haired woman standing there. I remembered her talking to me earlier.

“Can I only have certain people come into my room?” I asked.

She slightly grinned. “Yes, but your fiancé would like information on how you’re doing. He was in here earlier and left you those roses.” She gestured toward the window.

I turned and saw two-dozen pink roses. “Please throw them out,” I said as I felt tears building in my eyes.

“Gladly! Fucker couldn’t even get red.” Courtney walked over and picked up the roses. “I think I’ll leave them in the sweet lady’s room next door.”

I watched as she walked out of the room with the roses in hand. I glanced back at the woman standing there. “I know what you think of me.”

She shook her head. “No, Whitley, you don’t. You see, I’ve been exactly where you are right now—feeling so broken, like there is no way out. But there is. There are people who can help you if you would just let them.”

“I’m sorry. What’s your name again?” I asked.

“Monica.”

“Monica, I just want to leave New York City and forget I ever met him. Please just let me do this my way.”

She took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “Whitley, please, please press charges against him. Let him know he can’t do this to you or any other girl for that matter.”

Courtney walked back in, stopped, and glanced between Monica and me. “Should I leave?”

I smiled at Monica and shook my head. “I was just telling Monica about my plans to move and leave New York as soon as possible.”

Monica’s smile faded just a bit, but she nodded. “I hope you know what you’re doing, honey. Please do it. Please leave him as soon as possible.”

I smiled. “I promise, I will.”

Courtney watched Monica step out, and then she turned to face me. “Why, Squeak? Why won’t you put his ass in jail?”

“Court…please don’t ever call me Squeak again.
Please.
”

Since middle school, I’d been called Squeak because I had such a high-pitched voice. Court had started it, but Roger loved the nickname, and he’d called me that since we began dating.

I thought back to the night before when he had touched me and whispered it in my ear. I felt sick to my stomach.

Never again.

Court looked at me funny and made a face. “Whit, what did he do to you? How long has this been going on? I want the truth please.”

I closed my eyes and felt tears building. When I opened my eyes, the tears began rolling down my face. “About six months after we moved to New York, while we were getting ready to go to a dinner party, we got into a fight about what I was wearing. He told me I looked like a whore, and I called him an asshole. He slapped me so hard that I had to put makeup on to cover the mark on my face. The whole way to the party, he begged me to forgive him, and he even cried.”

Courtney shut her eyes, and when she opened them, I saw her tears. I smiled weakly at her.

“The next time?”

“It was months later. Things were great until I talked to a neighbor outside our apartment building. He was a runner, like me, and he was telling me about a marathon. Roger saw us chatting when he walked up. The moment we stepped into our apartment, he grabbed my arm and started yelling at me. When I told him to stop, he pushed me, and I fell. I hit my head on the coffee table and started crying. He begged me to forgive him…and I did.

“I just accepted the fact that he was jealous, so I never talked to guys—any guys, even old friends from home. But it got worse. It continued with the clothes I wore or how I walked in front of other men. Once, I embarrassed him in front of his coworkers at a Christmas party, and when we got home, he yelled at me. We were at the top of the stairs, and when I tried to push past him, he grabbed me and shook me so hard that the room started spinning. I told him he was hurting me, and when he let me go, he pushed me, and I fell down the stairs. That was how I really broke my wrist.”

Courtney let out a gasp. “Oh my God, Whitley! You told everyone you tripped while you were running! Is that why you’ve pulled away from me so much? You didn’t want me to find out?”

I closed my eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry, Court. I really thought he would change. At first, I thought it was me, that I was doing something wrong. He always found ways to tell me how he’d given me everything, how I wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for him.”

I opened my eyes and stared down at my hands. “I’d met a girl who wanted to open up a party-planning company with me, and I was so excited, but he told me I couldn’t do it. He said I didn’t even have a college degree. When I reminded him I didn’t have a degree because I’d followed him to New York, he just slapped me and called me ungrateful. It has been a never-ending cycle.”

“Fuck him, Whit. You can do anything you want.”

I smiled and looked directly into her eyes. “I need your help.”

Her smile faded. “Okay. I know people.”

“Huh?”

“If you want to take him out, I know people who know people. It can look like an accident. Easy.”

I just stared at her. “Oh. My. God. Are you being serious?”

“Shit yeah, I am.”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “As much as that sounds like a solid plan, honey, I think I’ll pass. Do you remember in high school when my parents and I met that guy from Texas, and he talked about his hometown?”

“Yeah, it was like an animal name, Llama or something like that.”

I started laughing.

God, I love this girl, like she’s my sister.

I’d loved her since the moment we met on the playground in kindergarten. She’d pushed me and told me I had a squeaky voice, and I’d pushed her back and told her to choke on her lollipop. We’d been best friends ever since.

There wasn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for Court, and I knew she felt the same way.

“It was Llano, Courtney, but you were close, hon.”

“Potato, patatoe. What about it?”

I smiled at her and tilted my head. “I called my dad this morning and told him I was leaving Roger because he was cheating on me. I said that I wanted a fresh new start, and Llano, Texas is where I wanted to go.”

The smile that spread across Court’s face lit up the room. “No fucking way! We’re going to Texas?”

I let out a laugh. My head was already feeling better from knowing that my very best friend was ready to just up and leave everything behind to go to Texas with me.

“Depends on if you want to help me run a party-planning business there.”

“Ah, yeah, I do! When do we leave? After we go pick up your stuff at the apartment?”

I took a deep breath. This was going to be the tricky part. “Um…I actually need to leave, like, right now. Roger is in New Jersey for the next two days at some summer retreat with his dad. He left me a text, saying he’s been trying to call the hospital, and they won’t give him any information even though he’s my fiancé.”

I looked down at my finger at the diamond he’d given me two years ago. We’d never even talked about a wedding after he put the ring on my finger. It was all for show for his job. I knew that now.

Courtney smiled and turned to walk out the door before looking back over her shoulder. “I’m on it. I already have the doctor’s phone number. I bet I can get those discharge papers ready for you in an hour.”

“That’s all you need?” I asked with a laugh and a wink.

“Get dressed, bitch. We’re busting you out of New York City and heading to Texas!”

I stood on my front porch, looking out at the cattle. I smiled as I thought about how Mike would be happy to see that our cattle herd was so big. I heard Blake Shelton blaring from the white F-350 truck coming down the driveway.

I smiled as I watched Reed pull in, jump out, and then walk up to the porch.

“My God, I can’t believe you’ve been fucking Misty for the last two weeks, you motherfucker. You
knew
how much I liked that girl.”

I took a sip of coffee and smiled.

Liked her? He only wanted to sleep with her.
“Twice, bro. It’s only been twice.”

Reed twisted his baseball cap around and grabbed a chair. He sat down as he faced me. “Really? ’Cause, according to my baby sister, Wes said she heard you’ve been screwing Misty in the bar for the last two weeks. Misty has been telling everyone y’all are a couple. She even said you were packin’ some heat there, cowboy. I’m never going to be able to play pool in that bar again, you asshole.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Dude, don’t worry. I have absolutely no interest in Misty whatsoever. She was something that got my mind off of Olivia and Mike for a few minutes, that’s all.”

Reed let out a deep breath and shook his head. “Layton, Mike’s death was over six months ago. I know y’all were each other’s world, dude, but you’ve got to move on.”

I turned toward the pasture. “I not only lost my brother, but I also lost the love of my life.”

I closed my eyes and pictured making love to Olivia for the first time in the deer cabin…and the last time in the barn. Watching her get up and walk away from me that morning while telling me she was leaving me for another man had about killed me.

“Layton, she left you the day after your brother died. She’s a bitch. If she ever loved you, she would have never walked away from you when you needed her the most. She’s not worth the heartache.”

I rotated around and faced Reed with a smile. “You’re right. That’s why I’ll never trust another woman again. I’ll never let another person into my heart ever.”

Reed let out a laugh and slapped my back. “Sure, dude. You keep telling yourself that. You headed out to check the fence line?”

“Yeah. You want to ride along?”

Reed smiled that smile of his. “Nah, I’m going on a picnic with Jennifer.” He lifted his eyebrows up and down.

I shook my head and laughed as I walked away. “Have fun with that.”