For the Save (Playing for Keeps #4) Page 16

  I was impressed. Rover was a big guy. But then again, I’d seen Sawyer in action on the football field. I knew he was strong. Still, he was no match for Felix’s gun. And I could see by the way his face paled that he knew it. He’d seen what damage a gun could do. I felt so bad for pulling him into this mess. It was the last thing he needed. Still, a selfish part of me was so glad he was here.

  “You think you’re gonna come in here and play hero, don’t you?” Felix poked Sawyer in the chest with his gun. “Son, I’ll splatter your brains all over this place.”

  It was the wrong thing to say. I could practically see the images taking over Sawyer’s mind. He was picturing Ryan. I was sure of it.

  While Sawyer was trying to cope with his demons, it gave Rover the chance to wake up. He walked into the room, a little dazed, but on his feet. Before I could warn Sawyer, Rover slammed his elbow into Sawyer’s back, and he fell to the ground like a limp rag doll.

  CHAPTER 28

  Sawyer

  My back felt stiff and sore when I awoke. I tried to lift my arms, but something was restraining them. My eyes fluttered open, and it took a minute to adjust to the dim lighting. I was sitting on a hard chair, my arms tied behind my back. Addie sat across from me, tied up as well. Crap. I had come here to save her, and now they had us both.

  “Look at who finally decided to join us.” The man who I could only assume was Candyman stood in front of me, rubbing his palms together. I noted that he had scratches on his face that weren’t there before. I glanced over at Addie and saw a slight bruise on her cheek. I was proud of her for fighting back. But I wanted to kill the sick bastard who laid his hands on her. Anger coursing through me, I fought against my restraints. Candyman chuckled. “You two are so cute to think you can fight me.” He pivoted on his heels and walked toward Addie. My defenses went on high alert. I sat up straighter, the ropes around my wrists pulling. “Before you rudely interrupted us, your girlfriend here was paying off her brother’s debt.”

  My whole body went hot the minute his hand touched her face. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You’ll see.” His hand cupped her face, his fingers stroking her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, but a tear still escaped.

  Oh, hell no.

  I had a rush of adrenaline, and moved so forcefully I dragged my chair forward. Too bad I was still attached to it. “I’ll pay off the debt! Don’t touch her again.”

  “Sorry, but you’re not really my type,” Candyman said to me. His hand slid down her neck and he moved in close, covering her mouth with his.

  “Get the hell off of her now.” I fought with all I had, but I couldn’t get loose. “You sick son of a bitch, don’t you dare touch her again.” My head snapped back. Someone had struck me. Pain shot through my face, and I blinked. My vision was blurred, but I made out the image of a man standing next to me. Rover. Where had he come from?

  “Didn’t your mom teach you manners?” Candyman asked. “When you’re a guest in someone’s home, it’s impolite to call them names.”

  This was good. I’d keep him talking. I’d distract him from Addie. “Didn’t anyone teach you it’s impolite to take what’s not yours? Must be pretty sad that you have to force girls to be with you.” Another hit to my face. Stars filled my vision.

  “Keep talking, lover boy, but that’s not going to stop me. Your girlfriend will pay off her brother’s debt tonight, and you’ll get to watch the whole thing.”

  “You will not lay another hand on her or I’ll kill you!” I shouted, writhing in my chair.

  “Ah, ah, ah. Threats will not be tolerated.”

  This time it was in my stomach. It was so hard it knocked the wind out of me. Before I could even suck in a breath, another one came hard and fast.

  “No! Stop! Okay. I’ll do whatever you want,” Addie spoke with desperation.

  I couldn’t catch my breath. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t tell her no. I didn’t need her defending me. I was here to defend her. When I took in my surroundings, I could see why she was confused about our roles at this point.

  “I don’t need your permission, princess,” Candyman growled.

  When I finally regained my bearings, I saw his hand slip under her shirt. Hot and cold flashes ripped up and down my spine. The thought of another guy touching Addie was bad enough, but a guy touching her against her will made me see red.

  “I swear to god you better remove your damn hand!” This time when I attempted to wrench my hands free I felt one of my wrists pop. Oh, crap. I hoped it wasn’t broken. Another hit to my face rendered me useless for a moment.

  “You don’t learn, do you? When my boss tells you to shut up, you listen,” Rover said.

  I would’ve spit in his face, but I couldn’t feel my mouth. As I was trying to regain my focus, I heard a car pull up in the driveway. Red and blue lights illuminated the windows.

  “Shit, it’s the cops,” Rover stated the obvious.

  “You little whore. You called the cops,” Candyman said to Addie.

  “No, it wasn’t her,” I hollered out, afraid he would hurt her again.

  Felix turned toward me, but not before the door was kicked in. I sighed with relief as cops swarmed the room. I rested my battered head against the back of the chair. My eyes met Addie’s. She threw me a weak smile. I could tell she was relived as well. But there was also something else in her eyes. A darkness that wasn’t there before. A darkness that I’d spent months clearing out.

  Tonight had put it right back in place.

  CHAPTER 29

  Addie

  I was sitting in the lobby of the hospital waiting to hear how Sawyer was doing. His parents had been ushered back awhile ago, but no one had come returned. I’d met his parents briefly before they went back. It’s not exactly the way I’d hoped we’d meet, and honestly I was pretty nervous when they first showed up. I thought for sure they’d blame me for what happened with Sawyer. But they were gracious. Sure, they seemed a little thrown off by my purple hair. Especially his mom. I could see it in her eyes, and the way her gaze kept flickering to my head. But other than that, they were friendly.

  As the clock on the wall ticked, my anxiety spread. My stomach was all knotted up like a dozen strands of Christmas lights that were thrown in a box and left to sit all year. Visions of Sawyer’s battered face filled my mind. And the memory of him being hit over and over played like a song on repeat in my head. When Felix first put his hands on me, I didn’t think anything could be worse than that. But I was wrong. Watching Sawyer being beat up had been worse. I felt so helpless to stop him. And it made me feel like crap knowing that he was only there because of me.

  Yet, it was hard to wish things had gone differently. If I hadn’t texted Sawyer and if he hadn’t come to my rescue, who knows what would have happened to me. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be walking around seemingly unscathed. Although I wasn’t sure I could use the word unscathed at this point. I mean, sure outwardly I seemed fine, but inwardly I was a mess.

  “Oh, honey, I still can’t believe this happened,” Mom said in a shaky voice, her hands fluttering over my shoulders like a butterfly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I wasn’t, but I nodded. I couldn’t talk to Mom about any of it. Partly because I wasn’t sure I could get the words out. But mainly because I wasn’t ready to recount everything again. It was hard enough telling the police the whole story. But I only did that for Ben and Sawyer’s sake, so Felix would get what was coming to him. But there was no reason to tell Mom. It would only upset her. Besides, the police had told her enough.

  Sighing, I stared down at the scuffed linoleum under my feet. The lobby was pretty quiet. Only a few other people sat in here. Most of them were on their phones texting or scrolling. It made me wish I had my phone. Maybe if I did, I could distract myself. Perhaps it would help me outrun the horrific images of the night. The only silver lining was that Felix was now in jail.

  I was grateful to Sawyer for calling in to the
police station as he drove toward Felix’s house. And I was grateful to Kevin for giving him enough information for the police to take him seriously. It gave me satisfaction to know that Felix would finally pay for what he did to my brother. I was convinced now more than ever that he was responsible for my brother’s death. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he may as well have.

  “Addie?”

  My head snapped up at the sound of my dad’s voice. “What are you doing here?” The shock of seeing my dad for the first time in months caused tears to spring to my eyes. But I wasn’t ready for a heartfelt reunion quite yet. I was still angry with him.

  “Your mom called me.”

  I threw Mom an angry look, but she shrugged. Snatching her purse off her lap, she stood. “I’m going to go grab a cup of coffee. I’ll be right back.”

  “Traitor,” I mumbled under my breath as she scurried away. Then I looked up at Dad. “I’ve kind of got a lot of other things going on right now, as you can see.” I spread my hands out, indicating where I was sitting. “Family drama will have to wait.”

  “I don’t think it can.” Dad lowered himself into the chair next to mine.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for months, and I got nothing. Now I don’t want to talk to you and I have no choice. That’s typical.”

  “I know you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be.”

  “Damn right I do.”

  Anger flashed in his eyes, and I could tell he wanted to reprimand me for cussing. But to his credit, he eased his face into a smile and didn’t say a word about it. His hand covered mine. “I know what happened tonight.”

  “Mom?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Betrayal coursed through me. She must have called him on her way here. Why hadn’t she told me?

  “Are you all right?” He looked at me with genuine concern, and it almost broke me. But I stayed strong. “Have the doctors checked you out?”

  I yanked my hand away and hugged myself tightly. “The paramedics did at the scene, but I wasn’t hurt. He didn’t do anything to me. Sawyer’s the one I’m worried about.”

  “Is Sawyer your boyfriend?”

  Glaring at him, I shook my head. “Yeah, he is. And he’s the only guy who’s been there for me the last few months.” I paused, blinking back the moisture that filled my eyes. “And it’s a good thing he was there, since this has pretty much been the worst time in my entire life.”

  Dad looked so sad I almost felt bad for my words. Almost. But not quite. I was convinced that nothing I could say would hurt as much as him abandoning me.

  “Addie, I’m so sorry.”

  It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t sure anything would be. “Fine. You said what you needed to and now you can leave.”

  “I didn’t leave because of you.”

  Emotion welled up in my chest making it difficult to breathe, let alone say a word. I sat completely still, willing him to continue.

  “I left because I blamed myself for Ben’s death, and that guilt ate away at me. It made it impossible for me to face you or your mom.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I heard you and Mom fighting the night before you left. You said it was her fault.”

  Shame washed over his features. “I never should have said that.”

  “Tell that to her, not me,” I muttered, clasping and unclasping my hands in my lap.

  “I have. Tonight. We had a really good chat.”

  Another thing Mom kept from me. Wow, the secrets were stacking up.

  “It was easier for me to blame someone other than myself,” he continued. “But it wasn’t your mom’s fault. It was mine.”

  Felix’s face flashed in my mind. “Why do you keep saying that?”

  Dad took a deep breath, his shoulders heaving with the motion. Folding his hands in his lap, he stared down at them. “Ben came to me a couple of days before his death and asked me if he could borrow some money. At first I thought it would be a couple hundred dollars or something. Like he wanted to go on a trip with friends or take a girl on a date. But he needed thousands of dollars. And I told him no. But then he got desperate. Told me it was life or death.” Dad paused, his voice becoming shaky and laced with pain. “I demanded to know what was going on. That’s when he told me he was in deep with some drug dealer. Well, I got mad of course, and told him there was no way I was paying for his drugs.” Dad shook his head, his eyes glazed over as if he was a million miles away. My stomach ached. “We fought. I was so angry. It took me a couple of days to cool off, but then I came up with a plan to help him. But it was too late.”

  So that was the fight Sawyer witnessed. Now it all made sense. And it made this whole thing so much more tragic. We were all sitting around blaming ourselves, drowning in guilt and shame. When really it wasn’t our faults. It was Ben’s. All of this was his doing. He got himself in this situation.

  “Did you tell Mom this?” I asked.

  Dad nodded.

  “Good.” I was glad that Mom knew the truth. I wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to release all of the guilt she’d been feeling, but it was probably a start. “I understand why you felt guilty about Ben’s death, Dad. But I still don’t understand why you left me. I mean, you didn’t even call. Not once.”

  “I couldn’t face what had happened. I tried everything in my power to sweep it all under the rug, to make sure no one ever found out. I even took Ben’s phone and hid it so no one would find out what he’d been involved in. I was trying to protect all of us.”

  “No, you weren’t,” I snapped. “You were trying to protect yourself.”

  Dad hung his head. “That was definitely part of it. Maybe that was the main reason I took the phone and kept all the information about the drugs to myself. But the main reason I stayed away from you was because I thought you were better off without me. And, honestly, it was too painful to look at you when this guilt was eating me alive. You look just like him, you know.” He lifted his hand, his finger touching my face. “But mostly, I didn’t want to see the pain my actions caused.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Dad. It was Ben’s. Solely Ben’s.” I wiped away a stray tear.

  “I think I’m starting to see that,” Dad said. “I’ve been seeing a therapist, and that’s been helping a little bit.” He lowered his hand. “Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

  “Why? Is this like a step in your therapy plan or something?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Just me being your dad.”

  “I needed you to be my dad the last few months.”

  “I know, honey. I know.”

  I couldn’t do this anymore. “I don’t think you do know.” Sliding off the chair, I stood up. “Look, I’m glad you’ve had this epiphany and you and Mom have clearly made up. But you hurt me, Dad. And I’m not ready to forgive you for that.”

  “Fair enough,” Dad said, and the fact that he was being so reasonable only pissed me off more.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sawyer’s mom. I caught her attention, and she motioned me over. My pulse quickened. “I can’t do this right now, Dad. I have to go see Sawyer.” When he nestled into the chair, I added, “Please don’t wait for me. I’m tired. We can talk another day.” It was all too much for one night. The only person I wanted now was Sawyer.

  With my heart in my throat I hurried over to Mrs. Ridley. “Is he okay?” I asked the minute I reached her.

  She nodded. “He’s being discharged.”

  “Really?” My spirits lifted. “They’re letting him leave?” That was good, right? I mean, they only let people leave if they were fine.

  “Yep.” She threw me a cautiously optimistic smile. “No broken bones. Just a sprained wrist, some bruised ribs, and his face is pretty banged up. But he’ll survive.”

  I heaved a sigh of relief. But it was short lived when I remembered that it was because of me that he ended up here in the first place. Man, his parents must hate me. Mrs. Ridley was being polite, but I
was sure deep down she was angry. “I-I’m really sorry,” I said. “About all of this.”

  “You don’t have to apologize,” she said. “This wasn’t your fault.”

  My mouth dropped open. I was speechless. I couldn’t believe she was being so kind about this.

  “How are you doing?” She asked gently.

  “I’m fine,” I lied.

  She glanced around the hall. Doctors and nurses filed past. An elderly lady shuffled by us. “If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here.”

  I nodded, my face heating up. Clearly, Sawyer had filled her in on what happened. Before I could respond, Sawyer’s voice boomed from over my shoulder.

  “There’s my girl.”

  I spun around. Sawyer limped toward me. My stomach plummeted at his appearance. It wasn’t much better than it had been when he arrived. His face was covered in purple bruises, his eyes were practically swollen shut, his lip was cut, his arm was in a bandage, and with his other arm he held his side as if it hurt to move. I felt sick.

  “Oh, Sawyer. I’m so sorry.” Man, I couldn’t stop apologizing. It was like a sickness at this point.

  “Stop. Don’t say another word. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “But I never should’ve dragged you into this. Especially after what happened with Kevin.” Remembering Kevin, my stomach soured. I had asked Sawyer about him before the paramedics took him away. He told me that he called 911. I prayed that the ambulance got to him in time.

  “What happened? Why did you go back to his house?” I could hear the hurt in his voice. I knew he felt betrayed that I had gone over there without telling him. Shame washed over me.

  “I found a picture of him and Ben doing drugs together. On the back it had the name Candyman and a phone number, but it had been smudged out. However, it was enough to tell me that he knew something. I know I shouldn’t have gone over there without telling you. It’s just that I thought it would be safe. I never dreamed I’d walk into what I did.”

  “I know,” Sawyer said. “I wish the whole thing hadn’t happened.”