The Officer's Promise (Brothers in Blue Book 1) (5 page)

I double-checked the unit number on the door, but I knew I had the right one. “Nope. The call was for this residence.”

“Is there anyone else in the apartment with you, sir?” Felix asked calmly.

I was anything but calm.

I wanted in this fucking apartment.

He hesitated, raising my suspicion further. “My wife, but she’s in the shower.”

“We’d like to speak with her,” I demanded.

“I just told you she’s in the shower. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He moved to shut the door, but I wedged my boot inside before he could close it, shoving the door open with enough force to make him stumble.

“I told you she’s in the fucking shower. You can’t just barge in here like this,” he stated firmly, as I made my way through the foyer and down the hall.

Nothing seemed out of place until I made it into the living room. A trail of clothes and ladies undergarments led me into the kitchen where I found her lying on her side, face swollen and covered in blood.

Jesus.

Felix radioed for an ambulance while I attempted to assess MaryAnn’s injuries. From what I could see so far, she had a decent-sized gash at the temple and a busted lip, both would probably need stitches.

“MaryAnn, can you hear me?” I asked, pressing my fingers around her mangled ankle.

She groaned softly.

Lifting her head from the floor, she blinked several times before she was finally able to focus her defeated blue eyes on mine. The moment they connected, air froze in my lungs.

They’d once been so bright and full of life, and now they were dulled with sadness and pain.

It seemed like an eternity before I could fix my mouth to utter her name. “MaryAnn.”

She shivered.

Red, puffy lids fell closed on a trembling sigh. Her hands moved to her head, likely pounding due to the blow it had taken. She let out another agonizing groan, and my chest constricted with an ache so deep it hurt to fucking breathe.

“I need you to lie still for me. We have an ambulance on the way. They should be here any minute. In the meantime, I need you to tell me what happened.” She shook her head, pressing her lips together tight while tears fell from the corners of her eyes. “Look, I know you’re scared, but you have to tell me what happened so I can help you.”

“I’m telling you, she fucking fell,” the man bellowed from the other side of the room where Felix kept him contained, questioning him about what happened.

I placed my hand over hers, trying to calm her down despite my own fury. “Tell me what happened,” I said quietly.

She exhaled a long, tortured breath then shifted her gaze to him, courage setting them on fire. “I tried to leave.” Her voice grew stronger with each word spoken, revealing a piece of the girl I once knew. “He did this to me.”

“You lying bitch!”

Every muscle in my body coiled tight, twisting and bunching beneath my skin in a fit of hate. Jumping to my feet, I rushed him. The sound of my thundering heart pounding in my ears was all I could hear, and the bone cracking beneath my fist as I delivered the deliberate blow.

Felix managed to pull me off but only after MaryAnn’s cry penetrated the red fog blinding me.

“Ryker!”

I collected several deep breaths before turning my attention back to her. She looked so small and weak, completely defenseless against him, but still strong.

So fucking strong.

M
y head felt like it was wedged in a vice, the pressure had eased slightly but it still hurt to move. My entire body ached but thankfully, the medicine they’d given me earlier was beginning to serve its purpose.

However, it didn’t allow me to escape my dark thoughts.

The scene played over and over in my mind. I still couldn’t believe I did it. That for once, I stood up to him. Who knows what would have happened if Ryker hadn’t shown up.

My foot was broken and the gash on the side of my head required several stitches. I also had a mild concussion. I was relieved when the doctor told me they would be keeping me overnight. At least I would have a peaceful night of sleep.

Safe from him.

For now.

Ryker had shown up here a short time after I arrived, standing vigil while the doctor and nurses worked on me. My heart clenched, thinking about how protective he was over me. He held my hand the entire time, silently reassuring me with every stroke of his thumb that he was here.

Which somehow still seemed impossible to me.

He’d shown up at just the right time. One more kick and who knows where I would be.

After they finally put me in a room, Ryker and his partner took my statement. It was hard to meet his eyes. I didn’t want him to know how weak I was. I didn’t want him to see the woman I’d become.

“Get some rest, sweetie. I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit,” the nurse said, removing the blood pressure cuff.

I nodded, sinking further into the bed as she walked out of the room.

I’d almost succumbed to my exhaustion when there was a soft knock on the door. My breath froze as it eased open, terror gripping my chest.

“Can I come in?”

Relief flooded through me when I heard Ryker’s soothing voice.

“Hi,” I greeted, my eyes heavy and weak.

He laid a manila folder down at the foot of my bed before perching one hand on the railing next to my head while the other reached for my hand.

Long fingers wrapped around mine gently, contradicting the rough pad of his thumb brushing over the tops of my knuckles. I could have sworn there was a special healing power in that thumb.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better,” I murmured.

My speech was becoming more sluggish, and so was my heart.

His thumb made another pass over my skin and the gesture brought on a wave of comfort, one I’d grown to crave over the last few hours. “I spoke with the DA. You don’t even have to be at the arraignment. I have the affidavit here with your statement and an order of protection. All you have to do is sign, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Then what?” I whispered with shaky breath, terrified of the answer.

“You have two options. When he has his arraignment you can request to stay in the apartment until the trial is over.” I think about his words for a moment. That apartment is just as much mine as it is his, but deep down I know I don’t want to stay there.

Too many awful memories.

“I don’t want to stay there. But I do want my suitcase. Everything I love is in there. Is there any way you can get that for me?”

“I’ll take care of it,” he said, flexing his fingers around mine.

“What’s option number two?”

“Stay with me.”

I opened my mouth to protest but never stood a chance. “Before you say anything, just hear me out. I know you don’t know me. Not the
me
I am today. But you know
me
, MaryAnn. At my core, you know who I am. I’ll keep you safe. He’ll never lay another hand on you again. Ever.”

Tears pricked my eyes.

Ryker continued. “My place, it’s not…it’s not the nicest, but I have a spare bedroom you can stay in for as long as you want. Oh, and my cat, Bernard, is an asshole, but I want you there. I need you there, where I know you’re safe.”

A smile cracked my lips before I winced in pain. “Since when do you like cats?”

He shrugged. “I don’t. But we have a mutual agreement, so it works.”

I laughed, my body aching from the movement, but the pain was welcomed, because with it came a promise of healing, physically and emotionally.

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

I
could tell she was still a little uncertain. Her eyes shifted nervously as we made our way up the lift to my apartment. Because of her foot, she was forced to use crutches, and it took every ounce of restraint I possessed not to carry her up here.

Something told me she needed to do this on her own.

No matter how badly I wanted to step in and take control, I knew I wouldn’t be doing her any good by doing that.

MaryAnn was a strong woman, but she’d been broken down by a pathetic excuse for a man, stripped of her own free will and independence, and it was important for her reclaim that, even if it was at the sake of my own damn need.

I waited for her to exit the lift first, staying close behind as I guided each step to ensure she wouldn’t fall.

As soon as I opened the door, Bernard let out a long, tortured meow before sauntering up to her, curling his body around her good foot, staking his claim.

The bastard.

“I thought you said he was an asshole.” She giggled.

“He is an asshole. To everyone except me. But I had a feeling you’d be the exception. You always have been.”

Her eyes swung to mine, a small smile dancing across her wet lips.

“C’mon in, let’s get you settled.”

After showing her the layout, I helped her get situated on the couch, propping her foot up on a few pillows. I tried not to think about where I was touching her but it was impossible. Each brush of our hands and bodies, no matter how light, set my skin on fire.

“Are you in pain? Do you need one of your pills?” I asked, reaching for her bag of prescriptions.

“Not right now. Maybe later.”

With a nod, I grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and draped it across her legs. Bernard leaped up from the floor, taking position right in the center of her lap once she was covered.

“Bernard, get down.”

Her tiny hand stroked his charcoal fur. “He’s fine, Ryker.” Her voice was soft, affectionate. “He’s so sweet.”

Bernard’s content purr indicated his sentiments were being reciprocated.

Unbelievable.

Even my own mother thought Bernard was an asshole.

And she loved everyone.

I took a seat on the coffee table, resting my forearms on my knees, wishing for the first time I was that stupid cat so I could be that close to her. “Well, at least he’s being polite. Nobody but me can get near him.”

“This sweet little guy? No way.”

“It’s true. He’s very protective of me. He meow-growls at everyone who comes over, and God forbid anyone touch him.”

She laughed, the sound echoing throughout the open room. It was a beautiful sound, one I wanted to hear again and again. “Meow-growls? Is that even a word?”

“Yeah, if you ever look it up, it’ll have his ugly mug right there by the definition.”

“He doesn’t seem so bad. How long have you had him?”

“About two years now. This old lady named Mrs. Letty used to live on the first floor. She was sweet. Flirty, but sweet. She had a son, but he was a piece of shit, never checked on her or came to visit, so I’d look in on her from time to time. Make sure she didn’t need anything. She’d bake me cookies, even had me over for dinner a couple of times. She passed away in her sleep and a few weeks later her lawyer contacted me and told me she’d left me everything. Couple thousand dollars, some old 45s, and this ornery ass cat.”

Her pale blue eyes lifted to mine. “Letty was lucky to have you in her final days, and I’m sure she gave you this sweet kitty for a good reason.”

“Yeah, to drive me crazy.”

She looked down at Bernard, then back at me.

“Maybe she didn’t want you to be alone, like she was.”

A tear slipped down her cheek, and I reached out to catch it before it fell, then I curled my fingers around her chin, bringing her eyes to mine. “You’re not alone, MaryAnn. And as long as I’m breathing, you never will be.”

Her eyes searched mine. For what, I don’t know, but I’d make damn sure she found it.

“You hungry?”

She nodded.

“You want chicken noodle soup?”

“More than life itself.”