Unbreak Me (11 page)

Not taking any more chances, Molly pushed at him until the two of them lost their balance, falling to the floor hard. Trying in vain to break free from his grip, Molly desperately moved toward the shelving unit, hitting at boxes as she struggled to reach for the toolbox. Eugene’s hands pulled her back by her ankles, but in doing so, she hit at the base of the shelving unit, sending the toolbox crashing to the floor and its contents spilling out.

Eugene’s eyes blazed. “You cunt,” he shouted as he slapped her again. This time a ringing sounded in her ears.

Sweating and fighting for her life, Molly held her breath as she reached out, stretching her fingers as far as they could go. Desperate as she tried her best to grasp hold of anything that could be used as a weapon.

Eugene pushed her shirt up, revealing her bra, his hand roughly rubbing her breasts. “Pert puppies,” he groaned as he ripped open her jeans, pushing his other hand down, desperate to touch her in the one place she didn’t want.

Molly was now in autopilot mode, survival instinct kicking in.

The spanner had made contact with his head before she had the chance to comprehend the severity of her actions. Screaming out, she heard footsteps pounding down the stairs.

“Someone help me,” she screamed over and over again until her throat felt raw. Her tears stung her eyes.

Ash ran into the basement and saw the nightmare in front of him. Behind him Regina appeared, her face in complete shock.

Running over to where Eugene had Molly pinned down, Ash pulled Molly out from under him, cradling her in his arms as she sobbed, shaking uncontrollably.

“Shush, it’s okay, honey, I got you,” Ash said as he glanced up at Regina. The exchange of looks between them said it all.

Regina bent down beside the motionless body of Eugene, feeling for a pulse. Sighing, she shook her head. “He’s alive, but only just.”

Another set of footsteps came down the stairs. Cheryl, the center manager, appeared. “Jesus Christ,” she gasped when she saw the blood and Molly crying. “Let’s get Molly upstairs,” she instructed Ash, who in turn helped Molly to her feet, turned his face away as she pulled her jeans back up.

Regina and Cheryl talked, their voices low as Molly was taken back to the safety of the small office. Ash wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, looking after her attentively.

It all soon became a disorientating blur. Molly hardly noticed the cops, the paramedics or the faces of pity staring at her. All she wanted to do was go home, lock the door and drink.

Chapter Seventeen

Racing in his car, Connor didn’t give a fuck about breaking speed limits. He just needed to get to the hospital and didn’t care whether he got there in one piece or not.

Parking the car in the nearest bay, Connor ran into the emergency department, his heart thumping hard. Sweat ran down his face as he approached the information desk.

“Molly Rice?” he asked.

The receptionist looked at him. Her round lips mumbled something.

“What?” Connor asked, his head spinning from agitation.

“And you are?” she asked, her voice penetrating through his skull.

“Her boyfriend.”

“She’s in triage at the moment. Take a seat and someone will come for you soon,” she replied.

“No, I need to see her now.”

“Sir, please take a seat and someone will be with you shortly,” she insisted.

“Please, I need to see her,” he begged.

“Sir, do I need to call security?”

Not saying another word, Connor walked to the seating area and sat down. The anxiety began to get the better of him as his palms became clammy. He couldn’t believe it when the call came through. Running his right hand over his fist, he felt sick to his stomach.

Some motherfucker tried to hurt my Molly,
he thought over and over, torturing himself with the visuals. Shaking his head, he didn’t hear the nurse approach.

“Sir, are you here for Molly Rice?” she asked.

Connor jumped to his feet. His heart began thumping again. This time he could feel the pounding beat in his throat, almost choking him. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, just come with me and I’ll take you to her.”

The short walk to one of the small cubicles had Connor on edge. His insides twisted in knots as his mouth became dry. He was afraid and angry. Afraid of what the son of a bitch had done to her, and angry that he wasn’t there to protect her.

The nurse pulled back the curtain. His eyes filled with tears when he saw her sitting on the gurney. His heart calmed down, but only enough to let him breathe a little.

“Molly!” he said as he raced to her side, taking her in his arms.

Molly cried as she held on to him. Her soft body trembled in his embrace.

“Baby, it’s okay, I’m here now,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

A voice came from the other side of the bed. A short, older woman, with tight black curls, stood from her chair. “She’d been crying for you. So I insisted on making the call,” she said.

Connor could feel the heavy weight on his heart. He was thankful that Regina had called him but so angry that Molly had been subjected to the attack.

“What happened?” he asked.

Molly sat back on the bed, still holding his hands, her eyes puffy from crying.

He saw the sutures in her lip and his face vexed. “I’ll kill the—” only for Molly to cut him off.

“What’s the point?”

“Molly—”

“No, Connor. You can’t think that you can suddenly fight all my battles for me.”

Regina stepped in. Her face was warm and calm, but her voice firm. “I think Connor has every right to express his anger, honey. We’re all shocked and angry.”

Molly looked at Connor as her eyes filled with tears. “I really thought he was going to… I didn’t mean to hurt him, but…” She cried. “I didn’t want it. I begged him… He just wouldn’t stop.”

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” Connor felt terrible. “I can’t believe this has happened.”

Regina stepped up next to the bed, touching the side of Molly’s face. “I’m going to step out for a while, sweetie. You and Connor need some time, and the officers want to ask me some questions, but if you need me, just call, okay?”

Molly nodded, giving a halfhearted smile as Regina closed the curtain, leaving them alone.

“I really want to go home.”

“I know…but we’ve got to make sure you’re okay,” Connor said as he touched her face. “You’re coming home with me either way.”

“Why?”

“So I can look after you.”

“I’m not a baby, Connor,” Molly said.

“I know you’re not.” Connor’s hand rested on the bed as he leaned his head against hers. “But I’m here to protect you, and you’re not leaving my sight.”

Sighing, Molly shrugged.

Connor could sense she didn’t have the energy to fight. He knew that deep down inside, she needed him—his love, his protection—his heart.

Connor never knew how much he had to live for, not until Molly walked into his life. And now she was there, he couldn’t imagine his life without her. It was crazy, it was unpredictable, but it was everything he wanted and needed.

When he had gotten the call from Regina, and the details had emerged about the attack, he had never felt rage like that. In all the times he’d read about attempted rape, or seen news coverage highlighting such subjects, Connor had never batted an eyelash. He’d never come face to face with anything like it before, and though he knew that he had to be strong for Molly, the sheer thought of another man abusing her like that made his skin crawl.

“As soon as you’re given the all clear, we’ll escape the city for a few days.”

Molly gazed at him, her face pale. Connor noticed how she fidgeted on the edge of the blanket, running her thumb over the coarse material. He wanted to protect her more than ever.

The officers who took Molly’s statement were decent. They were aware of how sensitive she was and didn’t press her for too much detail. It was Connor who had a hard time listening to the woman he loved giving an account of what happened.

Every time she mentioned Eugene’s name, Connor’s stomach recoiled in disgust. The very thought of the creep touching his girl sent a shock wave of adrenaline pumping through his veins. He had to stop short of going up to ICU and smothering the motherfucker to death.

“Mr. Ellison,” the officer pulled him out of his reverie.

“Yes.”

“Miss Rice will be staying with you?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

The officer wrote on his pad. “Can we have your number just in case we need to make contact?”

“Sure,” Connor replied, giving him two different numbers.

“We’ll be in touch, Miss Rice, please try to get some rest,” the officer said.

“Thank you,” Molly muttered.

“Thank you,” Connor followed with a gentle smile. “You ready to leave this place?” he asked Molly, who was in the middle of getting off the bed.

“Yes, please.”

A nurse came in with a discharge letter. “Here you go, honey. Now don’t hesitate to come back, okay?”

“Don’t worry,” Connor said. “Any sign that she’s not well, I’ll bring her in myself.”

The nurse smiled at them both and gently touched Molly before she left the cubicle, giving Molly the privacy to get dressed.

“As soon as we get to your house, can we burn these?” she asked as her face paled, touching her clothes.

“You bet.”

* * * *

They’d stopped by Molly’s place to gather a few of her belongings before taking the road trip to the beach house in Capitola. Molly welcomed the escape. She needed to be away from everything that reminded her of the attack. She needed to feel safe again.

Molly rested her head against the seat rest, listening to the wind as it blew her hair wildly over her face. Connor took it easy. In his eyes, she was precious cargo and he wouldn’t risk hurting a hair on her head.

Once they arrived at the beach house Connor ordered in Chinese after running Molly a bath.

“Go soak for a while, I’ll sort the food out when it gets here,” he said as he lit the candles around the huge tub. “Call me if you need anything.”

Molly nodded. “Connor!” she called after him. “Thank you.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

Closing the door, he left Molly to relax. He had this primeval need to protect her. It was an all-consuming feeling that resulted in him removing all traces of liquor from the house. He didn’t want the temptation sitting in front of her. To keep her safe, he had to make small changes, and if that meant making sacrifices of his own, then so be it.

Molly was more important to him than a glass of wine. She was the real deal, and there wasn’t a thing in the world that was going to change that. Promising himself that if someone dared touch her again, he’d walk to the ends of the earth to kill them.

That was a fact. She was now his, fuck the rest of it.

Chapter Eighteen

The hollow ache inside made it impossible to sleep. Twisting and turning, she was afraid of disturbing Connor, who was now fast asleep. Staring at him, she observed his unshaven face, the dark stubble that made him deliciously irresistible, the full lips that knew how to kiss her and the way his eyes moved as he dreamed.

It was hard to believe that for two people who were only getting to know each other, they had fallen quickly into the kind of love that was only ever seen in the movies.

Guilt washed over Molly. She felt dirty. She believed that she didn’t deserve Connor.

“Stupid idiot,” she muttered to herself as she turned to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling as the tears fell down the side of her face.

Just knowing that she had dragged Connor into her nightmare, the more the shame consumed her. All of a sudden there was an aura of gray around her. It was a mist that refused to lift. A state of despair that she couldn’t see herself through.

Her mouth ached and the sutures were tight as they knitted her wound together. Not able to lie still another minute, Molly sat up, resting her hands on either side. Her heart was heavy, like it was being pulled down into an empty pit of darkness, giving her the impression that she would never recover from the ordeal. She knew the same old gloom was creeping in and she wasn’t sure if she had the resolve to resist it.

Molly began to cry when she glanced over at Connor.

He stirred from his sleep and reached out for her. “Hey!”

Gazing at him, Molly felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She could no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the scariest thing of all was knowing that the craving for booze was beginning to take hold of her.

“I…don’t think I can do this.”

Sitting up on the bed, Connor moved over to her. Touching the small of her back, he kissed her shoulder. “I’m here for you no matter what.”

“The road may get a little bumpy,” Molly replied, her tears leaving their streaks on her face.

“I’m not afraid of a challenge.”

Connor pulled Molly back into his arms. They lay down together, gazing at each other. “Two weeks ago I’d never have believed it if someone had told me that I would have met a beautiful woman who would save my life, enriching me in a way I never thought possible.”

Nuzzling her head in under his chin, Molly wrapped her arm around his waist, holding on for dear life.

“What happened today proved to me how much you mean to me,” Connor whispered as he closed his eyes. “I love you, Molly Rice.”

Molly felt like she was floating on air. Her heart fluttered. She was dizzy from hearing the words. Yes, they’d both been feeling it, but wow, he’d said it.

Not waiting a second longer, Molly shifted her head back so she could look at him. His beautiful, sleepy green eyes gazed at her, absorbing her, allowing her to become his. “I love you too.”

The words slipped off her tongue, sounding like sweet music to Connor. The two of them gazed at each other in silence, realizing how far they’d come in a short period of time.

“Are we nuts?” Molly asked as she held on to him tight.

“If we are, at least we’re in it together.”