Page 52

ANYTHING FOR HER

XANDER

October

“Things are really looking up.” I shove a homemade cookie into my mouth and grin around it.

I haven’t spent much time with my parents lately. With the season starting and my efforts to win Bella over, I haven’t had a moment of downtime. I truly want to catch up with Mom and Dad.

“She lives with me again, so that’s progress.”

“But she’s not your girlfriend? So the two of you are just sleeping together?” Mom cocks an eyebrow at me.

I choke on my cookie. Coughing and spitting, I fumble for my glass of water and chug, washing down the food stuck in my throat. Then I gawk at my mom in total shock.

“I thought you were an adult,” she says, her lips tipped up on one side.

“You never talked to me about sex. That was Dad’s department.

Always.” I prop one hip against the kitchen counter and cross my arms. “Anyway, we haven’t put a label on it, but we’re pretty much back together.

We’ve been out a few times, had a lot of conversations.

We’ve talked about our past, and we’re making plans for our future. ”

For a moment, I consider sharing my thoughts on having my agent reach out to the pro team in Santa Clara, but I quickly think better of it.

“How is she?” Mom asks slowly, a hesitant look on her face. “I can’t imagine she’s our biggest fan right now. We failed you two when we didn’t put a stop to Audrey’s manipulations.”

“She’s incredible, like she’s always been, but now…she’s confident, sassy, bold. And I kinda love her even more.” I sigh.

“Do you really think she’ll come over? I’d love to clear the air.”

“She said she’d love to. I’ll talk to her more once I’m home.” I set the empty glass on the kitchen counter. “She’s meeting a friend who’s in town this afternoon. I’ll join them later.”

“Is this the guy you thought she was dating?”

With a smirk, I nod. “Yeah. Kaden. He’s here for a few days. The three of us hung out yesterday. It was fun. He’s a good guy. I’m grateful she had such a good friend while she was gone. They have a pretty strong connection, but they’re just friends.”

“Are you sure?” Her voice becomes gentler.

“Yeah.” I scratch at the scruff on my jaw. “I met his girlfriend on FaceTime yesterday. Kaden and I are good.”

“Glad to hear that.” She grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I just worry something will happen, and you’ll slip back into the depression you battled when she left.”

“Mom…” I groan, though the sound is cut off when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

“Don’t Mom me. You were like a ghost.” She sips her water as I fish out my phone. “I hated seeing you like that, knowing I couldn’t make it better for you. And then Audrey…”

Her words don’t register as I blink at my phone.

Why is Kaden calling me?

I lift my finger, signaling to Mom I need to take this, then press the device to my ear. “Hey, Kaden. What’s up?”

“It’s Bella,” he rasps, his tone strained. “They’re taking her to the hospital.”

My lungs seize. I stare at my mom, but my vision blurs.

“Xander? Did you hear me?”

The note of panic in his voice snaps me out of my daze. I rush to the foyer, phone still pressed to my ear.

Mom runs after me, calling my name.

“What happened?” I demand, stuffing a foot into one shoe.

“It’s Miller.”

I snap up straight, every muscle rigid. Miller? The blood in my veins turns into ice, but it’s quickly replaced by a burning rage.

“He attacked her. It’s pretty bad.”

Jesus Christ! “Where are they taking her?”

“St. Mary’s Hospital. I’m going with her?—”

“I’ll be there.”

I hang up, slip my phone into my pocket, and hurry to the front door, fully focused on getting to Bella.

Mom grasps my elbow, staggering me. “Where are you going? What’s wrong?”

I brush her hand away and walk out the door. “St. Mary’s Hospital. They’re taking Bella there.”

Mom gasps, covering her mouth with a hand. “What happened?”

“It’s Miller. He attacked her, and I—” My throat clogs with tears. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I need to be there for her, okay?”

“Oh my God. Of course, go! I’ll look after Milo, don’t worry.”

I drive way too fast the whole way. I need to see her. I need to know she’s okay.

I need her to be okay.

I’m running across the hospital parking lot when Kaden walks out the front doors. He lights a cigarette but doesn’t even take a drag. He just stares off into the distance. His expression sends a chill down my spine.

“Kaden?” I rush over to him. “How is she?”

He fixes his focus on me. “They took her for a CT scan. They suspect a concussion, but…” He sucks in a breath, his whole body shuddering. “God. If you’d seen her…”

Without thinking, I wrap him in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” I tell him, stepping back.

He cracks a subdued smile then drops his gaze to his feet. “Not sure I deserve a thank-you. I beat that fucker to a pulp. He left in an ambulance too, but I’m pretty sure he’s handcuffed to something, wherever he is.” Wincing, he stubs out his cigarette with a swollen, bloody hand.

“Where is she?”

“C’mon.” Kaden heads into the hospital, and I follow him.

I slump down onto the hospital couch, drained. My emotions are all over the place, and my head hurts. I need a minute to collect myself.

“You look like shit.” Kaden sits beside me, his hand finally cleaned and bandaged.

I grunt. “You’re very observant.” Eyes closed, I drop my head back against the couch and heave a sigh. “I’m fucking exhausted. I haven’t even seen Bella yet, but I’m already fielding calls from my parents, my agent, Warriors’ management. I’m ready to kill someone. I need to lay eyes on her.”

“The doctor came in while you were on the phone,” he says, his voice a murmur. “She’s okay, but she was a little panicked, so they gave her a sedative.”

I jump to my feet. “I want to see her.”

He yanks me back down and frowns. “I know, but she needs to sleep.”

“Fine.” I hang my head, my elbows on my knees, and catch sight of his bandaged hand again. Might as well use this moment to ask him about Miller.

“What happened when you got to my place?” I ask.

He side-eyes me before quickly dropping his gaze to his feet.

“My agent sent me pictures of Miller being led to the ambulance in handcuffs. His face is one big bruise.”

“I called Izzy to let her know I was running late. But she had strange answers to my questions, and I knew something was up. When I climbed out of the Uber, your neighbor and his dog were standing on the sidewalk, watching your house. When I told him about the call, asked if he’d seen Izzy or heard anything, he paled.

He said he thought he heard a woman scream, but he wasn’t sure where the sound had come from.

He called the police while I headed for the door. ”

Kaden chews on his bottom lip, fiddling with a ring on his undamaged hand.

“Just as I was opening the door, I heard her…heard her whimper and then cry…” He sucks in a breath, his jaw flexing. “Damn, man. I swear, my lungs stopped working. I burst inside and…”

He falls silent, his face contorting in agony.

Fuck . The pain in my chest sharpens. My heart is cracking. She was there all alone with him, absolutely defenseless.

“What did he do?” I ask, digging my fingernails into my flesh.

“He… He had taken off her jeans. He had her pinned to the couch and was hovering over her. She—” A sob catches him by surprise. He wipes at his face and huffs a breath. “She was crying and bleeding…”

I close my eyes. The image is vivid in my mind, as if I’d been there. It quickly morphs into a familiar scene, a memory of walking into my house and finding Miller pinning Bella to the wall.

I should’ve killed him that day.

“Fuck, Xander. It was a nightmare. My brain stopped functioning once I saw her, and when he barreled at me, I…I charged and hit him in the face. He threw a few punches my way too, but I knocked him to the floor, and then I just hit him, over and over and over.” He balls his fists, his glassy eyes focused on the wall across the room.

“If not for Mr. Jensen, I probably would’ve killed him. ”

“I would’ve done the same thing. Fuck.”

“When I went to her, she was unconscious.” He turns to look at me.

“I pulled the tape off her mouth, and Mr. Jensen and I tied the fucker up with my belt. Then we waited for the cops. I could barely speak when they got there, so Mr. Jensen met them at the door. He and I both gave statements after the paramedics loaded Bella into the ambulance.”

I swallow past the enormous lump in my throat and ask for the information I absolutely don’t want but need more than anything. “Miller… You said he’d taken her pants off. What did he do to her? I just…I want to make sure she gets the treatment she needs.”

Kaden shakes his head. “He fucked up her face pretty bad, and he— He carved the word ‘whore’ on her wrist, right over her tattoo.”

My heart shudders, and I drop my face into my hands.

“Sick assholes like him often want to take away their victim’s beauty.

They think by doing that, no one will want them, as if there aren’t a million other reasons to love a person.

If you don’t want to be with me, I’ll make sure no one wants you kind of mentality.

” Kaden’s breath becomes ragged, his eyes welling with tears.

“That’s how they think. No matter where they live, their skin color, what language they speak, or even the amount of money they have.

The only difference is the level of cruelty. ”

I turn to get a better look at him. He knows so much; it’s almost as if he has experience. “How do you know all that?”

Kaden grasps his curly hair with both hands and tugs, letting out a long breath. “My aunt. Her husband killed her after he saw her hugging their neighbor. She bled out because no one was there to save her. No one heard her call for help. After suffering horrific pain, she was left to die alone.”