Page 55 of Never Let Go (Forbidden #1)
Chapter Fifty-Five
CALEB
Running in, with Sydney close behind me, I move quickly through the living room—nothing. I go towards the bedroom and take in the scene in front of me—Lauren passed out on the bed with… Brad leaning over her. The fuck?
I see red. Charging at him, I grab him by the shirt and pull him off her. He goes flying into the dresser, smacking his head on the corner. I stride over to him, kicking him repeatedly in the stomach, my emotions doing the talking for me.
“Mother fucking bastard cunt,” I yell at his unconscious form, repeatedly kicking him before leaning down and punching him in the face, over and over again. “Wake up, asshole,” I roar.
I can vaguely hear someone calling my name but I’m too far gone to notice who it is. This sorry sack of shit hurt the woman I love .
A hand gently lands on my arm and I look up, my vision blurred as I try to take in who’s in front of me.
“It’s okay, handsome. I’m okay. You need to stop now,” the voice gently says, and fuck if that isn’t the best sound I’ve ever heard.
The relief at seeing Lauren in front of me reduces some of my anger, and I abruptly stand up, hauling her into my arms, breathing in her vanilla and strawberry scent.
Lauren clings to me, sobbing in my arms as the cops and EMT’s storm in. I grip her tighter, not wanting to let her go as the detectives start firing questions at us.
“Give us a minute,” I growl. The detective nods and backs away.
Lauren lifts her head and I can see a bruise forming on her cheek, the relaxed feeling of having her in my arms quickly fading as I become enraged at the sight of it.
Gently cupping her face and running my thumb across the mark, I take a calming breath. Lauren’s been frightened beyond all measure, she doesn’t need me losing my shit. She needs my support. My attention. My love .
Remembering where we are and who we’re surrounded by, I reluctantly pull away. I can see it in her eyes and by the tilt of her head that she understands why I’ve done it. She wraps her arms around herself and Sydney comes over, enveloping her in a hug.
One of the detectives comes back, a woman this time, and asks Lauren if she’ll answer some questions. Nodding her head, she moves to follow with Sydney’s arm still around her, giving me one last look before being led from the room.