Page 27 of Only Ever Yours

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jase

It started out like any other Sunday night.

Hollis and I were snuggled up at one end of the sofa, Finn sitting in the armchair.

We were watching a film—some romcom Hollis had chosen; however, I wasn’t really paying attention to the television, simply enjoying the closeness between us.

A loud, insistent knock on the front door startled us.

“Who’s that at this time of night?” Finn grumbled.

“Ignore it,” suggested Hollis. “It’s probably someone selling stuff.”

“At quarter to nine on a Sunday night? They’re keen,” I observed. “Maybe someone’s in trouble,” said Hollis, sitting up straighter as the knocking got louder like someone smacking a fist against the wood.

“I’ll go,” Finn said on a sigh.

Hollis reached for the remote and paused the film while Finn went into the hallway. We could hear raised voices, and for a moment, I wondered whether I should go out, too. Instead, someone burst into the living room. My jaw dropped.

Gil. Hollis’s ex .

We obviously hadn’t seen him since the day Hollis had picked up her stuff from their flat in London, and I had never expected to see him in Maplebrook. Clearly, neither did Hollis, given the way she shrank into my chest, pressing herself against me.

Finn hovered in the doorway, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, he pushed past me before I could do anything.”

I shook my head, indicating it wasn’t his fault. “What are you doing here?” I snapped.

Gil stood in the centre of the room, his eyes glassy like he’d either drunk a lot or taken something. “I came to get what’s mine.” His gaze was fixed firmly on Hollis.

“Don’t know if you remember, buddy, but Hollis has never been your possession, and you two were over long ago.” I wrapped my arms around her, protecting her from the crazy that stood in front of us.

He let out a stark laugh. “So, she gave up a life with me for a meathead like you? I never thought she was dumb.”

“Why did you come here? I’ve never given you any indication that I wanted to get back together with you.” Hollis hadn’t said a word until now. Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke.

“Why do you think? We were good together; you can’t deny that.” He gave a manic smile. “Come on, Hollis. I know you miss me.”

The guy is clearly unhinged.

I could feel Hollis shaking in my arms, almost like the last time we’d seen him although I couldn’t be sure whether she was scared or angry.

Rage roiled in my stomach at him making her feel like that.

I tightened my grip on her, trying to reassure her through touch, but she shook me off.

She got up and stalked across the living room to where he stood.

“I miss you?” She spat. “You think I miss you not being outside my workplace?” She poked a finger into his chest. “You think I miss you not being there when I’m on a night out with friends?

You think I miss you stalking me? Tracking me with an app?

You said you loved me, and then you did all of those shitty things.

And now, you’re still doing them? Who does that to someone they claim to love?

I haven’t given you a second thought since I walked out, Gil.

Your behaviour wasn’t healthy then, and it isn’t healthy now.

” Her chest heaved as she got the words out.

Gil stared at her, taking everything she’d thrown at him.

“You didn’t tell me that.” Finn’s voice came from the doorway. “You said he’d been possessive; I didn’t realise how much. How could you do that to my sister?” His tone was low, threatening.

Every ounce of my being wanted to get up and punch seven shades out of this guy, and I saw it reflected in Finn’s face, too.

Gil reached out and grabbed Hollis’s arm, pulling her towards him. “Come on, you know you’re better off with me.”

She wrenched herself away at the same moment I jumped up. I couldn’t help myself as I launched at him, fists flying, getting in a hit wherever I could. It was messy and badly thought out, but I wanted to protect Hollis at all costs.

“Jase, stop!”

“Fuck’s sake, leave him, mate.”

Voices went unheard as I carried on blindly swinging until I heard a crash and a female scream, which brought me to an abrupt halt.

I saw Gil cowering in front of me, blood coming from his nose.

Then I turned to see Hollis crumpled on the floor next to the coffee table, and I froze, Finn going over to her instead.

“What happened?” He glanced at me as he helped Hollis into a sitting position.

Immediately, my gaze went to where Gil had been, only to find the room empty.

Glancing around, there was no way he could have got past me into the kitchen.

Where the fuck is he? I did a sweep of the house, only to find it empty.

How had he managed to disappear unnoticed?

When I returned to the living room, Finn had helped Hollis up onto the couch.

She had her hand on the back of her head, and when she pulled it away, I could see blood.

“Shit, are you okay?” I stepped towards them.

Hollis’s face was pale. “I don’t feel great.”

I frowned. Everything had happened so quickly, I had no idea how Hollis was bleeding.

“When you went for Gil, Hollis got caught in the middle. It all happened so quickly. I think she fell and hit her head on the coffee table.”

“I’m sorry. Fuck!” I scrubbed a hand down my face. The last thing on earth I wanted to do was hurt the woman I loved. I wanted to protect her. At least, that was what I thought I was doing.

“I think I’m going to be sick…”

Our attention turned back to Hollis straight away, and I frantically looked around to see if I could find anything to help her.

“Let me call an ambulance.” Finn reached for his phone.

She shook her head, wincing as she did so. “No. I don’t want any fuss.”

“What if you’ve got a concussion or something? We should get you checked out.” I knelt down in front of her and took her hands, trying to convince her she needed help .

“Call Laura,” Hollis managed. “And can I have a glass of water?”

I bolted to the kitchen, getting back in record time, and held the glass out for her. Her hands shook as she cradled it in between them. Finn was on the phone, talking to our neighbour who was a nurse at the local medical practice.

“Thanks, I really appreciate that. And I’m sorry again for calling you this late.” He ended the call. “She’ll be here as soon as she can.”

An uneasy silence descended between the three of us, the air heavy.

“I’m sorry,” Hollis said finally, her voice sounding thin and weak.

“What the hell do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t ask him to come here,” Finn demanded. “The guy is clearly unhinged. I’m just sorry we couldn’t have stopped him sooner.”

Hollis clapped a hand to her mouth. “I never changed my phone number,” she murmured, her eyes glassy as she looked at me. “I got so caught up in everything, in us, that I never got around to it. He would have tracked it again. How could I be so stupid?”

“You’re not, Princess. He’s a prick. I thought that when I met him the first time, and my opinion definitely hasn’t changed.” I folded my arms across my chest even though I wanted to hold Hollis.

There was another knock on the door. I exchanged a glance with Finn, both of us thinking the same thing: that Gil had come back.

“I’ll go.” I went to the door, grateful that when I opened it, Laura stood there and not Gil. “Hey, Laura. Thanks for coming. Hollis is in the living room.”

Laura went straight to Hollis, and Finn stepped away.

He joined me standing in the centre of the room, almost mirroring my posture.

The two women spoke quietly, and Laura ran her hands over the back of Hollis’s head before getting her to turn, so she could examine it.

I could see matted blood in her hair, but there didn’t seem to be any active bleeding.

Hopefully, whatever had happened wouldn’t end up being too serious.

I hated the fact that Gil had managed to get away without properly facing up to what he’d done to Hollis in the past. If I knew where he was…

When a third knock on the door sounded, Finn and I looked at each other and frowned. Who could it be this time? Maybe Laura had called for someone to help out? Finn shrugged and went to the hallway. This time, when he came back, his face was ashen. Behind him were two police officers.

“Jason Dillon?” The taller of the two moved towards me.

“Er, yes…” I hesitated, wondering what was about to happen.

“We have reason to believe that an incident happened here this evening, and I’m arresting you on suspicion of actual bodily harm. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say…” The rest of his words got lost as the pounding started in my ears, blocking them out.

The second policeman pulled my arms behind my back and fastened a pair of handcuffs around my wrists. I twisted around in his grip as he tightened his hold on me.

“What’s going on?” Hollis cried, her eyes wide and glassy with tears.

“I wish I knew,” I choked out, humiliation creeping over me. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. Sure, I’d had a few warnings from the police when I was younger, over trivial offences. I’d never been in any serious trouble.

“We’re going to take you down to the station for further questioning,” the first police officer said as the second one propelled me towards the door.

Hollis leapt up from the sofa, swaying a little unsteadily on her feet. She went as if to come to me, but Finn stopped her, wrapping his arms around her and whispering something in her ear.

Too scared to speak in case I said something to incriminate myself, I left the house and got into the police car, turning towards the window where Hollis stood, watching me leave. I had never felt so wretched as I did at that moment.

It didn’t get much better when we reached the police station.

I was taken to a booking-in area, where the stark light made my eyes hurt.

The bored-looking guy behind the counter took my personal details and then my belongings, which amounted to my phone and a set of keys.

He confirmed that I understood what was happening to me, then the handcuffs were removed, and I was taken to a cell to wait.

I sat on the hard bench, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my palms. My body had chilled down since leaving the house, adrenaline keeping me going, and I shivered. Now I was alone, isolated.

How the hell had this happened?

Who had called it in?

Everything pointed to Gil. Had he really got me arrested to get back at Hollis?

I’ll do more than punch him in the face if I ever see him again .

But if that’s what had got me here, I’d be happier never to see him again.

More than anything, I wished I had had the chance to speak to Hollis before I left, to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay.

All I wanted to do was protect her. Tiredness enveloped me, and despite everything, I could barely keep my eyes open.

Curling up on the bench, I pulled the thin blanket over me and tried to sleep.

Maybe everything about this nightmare would end when I woke up in the morning.