Page 123 of Saving Ren

I close my eyes and shake my head.

“Fuck, woman, I thought you were gonna. . . never mind. Get your arse up, my wallets inside with my keys, just take the black card. Pin’s 1204. Drive carefully, I’m gonna jump in the shower while you’re gone.”

I smack her arse as she walks away.

“You’ve got the best arse,” I call out, mimicking her words from this morning. She flips me her middle finger without looking back, and I head inside chuckling all the way to the shower.

* * *

Ten minutes later,I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and head back outside to wait for Lauren. Opening the water, I drink half the contents. As I’m screwing on the lid, I realise my truck is still on the drive.

“Ren?” I call out in confusion.

Turning around so fast, I catch my leg on the table.

“Fuck,” I hiss out as I move through the family room and down the stairs. My front door’s wide open, and laying on the floor in front of it, is Ren.

Chapter 30

Lauren

I stepout of Gabe’s front door and move towards his truck. Pain explodes in the side of my head, then again at my jaw—the second blow causing my legs to give way. I hit the floor, but before I can get out a scream or any other kind of sound, another blow is delivered to my belly, knocking the wind entirely out of me.

Like a boxer in a ring, I fight it. The pain, the nausea, the inability to breathe, and the black spots dancing in front of my eyes. I fight them all and keep trying to get up. A boot stamps down hard on my fingers, and that’s when I vomit. I’m not sure if I’m pushed or kicked to my back, but a bright light shines down on me, my vision so blurred I’m not sure if it’s the moon or a streetlight.

There’s a whooshing sound rushing through my ears, pain radiates throughout my entire body from a place I can’t quite pinpoint, and I still can’t get a breath in.

I hear a scuff of boots beside my head and hope with everything in me, Gabe has heard the commotion and come down to investigate.

Jay’s face comes into focus, and I whimper as that hope is lost.

He spits in my face, and without even bothering to wipe at it, I attempt to curl away from him. Grabbing my hair and my shoulder, he pulls me back toward him and holds me in place.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?”

His grip on my hair tightens, and he jerks my head back so he can get right up in my face. Pressing his forehead against mine, he lets go of the back of my head and forces it into the stone step I’m lying on.

“You’re a cunt. A dirty, dried up, washed up, useless, fat cunt.”

This time it’s his hand that comes up and squeezes my cheeks so hard, my teeth cut into them.

“And see him upstairs? He likes cunts. The dirtier, the filthier, the better. Didn’t know he was into old cunt, but he’s probably running out of options to stick his cock in around here.”

He backhands me and blood explodes out of my nose, spraying both of us. I see stars again.

“Look at you? Why the fuck did I stay around so long? I should’ve left years ago, but I’m done now, fucking done. Just stay away from my house, you hear me? Next time you think you and that prick can just waltz in and take what you like, think on, coz I will hunt you down, and I will kill the fucking pair of you.”

He backhands the opposite side of my face, twice as hard as the first time and I start to feel myself drifting. Instinct again takes over, I roll onto my belly, but before I can start to crawl away, another blow comes to the back of my head, and again I curl onto my side and into the foetal position as I try to protect myself.

“Go, Lauren,” he hisses. “Crawl back up there to him.” He grabs me by my hair and drags me forward.

“Fucking crawl, cunt.”

As best I can, I start to drag myself back towards the front door.

“Gabe,” I call out on a wheeze.

“Gabe,” Jason mimics. “Fucking Gabe. That prick needs a reminder of who you fucking belong to.”

Right before the blow comes to my temple, he pisses all over me.