of the war zone, but he couldn’t let Jessica fight the battle alone. He grabbed his aluminum baseball bat from the athletic bag on the backseat. If Robert wanted a fight, he would get one.
He ran back toward them. Jessica was on the ground kicking and fighting against Robert, who already had her one arm pinned with his knee. He was struggling to contain the other arm. She was a fighter but Andrew knew she wouldn’t last long against a big guy like Robert.
“Get away from her!” he yelled, swinging the bat with all his force. Robert fell, clutching his side and groaning in pain.
Andrew stood over him, ready to repay his brother-in-law for the damage he’d done to Sarah. He had Robert in just the position he’d longed for. All the anger and frustration he’d struggled with for months swept through him until he was dizzy with rage and all he could see was the target on Robert’s head.
He’d teach him to beat up on his sister.
“Don’t do it, Andrew.”
The calmness in Jessica’s voice reached him through the pent-up indignation. He turned his gaze to her. Her blond hair was matted and red at her temple and her clothes were grass-stained. Blood trickled from her lip and her hose were torn. Yet her countenance was calm, controlled. “Sarah needs you.”
He glanced back at the car. Even from this distance, he could see the look of horror on Sarah’s face as she climbed into the backseat and watched them through the glass. Yet even after all the stuff Robert had put her through, he was certain her worry was more for the man on the ground than for him.
“Let’s go,” Jessica said, touching his arm, putting all her focus on pulling him out of this situation. Her touch had a soothing effect and the frenzied fury drained from him.
She’d been right about his confronting Robert. It had definitely made things worse.
Andrew pulled her to her feet then walked beside her, glad for the commanding stride she possessed even after such a beat-down.
“Where’s your car?” he asked her.
“Down the road. I’ll come back for it later.”
He opened the passenger door to his car then closed it once she was safely inside, noticing that Robert was still trying to reclaim his sure footing. Andrew rushed around the car and slid into the driver’s seat, dropping the bat at his feet as he started the engine. One glance in the rearview mirror showed Robert crawling to his feet and heading their way.
“This isn’t over,” he yelled, stumbling toward them. He reached the back of the car and pounded on the trunk. “You think you’re through with me? You’re worthless, Sarah. Worthless and stupid. You’re nothing without me. I’ll kill all of you!”
Andrew jammed the car into gear and sped away before the maniac had a chance to make good on his threat. He didn’t let up on the accelerator as he sped away from Sarah’s neighborhood. He’d always had a heavy foot, but today his speed was purposeful. He had to get his sister as far away from that man as fast as possible.
As he hit the interstate, his adrenaline rush began to cool and his heart rate slowed back to normal. He pushed air through his lungs as he checked his mirrors. There was no sign of Robert following them.
He glanced back at Sarah through the rearview mirror and his heart kicked. She looked so pitiful. It had been only three days since he’d last seen her but she had fresh injuries—a black bruise forming around her left eye and a gash on her swollen lip. And he was sure more bruises were hidden by the baggy clothes she wore. He bit back his anger. “Are you okay?”
She looked ready to fall apart at any moment, but she hugged herself tightly and nodded. “I’m all right.”
He couldn’t forget the terror that had ripped through him when he’d finally gotten her messages. He’d been locked down working on a case and hadn’t charged his phone all night. When he’d finally checked it, he’d found six voice mails from Sarah, each one more hysterical than the previous. She’d been alone with Robert, terrified, with no one to help her.
Help me, Andrew.
I need you.
I’m scared.
Her last call had been from the hospital early this morning to let him know she was okay and that Robert had been arrested, but by the time he’d arrived at the hospital, Sarah had already left, choosing to return home. He’d promised to be there for her, but when it mattered, he’d dropped the ball.
But how had she ended up with Jessica Taylor?
He’d long suspected Jessica had friends on the police force who alerted her when they spotted a woman in trouble. He turned to look at her. She was known to be quick to respond, to offer help. He couldn’t deny her passion for her cause. Nothing deterred her from helping those in her care. She was always ready and willing to stick her neck out to help another woman in need. Usually that sort of behavior would strike him as irrational and impulsive, but with his sister’s safety on the line, he was glad for Jessica’s gutsy determination and passionate devotion to her cause.
She gingerly touched a place on the side of her head. Her hand came back with blood.
Alarm flooded him. “You need to go to the hospital.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.” He pulled to the side of the road. “Sarah, hand me my gym bag.” He dug through it and found a clean towel then pressed it against Jessica’s wound, his hand cradling her face. Her skin was soft, softer than he would have ever imagined, softer than he’d expected it to be, given her tough exterior. His fingers brushed her lips accidentally and she trembled but refused to look at him. In fact, she did all she could to avoid looking at him despite how close their faces were.
His gaze perused her heart-shaped face and the slender, regal line of her neck. Strands of long blond hair framed lovely brown eyes and full, pink lips that had never cracked a smile, at least not while he was around.
Everything about her was alluring.
She finally locked eyes with him. “I said I’m fine.” She pushed his hand away.
Everything but her holier-than-thou attitude.
He sat back in his seat but held the towel out to her. “Use this to stop the bleeding until we get to the hospital.”
“I said no hospital. We need to get your sister to the shelter.”
“You need stitches.”
“Sarah is my priority. Head downtown,” Jessica instructed him.
“Fine.” He didn’t bother arguing with her. They’d butted heads enough times for him to know that once Jessica Taylor made up her mind there was little chance of changing it, especially when it concerned the safety of someone she’d vowed to protect.
She directed him toward an area off State Street. Tucked between a printing company and a storage facility was a brick office building with the painted title “Dean’s Den” on the front. He parked and Jessica jumped out of the car, obviously intent on proving she wasn’t hurt. She wobbled a bit but waved off any offer of help. He opened the back door
