“Tell me!” he roars.
“Fuck,” I yell, clenching my eyes shut. I have been in his position. I know what it’s like to feel helpless. “She’s been beaten, but, mate—”
“What?” he snaps, and I hear shuffling on the other side of the phone.
“Landon, what’s happening? You’re scaring me.”
“Tell me,” he grits out.
“She’s got blood between her legs.”
The phone goes dead and I clench my hand around it, breathing heavily. He’s either thrown it, or crushed it in his hand.
I need to get her to her parents before he gets there, because if he goes to her in a state, I can see her being scared, and she doesn’t need that right now.
*** *** ***
Her feet drag up the path and I watch as she struggles to keep her composure the closer we get to the house. I bang on the door, stepping to her side as we wait for it to open.
A beautiful redhead opens the door, her smile bright until she spots her daughter. She scans her body, a hitched sob tearing from her throat. “No. No. Not my baby.”
Charlotte jerks and looks up, her face breaking as she crumbles, flying forward into her mum’s arms. “Mum!”
“Baby,” her mum whispers, tears falling down her cheeks.
“I-I did s-something so stupid. S-so stupid and it hurts. It really hurts,” she heaves out, her sobs tearing my insides up.
A man comes barging around the corner. “Babe, who’s— I am going to fucking kill him,” he roars, reaching for his wife and daughter, pulling them both into his arms.
“I-I,” Charlotte chokes out, right before she collapses to the floor, out like a light. I guess she’s crashed from the adrenaline, which isn’t surprising after something so traumatic.
“Charlotte!” her mum cries, bending down to her daughter. She pulls her into her arms and rocks her. “My sweet girl.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
I look to her dad, jerking my chin down in greeting. “I own the gym with Landon. She came looking for him but he wasn’t… She wouldn’t let me take her to the hospital or phone the police.”
His wife reaches for his sleeve when he goes to leave, her eyes filled with tears. “Myles, she… she has—” She closes her eyes, unable to speak the words.
He glances down at his daughter, and when he sees what she’s trying to say, he loses it, punching the door over and over. I step in, pushing him back before he can do any damage.
“Stop! She needs you right now.”
“What happened?” he rasps.
“I don’t know. Landon is on his way. I’m going to wait outside for him. Okay?”
He nods. “Thank you.”
He pulls his daughter into his arms and she whimpers, but remains asleep.
“Myles,” his wife calls out, gasping for breath, her face pale.
“It’s going to be fine,” he declares, and they share a look between them, like they have been in this situation before.
“Mum? Dad?” a young boy calls out, standing on the bottom step of the stairs. His eyes widen and his face pales at the sight of Charlotte. He shakes his head, gripping the banister. “No. No.”
I step back, giving them their privacy, and head back down the path, waiting near the gate for Landon. It isn’t long until a car comes speeding down the road, skidding to a stop outside.
He gets out of the car, slamming the door behind him. I block his path when I see his face tight with anger, his bulging veins pulsing in his temple.
“Landon,” I warn.
He swings his fist, catching me across the jaw. Before I can even register the tightness, the ache, I move, restraining him before he does something he regrets. “Where is she?”
I heave out a breath as I keep his arms pinned behind his back. It isn’t easy, not with his strength, but I think at this point, he isn’t really trying. I have seen him get out of this move plenty of times. “She’s inside with her parents. She passed out,” I reply.
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
“You know who did this?” I ask, stepping back once I’m sure he’s not going to take his anger out on me further.
Breathing heavily, he grips the ends of his hair. “It doesn’t take a wild guess to know it’s her waste of a boyfriend.”
I pull out the keys from my pocket and hand them to him. “These are her car keys. You’ll need to get someone to move it from the gym. She hit the bin and has damaged the front light.”
“I should have been there for her,” he rasps, staring up at the house.
“Hey, man, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I do know you aren’t to blame for this. She’s in shock and didn’t say much. But I know it was you she wanted.”
“And I wasn’t there,” he grits out.
I sigh. “Just be there for her now. She’s going to need the hospital,” I tell him, and head for my car. “Oh, and she kept going on about a cat and that she didn’t lock up her house.”
He nods, before meeting my gaze. “Thank you. Thank you for getting her here,” he tells me, his voice breaking. “Charlotte, she’s… she’s special. She won’t get over this.”
“Take a few days, man. I’ll get cover for the gym. With you and her parents, she will get through this.”
With that, I get into my car. I sit there for a moment, watching as Landon lets himself into the house. My mind flickers back to Charlotte and the injuries she suffered.
She might not know it yet, but she will get through it. My sister was attacked a few years ago, and fortunately, a passer-by intervened before he could do any worse. She still has nightmares and has issues with leaving the house, but she got through it.
And Charlotte will too. She has a loving, supportive family to help.
With that in mind, I know I have to step up my game with our new self-defence classes. I’ve let it slide, what with the extra workload.
But I can’t stand by anymore and do nothing. Too many women are being assaulted every day, and although I know I can’t stop them all, I may be able to help at least one get away from her attacker/s.
If I could, I’d make sure not a single woman from here on out, questioned what it is she did.
It’s never about what you’re wearing.
Never about how late it is.
Or if you are alone or not.
And in Charlotte’s case, whether you are with your attacker or not.
This isn’t acceptable, and women should never live to believe these are primary factors in what happened to them.
People need to be held accountable for their actions.
Although I can’t change what the world thinks, I can do something. I can teach women and men self-defence.
Everyone has a right to defend themselves.
With that, I pull away from the curb, my thoughts with Landon and his family.
CHAPTER THREE
CHARLOTTE
My eyelids flutter open but the minute my surroundings sink in, I clench them shut, trying to block out the images flittering through my mind. My head pounds and my throat feels raw as I choke back a sob.
“Charlotte.”