“That’s exactly it,” Tana whispered, tears spilling over. “If he gets out, he’ll come after me and it’ll be even worse.”
“You can come and stay with us,” Dad said firmly from where he was sitting in the corner. He’d been there since we introduced them both and had sat listening to all of it silently. “Or, we have friends who can help you, and they live even further away from here than we do. Either way, you’re not a sitting duck.”
I wasn’t sure if it was relief or just everything catching up with her, but hearing that, Tana started bawling her heart out. It hurt to hear it and not do anything, so I moved until I was sitting next to her on the bed and pulled her into my arms. “You’re a victim, honey. It doesn’t matter why someone stays with the person who’s abusing them, you’re a victim. In the handful of years that I’ve been doing my job, I’ve come across almost every reason you can think of from women in your situation, and it doesn’t lessen what they’re going through at all. And if anyone says you were weak, trust me when I say – that reflects more on them, than it does on you. If someone is that cold-hearted, that ignorant to what someone who’s being abused goes through and the effect it has on them inside, that they have to call you weak – that’s on them. They’re the weak and ignorant ones, not you or my sister-in-law.”
It took her a while, but she eventually stopped crying enough to agree to the help from my parent’s friends. One hour away wasn’t far enough for her, and when we called them, they immediately agreed to help her out. Les and Polly had a farm in Idaho, and Polly had been a therapist up until her retirement two years previously, so she knew people who could help Tana heal and recover inside, while they helped her do the same on the outside.
After stopping in to speak to the ER department’s manager to discuss what was happening, and reassuring her that Tana would receive the help she needed mentally, emotionally, and physically, we finally left to go home. One thing’s for sure, when I left that hospital, I felt like a different person. I still had a hangover that refused to quit, I still had two watches that belonged to Jose and Tabby that Mom had cut out of my pocket, I still had a messed up eye, and I was still the Rose that wanted Raoul Evans desperately, but being able to help someone who didn’t know where to turn – something I wish I could have done for Jose when she needed it – that was what changed me. I’d lived near Jose and had never even thought for a second that something like that was going on near me. When I’d found out, I’d thought of all the laughs and great moments I’d had while she was having the shit beaten out of her, the light inside of her smothered, and I’d wished I’d been able to do something. The prospect of Tana getting what Jose had now? I just hoped it would happen for her.
Now, we were headed home so that Raoul could put on his big, bad po-po uniform, and so that we could get something to eat, and then I had a revenge to plan out. Just because we’d kissed this morning, it didn’t mean that the war was off. Hell no!
Things were just getting started.Chapter EightRaoulBecause I was working tonight, I’d dropped Rose and her parents back at her house, and had then walked across to my own. The second I walked through my door to let Ranger out, I’d felt like I was missing something, and it fucking sucked. Then again, the time away from her gave me the opportunity to think things over, and I needed that time.
I’d always been a deep thinker, I didn’t do anything on a whim which was why all of my relationships had never been surprises. I weighed up pros and cons, I assessed how well we fit together, I thought about what we could do on dates… I just wanted to be prepared. The difference with Rose was – I didn’t need to do any of the planning or assessing, it all came naturally to us. I didn’t even feel like I needed to do it, I just wanted it to happen. Even Hogan glaring at me all day hadn’t changed my mind, nor had the prospect of her brother finding out and trying to kick my ass. Ellis was a great guy, and had a good heart, but he was also protective as hell of his little sister.
No, what I needed to do was to think about what had happened this morning. The whole thing hadn’t felt awkward or like it was being acted out, every last movement had just come to both of us naturally. The kiss had been explosive, almost literally explosive because as soon as I had the taste of her in my mouth, I’d almost come in my pants like a teenager. No man wanted that on his record, I’m telling you – no man.