Chaste (McCullough Mountain) (26 page)

“Can
I come in?”

She
hesitated, then nodded, barely making eye contact.

Kelly
stepped into the dark hall and saw she was in only a flannel button down. He
didn’t know how to act. After a woman was assaulted the last thing she probably
wanted was a man groping her, but he was a selfish bastard and needed to hold
her, comfort her the best he knew how.

“I’m
so sorry,” he whispered and pulled her into a hug. He was surprised when she
relaxed into his hold and didn’t wrench herself away.

His
hand coasted up and down her back and he heard the slightest sniffle. Then her
shoulders began to shake. He instinctively lifted her and carried her into the
living room. He settled onto the couch, holding her safely on his lap. She wept
quietly for several minutes, each tear cutting him deep. All he could do was
hold her. There were no promises to make. How could he tell her everything
would be okay when it wouldn’t?

“I’m
such an idiot,” she said and he stilled.

His
eyes shut as pain locked around his heart. “Baby, you didn’t do anything
wrong.”

“I
let him kiss me.”

His
palm lifted from her back and formed a fist, splitting the cut on his knuckle
open again. “That’s because you thought he was someone he clearly wasn’t. He
took advantage.”

She
wiped her nose with her sleeve. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t
shown up.”

“I’m
sorry I didn’t get there sooner. So damn sorry, Ash.” His gut tightened at what
he needed to ask.
Fuck.
He swallowed and almost vomited. Everything was
so fucked. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

Another
sniffle. “No.”

“Are
you sure? You may need a doctor. I’m not insisting you go, but if you want to
press charges, it may be in your best interest to go.”

“I’m
pressing charges. There’s no way I’m letting you go to jail for beating him
up.”

That
might not be avoidable. “You don’t owe me anything.”

She
pulled back and looked at him with watery, red-rimmed eyes. She wasn’t wearing
her glasses. “Kelly, if you hadn’t shown up and stopped him, he would have
raped me.”

His
heart stuttered and a cold sweat covered his skin. “Would have?”

“Yeah.
I didn’t know what he was capable of. We were kissing and then he was suddenly
pulling off my clothes. I’ve never been so terrified.”

He
couldn’t breathe. Very slowly, so there would be no misunderstanding, he looked
into her eyes and said, “Ashlynn, he didn’t rape you?”

“No.
That’s what I’m saying. You saved me.”

The
relief tunneling through him was enough to make him motion sick. It seemed to
slam into him and flip his entire world on end. He hugged her tight then pulled
back. “Can you tell me what happened? I need to know.”

She
swallowed and nodded tightly. “I left. I was upset, because…well…you know.”
God, he was a piece of shit. “When I got to my truck I was crying and then I
saw him. We talked. He was being really nice. I didn’t feel nervous at all. He
even helped me clean my glasses. Then we were…kissing.”

His
stomach knotted. A shaky breath ripped from her chest and she turned away.
Kelly shut his eyes. She’d seen him with a woman. He’d have to listen in order
to understand. But seeing it was always worse.

His
hand rubbed over her arm. “Shh…it’s okay. Take your time. You lived it. I can
listen. You did nothing wrong. Don’t let yourself believe otherwise.”

She
nodded. “We…we were kissing and then…he got a little grabby. I tried to
politely put some space between us, but he kept coming back for more and I…I
sort of let him keep kissing me. I wasn’t thinking clearly and I…Oh, God….then
he got too grabby and I slapped him.”

“You
hit him?”

“Yes,
but that was a mistake.”

“It’s
never a mistake to defend yourself, Ashlynn.
Never
.”

Her
face crumpled as she fought back a sob. “That was when he got really rough. He
tore my panties and held down my arms. I’m not sure what happened. I know I
kicked him pretty hard. I was so scared and then he was gone and you were
there.”

His
head fell back as he tried to accept the fact that he’d gotten there in time.
Somehow it was cold comfort. She should have never been put in that
predicament. He wasn’t sure there was a lower feeling than the one choking him
now.

He
was wrong. Ashlynn wiped her nose and whispered, “He saw us at the summer
celebration by your truck. It was like seeing me with you made him entitled to
touch me. I feel sick.”

He
cursed, wanting to pull her close again, but too disgusted with himself to
touch her. No more games. Swallowing back his self-loathing, he said, “I’m
sorry. I’m sorry for everything.” All of this could have been avoided if he’d
never interfered in her life. However, this could have been the end result the
night of the dance had he not interfered. His head was so twisted with possible
scenarios.

“What’s
going to happen to you?” she asked.

He
shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just glad you’re okay. God, Ash, I
was so scared he… After all this time, everything you’ve held onto, the fact
that some animal could’ve just taken everything from you in a matter of
seconds…”

She
silently cried and he held her close. After a while, she said, “I think I’m
done with dating.”

He
nodded. She couldn’t keep going out with strangers. The world was filled with
fucked up
nutbags
and she was simply too innocent for
all that. There was nothing he could offer her. He knew how lonely it was. He
was lonely too.

“I’m
sorry I called you a gigolo.”

He
scoffed. “Please don’t apologize to me. You didn’t say anything that wasn’t
true. I’m nothing.”

“Kelly,
you are so much more than nothing.”

Right.
“Shh. Just let
me hold you for a while.”

Ashlynn
slowly fell asleep in his arms. There was no rest for Kelly. His family would
want answers tomorrow. So would the cops. He didn’t know what he was going to
tell everyone. The ball was in Ashlynn’s court. He wouldn’t force her to
confess what happened if she didn’t want others to know.

He
thought about the asshole lying in ICU. If he died, Kelly was fucked, yet he
still wanted him dead. He’d never been in a fight like that before. Sure, he
had brothers and they’d thrown some punches over the years, but Kelly was a
lover not a fighter. That man was built like a tree and Kelly was beyond
shocked he’d done so much damage in the span of a few minutes.

His
body was crashing from the adrenaline and he shook. Ashlynn lay sleeping on his
lap, her hands curled at her chest, and her soft blond hair tickling his neck
at his shoulder. If he went to jail who would look after her?

Being
a man, he never thought much about women’s issues. In the light of her situation,
it suddenly occurred to him that the justice department was atrociously flawed.
He wasn’t sure where the knowledge had come from, but he knew the penalty for
assaulting a man was way worse than the penalty for rape or attempted rape. How
was that just?

Not
everyone was like Ashlynn. She was old fashioned. That should count for
something. If she had been a teen the consequence for attempting to rape her
would be steep. Teens were innocent. Ashlynn was innocent too, but the courts
wouldn’t see her that way. They’d only see a woman who was in her twenties and
at a bar. Even if she testified on his behalf it wouldn’t negate the fact that
he’d almost killed a man.

When
morning came, he carefully tucked Ashlynn in on the couch with a blanket. In
her medicine cabinet he found some first aid items and cleaned up his hand. In
her kitchen was a notepad with a list for the market scribbled on it. He turned
the page and left her a note.

Ash,

Last
night showed us both some things I don’t think either of us are ready to face.
I know you want to help, but if you choose to keep this to yourself I
completely understand. Everything will work out. Don’t worry about me.

I
can only say, I have no regrets. Getting to know you has been…incredible. But
you’re right. I can’t keep interfering. I know you need time, but some day
you’ll find Mr. Right. I promise, when you do, I won’t interfere. I only want
you to be happy.

You
know you can always come to me with anything and I’ll be there. You’re special.
You deserve a special person who knows what it is to have you. I’m sorry I
couldn’t be that man—more sorry than you’ll probably ever realize.

Kelly

When
Kelly stepped into his kitchen later that morning his father was waiting for
him. He nodded a greeting and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Where’s Mum?”

“Church.
With your sister.”

“No
doubt praying for my rotten soul.” Kelly slid into a seat at the table.

His
father eyed him patiently. “What happened, Kelly?”

He
shut his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I got in a fight and nearly killed a
man.”

“Do
we need to find a lawyer?”

Kelly’s
gut twisted. This was another inconvenience, another black mark on the
McCullough name put there by him. His eyes softened as he looked at his father
who had always been there for him. “I think so. I’m sorry, Dad.”

His
father nodded. “I’ll make some calls.” He stood and walked his mug to the sink.
Before he left he pressed his meaty hand into Kelly’s shoulder. “Get some sleep,
son.”

Kelly
showered, took a few pills for the swelling in his hand, and fell into bed, but
sleep didn’t come. He thought of Ashlynn, wondered what she was doing, worried
she’d found his note.

He’d
drifted off sometime around noon and awoke a while later to a knock at his
door. “Yeah?”

His
brother Luke stepped in. “Hey.”

Kelly
sat up as his brother came in, shutting the door behind him. He sat on the edge
of the bed, but didn’t say anything.

“What’s
up?” Kelly asked.

Luke
gripped the back of his neck. “Tristan has a friend at the police department.”

“Thanks,
but I think it’s gonna take a little more than a friend of a friend of a friend
to get me out of this
clusterfuck
.”

His
brother shook his head. “Rumors are going around.”

Great.
“About?”

“That
guy…he’s wanted.”

Kelly
frowned. “You’re sure?”

Luke
nodded. “Apparently he has bench warrants in six other states. Now that they
have him they aren’t letting him go. He’s being detained at the hospital.”

That
was good, but it wouldn’t negate everything Kelly had to answer for. “Maybe we
can be cell mates.”

Luke
sighed and Kelly knew he was attempting to say something that wasn’t easy. “The
other rumors are that there was a girl involved, someone who was at the bar. I
think of Sheilagh and I think of what you did to that guy, and I think I know
what would make you do it. If that’s the case, Kel, you need to tell the cops.”

He
lowered his head. “I’m not involving anyone who doesn’t want to be involved. It
is what it is.”

“But
this guy has to press charges. Maybe if he knows the girl is willing to
talk—and in the face of all the other warrants he’s up against—he’ll drop his
charges against you.”

“He’s
in ICU, Luke. He’s going to want his medical bills paid. I don’t think what
you’re saying is enough for him to let it go.”

His
brother met his gaze. “Tristan’s friend told him this guy’s up against some
pretty bad shit, like close to doing twenty-years time, because he’s a repeat
offender. I think he told Tristan this intentionally, because he knows he’s
friends with our family. You should think about it. Maybe pay that guy a
visit.”

“If
I go near him I’ll pull his plug and finish him.”

Luke
stood. “No, you won’t. You’ll do the right thing.”

After
Luke left, Kelly didn’t know what to think. He texted Sue and told her that the
bar was closed until Monday. She texted back a shitload of questions he didn’t
have the answers for, so he ignored her.

Around
five o’clock he called Colin. “You got a minute?”

“I
have several,” his brother said.

“I
need…I need someone to come with me to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.”

“Where
are we going?”

“Center
County Hospital.”

The
line was quiet for a beat. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll
be there in twenty.”

The
ride to the hospital was made in silence. If Colin could be counted on for one
thing, it was having faith in those he loved. They parked and asked the
reception desk for the room number of a patient named Evan. He was out of ICU
and in recovery.