The kid nods, but I don’t know whether she’s nodding at me or him, and suddenly she turns tail and runs up the stairs like her ass is on fire and she can’t get away fast enough.
Almost immediately, we hear the girl yell, “Thea’s dad hit her and she’s bleeding!”
I start to help Thea up, but Mr. Montgomery spits, “You fucker, you’ve ruined everything!” Suddenly I’m the one being tackled and since I wasn’t expecting it, I go down easily.
Luckily, I’m a lot younger than him and in much better shape, so it doesn’t take me long to gain the upper hand. Not before he slams his fist into my cheek, though. Pain blossoms across my face, throbbing in time with my heartbeat, and I hear Thea cry out.
I flip to the side and end up on top. I grab his flailing arms and stop his fists from flying.
I give him a nasty smile. “I want nothing more than to punch you in your too-smug face, but that’s too good for you. Much worse is coming for you. I promise you that.” I shove his arms back and stand.
Cade has Thea up now, her arms wrapped limply around his torso. Blood is smeared on his shirt where she leans her head against him, but for the most part the bleeding has subsided.
“Come here.” I take her from him, lifting her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck and leans her head against my chest, letting out a contented sigh.
When we reach the top of the stairs, I stop, surprised to find half the people from the party standing there. They take one look at Thea and gasp in horror.
I find Thea’s mom in the crowd and anger surges inside me. “Did you know?” I spit at her. “Did you know what a monster you married? Someone that hurt your kids and continues to do so?”
Tears spring into her eyes and she turns away, grief overtaking her face.
“We’re leaving,” I say, like it isn’t obvious already. “I’m taking her to the hospital.”
“Cade?” Rae calls out, pushing her way through the people. She appears a moment later. “Are you okay?” Before he can respond, she gasps and slaps a hand to her mouth. “Thea? No.”
Cade grabs my shoulder and I look over at him. “Get to the hospital. We’ll be right behind you.”
I nod. “Whatever you do, don’t cover for that bastard. He deserves to pay for this.” I look down at Thea, and her eyes are closed, but I know she’s not asleep.
Sweet Thea. The girl that always goes out of her way to make someone’s day better and put a smile on their face. She doesn’t deserve this. No one does.
Cade gives me a tight-lipped smile and nods.
I move through the crowd of people, down the hall, and out the front door. Thankfully, my truck hasn’t been blocked in and I’m glad we didn’t take the motorcycle because there’s no way Thea could ride on it now.
I manage to get the door open without dropping her and then set her inside. She buckles her seatbelt and looks at me sadly and a single tear slides down her cheek. I reach up and wipe it away as she gives me a sad smile.
“I couldn’t let him hit Cade again,” she whispers.
I swallow thickly. When I walked in on the scene, I suspected that their dad had been using Cade for a human punching bag. “How long has this been happening?”
“I didn’t know until I was in eighth grade,” she whispers softly, like she’s never spoken the words aloud and it hurts to do so. “I came home early from a friend’s house and they didn’t know I was home. I heard shouting and then I saw him hit Cade. It stuck with me, and then I started remembering all the times I’d seen bruises on Cade and it was easy to figure out it had been happening for a long time.”
I shake my head, horrified. I can’t imagine growing up in a household with a father like that. My dad was the kind who worked all day but couldn’t wait to get home and hang out with us. I even remember him playing dolls with Alexis. It was important to him to do things we liked.
I close her door and head for the driver’s side. I start the truck and get out of there as fast as I can. I can’t take being in the shadow of that house a second longer and I’m sure Thea feels that way more than I do.
After a few minutes of silence, Thea begins to speak again. “I always knew as a little girl that my dad had a quick temper. I remember once when I was about five, I dropped a glass of orange juice in the kitchen and he just went off, like a switch had been flipped. My mom said to him, ‘It’s just a little juice.’” She shakes her head, sadness clinging to her. “That pissed him off more. She was already down on her hands and knees, cleaning up the mess while I cried, and he grabbed her by the hair and shoved her head down and said if it was just a little juice then she could lick it clean.” I glance at her, horrified, and she wipes her tears away. “He’s never hit me before today, and we all know he was aiming for Cade, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt me too. Words and actions are just as powerful as fists, if not more so. This will heal—” she points to her face “—but this—” now she points to her heart “—will always bear those scars.”
“Thea,” I say softly. I’m at a loss for words and I don’t know what to say to make it better. I don’t think there’s anything I can s
ay.
So, instead, I hold her hand and give it a small squeeze, silently reminding her that I’m here.
We arrive at the emergency room a few minutes later, and as per usual, it’s a major clusterfuck. The place is full of people in all different states—sick, bleeding, crying. You name it, someone’s doing it. There’s even a guy peeing in one of those potted plants.
Thea gives the woman at the front desk her name and insurance information and then is handed a stack of papers to fill out. Thea sighs heavily and we maneuver our way around, looking for a place to sit. We finally find two seats together near the back beside a woman with a crying infant.