TKO: Total Knock Out (TKO 1)

“Your dad did this to you again?” His voice is so soft it’s barely audible.

I can’t lie my way out of this one.

“Yes.”

I’ve never seen James this livid, so furious he might’ve been able to light a fire with his eyes. Until now. He jumps off the bed and every vein in his neck throbs. His warm brown eyes are brimming with fury and rage; I’m scared to move.

“You aren’t going home,” he barks at me.

I flinch at his words, but all I can do is acquiesce. He knows my Dad is a cop and he will find me, so I don’t know w

hat James is thinking.

“James, I have to go home. He’ll come looking for me. You know that. He knows where to find me.”

“No!” When he yells, he seems like a different person, someone who won’t take no for an answer.

“You can’t tell me what to do. It’s only a few more days, okay? He probably didn’t mean to do it.” I’m so full of shit right now it’s horrible. How do you accidentally kick your own flesh and blood when she’s helpless on the ground and just walk away from it like nothing happened? Unless he was meaning to aim for my face or something—God, I don’t even want to think about that.

James drops to his knees in front of me but his expression is stone cold and when he touches my arm, he may as well have been standing in Antarctica. “Raegan, you can’t go back. Stay here with me. Please, I’m begging you. I can’t let you walk out this house. Not knowing he’s done that to you again. I’ll talk to my parents, they’ll understand.”

I jerk my arm away as the tears spill down my face. This is so hard for me and I am not sure why. Two more days won’t kill me and I need James to understand this more than anything right now.

“James, this is the first time it’s been this bad. Let me talk to him. He’s the only parent I have left, I have no one else.”

“Dammit, Raegan, don’t go back to that house.” His face is soaked from his own tears, and I feel horrible for causing it. Why was he making me choose?

“Stop it, James. Just stop. I know I have you, but you have to let me make this decision. I want to talk to him. I know he’s sorry and didn’t mean to do this.”

James grabs my wrist and makes sure he has my attention. His face is so close to mine, I can feel the moisture from his tears. “Raegan, I fucking love you more than anything in this world. You aren’t going back, do you hear me? I’m not letting you leave. He won’t hurt you anymore. He’s a monster, do you hear me?”

When I try to pull away, it hurts because he’s holding on so tightly. Holding on tightly to me. “James, you can’t make this decision for me. I have to do this for myself.”

He releases my wrist and suddenly stands. “Then I’m driving down there and I’m talking to him. Or better yet, I’m reporting this down at the station.”

What the holy hell. He’s lost his mind. He can’t report him; Dad’s a cop, for crying out loud. “No! They won’t believe you, you can’t.”

He grabs his keys off his dresser and begins stalking toward the front door with me trailing behind him. “Yes, they will Raegan. Trust me. We should have done this the first time. I’m going down there and you’re coming too.”

“I’m not going anywhere, James, so just stop!”

The sound of desperation in my voice makes him turn to look at me. He is no longer crying but his eyes are glassy and bloodshot. If he wasn’t being so damned stubborn right now, I’d hold him and kiss those tears away.

“Get in the truck, Raegan.” He isn’t asking anymore. Deep down, I know there will be consequences that I don’t want to face.

He turns quickly as he walks toward the door. His phone lands with a thud on the ground and the screen lights up. I bend down to grab it, eyeing the name on the display.

“What is her name in your phone for?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Don’t change the subject, Raegan.”

“I’m not. What does it say?” Before he can reply, the phone is in my hand and the message opens. I wish I had never looked.

She’d thanked him for last night. What the hell happened last night?

“It’s not what you think, Raegan.”

“James, I’m not stupid. How long were you going to keep this from me?”