The Greatest Fight of All (The American Soldier Collection 5)

“Amelia, are you okay?” Murphy asked as he turned her around.

The instant he saw her bloody lip he scowled, his grip a little tighter on her arms.

“Please, Murphy, I’m okay. I swear.”

“Who did this?” Waylon raised his voice then looked around, as if the culprit would be standing there.

“Tucker,” Regan said as Ricky pulled her into his arms and caressed her hair. Brody was holding Velma.

“Amelia fought him off. He was trying to make Velma leave with him. His two friends were trying to get me to go, too. Amelia came out of the bathroom and stopped them. Then Tucker forced her from the building.” Regan was telling the story.

“Forget it. It’s over. He’s in police custody. Let’s leave. Please. I want to go,” Amelia said, turning out of Murphy’s hold.

They were talking behind her. She heard them, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to go home, shower, and get under the covers in bed. She could cover her head and drown out the sounds, the images, and the memories from her past. This reminded her of Mano. His “my way, and nothing else” attitude. When she disobeyed, he was forceful. He always hit something or her.

She swallowed hard and jerked to the side when she felt hands on her waist.

“Baby, it’s me. It’s only me,” Murphy stated.

They got up into the truck. A glance out the window and she saw that Velma was being cared for by Jonas, and who Amelia assumed were his brothers. She was safe now. To the side she saw Waylon talking to Regan, and Regan was speaking a mile a minute as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was surrounded by four men, including Galen. Amelia figured that those were Galen’s brothers. Waylon then pointed at Jonas as if demanding he take care of Regan or something, and Jonas nodded his head as he kept an arm around her shoulder.

The flashing lights and the disgusted faces all brought on a surge of emotions and memories she had forced behind her.

Her home life had been no better than her love life at the time. Her brothers and her father were abusive in their own ways. She tightened her eyes, and when the door opened again, Ricky was climbing up in beside her.

“Goddamn it, baby, this could have been a lot worse.” He pulled her closer. She cringed from the cut on her thigh and the injury on her lower back. It would surely be bruised by morning or even sooner.

She snuggled into Ricky’s arms, remaining still and quiet as Murphy drove her home.

* * * *

Waylon and Brody drove in the SUV. He was so angry he felt his hands shaking. He wanted to hit something, someone, specifically Tucker, for what he had done.

“That slimy bastard. I swear if I see that motherfucker anywhere around Amelia, Regan, and Velma, I’m going to rip his head off.”

“Waylon, you need to calm down. Believe me, man, I feel the same fucking way right now. I can’t believe he attacked her. Do you think what the cops said was true? Do you think Tucker was high on something?”

Waylon looked at Brody and released a deep sigh.

“I don’t give a fuck. I’m just glad I scheduled to train here, or I wouldn’t even be here right now and instead too far away to see Amelia.”

A beeping sound came from the purse he held on his lap.

“What’s that?” Brody asked.

Waylon reached into her purse and saw that her cell phone was vibrating.

Glancing down he saw the phone light up and Regan’s name appear.

“It’s Regan texting Amelia.”

He looked at the message.

What did you mean by these types of things are always happening to you?????

“What does it say?” Brody asked and Waylon told him.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Brody added.