Broken Bonds (Unbreakable Bonds #1)

Chapter Thirty-Six

chapter thirty-six

AMBER

William Baker found me and Jamie screaming and banging on the locked door that was keeping me from my best friend. No matter how hard I kicked, no matter how hard I hit, that asshole wouldn’t let me in. The terrible, petrified sounds Celine was making made me fear what I would find once I finally got inside.

With panic I had never felt before, I grabbed the big jock and begged him to help me. Surprisingly, he wasn’t drunk and quickly complied, his big fists rattling the door within seconds of my broken plea. Jamie clutched onto me as we watched the big linebacker attack the door.

“Open the door, Julian! Open it now!” William demanded before pounding on the door with closed fists. People were starting to watch the scene, and whispers were floating around the small hallway.

Celine’s blood-curdling scream filled the sudden silence, sending chills down my spine and causing William to kick the door down with two swift kicks near the door handle.

The scene before my eyes had me staggering into the doorframe, vomit rushing up my throat. Jamie’s grip on me disappeared as I stared at the horror scene before me.

Julian was standing over my bloody and bruised friend with his jeans at his ankles, a cruel smirk on his face, his dick out for the world to see. Celine was unconscious, bleeding all over the carpet, her lips swollen and cut, her outfit twisted, and her hair a tangled mess.

Before I could move, William raced into the room, tackled Julian to the ground, and started slamming punch after punch into his face. The sound of William’s knuckles hitting Julian’s face made me sick to my stomach, so I dragged my eyes away from the monstrous scene back to my best friend who was crumpled, her limp body resting in the corner of the room.

Dashing over to her, I kneeled on the ground near her head, not knowing where to touch her. Her face was black and blue. There was blood oozing from gashes, and her eyes were swollen shut. I stifled a cry.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Amber, oh, my God!” Jamie screamed from the doorway, her eyes on me and Celine.

“Call 9-1-1! Call them now before I lose her!” The first tear rolled down my cheek as I took in every bruise on her skin. Looking up when the sound of William punching Julian disappeared, I noticed Julian was unconscious, his face bruised and bloody, and William was leaning against the wall, looking at me with wide eyes.

“I warned her. I told her to get away from him.” Pain flashed through his eyes as he looked at my broken best friend. “She didn’t listen. God, he almost raped her.”

“He almost killed her!” I screamed, breaking down into sobs, grasping Celine’s hand, scared to touch more of her frail body.

The sound of shocked voices from the doorway caught my attention, and I saw the party-goers watching with drunken curiosity. Some of Julian’s teammates filtered into the room. Two of them blocked the curious crowd while the other three met with William in the center of the room, hands balled into fists when they looked at Celine.

“They’re coming! They’re coming, Amber!” Jamie wrapped her arms around my shaking body and looked down at Celine, a sob ripping from her throat.

“I should’ve stopped her,” I croaked. But it didn’t matter how many should haves I could come up with, it didn’t change what had happened.

Jamie and I cried until the EMTs surged into the room with cops on their tails, and suddenly, the room was in absolute chaos. The team was pointing to a still unconscious Julian on the ground and then to Celine, their voices blurring as the EMT in front of me kept throwing out questions.

“Name?”

“Celine Wilson,” I managed, my voice breaking as I clung to her hand, afraid to let her go.

“Age?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Is the patient pregnant?” he asked, opening her eyelids and shining a small pen light into her eyes.

“No,” I whispered. She would’ve told me if she and Julian had sex. She was holding off, and for good reason, obviously. Look at what he’d done to her.

“Any previous history of injury?”

“She had surgery almost a year ago on both legs.” Looking at her legs, another cry tore from my chest when I saw the bruising, and one of her feet was bent the wrong way. “Oh, God!” I cried, more tears rushing down my cheeks.

The female paramedic who was checking on Celine looked at me and then nodded at the man opposite her. He strode over and pulled me away from Celine, his arms holding me up as Jamie followed.

“What is your relationship with the patient?” he asked me, his tone not unkind.

“She’s my best friend.” Through my watery eyes, I watched as they lifted Celine onto a stretcher, and panic clawed at my chest. “She’s my best friend.” I crumpled to the ground. Jamie was beside me instantly, cradling my head in her hands.

“Breathe, just breathe,” she coaxed as the world began to spin, and I felt myself falling away. “Celine needs you,” Jamie reminded me. “Get yourself together, Amber.”

Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath and then another until I had regulated my breathing. Once I opened my eyes again, I saw my younger sister’s concerned gaze, and then the EMT’s soft eyes on my trembling form.

“We’re taking her to the hospital. Do you want to ride along?” With a quick nod, I was off the ground and following the squad to the ambulance. Pushing through the crowd, I ignored everyone’s wondering gaze, their eyes landing on a barely recognizable Celine and then on the barely lucid Julian, who was being dragged out of the house in handcuffs.

I hoped he rotted in prison for doing this to her.

I paced the hallway of the waiting room, debating whether or not to make the call to Ace. He’d want to know; I knew he would. I didn’t know why he left, aside from Ryan pushing him away. But I knew in my gut he wouldn’t just abandon Celine with a damn good reason.

I sighed, glancing over at my sister. Jamie had fallen asleep on the chair behind me and was snoring softly.

Calling Celine’s mother and father had been hard. I could barely speak through the tears when I tried to explain what happened. They arrived at the hospital at the same time we did in the ambulance. They were sitting with her now in the room she’d been moved to after she’d been stabilized in the ER. I hadn’t gone back to see her yet. Couldn’t bear to see my friend in that condition. I walked in and right back out after seeing her bandaged and bruised body, both eyes swollen shut, lips swollen, and her foot wrapped in a cast and elevated off the bed.

Ryan hadn’t answered my call, probably unable to use his phone, so with great reluctance, I didn’t leave a message. I couldn’t tell him one of his ex-teammates almost killed his sister over a fucking voicemail. I wouldn’t be the reason he left everything over there to come home and protect his little sister. I should have done a better job, but I failed.

So now, staring down at the name on my phone, my finger poised above the call button, I continued to pace.

Will he answer?

What is he going to do?

Will Celine hate me?

Will he care?

Will he come home?

I stumbled into a nurse with a grunt and saw that my phone was dialing after accidentally hitting the call button. Sighing, I lifted the phone to my ear, my gut twisting with nerves. After four rings, I pulled the phone from my ear with every intention of hanging up when I heard his voice.

“This better be important, Amber,” Ace grunted, sounding tired but awake. At least I hadn’t woken him up.

“Nice to hear you’re still an asshole a year later,” I snapped, my nerves frayed.

He grunted. “I was sleeping.” Liar. “What’s so important at two in the morning?”

“Celine—”

“We aren’t together, Amber—never were,” he said, abruptly cutting me off. I scowled. “It’s been over a year. Why can’t she get over it?”

I fucking hated him sometimes, but Celine needed him, dammit. “Just because you have a dick doesn’t mean you have to act like one! She needs you!”

Ace heaved a tired, exasperated sigh. “I’m not coming back, Amber.”

I ground my teeth together. “Ryan isn’t here to protect her,” I told him, hoping to sway him.

“Then, you do it.”

I gritted my teeth. “Just fucking come home, Ace.”

“Goodbye, Amber.”

Staring at the blank phone, I threw it to the ground, startling Jaime awake. “Piece of crap,” I snarled. Pulling my fingers through my ragged hair, I started to pace again.

“Go sit with her, Amber,” Jamie whispered through a yawn.

“What about you?” I asked, not wanting to leave her by herself.

“I’ll drive to your place and come back in the morning with clothes and all the goodies.” She smiled and walked over to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight squeeze. Tears burned in my throat again. “I love you. You’re strong.”

Resting my face on her shoulder, I shuddered. “I can’t see her like this. I should have?—”

“You couldn’t have stopped him. He would have killed her and maybe even you. He’s going to get the punishment he deserves.” She leaned back and cupped my cheeks. “She needs you, Amber. She needs her best friend. Remember what Mama always said when we got hurt?”

Pulling back a little more, I stared into her somber eyes. “I was born first because I’m the strongest, and I have to be there for those who need strength, even when I feel like I’m falling apart.”

She nodded and squeezed me in a hug one more time before pulling away. “She needs your strength right now. Go sit beside her and hold her hand. Remind her she isn’t alone.”

We turned and walked in opposite directions. With my hand on the cold, sterile, stainless-steel doorknob, I took a deep breath before turning it and facing the dark room with strength I didn’t know I possessed.

My eyes automatically landed on Celine, her blonde hair fanned out on a stark white pillow, her face swollen, a giant white bandage under her right eye where he punched her. Her usually tanned skin was ashen. My eyes trailed down her body, seeing her one wrist in a new cast since he broke it when he threw her into the wall repeatedly .

Her other hand was bandaged, her fingers swollen from trying to block his hits. Her mom was grasping it tightly. Beneath the blankets were huge, black bruises from his fists and feet where he kicked her. Bastard.

With four broken ribs beneath the discolored skin and a sprained spine, she wouldn’t be walking for a few days—maybe even weeks. And on top of her legs, already scarred from everything before, covered in bruises and handprints, she now had to deal with a broken foot and ankle, too.

That monster.

I sucked in a breath at the state of my best friend, remembering the words the doctor told us once we were allowed in the room. “It’s a miracle she’s alive.”

Most domestic abuse patients didn’t survive a beating like this. The worst part was that she hadn’t told any of us that he was hitting her—that he was violent. Why hadn’t she told any of us? Why hadn’t she told me ? Why did she lie for him?

Celine’s mother was sitting next to her frail body, shoulders shaking as she cried. Her husband was a silent supporter, standing behind her, hands on her shoulders. I took a step back, not wanting to intrude, but her dad caught my eye and shook his head, his eyes begging me not to leave. And so, I sat on her other side, wrapping my fingers around her arm just above the cast.

Take my strength, Cece. Take it all. I’m so sorry he did this to you.

In the morning, I was woken by a young nurse who needed to redress Celine’s bandages. Celine hadn’t stirred—no movement, no sound. Just nothing.

The doctor told us her mind was doing its best to protect her, sheltering her from the pain, and that it might be days until she woke up. She might not even remember anything from the attack. The mind worked in mysterious ways. For her sake, I hoped she didn’t remember. It’d been horrific, and I wasn’t even the one in the room with Julian.

Celine’s parents were standing outside in the hallway, each holding a cup of steaming Starbucks coffee, talking to my sister who was holding a cup out to me. “Thanks,” I mumbled, taking a sip and feeling the warmth flood my veins.

A detective walked up to us an hour later and started questioning me about last night, quickly writing everything I said on a notepad.

“How long has Celine Wilson been dating Julian Scott?” he asked.

“A few months, almost a year.” I sipped the coffee while he wrote that down, too.

“Did she ever mention him showing signs of abuse?”

I shook my head. “Never. They had a fight a few weeks ago, but she was fine.” I wracked my brain, trying to see if there were signs, but there was none. Nothing more than the broken wrist, but she’d insisted she’d fallen and broken it.

“Did you ever see any bruises or marks on her body?”

I shook my head again. “No.”

“Do you think he broke her wrist a week ago?”

I let my eyes linger on Celine’s battered body and swallowed thickly. “Yes, but she never told me —only said that she fell at a party.”

“How did you know she was in trouble last night?” He looked up at me over the rim of his glasses, concern lingering in his dull eyes.

“We were about to leave, and then she disappeared, so I went looking in all the rooms for her… And then she was screaming so loud .” Tightening my hands around the now-empty cup, I looked at my feet. “She was just begging for help, and I knew he was hurting her. She was screaming.”

The officer wrote all of that down, too. “Did William Baker help you get into the room?”

“Yes. He also mentioned warning her that Julian was dangerous. I don’t know him other than he’s the school’s linebacker—seems like a decent guy though.”

Nodding, the detective closed the notebook and stuck it in his pocket. Handing me a business card, he added, “If you think of anything else, please give me a call. I want to do what I can to get men like Julian off the streets.”

“Where is he?” I asked, looking up at the older man.

He sighed. “Right now, he’s in a cell until someone posts bail. I’m filing for a restraining order until Celine is awake and can testify to his actions.”

I swallowed thickly. “If she does?”

“He could be prosecuted for up to fifteen years jail time.” He shifted uncomfortably, looking between me and Celine’s parents, who were standing just a few feet away, listening to our conversation.

“And if she doesn’t?” I asked, my voice soft. Quiet. Afraid of his answer.

“Then he’ll more than likely go free, but the restraining order will remain in place. Any more questions, miss?”

Shaking my head, he nodded and headed for the exit, wishing Celine’s parents a good day.