Summer/Time (The Sunny Sunshine Duet #2)

Chapter Five

Summer

Waking up with a jolt, the cold sweat pours down my face. Wiping my hand across my neck, I swipe at the perspiration, turning my palm upwards, my hand gleams in the moonlight. My thundering heart is beating so hard it may possibly burst from my chest, when my head falls into my hands, I rake my fingers through my hair before glancing around the room.

It was just a dream, it was just a dream. He can’t hurt you…

I repeat the words over and over again, taking deep breath after deep breath. Fighting with my mind to push away the broken memories that keep coming back to me. Finding myself back in the bed, I pull my broken body up and lean my back against the headboard, the pains throughout my body hum and ignite. The raw wounds all sting, whilst all my muscles ache in the background, reminding me, they want my attention too. My left-hand flies to both bandages still covering the wounds on my left side, both my arm and hip. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I could feel someone removing and changing the dressings, I could hear their voices but could only vaguely work out what was being said.

For a large, well-built man, there’s a softness and kindness in Rob’s eyes. The way he treated my wounds, paid extra attention to warn me when it would sting, spoke calmly and reassured me it would all be OK. It made me wonder if this was the first time he had been tasked with assisting a victim and something is telling me it isn’t. I want to ask, but at the same time I really don’t. So far whenever I ask a question, I seem to end up in more trouble than I was before, so I need to learn just to shut up. Reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table, I take a large gulp before placing it back down on the side. Glancing at the alarm clock on the side, I blink a couple times trying to make out the time.

It’s only four a.m..

A loud banging in the distance causes my eyes to flash to the bedroom door, the banging is aggressive and relentless, soon followed by garbled incoherent shouting. With my hand placed over my heart, I can feel it hammering away but can’t help finding myself leaning forward trying to understand what’s being said. A bedroom door slams nearby and footsteps head with a purpose through the property. I can hear the door open followed by a more familiar voice.

“Get the fuck away from my property else I’m calling the cops.”

It’s Rob and he’s clearly pissed.

The bedroom door slides open and Eva quietly enters with her head down. When she sees I’m awake, I lean over and click the bedside light on. Wearing an oversized hoodie, her eyes are puffy and she’s shaking. I avert my eyes for a moment, as the commotion continues in the background, I finally hear it.

“I just wanna fucking see her, don’t be a prick, Rob.”

Whoever it is, he sounds drunk, he’s loud and overbearing whilst also slurring his words. When I meet Eva’s sad downcast eyes once again, I pull back the blanket and she takes a seat next to me.

“Is Daniel the ex or current boyfriend?”

I ask quietly.

Her head falls back against the headboard and she stares at the ceiling for a moment before speaking. Tears spilling down her cheeks. Using her sleeve, she wipes them away.

“I can’t escape him.”

Her voice breaks. “He wants his money.”

She manages to choke out before sobbing.

Nudging closer, I throw my arm around Eva’s shoulders. When her head falls onto my shoulder, I can’t help but feel her emotion too.

“When did he first hit you?”

There’s a coldness in my question.

I feel Eva freeze, squeezing her eyes shut before she answers.

“A few months into our relationship. God, he hit me so hard I thought he’d broke my jaw.”

She speaks softly, continuing to wipe her eyes.

Pulling up the sleeve of the jumper I’m wearing I reveal a small well-healed scar on my hand. When I look at it, my stomach turns because I can still see the ghost of the stitches, even after all this time. Running my fingertips gently across it, I shudder for a moment.

“I got this after my ex backhanded me across the face, I lost my balance and fell into a glass table.”

I swallow hard, my mind plagued with all the blood and glass smeared across the floor. “I ran to my mom, but he’d already called her and told her it was an argument and that I’d somehow done this to myself.”

I shrug, Eva sits upright and turns to me. Her deep hazel eyes glittering with tears, but she just simply nods.

“Is that why someone hurt you?” she asks.

“I honestly have no idea, he followed me here and has been stalking me. But he should be in custody, he held a gun to me and was arrested.”

“The police don’t do anything do they?”

There’s a bitterness in her tone and my brows crease.

“They didn’t, but I didn’t report it initially. My head was all over the place, I just hoped if I ignored him, he’d leave me alone. But it’s never that simple.”

“Daniel’s a cop.”

My head snaps to Eva’s, she shakes her head. “They never believe me; he smooths it over and makes out I’m volatile or crazy.”

When she breaks down again, I pull her into a tight hug. I hold her close as her tears fall freely and a garbled sob escapes her throat.

“I promise you, Eva, you never have to go back to him again.”

My voice is determined.

I almost believe my own words. Eva and her brother have opened their home to me, helped me and so far, protected me. I have no intention of letting someone come in and try to destroy that. A gentle knock on the door eventually pulls our focus away, Rob’s head pokes around the door. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he takes a seat at the end of the bed.

“Has he gone?”

Eva asks nervously.

“I’ll probably end up with my tyres slashed but guess it’s not the worst thing he’s done, is it?” Rob nods.

I glance to Eva, and she swallows hard. Shaking her head, she weakly responds to the question.

“No.”

But that’s all she says as the siblings share another knowing look, one for now that I’m not part of.

“I need to get to Manhattan, where exactly are we?”

I ask curiously.

“We’re in Queens, but is it wise for you to go anywhere right now?” Rob asks.

Taking a deep breath, I shrug. I look between the pair and can feel the concern in their eyes. Glancing to the clock again and only a few minutes have passed. But it’s a few more minutes that I’ve been missing. I wonder if anyone is looking for me, if Bhodi has found the apartment. Did the fire spread? Did the neighbours notice?

My mind is swirling with questions. Placing my fingers to my temples, I try to ease the building pressure. But as soon as my mind wanders to Bhodi, I feel my heart flip and a warmth slides over my entire body. The desire to hold him close once again, wrap my arms around him and fall asleep peacefully on his chest. Inhaling his scent and being wrapped in his safe embrace.

“Summer, you really shouldn’t move right now. You’ve lost a lot of blood, and you passed out earlier.”

Rob warns me.

“But people might think I’m dead,”

I protest.

“He’s right, Summer.”

Eva interjects. “You’ve gone through some serious trauma, you really need to rest for now.”

I sit back in the bed, my hand running over my face, still wiping away the sweat that pours from my skin.

“Get some rest for a few hours, we can talk about moving you as long as you don’t pass out again, this is serious, Summer.”

Rob warns.