Tortured Sinner by Tessa James

Johnny - 26

The second I complete my delivery, I shove the white envelope into my pocket and take off toward the complex. The air whooshes by my face, stinging the new wound Franklin had one of his goons give me.

I was late, and it wasn’t like I could tell them why. That would only complicate things more. So, I kept my mouth shut and took the beating he was going to give me either way.

I don’t know whether she’s home or at the hospital or at the police station, but I’ll check each one until I find her and verify that she’s okay. I’ve been away from her for as long as I could, and now that I’m finished with Franklin’s task, I refuse to keep my distance any longer.

She saved me—from myself, from a terrible reality that almost played out.

If I had stayed, the cops would have arrested me. I’d go into the system and be charged with whatever the crime was for pushing someone down a flight of stairs was. Murder? Did I kill him? His contorted body definitely looked dead from where I was standing.

I rush through the courtyard and around the remains of what transpired earlier. I jog up the steps and knock on Claire’s door, hoping like hell she’s home. I have no idea what time it is, but there’s no way I’m going to wait until morning to find her.

“Johnny?” Beth’s voice oozes confusion. “What are you doing here?”

I didn’t expect to see her, standing in her own house. I had forgotten that message Claire received before we went our separate ways. “Claire, is she, is she here?”

“Yeah.” She angles her head. “You met Claire? Duh. You two go to the same school.” She shifts her tone. “You look a little rough. Are you okay? Oh God, you didn’t have anything to do with that boy and the stairs, did you?”

“I’m back here.” I spot Claire poking her head around the corner of the hall.

Beth turns in Claire’s direction, and I take the opportunity to shove past her.

I rush toward her and follow her into the bedroom.

She studies my face, probably taking in the fresh cut across my brow and swollen lip.

I freeze, glancing her over, too. Her hair is damp, and she’s in a fresh set of clothes, long sleeves covering her arms.

She wraps herself around me and buries her face in my chest.

I pull her closer and hold on tight. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she mumbles into my shirt. “I am now.”

“Is he…?”

Her body goes tense. “He’s still alive.”

“Claire,” I breathe. “I’m so sorry.” I kiss the top of her head.

She pulls away and looks up at me with glistening eyes. “What?”

"I wasn't here for you when you needed me." I shake my head. "I'll never forgive myself for that."

I had walked right by that asshole and didn’t realize it was him until it was almost too late. I had seen his stupid face pop up on her phone numerous times; it should have clicked sooner that it was him, her psychotic ex who would stop at nothing to terrorize her.

“Johnny,” she cups my face in her palm. “You literally saved me.” She averts her gaze. “I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t show up when you did. That could have been me at the bottom of those stairs, instead of him.” A shiver settles over her.

I shift my attention to her fabric-covered arms. I swallow and hold onto her hand, and gently pull the sleeve up. I clench my jaw when I see the swollen, red remains of what he did to her. Although, I'm sure the effect on her is more than just skin deep.

A flashback from my childhood threatens to break me. My mom often hid similar injuries under layers of clothing and makeup. She was terrible at picking men, and each one of them seemed to get worse and worse, until one day, things went too far.

I blink away the image of her, the last time I had seen her outside of a casket, a vision that haunts me to this day. If only I had done more, maybe she’d still be here. If I had learned to stand up for myself and others earlier, maybe things would have played out differently. But, if they did, maybe I wouldn’t have been here tonight when history almost repeated itself.

Fate has a funny way about it.

Claire drags her shirt back over the marks. “It’s okay, really.”

I run my thumb along her cheek. “No. Nothing about this is okay. What he did to you? That’s not okay. You didn’t deserve this. No one does.”

Beth knocks on the door. “Hey, you all right in there?”

“Yeah.”

“I have an early morning; I’m going to get to bed.” She pauses. “Unless you want me to try to get someone to cover my flight.”

“No,” Claire blurts out. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get some sleep.”

“Okay…let me know if you change your mind.” Beth’s footsteps disappear down the hall and into her bedroom.

Claire tilts her head up at me, her eyes red and puffy. “I’m so tired.”

“Right, of course. I’ll go…” I attempt to back away.

She doesn’t release me. “Will you stay?”

“Of course.” I pull her into me once more. “But I’m going to have to run home and take a quick shower. I smell bad.”

“You could shower here.”

“I need clothes.”

“Can I go with you? We can stay there. I just really don’t want to be alone right now.”

I grip her face between my hands and press my lips to her forehead. “I’m here for as long as you want me.”

She slides on a pair of slippers and gathers her phone and keys.

Our hands magnetically find each other, and we leave her room behind. We quietly make our way down the hall and out the front door without drawing attention from her mother. A few seconds later, we’re in my place.

“Do you need anything? Water? Food?” I pause when we pass my kitchen.

“Nope.”

Given the circumstances, she seems to be handling this all pretty well. Although it’s clear Griffin's abuse is no new thing to her, so I guess it's not at all surprising she's not freaking out more. She's become numb to that kind of treatment.

I walk her into my room and pull back the comforter on my bed. “Here.”

Claire climbs in, leaving her slippers on the floor.

I cover her up and sit along the edge, smoothing a strand of her hair out of her face. “I’ll only be a minute, okay?”

She nods and pulls the blanket to her chest. Her eyes are already getting heavy. “K.”

I watch as her lids close.

How is it possible this angel is here with me now? After everything that’s happened, she still chose me.

I make quick work of grabbing a towel and taking a shower. I don’t want to waste another second where we aren’t breathing the same air. It’s got to be stupid, feeling the way I do about her, so fucking intensely, so fucking quickly, but I can’t help how fucking right it is.

It was like I knew the moment I bumped into her that she would forever change my world. I guess it just didn’t dawn on me until recently what exactly that meant.

I walk out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist and go to my closet to rummage through a hamper with clean clothes that never got put away. I locate a pair of boxers and slip into them, letting the towel fall to the floor.

I do my best to stay quiet while I make my way to the recliner in the corner of the room.

Claire extends her arm and mumbles something.

I kneel by her side. “What is it?”

She tugs at my hand, scooting back in the bed and dragging me in with her.

“Are you sure? I’m like, almost naked.”

“Yep.” A smile spreads across her face and she peers through her heavy lids at me.

I climb in next to her and let her settle into the crook of my shoulder.

She nuzzles in close and sighs.

I wrap both arms around her and hold on tight. The warmth of her body settles into mine, and if anyone would have told me earlier that this is how my day would end, I never would have believed them.

I breathe her in and cherish every single second of this until sleep finally pulls me under.

* * *

Iwake to her still in my embrace. Only now, we’re on our sides, and her perfect backside is pressed into me. Our legs are intertwined, and she hugs my hand to her chest like she’s afraid I might disappear if she lets go.

I slowly pull it from her grasp and graze it along her waist while kissing her hair. “Morning.”

“Mmm.”

“Do you want me to make coffee or get it from Bram’s?”

She turns to face me, and my heart nearly stutters at seeing her beautiful face. She places her hand on my cheek and her gaze trails up to my brow and then to my lip. “Does that hurt?”

“Nah. It’s been worse.”

She frowns but leans forward, pressing her mouth gently on mine and then pulling away.

I prop myself up on my elbow. “How are you feeling?”

“Bram’s sounds good.” She quickly changes the topic of conversation. “It’s early enough that the donuts are probably super fresh, too.”

“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

Claire shakes her head. “I kind of just want things to go back to normal, if that’s okay?” She sits up and crosses her legs. “I, uh, I don’t want you to treat me any differently like I’m this fragile thing. I’m okay. I know I was sort of in shock last night and being super needy, but I’ll be fine, really. You can even go to Bram’s without me, and I promise I won’t implode while you’re gone.”

I place my hand on her thigh and gently squeeze. “I think you’re much stronger than you let on, actually.” I’ve always known that about her, even if she doubts it herself.

Claire might have run into trouble with Griffin and let him take advantage of her, but that never made me question the strength she carries within.

She’s a force that cannot be contained or extinguished, especially not by some pathetic douche like Griffin.

She may not recognize her power, but I do, and I’ll be damned if I ever diminish that. There’s a fire that burns behind her eyes, waiting to come to life.

“Do you mind? If I stay here while you go?” She stares at me with those ocean eyes.

“Not at all. Do you need me to get anything from your place? Your school stuff?” I don’t want her to have to lift a finger if she doesn’t have to. It’s not about being fragile; it’s about taking care of someone who has never been taken care of in their life.

From this point forward, I’ll do everything in my power to be everything Griffin never was. I won’t be perfect, and I’m sure I’ll mess up, but Claire at least deserves someone willing to put forth the effort. To put her first.

“I’ll go, actually. Grab some stuff and meet you back here?”

“Yeah, that works.” I reach over and snatch my keys off the nightstand. I pull the little silver circle and slide my house key off. “Here.”

Claire hesitates. “Won’t you need it?”

I shake my head. “You’ll be back before me.” I push it into her hand. “Plus, if you happen to need to get away, you’re welcome here whenever. It’s not much but it’s private.”

“Really?” She bites at her lip like she’s hiding something she wants to say.

“Yeah, really. Why do you sound so surprised?”

She lifts her shoulders. “You’re not…dating anyone?”

I break out into a smile. “No.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks blush. “Cool.” She flips the key between her thumb and index finger. “But really, I don’t want to intrude.”

“I think we’re past that by now.” An idea suddenly dawns on me. I unplug my phone from the charger and unlock the screen. “Although, I don’t have your number.” I hand the device to her.

She takes it and punches her contact info in; a second later, her phone buzzes. “I sent myself a text, so I’d have yours, too.”

Now I just need to take her on a proper date, and we’ll have a somewhat normal-ish, age-appropriate relationship.