Worn Me Down

Chapter 15 Austin

I’m getting attached. Son of a bitch, I’m getting attached to these two girls and it’s making me do stupid shit like kiss Gwen again and move her and Emma in with me.

The kiss can be easily explained away – I hated the way she was putting herself down. She’s the strongest fucking woman I’ve ever met after the shit she went through and I wasn’t about to stand there and let her think otherwise. It was the only thing I could think to do to get her to stop feeling bad about herself.

The moving in thing? Well, obviously I had to do it. She and Emma couldn’t stay at Brady’s apartment when that asshole she’s married to knows where she lives and could come after her at any time. It’s not like it means anything or it’s a permanent thing. I live in a rental house; I’m not staying here forever and the girls will go back to their own place when all of this is done and I’ll move on to the next thing. I’m a SEAL; it’s my job to protect people no matter who they are.

I absolutely do not want a ready-made family and I’m sure I’ll regret having them in my personal space in no time. I like being alone, I’m used to being by myself and not having to answer to anyone and if anything, the two of them with all their girly pink shit all over the place will just make it easier to walk away when this is over.

Right, keep telling yourself that, buddy.

“Did you really need to bring all of the Barbies and every single outfit they own?” I ask Emma as she stands each of her dolls up against my couch cushions.

“I couldn’t leave them there, they’d be sad all alone,” Emma explains as she pulls the last doll out of her bag and places her on the coffee table, away from the others.

“Is there a reason why that Barbie is duct-taped to a Barbie chair?” Gwen asks, coming into the living room after making another call to Ellie.

Ellie was adamant that Gwen not come and get her. She was afraid for Gwen’s safety and didn’t want her anywhere near the hotel she was staying in just in case William came back. That was fine with me. It’s not like I was going to let Gwen go alone and get her anyway.

I look over at Gwen and pretend like it doesn’t feel right to have her in my place.

“She’s an insurance, mom. Mr. Austin and I were trying to get her to talk,” Emma answers.

Gwen looks at me in confusion and I laugh. “It’s insurgent, pipsqueak. And yep, that Barbie went off the rails so we had to take extreme measures.”

Gwen shakes her head and I walk towards the kitchen, motioning for her to follow. “We’ll be right back, pipsqueak. You keep working on Barbie over there and let me know if she gives up the goods.”

When we get into the kitchen, out of earshot of Emma, I ask her about Ellie. “So, what’s going on?”

Gwen sighs and takes a seat at the table. “She still won’t let me come and get her right now. She promised me she’d move to another hotel and call me as soon as she got there. I told her to make sure she isn’t followed; take lots of side streets and make a few wrong turns so she can watch in her mirror and make sure he isn’t tailing her. She should be calling me back in a few minutes and then I’m going to get her whether she likes it or not.”

Folding my arms across my chest, I look down at her. “You aren’t going anywhere. When she calls back, I’ll go and get her.”

Gwen opens her mouth to argue and I hold one of my hands up. “Nope. Don’t even think about it, darlin’. There is no way in hell I’m letting you go anywhere by yourself when there’s a chance that asshole could be there. He doesn’t know where you are right now and we’re keeping it that way.”

Gwen huffs, but she doesn’t argue again, thank God.

A half hour later, after Emma has turned my living room into her own personal fucking Barbie Dream House, Gwen gets the call from Ellie. She made it to another hotel and she assures Gwen that she wasn’t followed. With my firm instructions to Gwen that she isn’t to open the door for anyone and a sarcastic reply from her that she isn’t stupid, Gwen locks the door behind me and I head out to pick up Ellie.

On the ride over there, I call my friend on the force in New York.

“Hey, Mark, it’s Austin Conrad.”

“Well shit, long time no talk! What are you doing calling me? Shouldn’t you be somewhere in the middle of nowhere being Billy Badass and saving the world?” Mark asks.

Mark and I went to high school together and we’ve kept in touch over the years, trading favors back and forth.

“Eh, I’m doing a job for a friend in Nashville right now. Say, I need you to check on someone for me, guy by the name of William Stratford. He’s a doctor in New York City,” I tell him.

“Yeah, I know the guy. Well, I’ve heard of him. We don’t actually mingle in the same social circles,” Mark says with a laugh. “Stratford’s a big wig surgeon at Mount Sinai, gives a ton of money to charities, even gives a big chunk to the policeman’s ball every year. Good guy, everyone loves him. I’m pretty sure he’s slated for sainthood or some shit.”

Great. Just fucking great. This abusive douche has fooled everyone.

“Do you have any contacts with the Nashville police department?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’ve talked to them a couple of times. Why, what’s up?”

I pause, not sure how much I want to tell Mark. I trust him, but I don’t want it getting out that I’m asking about William in case it gets back to him and spooks the guy. I won’t be able to beat his ass if he disappears.

“I need you to call them and tell them to be on the lookout for Stratford. Tell them he’s not in trouble, he’s just wanted for questioning or some shit. I don’t care what you have to tell them – just make sure they do it.”

Mark is silent for a few long seconds. “Austin, what the fuck is going on? And how do you know Stratford is in Nashville?”

“It’s a long story. I promise I’ll fill you in when I can, just tell me you’ll do this for me.”

Mark sighs as I pull into the hotel parking lot where Ellie moved. “Fine, no problem. But I’m going to catch some slack for this you know. I’m not kidding when I say everyone loves the guy. Money talks around here and he’s one of the biggest contributors to the police force.”

Of course he is. What better way to get people to look the other way when he beats the shit out of his wife?

Mark promises to call me back after he’s talked to the Nashville PD and I end the call, sliding out of my car and heading to Ellie’s room. I make sure to check the parking lot for anything suspicious. Luckily, the lot is pretty empty and I don’t see anyone lurking around.

I walk up to room one-fifteen and knock on the door. “Ellie? It’s Austin Conrad.”

Gwen told Ellie who I was on the phone earlier and let her know I’d be the one coming to get her so she’d be expecting me. A few seconds later, the door is slowly pulled open and a woman with long, blonde hair peeks her head out, glancing nervously behind me into the parking lot.

She opens the door a little wider and when the sun streams into the room, I get a better look at her face. She’s got a busted, bloody lip and a small cut on her left cheek that’s starting to bruise.

Mother fucker.

“Do you need a doctor?” I ask her softly.

She shakes her head, picking up her purse from the floor and closing and locking the door behind her. She doesn’t say a word to me as we walk out to my car and I have a feeling she’s embarrassed. I think about all of those photos of Gwen in that file and I have to rub at a pain in my chest. Gwen was this person not that long ago. She was bruised and broken, scared to death and not knowing where to turn or who to trust. Thinking about the attitude she has now and the determination and fire in her eyes, I know I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she never has to go back to being like Ellie is right now.

The ride back to my place is quiet and I leave Ellie alone, waiting until she’s with Gwen to find out what the hell happened. It’s probably not easy for Ellie to be around some guy she doesn’t know when someone she thought she could trust did that to her face.

Unlocking the front door, I hold it open and let Ellie walk in first.

“Aunt Ellie!” Emma shouts excitedly, racing across the room and throwing herself against Ellie’s legs.

“Oh my goodness, look how big you’ve gotten!” Ellie tells her, speaking for the first time since I picked her up.

She lifts Emma into her arms and hugs her tightly. Emma pulls back and looks at her face in confusion. “Why do you have boo-boos on your face?”

Ellie places the palm of her hand over the cut on her cheek and smiles at Emma. “Oh, I just had a little accident. I’m fine.”

Gwen steps into the room from the hallway and the two women stare at each other over Emma’s head. I can see the anguish in Gwen’s eyes as she takes in the cut on Ellie’s lip and the quickly forming bruise on her cheek.

“Emma, baby, why don’t you grab your Barbies and go set them up in your room, okay? Aunt Ellie will come in and visit with you after she and mommy have a chance to talk.”

Ellie sets Emma down and she races over to the couch, filling her arms with as many dolls as she can carry before running past Gwen to one of the back bedrooms.

After Emma is gone, Gwen slowly walks up to Ellie. “He did this to you.”

It’s a statement, not a question. Ellie nods, her eyes filling up with tears. Gwen doesn’t hesitate before pulling her into her arms. “Shhh, it’s okay, everything’s going to be okay.”

Emma wraps her arms around Gwen’s shoulders. “I feel like such a fool. I saw what he did to you for all of those years. I really thought he had changed. I’m so stupid.”

Gwen pulls back and stares at Ellie. “You’re not stupid. You thought you could trust him and he took advantage of that. You can’t blame yourself; he’s the one who did something wrong, not you. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

Ellie wipes her tears and heads to the back bedroom to play with Emma. When she’s gone, Gwen turns to look at me.

“I feel so bad for yelling at her the other night at dinner. When she told me she was dating William, I lost it. I should have done more to convince her to stay away from him,” Gwen says sadly.

I move towards her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against me. “I think it’s time for you to start taking your own advice. You can’t blame yourself for the actions of other people. Ellie knew what she was getting into by hanging around William. She made her own choices and there’s nothing you could have said or done that would have made a difference.”

As I hold onto Gwen and listen to Emma’s laughter coming from down the hall, I realize I’m good and truly fucked.

Walking away from them is going to be impossible.