Damaged Goods

Chapter 27

Lyla was standing in the kitchen talking to TJ on the phone, when the front door suddenly crashed open, and standing in front of her was James, glaring and ready to pounce.

"Please hurry" she whispered into the phone to TJ, before dropping the phone as James began to charge at her.

Lyla ran to the other side of the kitchen table, trying to keep something between her and James. He glared at her as she threw a bowl of fake fruit from the table at him. He ducked and it flew past him and crashed into the counter behind him. He began to come around the table toward her, and she made a break for it to try to get past him, but he was too fast for her. He lunged at her, and was able to grab her legs, pulling her down to the ground.

Lyla thrashed and flailed, screaming for help, as she swung at James with all of her might, making contact with his face.

"Stop fighting me" he snarled. "You're mine, and I won't stand for you playing house here with this bastard."

"Get off of me" she screamed, continuing to fight and struggle.

"It's your fault I've got cops following me through multiple states you little bitch" he said as he climbed more on top of her, grasping at her wrists to pin her down. "I got out of prison and wanted to spend time with my wife, and come to find out you got married to this asshole?"

"Ex-wife" she spat at him. "You don't own me! You'll never have me again!" she screamed.

"You'll never get away from me. Wherever you go, I will always find you, and you will always be mine" he said, grasping both of her hands in one of his, and smacking her across the face. "And I will have you, over and over again" he said, as he began to grope her chest, and tried to kiss her face.

As he leaned toward her, she cracked her head into his face as hard as she could, her forehead smashing right into his nose. She could hear his nose crunch, and immediately the blood began to flow from his face. He let go of her when she head-butted him, and screamed out in pain with the contact to his nose. Lyla used that opportunity to push him off of her, and roll away, scrambling to her feet.

They were now both covered in blood as she again tried to make a break for it, but again he was faster than she was, and he grabbed onto her with one hand, while reaching for his nose with the other. As he tackled her again, they had moved out of the kitchen and both fell with a crash onto the coffee table in the living room. Wood and glass splintered and spread around the room. Both Lyla and James, lay on the ground, stunned by their impact into the furniture.

Again, Lyla tried to climb to her feet, trying desperately to get away, but as she stood, James grabbed a broken leg from the coffee table and swung at her, hitting her in the side, and she fell against the bookshelf, collapsing onto the floor. James picked himself up to standing and walked over to where Lyla was slumped onto the floor, and began to swing at her with the beam of wood in his hands. He hit her on the back of the shoulder, and she screamed in pain. As he raised his arms to swing at her again, she reached for the bookshelf in front of her, and pulled it down, crashing it into a startled James. She pulled herself up, but couldn't stand, and collapsed back down, on top of the bookshelf that was pinning James to the floor, and she closed her eyes, as darkness took her.

*****

As soon as the line went dead, TJ dialed 911 and provided his address to the dispatch personnel, trying to fill them in on what he feared might have happened. He had also increased his speed, swerving in and out of traffic, racing to get home. He was terrified of what might be happening to Lyla. He had wanted to protect her and keep her safe, and now when she needed him, he wasn't there.

When he pulled up to the condo, he could see that the police were already there, as a patrol car was parked out front. TJ parked quickly and bolted up the stairwell, not willing to wait for an elevator, and he ran straight to his condo.

There were two policeman standing in front of what used to be his front door, and a couple of EMT's were brining an empty gurney out of the elevator, headed toward them.

"Hey, you can't come here" the officer said to him, as he ran toward them, trying to go inside.

"This is my house, I called you, where's my wife?" He gasped, trying to push past them to see inside, the words all spilling out at once.

"This is your home?" the officer asked him, still holding him back and not letting him inside.

"Yes, I'm the one who called you. I was on the phone with her when I heard something. I knew she was in trouble" he continued, spluttering out information, still trying to push past the officers and get inside to see what had happened.

"Sir, I need you to calm down" the officer said, as he pushed TJ to side, allowing the EMT's to enter with the gurney.

"Where is she? Is she ok?" TJ gasped shaking with fear and concern.

"Let the EMT's do their job, she's alive, but they're going to need to take her to the hospital" the officer said.

A few minutes later, the EMT's came out, pushing an unconscious Lyla on the gurney. She was already showing bruises on her face and arms, and there was blood everywhere.

"Oh my God" TJ gasped, when he saw her.

"Can I come with you?" TJ asked the EMT's as they all turned to hear a growling James, who seemed to be waking up and coming to his senses.

"Get back, get away from me" he growled.

"Sir, you're going to need medical attention" TJ could hear someone inside say to him.

"Medical attention!" TJ yelled, "he needs to go back to prison."

"Sir, please calm down" the officers at the door said, restraining him yet again.

"He needs to be arrested" JT shouted. "Look what he did to her!"

After some additional shouting back and forth, TJ had calmed down enough to be allowed to join the EMT's in the ambulance with Lyla, and they headed to the hospital. The officers confirmed that they would come by to get Lyla's and TJ's statements, once they had performed the necessary duties related to a pending arrest for James as well as getting him secured for transport to the hospital.