The Bad Boy's Forever (TBBG Series #3) NOW PUBLISHED

Chapter Fifteen: I'm As Subtle As The Front Cover of A Bodice Ripper

       

Chapter Fifteen: I'm As Subtle As The Front Cover of A Bodice Ripper

"Her boyfriend is an abusive motherfucker. The first time I saw her, Mel's lip was split open and she couldn't even walk after how hard he'd kicked her."

I'd been expect this but somehow in the quiet of this hotel room, the reality of it hits me harder. A shiver runs through my entire body as Cole continues. "That first day I asked her if she was okay and she said she had a small accident. But her kid, Jesus she looked so scared. I knew something was wrong the minute I saw the guy. He couldn't stand watching her talk to me but instead of tell me to fuck off, I knew he took it out on her. The signs of abuse were so obvious but no one in the damn building tried to help her or call the police. I'd see a fresh bruise every other day and she started covering it up with clothes or with makeup. But she couldn't hide Lainey's reaction. The little girl was so afraid of her dad, I could hear her scream and cry whenever he was around. The day I saw a handprint on her cheek was when I lost it."

I gasp, my heart aching at the thought of that innocent little child going through something like that. I realise how fortunate I've been and that even at their worst, my parents have never been physically abusive. I don't understand it, don't understand what makes someone so ugly on the inside that they'd take it on someone much weaker than them. It all starts to make a lot more sense to me now, why Cole's been acting the way he is but of course I still have questions.

We're sitting on the bed, facing each other with our legs crossed. He takes my hands in his and raises them up to his lips to kiss my knuckles before continuing. "I confronted him because I couldn't live with myself if I let it happen again, especially not to Lainey."

I gasp, "What did you do?"

"I tried talking to him but guys like that," Cole's eyes darken and he clenches his jaw. It's not very often that you see this amount of hatred in his eyes. I'm reminded of an incident in high school and a bastard named Hank, he'd been vibrating with anger then and what had followed was not pretty.

"You didn't." My breath hitches.

"I had to." He looks at me pleadingly. "I couldn't keep letting him beat his girlfriend and wife like that. Everyone knew what was happening, they'd hear the screaming and crying but no one had the balls to do anything about it."

"You do realise that your scholarship, everything you've worked so hard for could've gone away the instant you touched that guy and...Cole how could you be so stupid? Why didn't you get the cops involved?"

"In the end, I had to." He drops his head as if going back to a terrible memory.

"I'd told him to not come around any more. One of my dad's friends from the academy is the deputy chief of police and I actually got in touch with him, trying to figure out how to get rid of the guy when Mel wasn't willing to come forward. He told me not to get in a fight with him, because he'd press charges but we had a few runs in. I never let it get too far but he knew I was watching and he took it out on Mel. The more I interfered, the more bruises Mel would have the next day."

"That poor woman, I can't believe you didn't tell me any of this before. I feel so horrible, I brought up her boyfriend." I groan and hide my face behind my hands. I'm so ashamed of what I've just done. Granted the circumstances warranted it but maybe I should've talked to Cole first before barging into someone's home like that.

"He hasn't been around lately though, not since I came to visit you. What happened?"

"God, just thinking about that night makes me want to find that fucker and kill him with my bare hands."