Chapter Twenty-Nine

~Rafael~

Of all the ways I had imagined the day going, this wasn’t anywhere on the list. But as I stared into the eyes of McKenna’s ex, I knew that the two of us were about to cross a line that couldn’t be walked back from.

But I didn’t care. This man -no, animal standing in front of me had hurt McKenna. Purposefully. And it seemed that, even with my previous “encouragement”, he still was intent on trying to claim her.

And to think, that I had been waiting in a cab outside of McKenna’s place because I wanted to surprise her. In about a week or so, we would have six months of being together, but I would be out of town for another conference and I wanted her to know that I hadn’t forgotten.

I had been thinking of how to present to her the flowers and candy I had gotten her. I had been sneakily sleuthing the information out of her for the past month, and I had wanted to see that light behind her eyes when she realized what my sometimes-strange questions were about.

Of course, that was when the office called, and I was distracted for all of five minutes. When I hung up, I was relieved to see that I hadn’t missed her but was considerably less happy then I saw someone standing at the complex door nearly push her down the stairs.

I ran over, of course, rage already going at full tilt, but it wasn’t until I recognized her ex that I truly saw nothing but red.

“I’m giving you one last chance to back away,” I said, my voice more growl than human but I didn’t care. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to call the cops, but I won’t beat you into the scum that you are.”

The man, although he could hardly be called that, ripped his arm away and snarled at me. “So, you’re the bastard who’s poisoned her against me?”

“You did all of that yourself,” I said, stepping forward so that we were almost touching. I wanted him to feel my presence, to be intimidated by me while I looked down at him like the dog he was. “As much as I’d like to take the credit. You’re a disgusting abuser, and she has been far kinder to you than you deserve.”

He laughed, and his spittle flew up to splash against my chin. Disgusting, just as he was. “Come on, you don’t believe all that, do you? Couples fight and she’s just overdramatic. You’re telling me you never got into an argument with your babe, Mr. Big Man in the cheesy suit?”

“People argue all the time. But that’s not what you did. You know it. She knows it. And I know it. So, I’m still giving you that chance to leave, but it’s disappearing quickly.”

“Whatever,” the man backed down then pushed past me. “She’s just a whore who’ll do the same thing to you then come running back to me.”

There were a lot of things in the world I could tolerate. I’d sat through so boring that it’s painful meetings, my father’s funerals, speeches by politicians who I wanted to shove their heads up their own asses, but there was a line. And insulting the kindest, most generous woman I knew was so far over that line it might as well have been in orbit.

“You know what,” I hissed, grabbing his shoulder and whipping him around. “The offer expired.”

Before he could open that vile mouth and speak any more lies, I slammed my fist right into his narrow lips. It was a familiar feeling, considering I had already once pummeled him into a pulp, but last time I had been drunk. Now I was sober, and one hundred percent fully conscious of the righteous fury flowing through every part of me.

This time the man wasn’t as stunned, and he tried to throw a blow back. I blocked it, sliding it along my arm, then swiveled in a jab that landed right against his cheek and sent him stumbling.

It had been ages since I had truly fought someone – not counting the first time I had handed him his own ass- but it was all coming back to me. My prepubescent years in the ghetto, the scuffles in high school when someone dared to insult my immigrant father, the rough patch I had gone through after that saintly man’s death. It all flowed over me like a second nature that I rarely indulged.

Suddenly he lunged forward from the ground, tackling me around the waist. I was surprised by the move and we both went backwards, causing me to hit the back of my head on the railing as we went down.

The world was just shockwaves for a moment and my head swam. I was vaguely aware of one of his punches landing on my cheekbone, but the pain was so delayed that I was already fighting back before I felt it.

He was too stupid to even try to pin my arms, so I reached up and slammed my fist right into his jaw. His eyes rolled up in his head for a moment, and the sudden gap of consciousness allowed me to roll us over so that I was on top.

I punched him again, hitting the side of his head. And then again. And then again. I was angrier than I had ever been in my life, and all I could think of was all the pain and terror he had put McKenna through.

“Rafael!” I heard her call to me, voice terrified. Was she scared because of him? Or of me?

I slowed, looking up to see her standing by us, tears down her cheeks.

“Rafael, you can stop. He’s done.”

I stood slowly, my mind and body trying to come to terms with the sudden cut off of stimulus. My heart was racing, and I could hear my blood rushing past my ears, but I forced myself to focus on her and only her.

“Are you alright?” I asked, reaching out to caress her cheek with bloody fingers.

But despite that, she leaned into my palm. “I am. Thanks to you. But we really need to call the cops. I… I think I’m ready to try dealing with this legally.”

“Are you sure? Because you don’t have to do anything you’re not ready fo-” Suddenly her eyes went wide and before I could ask her what was going on, something slammed into the back of my head. I stumbled forward, and once more reality went fuzzy.

I could hear sounds, but they were faint and echoed, like someone had shoved my head underwater. I sat there a moment, trying to gather myself as the world righted itself. I stood shakily and turned to see that McKenna’s ex had gotten up and picked up a branch that was laying on the sidewalk. That must have been what he had hit me with. The only reason he wasn’t beating me into oblivion with it was because McKenna had jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck in a triangle choke. How the hell did she know how to triangle choke someone?!

I didn’t know, but I certainly wasn’t going to stop her and ask where. Instead I ran forward, intent on helping her, but her ex had already crumpled to his knees, his face a deep shade of purple.

“Get out of my life, you bastard!”

This time it was my turn to try to gently pry her from the man. “McKenna, you need to let go.” Funny, I had been so intent on killing him myself, but I didn’t want McKenna to have to deal with the fallout of taking a man’s life. Even if he hardly qualified as human.

She ignored me at first, but I managed to get some fingers under her arm and pried her away, Suddenly, her eyes went wide, and she let go with a gasp.

Her ex fell to the ground, breathing with rapid and rasping gasps. McKenna’s eyes filled with tears and she threw herself into my arms. “I’m sorry!” She blurted, and I could feel her heart pounding through her chest. “It’s just he was hurting you and I-I thought you were gonna go down, and I couldn’t let that happen.”

I quickly wrapped my arms around her and just held her, letting her breathing slow. I could hear silence in the distance and finally, neighbors were starting to exit their houses. How many of them had stood by their windows and just watched what had happened? Disgusting.

“I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here,” McKenna breathed. “He was so angry.”

“It’s alright, babe, it’s alright.” I rubbed her back soothingly, keeping an eye on her prostrate ex the entire time.

Thankfully, she seemed to mostly come down from the worst of her emotions by the time the cops did arrive. It certainly didn’t look good for us, and I made sure to keep my movements slow and direct.

“So, what happened here?” The officer said, walking up to us and looking over the whole scene. He was a middle-aged man, and portly. His skin was somewhere between stale milk and pink paint, while his cheeks were a vibrant red. He was about as standard as tired, street cops came and I wondered if he was going to make this much worse than it had to be.

“He’s my ex,” McKenna murmured, lifting her chin and speaking with a sort of steely determination that I had to admire. “He attacked me, and I had to defend myself.”

“And you apparently defended yourself pretty well.” The officer looked over both of us, his blue eyes narrowing. “You have some wounds there yourself. Did you also have to defend yourself?”

“I came to her aid after I saw the altercation begin.”

“And you are?”

“He’s my significant other,” McKenna said, answering for me. “My partner. If he wasn’t here, this situation would be a whole lot different.”

“Uh-huh. And have you had any issues with your ex before? Or did you do something to agitate or provoke him?”

“Excuse me?” I asked, my temper flaring again.

“No, this isn’t a first-time thing.” McKenna answered quickly. “I filed several restraining orders and we had one domestic disturbance report filed.”

“I see. I’ll look that up.” He put away the little notepad he was writing on and nodded to us. “Have the EMTs look you over. Given his past history, I’m sure your ex will be willing to drop this.”

“Drop this?” McKenna asked. “I don’t want to drop this! I want to press charges.”

“Press charges?” The officer repeated. “Ma’am, you’re the one standing and he’s the one laying on the ground wheezing.”

“This is his second time trying to force me to go with him! He’s stalked me across half the continent! I want him to face the consequences of his actions.”

“Alright then, I need to take your statement.”

“Well, he-”

“Alone.” The officer interrupted. “And my partner will take the statement of your friend here.” He gestured to the uniformed woman who was still bent over my ex, murmuring to him and taking vital signs.

“A-alright,” McKenna murmured, disentangling herself from me. I could tell that she didn’t want to part, but she had to if she wanted to finally give the abusive bastard his just desserts. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, following the officer to the other side of his car.

“I’ll be right here,” I answered before someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned to see the female officer gesturing for me to follow her.

I did so, hearing more sirens in the background as I walked with her. By the time I was repeating my side of things, the EMTs had arrived and were taking care of McKenna’s ex.

He was conscious again and seemed able to speak -albeit in a whisper. His eyes avoided both McKenna and I, making me wonder if he had finally had enough.

He better. If he tried her a third time, he would not survive.

The female officer was politer than her partner, then again, a cranky rat with a biting habit would have been politer than him. I supposed it was the same as any profession, there were amazing cops, and not so amazing cops, but I certainly didn’t like the idea of my tax dollars going to one that accused McKenna of bringing the situation on herself. She took my statement with only interrupting to ask clarifying questions when she needed.

“Thank you, Sir. I would appreciate it if you sat down with the EMTs for a moment and let them check you out.”

“I’d rather-”

“Let me rephrase, sir, that wasn’t a question. If you want to help your SO with her case against this man, you’ll want all the documented evidence at the damage he can do.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. “Oh, thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sir. We’re just here to help.”

She gave me a nod then walked over to her partner, who was still standing with McKenna. I studied the red-head’s face and I was happy to see that -while she still was shaken- her expression was one of resolve, not fear.

What an insane journey had brought us here. We’d both come such a long way from who we had been, and I didn’t think we would ever be the same.

Suddenly the flowers and candy didn’t seem like enough. I knew I needed this woman in my life more than anything. Dom needed her.

Even the EMTs buzzing all around me couldn’t distract me from that thought. It hung, omni-present in my mind, a pure goal, burning brightly in my vision.

It took about fifteen minutes before the medics finally let me go. They wanted me to come with them to the hospital, but I wasn’t interested. I didn’t have anything that a band aid couldn’t fix, and leaving McKenna alone seemed absolutely heinous.

They left and the entire time, McKenna’s ex never said a word to me, despite laying on a gurney in the back of the open ambulance. Of course, I couldn’t be certain, and we had a long run in the courts ahead of us most likely, but I felt like that chapter in McKenna’s life was finally, truly closing.