Page 8 of Battered & Broken
He was big through the shoulders like he supplemented his workouts with something…and his eyes were too wide, like hewas wired. “Cedric, open up. My key isn’t working.” That was a relief.
Without thinking about how it could escalate, I opened the door a few inches but kept my body in the frame to block his view of Cedric. “You need to leave, Mitch.”
"Who the fuck are you?" Mitch's eyes went past me, trying to see inside the apartment.
Cedric appeared beside me, peeking his head under my arm. “I told you not to come here, Mitch. I will call the cops if you come back.”
His mildly attractive face shifted into something mean and ugly. "You’re a fucking little slut, Cedric. You said you didn’t do relationships or boyfriends, but here you are. Already fucking around on me. You’re sick!"
"Watch it, buddy." My voice was low and hard as I tried to resist the urge to rearrange his face the way he did to Cedric. “Just get the fuck outta here before things get ugly.” Starting with his nose.
"This isn't your business, man." Mitch took a step closer and pushed on the door to open it. "Cedric. Cedric, look at me."
"He doesn't wanna look at you." I shifted my weight so I filled in the opening and shielded Cedric from his view. "You’ve got about three seconds to walk away before I call the police."
"Don’t tell me what I need to do." His hand went to his waistband, and everything moved in slow motion after that. "Cedric is mine. He doesn't get to just?—"
The gun came up fast and was aiming right at my head. Before I could think about it, I threw my arm up and knocked his wristaway. He was more focused on Cedric than me, so he didn’t block me when I threw my shoulder into his chest and shoved him sideways.
A shot went into the wall beside the doorframe, creating a deafening explosion that left my ears ringing. I landed on top of Mitch and slammed his head into the ground, knocking him out long enough to flip him onto his stomach so I could pin his hands behind his back. My knees were planted on his forearms so my weight kept him in place. The gun was a few feet out of reach, and there was no way he was getting anywhere near it.
Cedric was yelling, and neighbors started to come out of their apartments. “Ozzie!”
“Cedric, are you hurt?” I couldn’t see him from where I was sitting on Mitch. “Talk to me.”
“I’m fine.” He came to where I was and hovered beside me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I put my fingers to Mitch’s neck to make sure he was still alive, and he twitched but didn’t wake up. “But we’re pressing charges this time.”
The police arrived right as Mitch was starting to wake up. This time, they took him away. Assault with a deadly weapon was serious, and when they told Cedric that Mitch was wanted in Missouri as a person of interest in a homicide, my blood ran cold. It could have been so much worse for both of us, but when they dragged his ass away, Cedric rushed into my arms.
“Is it over, Ozzie?” He buried his face in my neck as warm tears coated my skin. “Really over?”
"It is. He's gone." I kept my voice low, hyperaware of how tightly he was holding me. The neighbors had filed in, and we gave a brief statement but didn’t have to go down to the station this time. They were extraditing Mitch for bigger charges, but I was sure we’d have to testify at some point.
But that was tomorrow’s problem.
Today, I just wanted to hold Cedric a little bit longer. “Let’s get you inside.”
"You could've been shot." His voice was shaky as he let me walk him backward into the apartment. "He could've?—"
"He missed." I put my hand over his where it was still gripping my shirt. "I'm right here."
There was a hole in the wall by the door that stood as a stark reminder of what happened. But it was also proof of what didn’t happen. Cedric stood in the middle of his living room and stared at it like he didn't know what to do with himself.
“You okay?” I put my hand on the back of his neck and held it.
"Will you stay?" He quickly turned to me. "Please. I don't—I can't be alone tonight. Not after that."
I didn't even have to think about it. "Of course."
I glanced at my watch and considered what I needed overnight. It was getting late, and I hadn't pumped before heading over. After the adrenaline of the last hour, I could already feel the familiar tightness building. "I just need to grab a few things from my place. I'll be right back."
"Oh, um, okay." He bit the side of his lip, obviously uncomfortable being alone.
“I’ll be quick. I promise.” Without thinking, I kissed his cheek and then ran down the hall to my apartment. I grabbed a change of clothes and the pump bag, and thought about how I was going to handle that. I could go to the bathroom for twenty minutes and let him think I was having gastrointestinal issues. Or I could say nothing at all.
Or I could tell him the truth.
