Abandoned

Chapter 38

Zack POV

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I needed to calm down a little bit.

Ever since I saw blood on Maddie’s face, my heart hasn’t slowed down. I didn’t know how she managed to get under my skin so fast, but she did. I had this urge to protect her. I had this need to make sure that she was happy and safe.

I was lying on the pullout couch in Sam’s cabin. We arrived a couple of hours ago, and we went to bed as soon as we unpacked. Everyone was tired, Maddie especially.

I could feel my heart hitting my ribs. I could hear the blood running through my veins. There was a knot in my stomach, and I couldn't untie it no matter how hard I tried.

Maddie was left on the side of the road by her own parents? She was abused her whole life? She was living in a fucking tent?!

I was so angry, and I wanted to hurt everyone who hurt her. I wanted to make them suffer. I wanted to make them pay for what they did.

I took another deep breath. I had to control my anger. I couldn't let Maddie see it. I would never forgive myself if she was afraid of me.

Max and Milo didn’t tell us much about the abuse. Maybe it was better. If I knew what the fuckers had done to her…

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard something breaking in the kitchen.

My heart raced even more.

Were they here? Did they find us? Would they try to take her away?

Over my fucking dead body!

I jumped up and ran toward the kitchen, ready to kill them all.

I would never let them take her!

My eyes widened when I saw Maddie standing in the kitchen with glass shards splattered all over the floor.

My heart calmed down a little. No one was here. No one would take her away.

"May?" I called her quietly.

She looked up at me wide-eyed. The fear in her eyes almost made me scream.

"I didn’t mean to!" she said, her voice trembling. "It was an accident!"

My heart broke.

"It’s okay, Maddie." I said softly as I approached her. "It’s just a glass."

She looked down at the floor and tried to move away.

"Wait." I said, making her stop and look back up at me.

The glass was all around her. She was barefoot. She would cut herself.

"Glass is everywhere." I told her. "You will cut yourself."

I looked around for the broom, but I couldn’t see one. I sighed and turned back to Maddie.

"Do you want me to pick you up and put you on the counter, or would you rather wait for me to go find a broom?" I asked her.

I wasn’t going to touch her without her permission, even though I really wanted to get her out of there. She could cut herself.

She looked around before looking back up at me again.

"I will wait." she said quietly.

"Okay." I said, giving her a small smile. "Don’t move. I will be right back."

I rushed out of the kitchen toward the storage room. There had to be a broom there.

I opened the door and sighed in relief when I saw the broom and the dustpan.

"Thank fuck." I mumbled as I grabbed it and rushed back to the kitchen.

She was standing in the same spot, looking down at her feet and fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

She looked up when she heard me coming. I smiled at her as I started sweeping the area around her.

I could feel the tension rolling off her.

"This happens, Maddie." I said softly. "No one is going to blame you."

She looked at me, and I saw tears in her eyes.

Fuck.

I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t want to cross any boundaries.

I looked back down at the floor and continued sweeping. I needed to get her out of there as soon as possible.

"Okay, Maddie." I said as I looked back up at her. "You can move now. Go sit down."

"I can finish." Maddie mumbled quietly, looking up at me.

"No, Maddie, it’s okay." I said softly. "I will sweep it all up. Don’t worry."

She gulped and studied my face for a second.

"It’s okay." I said, giving her a small smile. "I don’t mind, Maddie."

She gave me a small nod before she walked away toward the table. She sat down and took a deep breath.

My heart clenched painfully.

What did she go through if she was this afraid because she broke a fucking glass?

I continued sweeping, and I collected all the glass in the dustpan.

We heard footsteps approaching. Maddie jumped up and looked at the kitchen door. The fear in her eyes almost made me grab her and take her away. I knew that she had nothing to be scared of. I knew that none of her brothers and cousins would ever hurt her. But she was waking up instincts that I didn’t even know I had.

Ryan walked into the kitchen and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw me standing there with a broom and dustpan.

"What are you doing, Zack?" he mumbled sleepily.

"I am sorry." Maddie said, her voice trembling. "I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to."

Ryan looked at her with a confused expression on his face. He didn’t even notice her.

"Addie, baby, what’s wrong?" he asked as he approached her slowly.

She flinched, making my heart skip a beat.

Ryan stopped walking and looked at me.

"What the hell happened?!" he asked.

I wanted to say that it was my fault, but Maddie beat me to it.

"I broke a glass." Maddie said as a small sob escaped her. "I am sorry. I didn’t mean to. I was thirsty, and I..."

Her voice broke, and another sob escaped her.

Ryan’s eyes widened and he rushed to her.

"Oh, baby, it’s okay." Ryan said as he pulled her into his arms. "I am not angry. It happens, baby. There is no need to be afraid."

Ryan sat down and pulled Maddie onto his lap.

Maddie leaned her head on his shoulder and sobbed again.

"Oh, love." Ryan mumbled as he started rocking her back and forth slowly.

I gulped and tightened my jaw.

What the fuck did they do to her?

I forced my body to move, and I walked to the trash bin to empty the dustpan.

"Thank you, Zack." Ryan said, making me look back at him.

He was running his fingers through Maddie’s hair. He gave me a small smile, and I nodded.

"Do you want a glass of water, Maddie?" I asked her.

She lifted her head and nodded.

I walked to the cupboard, grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and walked over to her.

She took the glass from my hand and took a small sip. Her hands were shaking.

"We will never hurt you for anything, Addie." Ryan said softly. "There is no need to be afraid."

Maddie looked at him. I saw her hand tighten around the glass.

"We will never hurt you, Addie." Ryan repeated. "I promise. We love you so much, and nothing will ever change that."

I wanted to caress Maddie’s cheek, but I held back.

I needed to be careful. I needed to go slow. I needed her trust, and I wasn’t going to get it if I crossed any of her boundaries.

"I will go back to bed." I said, making Ryan and Maddie look up at me. "Call me if you need anything, Maddie."

She nodded and gave me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

I smiled back at her and turned around to walk out of the kitchen.

My heart hurt for her. I really wanted to kill the people who hurt her.

I would make sure that no one ever hurt her again. I would make sure that she would always be safe and happy.