Holding On

Chapter 24 - Trapped

Courtney's POV

I knelt on the floor beside Alex as he clutched his shoulder, a painful expression marring his features. "Alex!" I gently moved his hand, taking a look at the wound. He wasn't bleeding extremely, and it looked like the bullet went straight through, but a gunshot wound is still a wound that needs to be tended to.

Alex didn't look at me. He laid his head back on the floor and I could tell he was trying not to yell out loud. Grabbing his shirt, I tore a strip of the fabric off the bottom and wrapped it around his shoulder. Right now, I just needed to get the bleeding to stop. I gave the fabric a pull to tighten it around his shoulder, and then I felt a jerk on my arm.

I was yanked away from Alex and off the floor. Daniel was gripping my arm tight and every time I tried to move away, it hurt more. He looked at Alex, though it wasn't with triumph now. "I warned you not to move," he hissed, though I could hear the hesitation and fear at the edge of his voice.

He turned to me now and I stiffened. "Why don't you love me anymore? I gave you everything!" His hiss turned into a desperate plea. However, I didn't want anything to do with him anymore, and I could tell that the fact that I am with another man was tearing him apart.

My arm was hurting horribly now and I could see it turning red around the spot where he was gripping me. "I fell in love with someone else. It just happens, Daniel!" I was unable to keep eyes contact with him as I spoke. I was terrified and my stomach was churning more than before.

Daniel growled, an angry sneer crossing his desperate features. "That's not a good enough reason!" He growled. He pulled me over to a small chair that sat closer to the wall of the room. Because of the jerking force, I dropped the journal and picture frame, though he didn't seem to pay any mind.

I drug my heels and tried to pull against him, but nothing was working. My breath left my chest when he forced me to sit into the chair, and I grimaced as the back of the chair hit my shoulder blades. I clutched my arm where he had held it, knowing I was going to have a bruise there later. I heard a faint moan come across the room and I looked over to see Alex sitting up on his unwounded arm.

"Leave...Leave her alone," he moaned through clenched teeth.

Daniel turned to look at Alex, hatred gleaming in his dark blue eyes. "Just shut up and lie down," he spat. "You're lucky I didn't kill you, but that won't save you from rotting in jail." He turned to me now, placing one hand on the back of the chair while the other held the gun in plain sight. He made it so I wouldn't be able to move away from him. "Since your new lover isn't here, you're going to answer me. What do they have that I don't?"

Those eyes were not the ones I once felt safe with. They were cold and distant now. Hurt, anger, malice, and jealousy filled them. "I know it's not money and I know it's not a stable house hold or jobs. Tell me why you chose them over me!"

I flinched back as he yelled, still clutching my arm as I turned my face away from him. I thought of my scar and Sanders, but then that melted away. My mind went back to the night of the meeting. I could still feel Hunter's soft kiss as his lips grazed over my scar. I remembered the promise he gave as he did so.

"You're right," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "It wasn't any of that. It was finding someone who was willing to give everything for me, that they would drop everything and come for me whenever and wherever I needed them. I found someone that never left me alone, and never let me feel alone."

I felt my eyes sting with unshed tears. "I found someone who wouldn't let any man hurt me, whether physically or mentally, and strives to make sure that I never get hurt again. I know that I am loved because everything I do is okay with him and he hasn't tried to change me."