Her Cowboy (Book One Of The Brave Series)

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter 17

M.

The panic that flooded my body made my blood pump in my ears as the snow flew on all sides of us from the truck. Why was my mom screaming? What happened? I prayed to God that she was okay. The turn that shaped into a U to turn into my driveway came up.

"Madeline you gotta slow down!" Asher said as he grabbed the bar hanging over his head. I didn't listen, all I knew was that I needed to get to Mom. It was time to turn. Yanking the wheel to turn I felt the skidding of the tires as I forced the wheel the other way. Drifting the back end of the truck, I turned into my driveway and slammed the gas to the floor.

"Madeline, what's going on?" Asher screamed. I snapped my head towards him.

"Why did you even follow me?" Then I thought about it. I may need him. "Forget it, you're here so make yourself useful. Long story short, my father is a useless drunk. I've noticed something off lately and if what I think is going on is true then that means I'll need a larger male to help. Got it?" I looked to him to find him just nodding.

The house came into view and I slammed on the brakes. The truck squealed to a stop a few feet from the front door and before I could blink I had the truck parked and turned off, running into the house. Bursting through the door I came to a sight I wished I wasn't right about. And it made my heart break and blood boil.

A.

The sight that sat before me baffled me. That bafflement quickly turned to pure rage as the view of a full-grown man, unsteady in his drunken stupor had his hands wrapped around Madeline's mother's neck.

"Mom!" Madeline screamed as she raced towards the man.

"Maddie!" I tried to reach out for her and pull her back from the danger, but she was too fast. She was on top of them in seconds, pummeling her full weight into the man, making him let Madeline's mother drop to the floor. The woman fainted, Madeline reaching for her mother, gripping her in a tight hug as the man started retching in the corner. Madeline pulled her phone out and dialed something putting it to her ear.

"Yes, my name is Madeline Reed, I just walked in on my father beating and choking my mom..." Maddie's voice faded as my focus zoned in on the man who was now standing. Slowly he was comprehending what she was doing and the anger that spread across his face had my feet moving before I could blink.

"You bitch!" the man uttered as he lifted his fisted hand to strike out at Madeline. I couldn't reach him in time and watched as his fist made solid contact with her back as she moved to protect her mom from getting hit. She grimaced but continued talking to the dispatcher on the other end, telling them everything that was happening. Her father lifted his hand once more but this time I made sure I caught up to him.

M.

The pain that spread through my back was excruciating and I swear I felt my lungs empty completely, the oxygen leaving my body. But I wouldn't let him hurt Mom again. From the corner of my eye I saw him lift his fist again, but Asher was there and the fist that hit my father's face sent him flying into the wall, leaving a vague dent his size in the sheet rock. The dispatcher had me stay on the line and I continued telling them everything that was occurring while I checked my mom's pulse. It was faint, but there. Then I took in her face and felt the tears in my eyes. Her right eye was swollen, and her nose was oddly shaped with blood coming out. A cut on her lip poured small amounts of blood as well.

"Send an ambulance too. My mom's in a bad state right now and not responding but her pulse is there."

"I'm sending help now ma'am."

"Thank you." I said as I disconnected the call. Looking up I saw that my father was nowhere to be seen and neither was Asher. The sound of the car in the driveway starting reverberated through my body as the realization that he was getting away hit me. I shook my head. The police could find him. My mom needed me now.

Hooking my arms under her back and legs I picked her up, ignoring the strain in my legs to do so. I brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry Mom. I should've known." I said as the slamming of the front door had me jumping around to face whatever was coming this way. But it was just Asher.

"Is she okay?" He said as he came up beside me.

"She is breathing, that's about all that's okay."

"I'm sorry Ma-" the crashing of a vase had us turning back and that's when my thoughts were confirmed that it wasn't my imagination from earlier. A woman in her early thirties, short blond hair and dark brown eyes stood, frozen, looking at us. Her clothes were clumsily put on her body, as though she got dressed in a hurry. Her eyes were wide, and she turned, running. I ran after her, knowing the house better than her. I cut her off in the hallway and grabbed her by the hair. She cried out as I forced her back to where Asher stood next to my mom.

"Where do you think you're going?" I said, my anger still throbbing throughout my body.

"Getting outta here!" she said as she swung a poorly fisted hand at my face. I moved away from it and slammed my fist into her sternum. The air left her body in a rush as she dropped to the floor coughing.

Grabbing her hair once more I pulled her head back.

"I'm assuming you saw and heard absolutely everything huh?" she nodded.

"Good, so you're going to sit here and wait for the police to come, and you're going to give a completely honest statement about everything, understand?" she didn't respond at first so I tightened the fist in her hair until she squealed.

"Okay." she croaked, tears coming from her eyes as I let her hair go.

"Now sit and shut your mouth until they get here." she nodded and quickly scrambled onto the vacant couch, keeping her head tucked down.

"So, what now?" Asher asked. I sat next to my Mom checking her pulse occasionally.

"Wait til they get here."

It wasn't long until they finally did arrive.

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EDITED VERSION

J. Vas