TW: TALK ABOUT ABUSE!!
HARRY
Dale's Here.
My whole-body shakes as I drive to Maggie's house. I know I'm not paying attention to any of the stoplights as I begin to speed. I feel this heavy pressure sitting on top of my chest, keeping me from breathing normally. I keep choking on air as I struggle to catch my breath, not knowing what the fuck is going on. Not knowing if she's safe. Not knowing if Evangeline is safe.
I think he just got into the house.
Hearing her choke on sobs on the phone broke my heart, knowing that I wasn't there to protect her, to protect them. I was supposed to keep them safe. I told her—I promised nothing was going to happen to either of them and he just fucking got into her house when I wasn't there.
Using the back of my hand, I wipe the tears away that are streaming down my cheeks. As soon as I heard that loud noise from Maggie's side of the conversation, I was out of bed, rushing to find my keys. I frantically tried to get her to talk to me, to tell me what was happening, so I knew what to do, how to help.
Listening to her sound so panicked, so afraid, had chills all over my body. As soon as she told me he was in the house, I was already on my way there. I wanted her to stay on the phone with me until I got there, so I knew they were safe, but her phone disconnected. I had tried to call back, but it didn't go through. That's when I really started to spiral.
I don't know what to do... I'm so scared
As I turn down her street, I can see her porch light on, the small lamp illuminating the outside of the house. I stop the car outside of the house, not bothering to park, not even bothering to take the keys out of the ignition. Rushing out of the car, I ran up to the door to see that the door was off the hinges, laying on the living room floor. That alone sends chills down my spine with fear.
"Magnolia!" I yelled, walking into the house. The sound of glass breaking under my steps is the only noise that I hear. "Maggie! Baby, can you hear me?"
I rush over to the stairs, running up them frantically as I look into each room to see if they're in any of them. I look in Eva's room and see her crib moved from the wall, all of her toys scattered across the floor as if someone was searching for something. Moving to continue down the hallway, I feel like my knees give out on me as I see Maggie's door broken into pieces, parts of the wood lying on the hardwood floor.
Using everything in me, I run down the hallway, bracing myself for whatever I'm about to see. I feel more tears running down my face as my fears begin to sink in, knowing that something terrible had happened. I inhale deeply before entering the room, mentally preparing myself for the worst.
I feel the air in my body get knocked out of me as I look down at the floor. Maggie lays sprawled out, looking almost lifeless. I take cautious steps toward her. A sob wrecks through me when I see her stomach rise and fall with every shaky breath she takes. Her face is covered in bruises. Sinking to my knees next to her limp body, I feel everything and nothing at the same time.
Numb but also having the ability to feel everything.
I carefully raise my hand to move strands of hair out of her face. Her lip is busted and blood oozes out of the cut on her swollen bottom lip. Her jaw was bruised and swollen. I let my fingers hover over her jaw, not wanting to cause her any more pain. Her cheek has a welted red handprint plastered across it. I look away, biting my lip to muffle the sobs escaping my mouth.
The quietest groan leaves her lips, causing me to snap my head back to her. Leaning closer, I let my eyes linger over her body for any more possible injuries. That's when I see it, the giant handprint-shaped bruise that wraps around the base of her throat.
Red. That's all I see, my whole body is engulfed with anger as I let my eyes stare at her neck. Knowing that, he held his hand pressed against her throat, keeping her from breathing long and hard enough to leave the outline of each one of his fingers on her delicate skin.
"E-Eva." she croaks out, her voice sounding very hoarse.
"Angel, please." I whimper out, letting my fingers graze her arm. "Angel... it's Harry, darling. I promise you're safe now."
"H-Harry... took Eva," she whines, squeezing her eyes shut as she winces after she spoke. "They took her Harry."
I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling new tears form in my eyes from hearing her words. They took her. They took our baby away.
Wait. They?
"Maggie, what do you mean they? Who else was here?" I rush out, looking down at her sad honey eyes as she stares up at me.
Broken. That's all that her eyes give off.
"It was Dale, Carly, and Alexander," she mutters lowly, her voice is laced with venom as she speaks,
Carly and Alexander...
What did they have to do with any of this? Why would they help Dale take Eva from Magnolia? I wonder if Wyatt knew about it? If he knew, that was why Carly came to visit? That also explains the sketchy phone calls Alexander was having all the time, but it had sounded like he was against any plan there was, so it didn't make sense. Nothing makes sense.
"Carly is with Dale now... I'm guessing... so she's doing anything he asks," Maggie says, probably sensing my confusion. "And Alexander is his stepbrother. I had heard last year his mom remarried to a guy that had a son, but I never knew it was Alexander." she says. Her voice switches from pure hatred to just sounding defeated and sad.
I had moved her carefully from the floor to let her lay in the bed. I moved to grab my phone, calling the cops so they could help. Sitting here waiting for the police doesn't seem right. I shouldn't wait to find Eva. I don't need to. I have to do this now.
"Babe... do you have any idea where he could have taken her?" I ask, glancing at Maggie, who lays with her eyes closed.
"He used to be big on having room to do stuff in. So, it would have to be big enough that he could have space." She says pursing her lips. "But he doesn't live here, so maybe Alexander told him somewhere to go or even Carly."
Alexander's uncle owns an auto repair shop, and Alexander works there on the weekends as a mechanic. My mind starts racing as if that's where he could have taken her.
"We have to call the cops." She whimpers as she pulls herself up to the pillows.
"We can't wait for the cop's angel." I look over at her as her eyes well up with fresh tears.
I hate seeing her so broken, so deflated.
"Baby... I can't just sit here and wait for them to show up," I whisper, moving closer to her bruised body. "I can't wait for them. It doesn't feel right, knowing that they have her. I can't just sit and do nothing."
She squeezes her eyes shut as she turns her head to the side. Her bottom lip quivers before she let out a loud sob. I move quickly, wrapping my arms around her shoulders carefully as I make sure not to hurt her.
I keep her cradle in my arms as she cries into my chest. I use my hand to rub her back as I kiss her hairline as I whisper to her how much I love her and how I'm going to get our baby back.
"Magnolia?... what the fuck happened?... Maggie, are you home?" I hear someone tell from downstairs.
"Up here!" I yell back as Maggie squirms more, moving further onto my lap.
She nuzzles her face into my chest just as Penny, and Chantelle came running through the door. Their faces hold a look of concern and worry as they take in the way the bedroom had been ripped apart.
"What the fuck happened, Harry?" Penny asks, moving closer to us.
"Dale," I murmured, looking down at Maggie before I turned to face them. "He came and broke in. He, um... he hit her and then took Eva." I sniffle, not bothering to wipe the tears that rolled down my cheeks.
Their mouths fall open, and they shared a look at each other before they came forward to hug Maggie. She rushed off my lap and into their arms as she cried to them. I buried my face in my hands, trying to calm the way my breathing was picking up.
"Harry..." I heard Wyatt call for me as I got up to walk out of the room.
"I need to get her back," I cried out. "I-I can't just sit here and do nothing."
He nods his head slowly before walking back into the room where the girls were still sitting on the bed. Leaning back against the wall, my shoulders shook from my silent cries. This wasn't supposed to happen, none of this was supposed to happen to them.
This is my fault.
I promised to keep them safe.
I was supposed to keep them safe.
"Come on," Wyatt said as he walks out of the room holding his car keys in his hand. "Do you have any idea of where he could have taken her?"
"The auto shop," I said. My voice was flat. "I think Alexander and Carly are with him." I added, not looking over at him as we got into the car.
"I told the girls to call the cops. They're going to tell them where we are. We have about twenty minutes before they get there."
He says nothing else as he drives towards the shop. Looking out of the window as raindrops fall, I can't think of anything but the sounds of Maggie crying on the phone. The sound of her being so scared of something happening, not to her, but to Eva.
I can't stop thinking about the way Eva probably cried out for Maggie as she laid on the floor in pain. The way she cried as they took her away from her mother. I wondered if she had cried out for me to help her, if she cried for me to keep her safe, to take her back to Magnolia.
As we pulled into the yard of the auto shop, I can see a car parked out front. I jumped out of the car and Wyatt was close behind me, trying to remind me to be smart about what I was doing, but all I could think about was making this right no matter what it takes.
We walked over to the garage where the door was cracked just a bit, but enough that I could look inside. The lights inside the garage were turned on and I could hear the sounds of people talking, but I couldn't make out the words they were saying.
I could hear the sounds of shoes scuffing on the floor, and it sounded as if someone was pacing back and forth. I wonder if they had planned this far, if they knew what their next step was.
"Mommy!" the sound of Eva crying rang through the garage, and I could feel my blood boil.
I didn't wait for Wyatt before I opened the door to rush into the room to get Eva. The door had made a large noise when I pushed it open and suddenly it was silent.
It was too quiet.
I couldn't hear the sounds of them talking or of them pacing the floor. I couldn't hear Eva anymore either, which made my head spin even more than it had been doing before.
I could feel Wyatt behind me now, and he followed me as I walked closer to where they were standing. I could see Carly as she turned and talked to Dale in the corner of the room. Alexander was standing beside a cart filled with tools. He was looking around the room with his brows furrowed.
He almost looked afraid. He looked so scared. I could see his body trembling anytime Dale looked over at him.
"What are you going to do?" Wyatt whispered in my ear from beside me.
"I'm going for Dale," I whisper back, not taking my eyes off of him across the room as he shoves his tongue down Carly's throat. "You might have to hold down your cousin though... don't want her to run off before the cops arrive."
I'm not worried about if Alexander is going to try running or try to interfere with me going after Dale by the way he's acting. He seems like he can't get far enough from him, like he's always too close. It leaves me wondering why he helped him, though.
If he's acting like he wants nothing to do with him, why help kidnap Eva?
I shake my head of any thoughts as I look over to see Dale with his back to me as he looked down at his phone. I glance around to see where Carly was until I saw her sitting with her back against the wall. Looking behind me to Wyatt I nodded, silently telling him to move.
I stepped out from behind the car and Alexander saw me first. His mouth fell open and his eyes went wide as he stared at me, but he didn't move, he didn't run. He just stared back at me.
I saw Wyatt running over to Carly, just as her eyes snapped up. He moved to grab her shoulders and pushed her to the ground to pin her there. He was quick to cover her mouth with his free hand before she could scream out.
I rushed over to Dale as he stood with his back to us still. He had his head down as he looked at his phone. I used my left hand to grab his shoulder and turned him just as my right arm pulled back to send the first blow to his jaw.
His phone flew out of his hands as he reached to cup his jaw as he cried out in pain.
"Come on Dale! You want to hit someone? Well, I'm standing right here!" I yell as he stands staring at me.
His lips curled up at the corners as he walked closer to me.
"How're the bruises on our poor Lia? They were always just so bad after a few hours," He spits out hauntingly. "Can you see where my hand was wrapped perfectly around that tight throat of hers?"
I rushed towards him, sending us both flying into the cart of tools. I'm quick to straddle him, sending my fist down on his face. His hands raise, trying to protect himself, but I don't stop. If anything, it makes me go harder.
I move my right hand to wrap it around his throat, squeezing so hard that his face instantly turns red. I could feel him struggling to swallow against the pressure that I had on his neck.
"How does it feel?" I yelled as I looked down at him as his eyes grew wide. My hand squeezes harder as he pants out as he tried to inhale. "How does it feel to not be able to breathe? To struggle as someone looks down at you as they cut off your oxygen?"
His eyes start to close, and I know that if I continue, he'll pass out. Releasing my hold on his neck, he inhales deeply, trying to allow air to fill his lungs again.
"You're fucking pathetic, Dale!" I spit at him just as I hear the sound of the sirens.
"Where the fuck is Eva?" I yelled as I looked over to Alexander as he just stares at me with tears in his eyes, but I couldn't care less.
He moves his hand to point to the cabinet that was across the room. I could feel my anger and hatred start to rise again, but I push it down as I ran over to the cabinet.
I could hear her little cries and whimpers as I got closer to the cabinet.
I pulled the door open, and I felt like I couldn't breathe as I looked down at her, her small body was curled up in the corner and her hands were tied together so tightly that I could see the bruises starting to form. Her green eyes flickered up to me as tears rolled down her red puffy cheeks.
"D-Daddy." She whimpers out as she raises her arms for me.
I squatted down and carefully pulled her towards me. Grabbing her wrist carefully, I untied them. Once the rope was gone, I could see the bruises and the burns clearer now.
"Hey, sweet girl, you're okay, I've got you... everything's okay." I whisper.
I pulled her into my chest, and I closed my eyes. I let the tears fall as I rubbed her back and heard her cry into my chest. I could feel her whole body shake as she clung to me.
"Mommy! I want mommy!" She sobs into my chest.
"It's okay darling, I'm going to take you back to mommy," I whisper, leaving kisses to the top of her head. "You're safe now, baby. I swear I'll let nothing happen to you again."
"Harry-"
The second I heard Alexander's voice, I clung to Eva, keeping her as close to me as possible.
"I don't want to hear it." I spit out, trying to keep my voice calm because of how scared Eva is.
"I trusted you," I grit, finally looking up at him. "You were one of my best friends and I trusted you with everything."
Before he could say anything, one of the cops came up behind him and started to put on the cuffs. I could see Dale and Carly getting taken out to the cars as well.
Wyatt came and stood in front of me as they took Alexander out of the shop. He held his hand out for me to take, helping me stand.
Eva was still clung to me as we walked back to his car. I climbed in the back, letting her stay in my lap as her head moved to rest on my chest. She stared at the empty seat next to us. Even though she's still young, I know that this is something that is going to affect her. Being in this situation will always be something that'll affect her.
Neither of them will be the same. And in some ways, neither will I. I'll never be able to trust anyone with them.
I know just because I got Eva back that it won't go back to how it was before. There is so much trauma left for the both of them.
Maggie told me how she was abused by Dale before, and she had told me how she had to attend therapy because of it. She explained to me how she couldn't trust that the men in her life wouldn't hurt her, that they wouldn't be just like him.
It scares me that she'll think about that again. That she could think of me like that.
I know that these next few months are going to be difficult, but I'm not going anywhere. I hope they know that, no matter what, I'm going to be there. Right by their sides, helping them in any way that I can.
"It's over now, bug," I whisper to her. "I love you so much, sweet girl."
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A/N I'm sorry for not updating for so long!!!
I've been busy trying to move so my life has been hectic and I didn't really have time to write.
I'm going to try to start updating more frequently.
See you next time lovies<3