Chapter 28

Hannah

As Ava pulled me up the stairs, I found myself reliving the moments before Nikolai arrived. I had told Ava to get Nikolai, but quickly regretted my decision. Jeff had been practically foaming at the mouth. I tried to run back into the bathroom and lock the door, but he jumped and blocked my way, caging me with his arms in the same way Nikolai had upstairs, but the effect was far different. It had been disturbing and terrifying.
“Are you going to fucking answer me, Hannah?” Jeff screamed in my face. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
I hated how paralyzed I became when confronted by him. My heart had felt like it was going to burst out of my chest with the amount of adrenaline surging through my body, yet my feet felt cemented to the floor. I brought trembling hands up to cover my face, not wanting to see Jeff’s hysterical expression and silently prayed for Nikolai to show up.
Jeff had grabbed my hands and slammed them against the wall behind me. “Look at me, Hannah.” I could feel his beer-soaked breath on my face has he spoke in a menacingly intense voice. “Look at me!”
I did the only thing I could do in that instance—I kept my eyes closed as tightly as possible and turned my head. I knew this would probably provoke him, but I was motivated by equal parts rebellion and terror. I didn’t want to see his crazy face, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing mine.
Jeff took my wrists and banged them against the wall again, taking out his fury on the only thing he had his hands on at the moment. I gasped at the pain that shot up both wrists as they were slammed against the paneling.
“You aren’t listening very well, Hannah. I have been patient with you. So patient. It has been years and, still, you don’t understand that we are supposed to be together by now. I’m fucking done waiting, Hannah. Do you hear me? I’m done. I am going to have you, and if it has to be in the basement at this party, that’s fine by me.” Jeff’s grip on my wrists was steadily increasing as he gave his rambling, psychotic monologue.
I could feel Jeff’s face move in even closer to mine, could feel his breath on my mouth and knew he was going to kiss me. I started to squirm, trying to move my wrists so I could break loose and move my head from side to side. Jeff moved his face, trying to capture my mouth, but I just kept jerking my head in order to avoid him. He leaned his body against mine in attempt to incapacitate me. At first glance he didn’t look particularly big or strong, but now, fueled by rage, determination, and insanity, his strength was completely immobilizing. “I’ve waited a long time for this, Hannah. I hope you’re as good as I’ve been imagining,” he whispered, only inches from my mouth.
Then, he was simply gone.
Jeff’s body was ripped away from me, and there stood Nikolai looking like a terrifying avenging angel. I felt a rush of relief so intense I nearly wept. Nikolai’s face was a picture of fury and focus. There would be no reprieve for Jeff this time.
Nikolai’s first punch knocked Jeff off his feet, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to pound Jeff’s practically unresponsive body over and over. I felt someone put their arms around me and usher me away from the savage beating Nikolai was unleashing on Jeff. Someone persistently tugged me towards the stairs, and I finally tore my eyes away from the bloody scene and onto Ava’s compassionate face. She pulled me to the bottom of the stairs, but we were like minnows swimming upstream as people rushed down to the basement to see the fight.
I watched Ava’s back as she slowly walked me into the kitchen, grabbed a red cup, and got me a drink of water. I took a couple of sips, took a deep breath, and realized I needed something stronger than water.
“I need a drink. An alcoholic one. Maybe ten of them,” I blurted.
Ava, who had been watching me like I was some type of evolving science experiment, jumped and laughed. Now that the silence had been broken, she could start asking questions. “Jesus, Hannah, are you okay? Did he do anything to you? Please tell me we got there before he did anything,” Ava said, as she put her hands together in a pleading gesture. I could tell she still felt guilty leaving me behind.
Eager to put her mind at ease, I reassured her. “Yes, you got there fast enough. I guess Nikolai was right to be worried about Jeff. He is fucking unhinged. He’s ten times worse than I realized, and I already thought he was awful.” I found myself thinking back to his crazy, angry face, hearing the tone of his voice as he told me his disturbing plans. Thank god for Nikolai.
I looked up to find Ava searching around the kitchen. I cocked my head. “What are you looking for?”
Ava didn’t even acknowledge I’d spoken, she just kept looking in cabinets. Squatting in front of the cabinets of the center island, she apparently found what she was looking for. “Jackpot!” she exclaimed, holding up a bottle of Captain Morgan’s rum.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
Ava looked at me like I was an idiot. “What do you think? Getting drunk!”
I was wary of hard liquor. “I’ve never drank anything stronger than beer or wine.”
Ava put the bottle on the counter and came to stand in front of me like a scolding mother, both hands planted on my shoulders as she proceeded to lecture me on why it was very necessary for me to be drunk right now.
“Look, Hannah, you just went through it. Beer isn’t going to get the job done. You deserve to tie one on, and rum’s the fastest way to get us there. It’s not like you have to worry; Nikolai will take care of you if you get drunk.” With that said, she clutched the rum to her chest and searched for cocktail ingredients.
I laughed, and though I couldn’t disagree with the plan, Nikolai had already gone above and beyond in his role of fake boyfriend, so asking him to also take care of my future drunken ass seemed like asking a lot.
As Ava was looking for mixers in the fridge, Nikolai stormed into the kitchen and grabbed me by the shoulders. His eyes frantically moved over me, roving over each of my features, then looking up and down my body, as if searching for damage. He raised his agitated, pale blue gaze back to mine. “Hannah, are you okay? Did that motherfucker do anything to you?”