Tanner's head snapped towards me, his voice full of anger. "Are you still planning on taking her back?"
"Hell no. There's a limit to everything. The poor girl is so afraid of me that she'll pass out if I approach her."
"Maybe you should talk to her. You need to reassure her that you won't be taking her back, or she'll never be able to rest," Tanner advised.
After giving it some thought, I realized that he was right. I got up from my seat and headed towards Jasamina's room. I paused for a moment and looked back at my brother. "We'll talk later, Tan."
He nodded curtly, and I made my way to the door. As soon as I twisted the doorknob, Jasamina McCully leaped up from the floor. Her eyes widened to an unbearable degree, and she pushed herself against the wall, glancing longingly at the door and the window.
"I'm not going back," she wailed as she clung to the wall.
"I'm not taking you back. I came here to apologize for frightening you earlier. It was not my intention," I explained as I stepped into the room.
JASAMINA
The man's face no longer held the intense expression that had once scared me. He still looked big and intimidating, but something had changed. Hope filled my voice as I asked, "You're not taking me back?"
He shook his head once, and I could feel my heart soaring.
"Never. And I want to thank you," he said, his voice deep and serious.
"Thank me?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes. My brother has been lost to us for the past few years. If not for you, I wouldn't have seen him again." His jaw ticked as he looked away. "It's obvious that you and your child have affected him. You've made him stop drinking, even if it's just for a while. Thank you."
I felt a wave of relief and gratitude wash over me. "No, no, you don't have to thank me. I should be the one thanking you and Tanner. I don't know what would have become of me if not for Tanner."
"He helped me especially financially, or I would have died from sickness...I would have lost Jaimie too," I said, my voice choking with tears of gratitude.
The man looked uncomfortable, unsure of how to handle a crying woman. And the thought almost made me laugh if I could stop crying. "I'm sorry for crying all over you like this." I apologized softly.
He shrugged, "We are both grateful, but it's putting us in an awkward position. You don't have any idea how I feel seeing Tann after all these years again. Two years feels like ten years."
I couldn't help but ask, "What happened to him? He refused to tell me anything."
"Tann is more secretive than a military undercover agent. Truth is that even I don't know the details. He disappeared before he could say anything."
"Oh," My heart went out to Tanner, knowing that something was still hurting him. But at least now, I knew that I was safe from my abusive husband. The man walked closer to me, and I felt myself shrinking back against the wall in fear.
He must have sensed my fear because he stopped in his tracks. "I want to promise you that I'm never taking you back. And on my watch...on Tann's watch...no one will ever be able to take you back to your husband." He vowed.
His promise lifted a weight off my shoulders, and I felt an unexpected joy fill me. Dale's promises had always been empty, but something in me believed that this man's words were as good as gold.
Just then, Tanner entered the room and stood behind his brother. Before I knew it, I was flying across the room and into Tanner's arms. "Thank you. Thank you," I gasped, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
Tanner stiffened at first, but then his big body relaxed, and he wrapped his arms around me too. I didn't know what had come over me, but I was just so elated and grateful.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, I searched for a way to express my thanks to the man who had saved me. Tears streamed down my face, but my heart was full of joy as I gazed at both men before me. Finally, I pulled away from the kind stranger, still sporting a teary smile.
Turning to the man beside him, I extended my gratitude, "Thank you so very much..."
"Xazix. Xazix Rutherford," he grumbled, extending his massive hand.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if my small hand would be swallowed whole by his massive one. But I smiled and placed my hand in his, feeling dwarfed by his presence. "Thank you, Xazix."
A mirthless grin crept across his lips, "Your husband is a rat. A giant, deadly, psycho rat."
His bluntness took me by surprise, but I relaxed as I retrieved my hand. "I just don't want to go back to him again. That's all I ask for."
"That's what you'll get," he assured me matter-of-factly.