Mister Distraction (Distraction #2) by Stephanie Jean Page A

arms, butI held strong. I set her on the couch and called the police department. I maneuvered myself on top of her until the police got there. I called her brother too. She yelled at me, finding it hard to catch her breath.
    “Tonight was for you, Jason—the tears, the fucking—it was all for you.” She was sputtering words out, trying to gasp for air. “You watched your girlfriend get whipped, beat, and fucked in front of everyone and did nothing, but the moment someone touches your precious dog, you get protective. What the fuck, Jason? Did you lose you balls?” It took her a while to get it all out, and she fell silent afterwards.
    I was relieved when the cops came through the doorway. I stood up immediately. They took one look at the room and at Bettina, sizing up both of us. I raised my hands signaling surrender, and Bettina began hitting and kicking me again. She was crazed; her hair sticking up at all ends, swinging at the police officers. Her words were vulgar and harsh as she screamed at them and me, so it didn’t take them long to decipher the problem. I explained the night’s events, knowing that as soon as they got her downtown and undressed her, they would see the whip marks. They let me know that I had the right to press charges because this was my home. I paid for everything, and she was only a guest. I gave a statement and didn’t feel the need to press charges. She walked past me in handcuffs on the way out of the apartment. I was checking Bo, making sure nothing was broken, and I heard her voice in a whisper.
    “Why are you doing this to me?” I looked up, and her soft hazel eyes met mine.
    “You need help, Bettina. I am worried for you. I am sorry it ended like this.” I followed them downstairs and through the lobby. Brad showed up a few minutes later as they were reading her rights and putting her into the police car. She looked beyond crazy, make-up running all down her face. She was still yelling things to anyone who looked in her direction. She was thrashing around, using her body as her only weapon, throwing her weight, trying to pull away. Brad was pissed, and his anger was all directed at me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I saw him striding over to me.
    “What the fuck, Jason? You couldn’t have called me to pick her up? Is this your way of getting her mad? Getting in the last dig? This is whatyou both do. She pisses you off, and you remind her who’s in charge. Is that what this is?” He was spitting in my face as he was shouting.
    “No, Brad, that’s not what this is at all. I was actually trying to help Bettina. She has a drug problem, and I think that’s what happened. Look at her; she is clearly on something. She needs help, and if you’re not going to help her, maybe the system will.”
    “Fuck you,” was all I heard before I felt a fist hit my face. I tried to recover, and then I felt a blow to my stomach. I fell to the ground, and the police ran over to pull Brad off me. I recovered as fast as I could as they held Brad against the car.
    “No, let him go; this is his sister. He’s just angry at me.” The policeman gave me a questioning look.
    “It was nothing—didn’t even hurt.” I held up my hand and they released Brad. I staggered over to him, his anger palpable. “This is goodbye for us too.” I stuck out my hand. He didn’t look like he was going to accept it, but then shook it reluctantly. “I am truly sorry for all the pain I caused your sister and you.” He just looked at me with crazy eyes again.
    “I will have Shelly come get her things,” he said. Shelly was Brad’s girlfriend. He looked at me for a long time, waiting for me to tell him no.
    “That would be great. I am going to sell the place as soon as it’s cleaned up.” I leaned in, and surprising myself, I hugged him, but he was not receptive. He shoved me away. “You were like a brother to me for a lot of fucked up years. I am going to miss that.” I spoke from the heart