Guarded: Sequal to Broken

Four

"Fuck that. No! Hell no! He is not getting out. He is not coming back. No!" Maddie jumps up, storming from the room without her letter. The screen door slamming loudly behind her as she leaves, making all of us jump slightly.

"Are you okay, Sam?" I ask quietly, feeling the need to be the one to take control.

"No. But find her, she's even less okay. She's more damaged, more afraid, more scared. I'll be here when you've calmed her." Sam sighs, rubbing his finger softly along the scar stretching his face.

"She'll be at the park." Grams frowns as I stand up.

"I know. Thanks. I'm going to take this." I mumbles, grabbing the letter off the sofa table.

"Be careful. Be gentle. Remind her she isn't that girl anymore." Gramps stops me by grabbing his arm.

"I know. I'll be careful." I nod, slipping out the door.

My hand slides through my dark curls as I walk, thinking over the contents of Sam's letter, trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do. How can I fix this? How can I protect Maddie, and Sam, and my relationship.

What can I even say that is worth anything to Maddie? I can't promise things will be okay, I don't know if it will. I can't promise to be by her side 24/7, it's not realistic, not with our jobs. I can't promise security to her and that hurts, knowing I can't stop the fear and pain that is already taking over the woman I love.

I stop walking as the path curves, catching sight of the Maddie a few meters ahead. She's curled up in a position I've seen before, seated under the large tree where the river bends, curled around her knees, shaking with sobs. Last time she had been upset with me for defending her to some girls at the diner. This time it isn't my fault, but it is so much worse.

"Mads," I whispers, sitting softly in front of her, scratching her knee gently.

"He can't." She chokes, lifting her eyes, bloodshot and full of fear, mascara dripping from her lashes and smudged down her face. She looks more broken than I have ever seen.

"He can't come back. He can't fucking try this shit. He killed my mom, he murdered her and ruined my whole life. They can't let him go, he'll do it again. I know him, he will. What the fuck is he thinking? Asking Sam and I to give him another chance. Like hell I let him anywhere near me or my brother. It's been nine years, Calum, nine years since he got locked away. Why can't he just stay locked away? He hasn't even been locked up as long as he abused me. How is that fair?"

"It isn't, and I am going to do everything in my power to help keep him behind bars. He doesn't deserve a second chance, and I refuse to let him anywhere near you or Sam. I can't promise I will make it happen, but I will use every last effort I have to try. I'm not leaving, Mads, no matter what. I love you more than anything in this world, and I hate that I can't take your pain away."

"I haven't been this scared in nine years, Calum. I don't know what to do..."

"We are going to take this one day at a time, that's what we are going to do. Today we will cry and panic, we have to read your letter today too, and make sure Sam is okay. Today we let ourselves live in the reality of our fears, and collect data on what is happening." I shift to pull her into my arms, unable to watch her sob in front of me any longer.

"And tomorrow?" Maddie's arms tighten around my middle, fisting the back of my t-shirt as she questions my plan.

"Tomorrow we fly home, we accept what is so far and don't bring it up until next Monday. Sam's letter said court dates start in September. You can't leave prison without a court date, so we have a couple weeks of safety. And this week we focus on Luke and Sierra and their wedding. Chris is September's issue. So once we get home we dive in full force to making this wedding perfect, and you can cry your pent up fears out at night to me, when we are alone. I will set up a meeting for us both with the legal team the band works with. Find the right lawyer, the best lawyer we could possibly have on our side, and we will meet with them next week. And they will help us figure out what we need to do, who to talk to, and how to win this. There is no way we are letting him get out without a full blown battle. I won't allow it. Can we make it through this week, baby? Focusing on the wedding?"