Claimed By My Brother’s Best Friends Novel – Tonight, Isaac my husband hit me so hard that I almost fell on top of my daughter while she was crawling on the floor. That was the last straw. I’m so tired of the empty apologies. The love bombing. The endless cycle of makeup and breakup, over and over and over again. My daughter and I deserves better. Isaac continues to pound the door, his fists colliding with it repeatedly until I hear the wood splinter. I sling the diaper bag, packed with the few personal belongings, over my shoulder and yank open the window. I jumped in the car and started it as fast as I could. I couldn’t get through to my brother Gray, but I called his friend King to get help. I didn’t expect that this call would change my life forever.
Alyssa “Open this door, Alyssa!” Isaac barks, banging on the bedroom door with a force that rattles the hinges. With my heart pounding, I scoop up Zuri from her crib, and slip on the small pair of noise-cancelling headphones over her tiny ears. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Mommy’s going to get us out of here,” I whisper, my voice trembling as I brush my cheek against hers, drawing comfort from her innocent warmth. I warned him. I warned him that the first time he ever hit me in front of our daughter that, it would be over. But he didn’t listen. Tonight, he hit me so hard that I almost fell on top of her while she was crawling on the floor.
That was the last straw. I’ve endured his anger and frustration time and time again, but I can’t allow Zuri to grow up thinking this is okay. Even if she’s only seven months old and might not remember it, I never wanted her to see that. I’m sorry, babe. I promise it will never happen again. I brought you some flowers, Tylenol, and an ice pack. I love you. What will our daughter think if you take her away from her father who loves her? If you leave me, there’s nowhere you can hide that I can’t find you. I swear, I’ll kill all of us. Before we got married, we loved each other so much. But on the wedding night, when my brother’s good friends King, Niko, and Mace talked with me, it seemed to anger him. From then on, his temper was ignited. From then on, he started to abuse and kick me endlessly. I’m so tired of the empty apologies. The love bombing.
The endless cycle of makeup and breakup, over and over and over again. My daughter deserves better. I deserve better. Isaac continues to pound the door, his fists colliding with it repeatedly until I hear the wood splinter. “I swear to God, Alyssa. Open this door or I’ll make sure you won’t be able to walk for a week!” he roars, his voice growing louder, his hits harder, even more determined to break through and punish me. My heat races, each beat like a drum echoing in my ear. I sling the diaper bag, packed with the few personal belongings Isaac didn’t buy, over my shoulder and yank open the window. Our house is only one story, so the drop isn’t far. Clutching Zuri tightly my chest, I climb out the window and sprint across the yard, moving so quickly that my feet barely touch the ground.
The spare key feels like a lead weight in my pocket as I round the corner of the house, heading towards my car parked in the driveway. I fumble with the key, my hands trembling as I shove it into the lock and pull the handle, climbing into the front seat and locking the door behind me. Frantically, I scramble to the back seat to buckle Zuri into her car seat. Her hazel eyes stare back at me with innocent wonder, completely unaware of the danger surrounding us. “I’m sorry to wake you, my sweet girl. We’re going to go visit Uncle Gray for a little while,” I whisper, plastering a smile on my face as I buckle her into place. None of my family or friends know about Zuri. They don’t even know I was pregnant. I haven’t been in contact with anyone since she was born.
Isaac made sure of that, isolating me from everyone I care about, constantly drilling into my head that I was nothing without him. And maybe I’m not. But I promise to whoever created this world that if I make it out of here alive tonight, I will strive to be better. To be the mom my little girl deserves. I slide back into the driver’s seat, my hands still shaking as I stick the key into the ignition, finally managing to start the ignition. I drive for a while, constantly wiping my eyes to keep my vision clear. Zuri has finally calmed down and fallen back asleep, but I know we’re not in the clear. Isaac is likely tracking my car right now, and if I don’t ditch it soon, he’ll find us. I can’t let that happen. I pull over on the side of the road, my breath coming out in ragged gasps.
I quickly locate my phone, knowing I’ll have to ditch it too. Isaac has always tracked me when I go out of the house, even to go down the street to the store. If I’m even two minutes late, I get my driving privileges in my own car revoked for the rest of the month. Barely able to hold the phone in my shaking hands, I try to call Gray, but it goes straight to voicemail. I try two more times before leaving a voicemail, he’ll likely not listen to. “Grayson, please call me back when you get a chance,” I say, trying to keep my voice my voice steady, though my heart is racing like a horse, and it feels like my chest is going to explode. I glance back at Zuri, who’s still peacefully sleeping. “We’re going to be okay,” I whisper, more to myself than her. “I’ll keep us safe.” But what am I going to do? I’m running out of time. He’ll find us and drag us back to that hellhole.
I’ve only called the police on him once, but since Isaac has rich parents, they paid his way out of it somehow. I know he’d only do it again, and this time, he’d kill me instead of beating me. Another person comes to mind—someone I never thought I would have to speak again to in my life, but he’s the only other number I can recall off the top of my head. I know he’d help me if I asked, and he lives just twenty minutes from here. Reluctantly, I dial his number, hoping that he hasn’t changed it. There are only a few people that have his personal number, but for some reason, he gave it to me a few months after I started dating Isaac. He picks up on the first ring, and feeling the clock ticking, I rush out in desperation, “King, Gray won’t answer his phone. Please. I need your help.” King I never thought Alyssa Bennett would reach out to me.
For her to be that desperate, I guess she finally got tired of her prick husband. It’s been a while since I’ve driven anything other than my bike, but when she called, I pulled my truck out of its resting place in the garage. I park beside the red car on the side of the road, the sun starting to set on the horizon. Alyssa immediately jumps out of the driver’s seat and rushes to the rear. First, she grabs a diaper bag, then a car seat. I squint to make sure I’m seeing it right. Yeah, it’s a car seat. Stepping out of my truck, I offer to help with her bag. I watch as she secures the car seat in my backseat. I didn’t know what to expect, but a real baby, dressed in a pink onesie and making little noises, wasn’t it. Maybe it’s her niece or something, I wonder silently.
It’s been three years since I last saw Alyssa, and she’s really grown up. I’m not sure if it’s for the better or worse. She looks worn out, like she’s been fighting for her life. And I have a gut feeling she has been. She’s wearing a black hoodie and jeans. Her dark curly hair is pulled into a messy bun, strands escaping to frame her face. There are dark circles beneath her hazel eyes. And if I wasn’t the observant son of a bimbo I am, I wouldn’t have noticed that there’s makeup on her cheeks, poorly concealing the purple blotches underneath. The sight boils my blood. I shouldn’t have listened to Gray, we could’ve saved her a long time ago. I don’t care if she didn’t leave willingly, I would’ve killed that prick and brought her back home. Alyssa jumps into the front seat and quickly buckles herself. Her knee bounces nervously, and she gnaws on her lip as I climb back into my seat.
“Can we leave already?” she asks, her voice edged with tension. I smirk at the effort. “Have somewhere to be, Kitten?” She doesn’t answer, her hazel eyes silently pleading with me. Usually, I enjoy time with her, but I’ll save that for later. When she’s safely in my home. I pull back onto the highway, glancing between her and the car seat in the back. I clear my throat. “So, who’s the kid?” I ask nonchalantly. “Zuri,” she murmurs. “And she’s-” “My daughter.” Interesting. I don’t recall Gray saying anything about her having a baby. Actually, I think they only speak once a month. And the phone calls are usually five minutes or less. I should beat Gray’s hip. That should’ve been the biggest red flag he needed right there. “How old is she?” I ask, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Seven months.” I hate little crotch goblins—never imagined myself having one—but jealousy and anger still bubble beneath the surface. Isaac Carter was the first man to drill her, to breed her.
Lucky. That was supposed to be me. But Niko and I made a pact when we were teenagers: since we both liked her, neither of us could have her. “She looks like you. Got your curls.” Alyssa smiles weakly. “Yeah, she does.” As we drive, out of the corner of my eye, I can see Alyssa’s eyes darting to the side mirrors, checking for any signs that her husband is following us. The tension in her shoulders slowly eases as we put more distance between us and her abandoned car. “Can we actually stop at Target real quick? I need a few things,” Alyssa asks, nervousness creeping into her voice again. “Sure.” I pull into the nearest Target, and park halfway down the parking lot, since it’s always so packed. Alyssa quickly hops out of the truck, but before she can close the door, I shout, “I think you forgot something.” She furrows her brows. “What?” I point to the car seat, unease settling in my gut. “You’re leaving the kid here?” “Yeah, Zuri’s asleep,” she says, emphasizing her name.
“I’ll be quick. You’d be surprised by how long she still sleeps.” I watch as she runs into the store, leaving me alone with her crotch goblin I have no idea what to do with. Only minutes after Alyssa is in the store, Zuri starts crying. Reluctantly, I reach behind, struggling to undo the restraints before pulling her out of the seat. Grimacing, I awkwardly hold her in my arms, and she immediately stops crying, snuggling into my chest. God, I hate this. Why didn’t she just take her with her? As the goblin gazes up at me, I notice that her eyes are the same as Alyssa’s. Yeah, definitely her child. And there’s unfortunately some of Isaac’s DNA mixed in there too. A coo grabs my attention again, and I frown down at her. “Look, kid. We can be cool, but don’t try to get in my way. Me and your mother have some unfinished business that I plan on taking care of tonight.” She babbles in response. “Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”