Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
She had a bruise on the right side of her face that was already forming. There was blood from a cut on her lip, as well as right underneath her eye. And the look in those eyes? Haunted.
Both her and me.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice sounding as ravaged as I felt.
“Where do we need to go?” I heard Bain ask.
She hiccuped past a sob, then wiped at her eyes.
None of us—and I could feel every single man at my back tense—missed the way that it caused her pain to do so.
“The Marina.” She sniffled. “I got a call that the sheriff’s department was there and needed a fill-up. My brother’s working a murder and couldn’t do it. Dad’s at The Pizzeria, and so it was just me. I went down there, which was stupid because I usually check the cameras. But I didn’t pay attention, and when I got down there, I was grabbed from behind.”
She continued to relay the story, not leaving anything out.
Not her inner thoughts expressing how she was about to get raped. Not how disgusting it felt to have him pressed up against her, the threat there, but not acted on. Not when the man had held her to the ground and punched her in the face.
“Etienne,” I said. “There’s a medical kit in the hall bathroom. Can you grab it?”
I caught a paper towel off the roll, yanked it off, then wet it in the sink.
At least everything inside the house was fairly new, thanks to my unwanted house guests over the years.
After getting it damp, I cleaned off the cuts, scrapes, and bruises until I was satisfied that she was clean. Then used the first aid kit to disinfect all the wounds and cover the ones that needed attention.
Only when I was done did I pull her back into my arms.
Wake, Etienne, Aodhan, and KD were out on the porch by then, speaking low, discussing what they needed to do. I made eye contact with Wake, gave him an ‘I’m going to handle this in privacy’ look that he read loud and clear, then closed the door.
I took her to the back of the house, and my old bedroom, where I knew there would be clean clothes.
She once again clung to me, her face turned to the uninjured side and buried in my neck.
When we were in my bedroom, I closed that door, too. Then sat her down on the bathroom counter and once again peeled her off of me before turning the water on.
I hadn’t been in this particular bathroom in over a decade, but apparently my house guest had, because there were all kinds of girly products.
Thankful for now that they were there, I stripped out of my clothes until I was in only my boxer briefs, then walked to my girl who was sitting silently on the counter.
She wasn’t crying anymore, but she was doing those little hitches with her breath that said she was fighting off tears. Oh, and the shaking, making my next step even more logical.
With two swift tugs, I had her on the ground, stripped of clothes and once again in my arms.
“You okay?” I asked, making sure that she was okay with me getting in the shower with her. “You want me to leave?”
“No,” she whispered, her arms going around my chest and her hands locking behind my back. “Please don’t go.”
So I didn’t.
I walked us both into the shower, then proceeded to wash her from head to toe.
There was bruising on her lower rib cage, denoting a scrape of some kind, likely from her struggle on the dock.
She was also bleeding on her right upper thigh, and what looked like had once been a splinter, embedded deep.
I had a complete medical kit at my houseboat, which I planned on utilizing when we got to it later on in the evening.
First, we needed to finish our shower. Then we’d get dressed, and we’d wait at my mom’s place until her dad or brother arrived so that I could explain what happened.
After that, I’d take her home.
She wouldn’t be by herself any longer. Not while whoever had attacked her was still at large, able to breathe free air.
If it was my choice, I’d give him some concrete shoes and watch him slowly sink into the ocean. Whoever it was that hurt her better hope that the police found him first, and not anyone in Gator Bait.
Because I knew I wasn’t the only fuckin’ one that was mad.
The shower took longer than expected with her clinging to me, but I was perfectly okay with that seeing as I liked that she was in my arms.
I dried her off once we were out of the shower and dressed her in a pair of my old sweatpants from high school and a T-shirt that’d once upon a time been my absolute favorite.