Rihaan
I KNEW SOMETHING WAS wrong before I reached the door.
I’d called twice. Partly to inform her of my arrival, and mostly to ask if it was fine with her if I was the one to do the drop off.
By the time I’d driven over to the address Raina had texted me, I hadn’t received a single call back.
When I texted once to let her know I was downstairs.
The message hadn’t delivered.
That had been enough to raise questions.
Maeve had told Raina she would be back at her flat after collecting her things, stating how she’d asked for the coming week off as a part of her annual leave to recover properly.
When I finally gave in to the urge to check properly, I grabbed her small suitcase from my boot and rang her bell twice. But when that got me nothing, I’d tried pushing the glass door as last hope.
Had I known that a few seconds later when I arrived at her flat a minute later, the door her front door broken in, I’d made an attempt to get in sooner.
“Maeve?” I asked, pushing in the door open gently.
The smell hit first.
Dust.
Something metallic.
Adrenaline flooded my body so quickly my hands went cold. The flat looked as though someone had turned it upside down. Items were scattered across the floor. A bag had been ripped open. A phone lay smashed near the wall.
Before my eyes landed on the her.
She was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, knees pulled towards her, arms wrapped around herself.
For one awful second, she didn't move.
“Maeve?”
Her eyes lifted, and something inside me dropped.
Her skin had lost all its colour, there was a bruise beginning to darken along her arm, another near her shoulder, and a tremor running through her hands that she seemed unable to stop, but most of all, it was the tears that made the caveman inside me ready to unleash.
I crossed the room and crouched in front of her.
“Hey.” She blinked at me, as though she was still trying to make sense of what had happened. “It's me.”
Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
“Do you want some water?” I asked softly, more aware than most times that I shouldn’t touch her, until I knew she could let me. She was clearly in shock.
Maeve gave me a single hesitant nod.
“Okay. I’m just got to get up and get it for you. That sound good, baby?” I asked softly. But when she continued to remain silent, I wasn’t sure if I should leave her along for that long at all. “Give me a nod, Trouble. Tell me you’re fine with that.”
She gave me a slow nod, like it hurt to move her head.
“Thank you.”
Keeping an eye on her, I moved in her flat without paying any attention to the rest of the space. In that moment, there was nothing more important to me than her.
Quickly filling the glass, I dropped back on my haunches in front of her, I offered her the glass. “Is it okay if I touch you? I just want to help you drink it.”
She nodded slowly again.
Cupping the back of her gently, I brought the glass forward to her mouth, holding it up for her as she drank the whole thing in a go.
Once done, she dropped her head back onto the wall, almost in relief.
Placing the glass on the floor. I turned slightly to survey the room finally when she placed a hand on my wrist. I had barely moved my gaze from her, but the fear present in her eyes had been enough to tell me that she’d done that to ask me to stay.
Placing my other hand on hers, I squeezed it barely. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She gave a nod, stronger this time and slight relief went through me. She hadn’t hurt her head, or at least not hard enough that it made it hurt.
This time, I let my had stay there as I looked across the room again before it landed on the open door.
Turning my gaze back on to Maeve again, I asked. “Maeve? Does it hurt somewhere?”
She swallowed. “Mostly my back, and my right side.”
Relief coursed through me again, stronger this time at her voice. “Enough to get it checked at the A&E?”
“No,” She shook her head. “But I’m pretty sure it’ll bruise.”
A rough breath left me as I moved closer. “I’m going to pick you up.”
Her eyes darted frantically. “Why?”
“Because, I want to check if the front door is broken, and I don’t want to leave you alone on the floor like this.”
Her shoulders dropped at my words. “Okay. Slow please.”
“I promise.” I replied softly, before I pushed myself until I was in a better position. Instead of picking her up sideways, I offered her my open arms, knowing that at least it would act like a hug, and give her some comfort.
Without debating, she climbed easily into them, her grip stronger, and tighter than I’d expected. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled closer to me, slowly, before I pushed us both up and moved around her flat.
Maeve rested her head on my shoulder as I inspected the side of the door. Once I was happy the lock hadn’t been broken, I pushed it close and locked the door. The girls cleared had a few systems to ensure their safety.
What the hell had happened?
I felt something hot move beneath my skin.
“Maeve?”
“Hmm?” The muffled sound vibrated through my skin as her mouth touched the side of my neck.
I felt my heart race against hers like we were running a marathon.
“Do you want to go to you room or the couch?”
“Room, please.” She sounded so exhausted. So tired that it made me want to find the bastard who did this to her and make him feel ten times worse.
“Which one is it?” I asked, surprised by my own softness even though all I felt inside was rage.
“The opposite side of the flat.”
Opening her room, I moved until we were near her bed. But when she made no move to let go of me, I settled on the bed with her.
“Hey,” I whispered softly. “Look at me, please.”
Slowly, she pulled back, her hands falling to her sides as my arm kept her in place in my lap. Moving my free hand up, I tucked a soft stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You sure you don’t want to go checked up?”
“They’ll just say to rest, and take some painkillers. If it gets worse, I can go.”
I gave her a nod, trusting her judgement. “Fine. Then tell me what happened? The amount of locks you have inside tells me that the place wasn’t broken into, but clearly, someone was in the flat.”
Her gaze flickered to the floor instantly, and it was then I knew that someone she knew had done this.
“Maeve. Who did this to you?” My voice had been cold. Colder than I intended it to be.
“My ex-boyfriend.”
My blood ran cold. “Did he put his hands on you?”
Her hand came up to my chest, like she wanted to keep me from moving. “He didn’t hit me…just pushed me. Hard.”
“That’s the same thing, Maeve.”
“I know, I know. But he didn’t get to do anything.”
I paused. “What does that mean?”
“He had a knife—”
“What the fuck?”
“But he didn’t get to hurt me. When you rang the door bell, it scared him enough to make him run.”
“How did he even get in?”
“He was waiting for me, and even after I’d threatened him to make him leave…he waited until I had unlocked the door to push his way in.”
“I’m calling the police. We have to report this.”
“No.” The answer came immediately.
I stared at her in disbelief.
“No?”
She shook her head. “I don't want to.”
“He broke into your home.”
“I know.”
“He threatened you.”
“I know.”
“And you're telling me you don’t want to report him?”
Her eyes finally met mine. “His friend is a police officer. He said they’d help him before he was put behind bars.”
I said nothing, but my mind had already began to churn.
She swallowed, waiting for me to accept what she’d said.
“If I promise to make him pay for this, would you let me?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Trust me?”
“I do,” The words came instantly, and they were enough to calm me. Barely.
“Your bag is ripped to shreds. Did he take anything?”
She nodded. “My cards. They won’t be of any good though. I keep contactless off, and he’ll need the pin to take the money out of an ATM.”
“Smart girl,” I caressed her cheek. “You’ll need to pause them, so he can’t make any online purchases either.”
“I know.” She sighed, her shoulders dropping further. “I need a new phone though. He broke mine.”
“We’ll get you one.” I whispered as I watched her. “Do you want to take a shower first?”
“Yeah. But I might need your help.”
“Anything.”
Helping her slowly off my lap, I followed her instructions when she told me to grab her things and get into shower.
Once I was sure she could manage on her own, I gave her the space she silently asked for.
“I’ll clean up the mess. Call my name if you need me, okay?”
“I will. Thank you.”
I gathered the mess from the floor and cleaned up the area, making sure everything was put back in order. By the time I stepped back into her room, she was already coming out through the doorway.
“Better?”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
I nodded. “Where’s Samyra?”
She blinked. “Monaco. She’s working on the event for your brother.”
“Which one?” I frowned.
“Dev. She’s the PR specialist for Singhania Diamond's collab with Montclair.”
“Oh, nice. When is she back?”
“I think sometime next week?”
“Is there someone who can stay with you until then?”
She shook her head. “No, and I don’t want to.”
“You're not staying here alone.”
“I am not. I’ll book a hotel or something.”
I pressed my lips together. “Aren’t you sick of hotels by now?”
“Yes. I’m desperate for a home cooked meal, but I don’t have a choice. I’m not in the mood to be a guest at someone’s place either.”
“How about my guest?”
“Don’t you live with Oliver and Raina?”
“In the city, yes. I’m talking about my cabin.”
She blinked. “And where exactly is this cabin?”
“Scotland.”
“You’re not serious.”
“I am. I’m going there right now.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I am not. I can give you my phone if you want to call and ask Raina and she’ll tell you that too. It’s why she asked me to drop off your suitcase on my way.”
She sighed. “I can’t go through an airport again, either. There’s so much drama just to get inside, and I told you. I’m not in the mood to deal with people.”
“Good thing I was going to drive up there, then.”
“That’s an eight-nine hour drive? Longer if you’re going up to the highlands.”