Chapter Two #2
I reach up and wipe the stream of tears from her face.
“The most dangerous time for a woman in a violent relationship is when she leaves,” I tell her, a statistic I’m sure she’s already familiar with.
“But then most women don’t have a ranch with a top-of-the-range security system to hide out at.
They don’t have Riggs, who was born to protect and spent years serving his country doing just that.
They also don’t have me. I have more money than anyone in this town and a lawyer who would love nothing more than to tear this motherfucker apart with her teeth. ”
Her lip wobbles as she looks into my eyes, reading the truth of my words.
“So, I’m gonna ask you again, are you hurt anywhere else?” I ask softly.
She nods, but when she doesn’t offer any more information, the darkness swirls inside me again, and a picture forms in my head. The house must pick up on my mood because it groans ominously.
“Let’s get you upstairs and cleaned up. I have clothes you can borrow.”
“Okay.”
I take her hand and help her to her feet.
I don’t let her go, worried she’ll turn and flee at any moment.
Instead, I lead her upstairs to my bedroom and walk her right into the bathroom.
I turn on the shower and gather every girly product I can find and make sure it’s in reach for her.
She watches me with a brittle, detached stare as I collect a couple of large soft towels and a smaller one for her hair.
Once I have everything, I turn to her and take a deep, steadying breath. “Do you need help undressing?”
She shakes her head, but she doesn’t move, and a part of me gets it. It’s taking all of her energy just to stand upright.
“I’m gonna help you anyway, okay? If at any point you want me to stop, you tell me.”
“Okay,” she chokes out as I carefully start to undress her.
By the time I have her bra and T-shirt removed, I’m fighting back tears of my own at the vivid bruising that covers her torso and the savage bite mark at the top of her breast. Feeling her tremble, I don’t linger.
I hook my fingers into the waistband of her sweatpants and glide them down her legs.
I crouch to help her step out, which is when I see the smears of blood between her thighs.
I swallow the urge to scream that she’s now a member of the club no woman ever wants to be indoctrinated into.
I get to my feet and focus on her face. “Do you want to leave your underwear on or do you want me to take them off?”
“I can do it.”
“Alright.” I give her my back to give her the illusion of privacy. I turn back when I realize she’s staring at the bloody fabric in her hand. I cover the material with my hand, forcing her to break her stare. “You didn’t get your period, did you?”
Her breathing comes out in shallow pants, like she can’t get enough air into her lungs.
I yank the underwear from her hands and drop them to the floor before I cup her face with both my hands. “Breathe with me, Dawn. It’s just you and me now. Nobody is going to hurt you again,” I fucking vow.
She does as I ask, sucking in a deep lungful of air before repeating it.
“That’s it. Keep going.”
After a few minutes, I’m sure she’s not going to pass out. I ask her the question I know she won’t want to answer. “Do you want me to call the police so you can press charges?”
I barely get the words out before she’s shaking her head so hard it has to hurt. “No. No police. It will just make things worse.”
And I’d be a fucking hypocrite to force her.
Maybe I’d push harder if I thought they might listen, but this town is toxic when it comes to their own.
It’s got to be ten times worse when it comes to an outsider, and that’s what Dawn is to them.
If things were different between Shepard and me, maybe I’d talk to him.
But I’m not sure the faith I had in him is warranted anymore.
“Okay, Dawn. No police. I’d really like to get some pictures, though. Just of your face and torso,” I rush to add. “You never know when you might need them. Maybe we never will. But if it comes down to a fight, we want every weapon in our arsenal available to us.”
She looks wary, so I don’t push. Ultimately, it needs to be her decision. She’s already had her choices taken from her today. I won’t be taking any more from her.
Eventually, she nods.
“Give me two minutes to grab my cell phone. I’ll be right back.”
I hurry downstairs to grab my cell, which I left in the kitchen.
“Hey, everything okay?” Riggs asks when I walk in. I look from him to Hannah, who is laying lettuce on slices of buttered bread.
“Yeah. Just helping Dawn take a shower. You guys okay in here?”
“We’re good, right?” Riggs asks Hannah, who looks up at him with a sweet smile.
“Yeah. Riggs says he’s going to let me teach him how to make cookies.”
“Really? That’s awesome. Cookies are my favorite.”
“I can make you some too if you want.”
“I would love that.”
She beams a smile at me, so I give her a wink, mouth a thank you to Riggs, and snag my phone from the counter before hurrying back upstairs.
Dawn is standing where I left her, oblivious to her nakedness and the steam filling the room. She’s retreated somewhere in her head where she can’t get hurt anymore.
I stand in front of her so she can see me, and I gently talk through each of my actions as I take pictures, making sure her breasts are covered before I put the phone away.
“Shower time. Take as long as you need, okay?”
She nods, numb to it all as she climbs in.
I know the numbness won’t last, though. It never does.
While she cleans up, I walk back into my room and grab some fresh clothes for her.
Sweatpants, a hoodie, a tank top with a built-in bra—any bra I have will be far too big— and a pair of panties with the tag still on.
I lay them on the bed, and then I sit and wait. And then I wait some more.
After twenty minutes, I head in to check on her and find her on her knees, sobbing. “Oh, Dawn. Come on, let’s get you out.” I grab a large towel and hold it open for her. She steps into it, so I wrap her up before grabbing one of the others, which I twist around her hair.
She moves woodenly, doing as I ask before following me back to my room. I help her get dried and dressed. I do a quick braid in her hair before finding her a pair of fluffy socks.
“Hannah is making cookies with Riggs. You up for coming back down with me?”
She looks exhausted but nods because the alternative is being alone with all those intrusive thoughts.
I stand up, but she reaches out and grabs my wrist. “What happens now? I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do.”
I sigh and sit back down, taking her hand in mine. “You rest. You heal, and you leave all the bullshit to me. Riggs and I will get what you need and bring it here, where you and Hannah will be staying from now on.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered. And Dawn, you’re going to take me up on that offer.”
She lets out a watery laugh, tears of relief flooding her eyes. She blows out a shallow breath and nods. “I could eat a cookie.”
“Then let’s start there. All the rest can wait.”