Chapter 24
I was a lucky man tonight.
Sitting with her on the couch, I listened to her talk about random things. Some of it made sense. Some of it didn’t, but it didn’t matter. Just being with her was worth it.
I’d never sat with a drunk woman for this long. I stayed away from women under the influence because they got clingy, and I couldn’t deal with it. But with Vivian, I wanted her to cling to me. I loved how she rested her head on my shoulder like she was used to it.
“We should go fishing.” She looked up at me.
“We can.”
“Do you like to fish?”
“I do.”
“You’re a fabulous catch.” She slurred her words, smiled, and demonstrated reeling in a fishing rod.
I laughed and patted her head. “You’re a cute drunk, baby.”
She placed a hand on her head. “I didn’t mean to drink so much. It’s not me, but I had fun with the girls. I made an exception for tonight.”
There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
“There’s nothing wrong with having fun with your friends.”
“I’m tired. I need to sleep. Can you get me my pajamas?” She rose from the couch and wobbled, but I caught her. “They’re folded on the chair in my bedroom.”
She leaned against me aswe made our way into her bedroom. We walked past Kaylee’s bedroom. I could tell itwas hers because of all the Kuromi stuffed animals on her bed and the Sanrio characters on the wall.
Vivian sat on the edge of her bed while I grabbed her cotton pajamas from the chair and placed them beside her.
“I should go wash off my makeup and brush my teeth, but I’m exhausted.”
“Need help?” I extended my hand.
“Yeah.”
I stood behind her with my arm wrapped around her waist, making sure she didn’t fall over and hit her head. While she brushed, she paused and smiled at me in the mirror. “I love this dream.”
“It’s not a dream.”
“Yes, it is.” She finished brushing, took out her makeup kit, washed her face, and returned to bed.
“Now be a good girl andgo to sleep.”
“Okay, Nemo.” She giggled, pointing at me. “I hooked you and caught you, remember?”
“You did.” I smiled and wondered if I should remind her when she was sober.
I’d never been more entertained than tonight.
She took offher gray sweater revealing a gray tank top underneath. Part of me wanted to leave her bedroom, but the other part desperately wanted to stay. The battlebetween good and evil warred inside me, but advantage of a drunk woman wasn’t my thing.
“I’ll give you some privacy.”
“No! Don’t go. If you go, this dream will end. Stay.” She pointed to the chair beside the bed.
She wanted me to stay. I had to be a gentleman and comply with the lady’s wish.
Vivian stripped out of her jeans and pulled on the cotton pants. When she turned to hop into bed, I saw her back. I stiffened, and my breathing hitched.
I stopped breathing for a moment.
Her back.
“Vivian,” I said when I got my breath back. “Don’t move.”
“You want a bedtime hug? Come here.” She opened her arms, welcoming me in.
I wrapped my arms around her, my hands caressing the ridges of scars covering her back. What the fuck happened to her?
“Can I see your back?” I asked.
She broke the embrace and pouted. “Why?”
“Because I want to see it. Please?”
“Okay, but only because you asked nicely.”
I sat beside her, and she turned her back to me. I lifted her tank top to see the rest of the back. My chest constricted as emotion erupted in me. My heart cracked from seeing the destruction on this beautiful woman.
Was this why I’d been drawn to her? The pain and the sorrow trapped within these scars had called to me. Who had done this to her? I ran my fingers along the uneven surface. Some sections had a rough texture. Had she been burned?
How had she survived this torture?
I thought my scars were bad. But compared to hers, my wounds were nothing.
“How did you get all these scars?”
“An evil man.”
“Who?” Rage spiked in me. “Where is he?” My fingers curled into fists, ready to pound the fucker who had tortured her like this.
She turned around and patted my cheek. “He’s not important.”
He is very important, dammit.
The urge to kill him coursed through me, changing my entire mood.
She tucked herself in, looking exhausted and sad. “He’s dead.” She stared at me for a while as tears welled in her eyes.“Thanks for asking. This has been the most perfect dream of my life.” She reached for my hand as her eyes fluttered close. “He can’t hurt me anymore . . .”
While she drifted off to sleep, I held her hand, trying to process everything.
My plan to call an Uber vanished. I wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to stay by her side. The need to protect her coursed through me like magma churning beneath the surface of the Earth. I had to know the complete story when she was sober.
She shifted, removed her hand from mine, and curled into the blanket, facing me. I lay beside her, studying her lovely face.
She looked so peaceful. But behind the peaceful fa?ade dwelled a dark story. Her scarred back flashed in front of me.
How long had she had these wounds? I noticed a circular wound of raised fleshon her lower back. That appeared to have been caused by something else—like a branding tool.
“What in the world happened to you?” Ibrushed her hair away from her face.
The scars appeared like they’d healed, but had she truly recovered?
Those kinds of scars lasted forever. I knew this because I couldn’t forget the wounds on my body either.
I couldn’t sleep as I wondered what her life had been like. Did Kaylee know about Vivian’s story?
My phone buzzed with a text from the PI.
PI: JC spotted in Providence at Midnight Chaoss.
He sent me a pic of a man amongst the fighting crowd. That club required a special invitation.
Arrow: Can you get me in?
PI: You’ll need to wear a mask.
After I gave him an alias I wanted to use, I ended the call and prepared to find the fucker.
Vivian shifted, murmured something, and fell back to sleep.
“Sweet dreams, Tulip.” I squeezed Vivian’s hand. I didn’t want to leave her, but this was my chance to apprehend a man who had stolen from me.