Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SERENA
I t’s a little after 3:00 a.m. when I am finally discharged, with a clear report from the CT scan and strict instructions for vocal rest to let the swelling go down in my throat. The silence in Dominick’s car is charged while he drives me home. He’s been in a cold fury since Kai stopped by the hospital, and I don’t know how to break this awful tension thrumming between us. My emotions are in such turmoil, I don’t know if I’m capable of saying anything that won’t make the situation worse.
“I hope you know that was your last shift at Maverick’s.” Dominick’s voice is a low rumble that pulls me from the guilt I’m busy drowning in.
“Um, what?” My own voice is still little more than a hoarse whisper that barely manages to squeak out.
“That was your last shift at Maverick’s,” Dom repeats in a low growl. “I’ve been trying to get you to quit for weeks now to avoid something like this happening, and now that it has, I’ll be damned if I let you go back to that shithole and work. If they let scumbags like Brad and Todd in through their doors, there is no fucking way I am letting you continue to work there.”
“But—” I begin to protest, but Dom cuts me off.
“No fucking buts, Serena. You are not to go back there. I can’t always be there to keep you safe, and it’s lucky I got there when I did tonight. What would have happened if I had been even five minutes later? Huh? Did you think about that? He probably would’ve had his pencil dick inside of you. Are some shitty waitressing tips worth more than your safety?”
The bridge of my nose begins to sting from unshed tears as I drop my gaze to my lap. Dominick’s harsh words cut, but he’s not wrong. Those shitty waitressing tips aren’t worth what I just went through, but losing part of my income isn’t an option. I don’t argue though. It hurts too much to talk right now, and all I want to do is go home, crawl into bed and forget this awful night ever happened.
We finish the drive in silence, and when Dominick moves to get out of the car, I put a hand on his arm, stopping him. “You don’t have to come in. I’m beat, and I just want to go to sleep.”
“Kitten…” His tone is gentler now. The look in his eyes softens, and it stirs the guilt churning in my stomach still. I shake my head, cutting off his protest.
“Please, Dom. I need sleep and some time to process all of this. You can come by tomorrow if you want.” My voice cracks from use, and I give him a pleading look, begging him not to fight me on this. Fortunately, he doesn’t. He just leans in and presses a soft, chaste kiss to my lips. I cringe internally, paranoid that he will be able to sense the ghostly remnants of the kiss Kai burned into my soul earlier tonight.
“Alright, Kitten. Get some sleep. I’ll be back in the morning, okay? I can help you explain what happened to your mom if you want.”
Relief floods through my system at his words. Relief from what, I’m not entirely sure. Relief of getting distance so I can process the guilt from Kai’s stolen kiss? Knowing I won’t be alone when I have to relive this horrible nightmare to tell Mom? Or the fact that the icy fury that had been making him edgy and prickly for the last few hours has finally melted away, revealing the warm, kindhearted man I fell in love with in its place.
Dragging my tired body through the front door, I am nearly tackled by Grace as she launches herself at me, wrapping me in another bone-crushing hug, like the kind Kai gave me in the hospital.
“Sweet, ReRe, are you okay? Let me look at you.” Grace cups my face as she looks me over, checking for injuries. Her eyes narrow, then begin to shimmer with tears when she takes in the bruising on my neck. “Oh, baby girl, what did that monster do to you?” She pulls me back in for another hug, and I melt into her, savoring the comfort she is offering.
“It’s okay, Grace. It could’ve been a lot worse.” I try to pull away to give Grace a reassuring smile, but her hold on me doesn’t relent.
“Kai called me and told me what happened, and I’ve been a mess worrying about you. I wasn’t sure if I should wake your momma up and tell her what happened. I can go get her now if you want.” Grace finally releases her hold on me and turns like she is going to go wake Mom up. I place a hand on her arm, halting her in mid-step.
“No, let her sleep. It hurts to talk too much now. It’ll keep until the morning. I don’t want to have to explain this to her more than once.” Grace gives me an “are you sure?” kind of look, so I give her my most reassuring smile.
“I really just need to get some rest. Dominick is coming back in the morning so we can tell her what happened. You can go home and get some sleep, Grace. Thank you so much for staying so late.”
After a few more minutes of fussing, Grace finally leaves, promising to return in the afternoon to check on me. I climb the stairs to my room on the second floor with herculean effort, the last several hours weighing on me mentally and physically, but I refuse to get into bed with the ghost of Todd’s touch still lingering on my skin. After showering, putting on PJs, and brushing my teeth, I finally feel clean enough to climb into bed.
My last thoughts as my eyes drift closed and sleep overtakes me aren’t of the monsters who assaulted me or of the man who saved me. They are of the soft, plush lips of my best friend and the way they fit so perfectly against mine.