Chapter 47
Luke
I was flying down the street, foot heavy on the gas, red lights blurring past like meaningless suggestions.
The roads were empty, and every intersection I ran through echoed with the thought that if the cops stopped me, I would just take them to the scene of the crime.
My fist clenched around the steering wheel at the words in my mind.
Motherfucker. If he touched her. If he even breathed too close to her...
It should’ve taken me twenty minutes from the gas station. I was going to make it in ten. Mady’s voice still rang in my ears, each frantic word swirling in my milkshake brain.
Jackson. Brake-in. O’Riley’s. Hazel. Alone. Danger.
Goddammit, I left her alone. I knew this was a possibility, and I left her alone. Consumed by my own denial, my own pathetic fear of what loving her meant, of what it would take from me.
Hazel didn’t just live, she healed—herself and people around her.
It was like she was robbed of ugly emotions at birth, with only the most beautiful ones left and multiplied.
I, however, felt every bit of disgusting, evil emotion towards the man whose presence she was in right now.
Hazel needed me, and I wouldn’t fucking let her down.
I swerved lanes like a madman, reaching O’Riley’s in a blur, barely noticing the slammed brakes or the angry horns as I threw the door open and ran. The front door was ajar, glass crunched under my boots, curtains drawn. The building silent. Too silent.
And then I saw it. Blood on the floor.
No, no, no.
My heart stopped, a wave of ice spreading through my veins as I stood frozen.
“Hazel?” I breathed before the air even hit my lungs. I rushed into the staff room, screaming her name like I could summon her through force of will. What if that lunatic took her somewhere?
“HAZEL!”
But then faint, broken sobs reached my ears.
I turned back, following the sound. And then I saw her, curled beneath the counter, a small, trembling figure.
Her body was wrapped into a ball, hands hugging her knees, head bowed low as if trying to disappear from the world.
Relief and dread crashed over me as I rushed to her side, kneeling in front of her.
“Sweetie,” I said, gently reaching for her hands, not knowing if she had been physically hurt. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Hazel slowly lifted her head, and God, the view was devastating. Her face all red from crying, her beautiful eyes tainted with hurt. She looked like someone who had been ripped open from the inside.
“I’ll never be late again,” I whispered, as she finally met my eyes.
“Luke,” Hazel said, her voice so small I nearly missed it, her gaze flooding with so much relief, it broke me in half. I pulled her into my arms, just as she was reaching for me, and held her like I was holding the last good thing I had left.
“I’ve got you,” I murmured into her hair, kissing her temple. “You’re safe.”
Her voice was cracked, torn from the weight of her tears, and yet her words cut through the storm of rage inside me, clear as glass.
“Please... take me home.”
* * *
After I checked her for injuries, which Hazel assured me she didn’t have, I drove us through the empty streets toward her apartment.
My fingers closed over hers, squeezing gently, as if I could somehow protect her from everything that had happened.
She stared out the window, silent, her body still curled inward like she hadn’t figured out how to be part of the world again.
I knew I couldn’t force her to talk. She needed space.
We were walking up to her floor when Hazel stopped abruptly in front of me.
“What is it?” I asked, climbing the few steps separating us.
She looked down, shaking her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as though it could keep her from falling apart.
“Hazel,” I whispered, placing my hands on her shoulders and rubbing them gently. She opened her eyes, which had started to fill up with tears again. My chest tightened.
“I...” She exhaled a heavy, broken sigh. “I forgot my stuff. My phone, my keys, everything.” Her voice quivered, and I felt her shoulders tremble with each whispered word. “I... I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I murmured, gently cradling her red, tear-streaked face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over her soft skin. “It’s okay.” I put my arms around her, feeling her small sobs shudder through me as she buried her face in my neck.
“And the café, Thomas, I have to call Thomas. Oh my God, I left everything there,” she was starting to spiral, shock finally hitting her hard.
“Shh, sweetheart,” I soothed, and she gripped my arms suddenly and sobbed louder.
“And Mady. She doesn’t know I’m—”
“She does,” I whispered. “I texted her. She knows you’re safe.” I pressed my lips to her forehead and tightened my hold around my sweet girl.
“Hazel, look at me.” She hesitated, but finally raised her gaze to me.
“We’ll call Thomas and explain everything.
And Alex lives nearby, I’ll ask him to patch up the window for now, and tomorrow we’ll fix everything up, okay?
You don’t have to worry about anything right now.
” Her breathing slowly started to subside as I held her gaze, trying to calm her down.
“Come stay with me tonight,” I said, gently placing the loose curl behind her ear. Her eyes widened, hiding a world of emotions behind them. But mostly exhaustion. “Let me take care of you. Just for tonight. Please.”
After a moment, she nodded, and I pulled her into my arms again. This time, she hugged me back, her shoulders softening, her body melting into mine, as I tightened my hold.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice barely there. I smiled, lacing my fingers with hers, a silent promise in my eyes.
And then I took her home with me.
Where she belonged.