Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Maya tipped her head back against the mound of pillows and let out a sigh. Ever since she’d been admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon, it had been a whirlwind of activity. Her mom and dad had both stopped in to see her, but their visits had been more exhausting than comforting.
Divorced since she was four, her parents were the epitome of dysfunctional. Both had remarried, and she had five step-siblings, none of whom had come to visit her. Not that she minded. That was more than she wanted to deal with at the moment.
Her mother was always super dramatic, and somehow she managed to turn every situation around and make it about herself. Her father, after making sure she wasn’t mortally wounded, had lectured her on the importance of paying closer attention to her surroundings.
A little over half an hour ago, she had feigned sleep, and they had both finally left her in blessed silence. She turned her head and stared out the window. She couldn’t sleep. Over the past twenty-four hours, she had probably slept for a total of thirty minutes.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. She could feel his arms coming around her outside the coffee shop, choking off her air. She smelled the dank mildew of the cellar, saw the bloodstained mattress in the corner.
A shiver racked her body, and her fingers clenched the thin white blanket that covered the bed. Thank God the police had shown up when they did. Had they arrived even a few minutes later, she likely would’ve been back in the cellar… Or dead. She wasn’t entirely sure which would have been worse.
Two quick knocks came from the door, and her heart jumped into her throat as she snapped her head in that direction. Aiden stood outlined in the doorway, looking slightly uneasy.
“May I come in?”
Maya drew in a deep breath to settle her heart. “Of course.”
He moved to the chair next to the bed, never tearing his eyes from her. “How are you feeling?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Fine.”
“This isn’t an interview.” He lifted a hand and reached for her. Suspended in midair, just inches away, he froze. She saw his gaze linger on the bandages that had been wrapped around her hands, protecting her damaged fingers. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the movement.
“It’s okay,” she said softly.
He shook his head but didn’t say anything else for several seconds. He seemed lost in thought, and her stomach twisted with apprehension as she waited for him to break the tense silence.
He looked… furious. Nothing like the man she’d met at the coffee shop several mornings ago. He hadn’t even looked like that yesterday when he’d pulled her into his arms to protect her.
Her gaze followed his movements as he finally settled his hand on the bed right next to her forearm. She stared at it, a dozen emotions rocketing through her. Relief that he hadn’t touched her. Disappointment for the same reason.
It was irrational, but a huge part of her wanted to feel his skin on hers. She wanted the comfort and compassion. She wanted to feel as safe as she had yesterday when he’d carried her to the ambulance to keep from further damaging her feet.
“Scared,” she finally admitted, answering his initial question. “Angry. Disappointed.”
“Disappointed?” She could feel Aiden studying her as she nodded. “Why are you disappointed?”
“Because…” She swallowed hard, the memory of leaving the coffee shop that night pressing in around her. “I should have asked Dani to stay. She never should have left alone. If she had just looked around, been a little more cautious—”
“Don’t you dare take the blame for that.” Aiden’s voice brooked no argument. “He made those choices, not you.”
Maya lifted her gaze to his. “I know, but…”
Aiden shook his head. “That could have happened to anyone. Hell, it could have happened to anyone—even Dani.”
She was positive he was just trying to make her feel better, and she let out a little snort. “I seriously doubt that.”
“What I’m saying is, it’s easy to take advantage of someone when you catch them by surprise. What matters is that you escaped. You stayed strong. You never gave in.”
His dark eyes drew her in, and she was helpless to resist. “I couldn’t,” she whispered. “I knew if she stayed down there she would die. She kept looking at that disgusting mattress and wondering how many times he’d done it before. How many families are out there needing closure?”
Something flashed across Aiden’s face, and he scooted a fraction closer. “What you did is absolutely incredible. My team is working the scene right now to see if we can answer any of those questions.”
“Good. What happens next?” she asked.
He stared at her for a second, gauging her emotional stability.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Knowing what to expect will help.”
He gave a little nod. “Right now he’s over at County waiting for his arraignment.”
“What does that mean?”
Aiden blew out a little breath. “Basically, what happens is they’ll take him to court and ask him to plead either innocent or guilty, then—”
“But he’s guilty,” she cut in. “You know that. You literally saw him running away from the house.” Her voice had raised several octaves with hysteria, but she couldn’t help it.
“I know,” Aiden said, “but that’s how our justice system works. Everyone is given the benefit of the doubt. It’s going to be a long process, and it will most likely get worse before it gets better.”
“I don’t understand.” Tears burned her eyes. “You saw…”
Her voice broke, and Aiden leaned forward. “I know. And that’s exactly why I’m going to do everything in my power to put him away for the rest of his life.”
The fierceness in his tone and the promise in his eyes should have scared her. But it didn’t.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I trust you.”
Aiden’s dark gaze swept over her face, searching her eyes before dropping lower. For a split second, she thought he was going to kiss her. She watched his shoulders rise and fall on a deep breath before he sat back in his chair, and disappointment slammed into her.
It was irrational, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.
After everything that had happened, she shouldn’t want anyone to touch her.
And truthfully, she didn’t. But this man in front of her was so strong, so trustworthy.
She knew she could depend on him. She swore she felt something between them, but she wasn’t ready to act on it yet. Everything was still too fresh.
She swallowed down her insecurities, shoving them aside to deal with later.
“Thank you… for everything.”
An emotion she didn’t recognize darkened his eyes. She felt the slight tug of the blankets as his fingers skimmed upward until they settled on her forearm, just above the bandages. She was transfixed by the sight of his skin against hers, the heat and the feel of him.
A million emotions rocketed through her body. His fingers were long and strong, and she could feel the slightly hardened edges of the calluses at his fingertips. His touch was both unsettling and extremely comforting.
Aiden gave an abbreviated shake of his head, but his hand stayed in place. “I was just doing my job.”
Was this part of his job to him? Stopping in to check on victims? The question got stuck on her tongue, and she swallowed it down. She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to that.
She remembered the way he held her close after she’d escaped from that hell. He had been gentle and kind, and he hadn’t left her until they reached the hospital and her family had arrived.
His fingers had curled around her forearm as he spoke, and she was acutely aware of his touch. Heat seeped into her body, coiling around her heart and warming her from the inside. She wanted to believe she was more than just a job, but she didn’t dare ask.
Aiden looked as conflicted as she felt. His fingers tightened infinitesimally, then slowly slipped away as he stood.
“I should let you get some rest.”
“Okay.” She nodded, feeling an emptiness spreading through her chest.
Maya watched as he moved toward the door. Was this the last time she would ever see him?
“Aiden?”
He turned at the sound of his name, one hand on the door handle, eyes dark and unreadable.
“Yeah?”
“Will…”
God, how stupid she sounded. Her cheeks burned, and she shook her head as she forced a smile.
“I just wanted to say thank you… again.”
“You’re welcome.”
It seemed as if time had frozen, and the world slowed to a stop as they stared at each other. Finally, he gave a slow nod.
“Once you’re feeling better, we’ll have some questions for you.”
She blinked. Someone from the bureau had already been in to talk with her earlier this morning. Maya had told her everything she knew, but…
Aiden’s face was intent as he stared at her, a secret message in the depths of his eyes.
“I’ll see you soon, Maya.”
With that, he was gone.
She couldn’t help the little flutter in her chest as the door closed behind him with a soft click. What did that mean? All she knew was, Aiden was a man of his word. He’d promised to see her again, so she knew he would be back.
And for some strange reason, she looked forward to it.