Page 101 of Clashing
The relief almost stole my consciousness. I locked the door, crawled onto the bed, and gathered her in my arms before more of her tears fell. “Of course I can.”
We sank into the mattress, and she wrapped all her limbs around me. I tucked a blanket snug around her and cradled her as close as possible. Her chest vibrated with the agony of her cries, and my chest rattled in response. She didn’t deserve this.
“It’s all right,” I murmured, kissing her head. “You’re safe. No one’s gonna come near you. I’m not going anywhere.”
It took a while for her to relax into sleep. She tossed and turned the entire time. Woke up with dark circles under her swollen eyes and missed calls from her mother.
Of course, Danny told Diana. I understood he had to. But a distraught Scarlett had to call her back and sit there in the bar, exhausted and reliving the entire night. All while Danny fussed and hovered. I couldn’t blame any of them, but she was so fucking drained. She needed a minute to breathe. She was keeping it together because she was herself, but it was too much to put on someone.
Then, because it couldn’t possibly get worse, fucking Collin showed up.
He asked a thousand questions, and I wanted to punch him even more than I had that day he came downstairs in his underwear. Scarlett told him she couldn’t talk about it anymore and he backed off, but the police returned.
How many times do they plan to make her relive this traumatic experience before she gets some fucking rest to process it?
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered, walking over to Scarlett. “You don’t have to do this now. They’ll understand. We’ll tell them you need a day.”
“It’s fine.”
Fine. It wasn’t fucking fine.
We returned to the police station with an even bigger group, thanks to Collin’s presence. Scarlett sat there with a blank stare until they called her back. Her shoulders slumped hours later when she exited the interrogation room. That usual fire in her eyes was reduced to a barely there ember.
“Ryker Harding?” one of the officers said, looking up from a paper.
“Yeah?”
“Can we talk to you again about what happened last night?”
If she could do it, I could do it. “Sure.”
I was taken back, and I retold the story for what seemed like the fifth time. Kept the details the same, both at the police station and at the bar when they finally let us go. Danny was so relieved I’d shown up for Scarlett, he hadn’t asked why I was the one she called, but he did eye me skeptically when I explained the shot that killed Todd was self-defense.
On the other hand, Collin gaped when he heard me explain that Scarlett called me because I’d been with her and seen her at the bar, which meant I was close.
I was sure he’d ask her about it, and while I understood, I also wanted to tell him to fuck off. She didn’t owe anyone explanations right now. It was out of hand already. I snapped when Tammy and the new guy showed up and wanted to know what happened.
Enough is enough.Scarlett murmured she needed the bathroom, and I waited until the door closed before I confronted the room. It was my boys, Tammy, the new guy, Danny, and Collin. Scarlett was probably suffocating under the amount of people.
“All right.” I crossed my arms. “When she gets back, we need to send her to bed and not ask any more questions. This is too much. She’s barely slept. Stop bombarding her and let her have a moment.”
“You’re right.” Danny’s chin wobbled. “I need to get some things from the store. Things that help her relax.”
“I’ll run to the store for you, but for fuck’s sake,nomore questions. She needs to breathe.”
My gaze pointedly landed on Collin. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he wasn’t happy with me calling the shots. Too fucking bad. It wasn’t about me or him. It was about her.
Scarlett shuffled toward us and Danny smiled lightly, though no one believed that smile.
“Hey, honey. How about we go back to the house, and you get some rest?”
“I am tired.” She yawned.
Danny rolled his wheelchair toward her. “Let’s go.”
Her gaze drifted to Collin. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Take your time. Whenever you’re rested and feeling up to it.” Collin squeezed her arm. “Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll be here.”
