Page 140 of Fixation
The beating of my heart becomes painful. Loud and insistent andno—it can’t be her.
Sunlight bursts into my eyes as I open the door, blinding me for a split second.
“Anderson.” Harper is on her knees.
I’m going to die right here, on my doorstep.
Or she’ll die, if anyone’s watching us.
I have to act fast.
Since I haven’t checked her yet, I grab her by her shoulders and drag her inside as carefully as possible, locking the door behind us.
I drop to my knees, forcing myself to pretend she’s just another patient. Being a worthless, emotional piece of shit won’t help her.
So I try to be her doctor.
Even though she’s been crying. Even though I notice the dried tears on her cheeks.
Pull yourself together.
Fix this.
“Miss Arlington.” With my hands cupping her jaw, holding her steady, I check both sides of her face.
Her cheek’s a little red but not scraped. Her nose hasn’t been broken or cracked. The slope of it has remained in perfect shape.
She flinches when I trail my hands over the curve of her throat. “What happened? Where does it hurt?”
What part of you do I need to fix? Help me. Help me help you.
Silence.
“Harper.” I search for scrapes on her neck. Her collarbone. Clean. Thank fuck, these precious parts of her are unharmed.
She’s whimpering, though. Dammit, I can’t leave her to go hunting that motherfucker responsible. “Who did this to you?”
No one else is allowed to touch her. Mark her. Make her cry.
Me.
Her tears trickle down my palms. My heart slams harder and harder in my chest. “Who? Which direction did he go?”
“I don’t want to be here.” Her gaze flickers behind me, to the door to the basement. A shiver courses through her. “I don’t want to trust you. To need you. You’re such an awful person, Anderson,” she whispers with something worse thananger. Defeat. “But I fell. For you. And outside. On the street. Anderson…it really hurts.”
“I know, kitten.” I hate the sound of my voice. Gentle. Weak. I clear my throat. “I’ll take care of you.”
“My ankle, it’s twisted. I might’ve sprained it. And I…” She sniffles, and my useless heart is sliced right down the middle. “You’re the only one who can actually help me. I had nowhere else to go.”
This woman doesn’t settle for ripping my heart in half. Harper reaches in, crushing my soul in her fist. My depravity is nothing but a pile of ashes at her feet.
Because it isn’t true, what she’s saying. She could’ve called an Uber, like she did the first time she ran into my arms. She trusted the hospital staff to take care of her before.
They would’ve helped her.
She trusts me the most.
The monster with the sick games.
