Page 114 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
I kept going over it in my head. Who could have done this? Had Wade come back? Was it an ex-boyfriend? Trevor the Douche? Maybe he’d abused her, and she’d kept it from me. I closed my eyes, sick at the thought of anyone laying a hand on Evie.
Whenever my asshole sperm donor used to show up to knock my mom around, she refused to go to the hospital. She refused to report it to the cops, too. As if she wanted to protect him. When I asked why, she said, “You really think the cops will believe me over him? He’s got a good job and a family. He drives a nice car and wears suits to work.”
As if a nice car and a suit made him above the law.
“Was her sister in the house?” Brody asked.
Fuck. Wren. I’d forgotten all about her. “I don’t know. I’m guessing she was. I was just focused on Evie….” I let out a breath. “There were two ambulances.” What if the other one was for Wren?
Brody read my mind. “Let’s just assume her sister is okay. In which case, the cops would take care of her until CPS shows up.”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“Yeah. But if it comes to that, we won’t let her go into foster care.”
As if Brody had that kind of power. But maybe Shiloh did. Rock stars had the money and the means to make things happen.
“Does she have any other family?” he asked.
“She has an aunt in Dallas.”
“They’ll track her down.” He was quiet for a moment, and I could almost see the wheels spinning in his head. “Why didn’t she call her for help sooner?”
I glared at him. “You’re blamingEviefor what happened tonight?”
“Calm the fuck down. I’m just asking.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw, lost in thought. “Sounds like her life is tough.”
It was. But worse than that, I knew why Evie hadn’t called her aunt. She chose to stay and tough it out because of me.
She stayed for me. I told her we’d do it together. I promised I’d be there whenever she needed me.
But I failed her.
CHAPTERFORTY-TWO
Ridge
Finally,the nurse told me I could see Evie. She said they’d given her something to help her sleep, but Evie was asking for me.
I stepped into her room and pulled up a chair next to her bed. Under the fluorescent hospital lights, the purple bruises on her face looked even worse. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, and there were marks on her neck that looked as if someone had tried to choke her. My stomach pitched. It was all I could do not to run to the bathroom and puke up my dinner.
“Hey, Cherry.”
Her eyes filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks. I’d never seen Evie cry, and it nearly broke my fucking heart. I reached for her hand and held it in mine. Her nails were broken, and there were traces of blood under them. Jesus.
“I fought him.” Her voice sounded hoarse, like she hadn’t used it in a while. “I fought so hard.”
Oh fuck. No, no. no. Fucking no. I tried to breathe through my nose and keep my voice steady. “Who did this to you?”
What did he do to you, and who do I need to kill?
“I don’t know his name. He… I’ve seen him a couple times. I think he was a dealer or something. I don’t know. Wade owed him money.” She swallowed. “I told the detective everything I know….”
Her bottom lip trembled. I’d never seen her more vulnerable, more broken than she was now.
“Why me, Ridge?” Her voice was so hushed I barely heard the words, but it felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
I swallowed hard and tried to find my voice. “I don’t know, baby. I’m so fucking sorry.” My voice cracked on the words.
