Page 235 of Under Her Skin
The darknesscame.
Stay With Me PartSeven
Sirens.
She was so beautiful, her dark hair clouding around her shoulders as her robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing her heavenly body. Theo let out a fevered sigh as he saw that under her robe, she was wearing nothing but a harness, the supple leather straps crisscrossing her lush body, her dark red nipples hard and ready for him. She straddled him on the bed and he couldn’t keep his eyes off ofher.
Flashing lights,voices shouting. In here, in here….please…
His mouth soughther nipple greedily as his hands slipped between her legs to find her sex pulsing and wet. His cock, already rigid and engorged, strained to find her pussy. She lowered herself onto him, grinning and gasping as he clamped his hands on her hips and impaled her onto his swollen cock, ramming his hips upwards, wanting to take her, take herhard…
Rust and salt and fear.Blood, her blood, everywhere. Please, Jess,breathe….
Don’t ever stop fuckingme. Her lips were at his ear and he flipped her onto the floor, towering over her, taking control. He bit down on her nipples, buried his face in her pillowy breasts as he drove harder into her. Her legs were clamped tightly around him and she smiled up at him. I love you somuch…
She’s dying.They’re telling me she’s dying. She won’t wakeup.
She won’t wake up…
Amelia was breathing hardas she ran down the hospital corridor. She nearly screamed when she saw the abject despair on Theo’s face. For a long terrifying moment, she thought Jess was dead. But then he gave her a ghost of a smile. She hugged her strickenson.
‘How isshe?’
Theo shook his head. ‘She’s in surgery…Mom, it doesn’t look good. She’s lost so muchblood.’
He sat down heavily on one of the chairs. Amelia washorrified.
‘Oh my God. Theo.’ She sat down beside him, appalled. ‘I thought you said the mirror fell onher.’
Theo looked at his mother.He’d told her the very minimum, knowing that if she knew the truth, she would panic and his mom’s driving was erratic at the best. ‘It did. But I think she crashed into it trying to get away from… she was stabbed, Mom. He knifed her in the belly, repeatedly, brutally. And he rapedher.’
Amelia gazed at her son in disbelief. ‘Who?’ She asked, weakly, her facepale.
Theo’s own face hardened. ‘Her step-brother. He’s tried to kill her before. Christ, Mom, this is just the latest in a lifetime of abuse and assault she’s had to livewith.’
‘No, are you sure? I mean…’ She searched Theo’s face and saw the utter desolation in his eyes. Henodded.
‘Yes. She was raped. There was so much blood, Mom. All over the kitchen, the hallway. When I saw her, I thought she was… she was so still, covered with blood. Someone had had their hands on her. There're bruises on her neck, finger marks, her dress had been ripped open. He stabbed her. Jesus, he really stabbed her…’ He choked on his finalwords.
Amelia started to cry and Theo rubbed her back. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, silent tears coursing down hisface.
‘Mr. Storm?’The surgeon who stood in front of them had kind eyes but all Theo could see was regret in them. His heart clenched tightly in his chest. Theo introduced him toAmelia.
‘Mr. Storm, Jessica is stable but still critical. She lost a lot of blood, as I’m sure you realize and we had to repair her liver and remove her spleen. Her abdominal injuries are…,’ the doctor seemed to struggle, ‘…well, they’re amongst the worst I’ve seen in my thirty-year career. The worst. The stabbing was brutal, merciless . Her assailant aimed to end her life in the most painful, savage way possible, of that I have no doubt. He or she used something other than a knife so the wounds were jagged, hard to repair cleanly, she will have scarring. We’ll know more in the next fewhours.’
Theo thought about the lethal shards of glass that had been scattered around her body. Jules had used one of them to stab her, he was sure. Nausea threatened to overwhelm him, and, the strain etched on his face, he cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice cracked. ‘Doc?’
The doctor nodded.‘Yes, she was raped.’ Theo slumped. ‘I’m so sorry. We’ve sealed the evidence and sent it to thecounty.’
‘Can we seeher?’
The doctor hesitated. ‘I think it’s okay if you sit with her. She’ll need friendly faces when she wakes up.’ He studied Theo’s desolate face. ‘She will wake up, don’t worry, but her recovery will take some considerable time. Now, I must go give my statement to the police, please excuseme.’
He smiled at them both and moved away. Theo stood to go into Jess’s room when he saw Max approaching them. Max’s face was drawn, angry, but he bent to kiss Amelia’s cheek before rubbing hisface.
‘Max?’Theo’s voice was heavy withgrief.
‘We arrested Gachet. He’s denying everything, of course. And Theo, considering what you told me happened, there’s not a mark on him. No scratches, no bruises. Nothing. He let us do a strip search, take swabs. Willingly gave up hisDNA.’
