Page 100 of No Fear
He’d killed her brother. Her half-brother. Her only living relative that she had anything to do with. And even if he’d done it to save her, he feared that she would hate him for it.
He pulled into the drive and killed the engine. Rachel didn’t move so he didn’t bother telling her to wait for him. He simply circled the car and opened the passenger door. Her eyes were shut when he lifted her out but she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her inside without a word.
More than anything, he simply wanted to take her to bed. He wanted to hold her close. Wanted to reassure himself that she was alive, that she was whole, that she was still his. But since she was covered in blood, and now so was he, their destination had to be the shower first instead.
“We gotta get cleaned up, okay babe?” He set her down on the bathroom counter and leaned over to flip the taps on.
“Bath?”
“Shower.” He shook his head even though his heart squeezed tight when she spoke. “Easier to wash it all off that way. I’ll come in with you if you want or you can do it yourself if you prefer.”
“Stay with me. Please.”
“Always.” He kissed her temple lightly and then helped her to undress.
Rachel wasn’t frozen with fear like he’d been afraid she was. Not like she had been just this morning when Lincoln had threatened her, when she’d thought he would leave her, when she’d realized her brother was going to die. She was pale and tear-stained, bloody and bruised, but she wasn’t broken. Not this time.
God, she was so much stronger than he gave her credit for.
Slowly, he helped her remove the t-shirt she’d been wearing. It was ripped and bloody and he tossed it in the small trashcan next to the toilet. He winced at what he saw when the shirt was removed. The angry marks on Rachel’s neck were already turning from red to purple, and his temper flared all over again. That son of a bitch had tried to strangle her, could have killed her, would have if Remy hadn’t busted in when he did, and tears swarmed his vision as he thought about how close he’d come to losing her tonight.
“Rach…” His voice broke.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m okay.” She soothed him when he knew it should have been the other way around, “You saved me.”
“I’m so sorry.” His hand shook as he lightly traced the damage to her pretty face.
The bruises would be impossible to hide. Not just the handprint around her neck but the angry black eye that was already starting to swell shut. Her lip was busted and dried blood coated her chin. He hated that someone had done this to her while he’d been twenty yards away with no idea what was happening. He hadn’t protected her. Not at all.
“Shh, I’m okay.” She said again, taking his hand and pulling him into a hug, wrapping herself around him, “I love you.”
“I love you too. So much. I thought…” His voice broke again and he struggled to breath, “I thought I lost you.”
“I’m here. I’m right here.” She sniffled against his chest, “Let’s take a shower and wash it all away. I want to wash it all away.”
“Okay.” He managed a nod as he helped her down from the counter and then out of the rest of her clothes.
As Rachel stepped into the shower, he quickly tore off his own clothes and tossed them in the trash can too. They would have to get rid of the entire sack. Burn it probably. But he’d leave that up to his cousin. Lincoln had said he’d send one of the boys for the car so after their shower Remy would stick the clothes out there with it and they could take all of it away at once.
By the time he stepped into the shower behind Rachel, she was standing under the beating water and it ran red at her feet. Streaks of pink trailed down her beautiful body, the last of the blood washing away. The bruises lingered though and so did the pain in her eyes, so he pulled her to him and simply held her for a long time.
He had to remind himself that she was here. She wasn’t really hurt. Not irreparably. The bruises would fade. Her busted lip would heal. They would find their way past this. Somehow.
“Remy?” Rachel said his name a while later, as the heat of the water began to fade and he had to release her to wash up before it ran out completely.
“Yeah?”
“What happens now?”
He winced at the question. He’d known it would come. He knew they had a lot they would have to talk about. But he’d expected her to want to avoid it, to put it off. He’d thought they might simply be able to curl up together in bed and not deal with any of the repercussions until tomorrow.
“We don’t have to talk about it right now.”
Rachel bit her lip, then winced, as if she’d forgotten it was busted, “I know. I just… I need to know. Craig… or his body… what will happen to him now?”
Remy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “He’ll disappear.”
“Oh…”
