Page 4 of Just For Me
Great. Some help I was.
He took a half step back. “I said, gimme your purse, bitch.”
My mind raced, desperately seeking whatever would get me through this alive and intact. What was I supposed to do? Give him what he wanted? Or fight and try to get away?
Another rough shove and I made my decision. “T-t-take it,” I whispered, pulling it from my shoulder. He grabbed it, snagging my swollen wrist in the process. Ignoring my gasp of pain, he shoved it under his baggy coat, then narrowed his eyes. “Whatcha hidin’ there?”
I clutched the package tighter to my chest. “Nothing.”
“Give it.” When I shook my head, he wrenched the bag from my hold, snarling in disgust when he looked inside. “A book? A fucking book?”
He tossed it to the side, right toward a puddle. “No!” I cried, lunging for it, but I was too late. The paper gift bag hit the water with a splash. My Nick Penn book, the one I’d been waiting for, was ruined. Irrational rage surged inside me. It was the last straw.
“You bastard!” I cried out, bringing my foot up with the intent of introducing his privates to my sensible, low-heeled ankle boots. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was his first snatch and grab. He anticipated the move and turned to the side, so I ended up just glancing his thigh. My standing knee, the one I’d twisted earlier, protested with a sharp pain, but I was too far gone in my rage to care. I just wanted tohurthim.
My foot was already coming up for a second strike when he decided he’d had enough.
“Fucking crazy bitch,” he growled. Pain exploded against the front of my face a second or two before I felt the back of my head hit the bricks. Then I was falling. I was only vaguely aware of his footsteps pounding the wet pavement as he ran away with my purse.
For the second time that day, cold water was seeping into my pants. The upside of that was that it took some of my focus away from the pain, which was on the heavy side of “ow”. I leaned forward and grabbed the soggy bag. It fell apart with the first tug, revealing the awful truth. The jacket was ruined, the pages already swelling.
I snatched it up out of the water and held it to my chest. Then the tears started to fall.
“Miss? Are you all right?”
I don’t know how long I‘d been sitting there before I heard the voice, but it couldn’t have been too long. I looked up into the face of another stranger kneeling before me, this one wearing dark blue rain gear etched with the local police department logo. I got the impression it wasn’t the first time he’d asked me.
“Yes,” I said numbly. “I’m okay.” My whole body was kind of numb, actually.
If the concern on his face was anything to go by, he didn’t believe me.
“Can you tell me your name, miss?”
“Katherine.” I was starting to pull myself together, tiny bit by bit.
“I was mugged.” The words came out slurred; I lifted one hand to my face, which felt bigger than usual. A fist to the face will do that to you. “He ruined my book,” I added in a whisper, the tears starting to flow freely again.
I tried to get my body to stand, but it was harder than I thought. A gentle but firm hand on my shoulder discouraged another attempt. “Easy there,” he said, giving me a vague sense of déjà vu. Where else had I heard those words recently? Oh, right. The quiet guy from the bookstore. The one who’d called me a wrecking ball. I felt the heat in my skin, embarrassed all over again.
“Just sit tight, all right? Help is on the way. I’m going to call for an ambulance.”
His words brought me out of the bookstore and back to the alley. “I don’t need an ambulance,” I countered weakly. “I just want to go home.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Katherine, but your face tells me otherwise.”
“I’ve got ice for that,” I tried.
I swear amusement flickered briefly in those concerned brown eyes. Eyes that seemed vaguely familiar. But before my fuzzy mind could place them, he said, “Just let them check you out, okay? It would makemefeel better. Please?”
I couldn’t imagine why he would care one way or the other, but he had a kind face and I guess it was part of his sworn oath to protect and serve or something.
“Okay,” I sighed heavily. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the rest of my night in the ER, but it was probably the smart thing to do. If nothing else, maybe they could give me some prescription strength ibuprofen or something. “But can we ride in your car instead? I really don’t like ambulances.”
That was the truth. The last time I’d been in an ambulance, it had been after the car accident that had left me with just a few cuts and bruises but claimed the life of my sister. Even the telltale wail of the sirens brought the images from that day back into sharp focus, and to be completely honest, I just didn’t feel strong enough to deal with any of that at that point.
For a few moments, I thought he was going to refuse. Maybe it was against the rules or something, I don’t know; I’d never really considered it before. But then I saw compassion in those kind eyes and he nodded.
He took off his rain slicker and wrapped it around me, then helped me to my feet. His arm kept me from falling right back down when my head swam dizzily. He was big and strong and warm, and I’ll admit, I put my pride on the shelf temporarily and let him help me.
