Page 60 of First Time

A blanket lay askew on the sheet-free mattress tucked against a corner of the basement.

Swinging Becky up into my arms, I set my sights on getting her across the open area and wrapped up tight.

I put her down on the mattress’s edge and draped the blanket over her shoulders. “Can you stand up, sweetness?” I murmured, tucking hair away from her face.

Eyes closed, she jerked her head in a nod but struggled to carry any weight while once more leaning against me.

Cradled to my side, she shuffled forward as I led us toward the stairs. No fucking way would she be able to climb them.

Once more, I hefted her into my arms, and she let out a gasp that had me clenching my jaw tight.

“T-too heavy,” she murmured but didn’t argue any further.

My gaze flitted around the kitchen when I reached the top stair, and I strained my ears for any noise. We still seemed to be alone.

I managed to flip the lock on the front door without putting her down. The driveway and street sat empty.

A few quick strides took me to my SUV. I didn’t feel the cold, but Becky seemed to, shivering to the point I struggled to keep hold of her.

Shock, I realized once I stood beside my back door.

“I’m sorry, sweetness, but you have to stand for two seconds so I can open the car door.” I slid Becky to her feet, cursing myself for not thinking ahead, but I’d been so focused on getting her out of the damn house that clothing, let alone socks and shoes, hadn’t crossed my mind.

I yanked open the door and helped her crawl in, tucking the blanket around her as she curled into a fetal position on my back seat.

“Do you need me to get anything from the house?”

“N-nothing.” A shudder rippled the blanket around her. “He already s-smashed or ripped up all my personal items. C-Clothes t-too.” Her hoarse voice escaped from the confines of her covering, and I clenched my jaw as a sob followed her words.

I wanted to kill the motherfucker. Tear off his arms and legs and burn his body until nothing but ash and bone remained.

Body tensed, rage screaming for release, I climbed into the car and started the engine. My jaw ached, my stomach a goddamned rock. I flicked the heat on full blast even though sweat soaked my button-down.

Lawrence General was less than ten minutes away, but I hopped back onto the highway, heading south to Melrose-Wakefield.

“You’re going to be okay,” I swore, the sniffling from the back seat driving me to the point of madness. “I’ll never let him near you again. Ever.”

“Th-thank you for rescuing m-me,” Becky whispered.

“I should have come sooner. I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry.” I pounded a fist on my steering wheel, my insides twisting hard enough my abs clenched. “I should have known better. Shouldn’t have let you go to work this morning.”

“N-Not your fault,” she murmured, her scratchy voice fading.

A thought near choked off my breath. “Did he give you anything? Drugs? Anything to drink?”

“N-no, and I’m s-so thirsty.”

Teeth clenched, I broke every law making my way to the hospital.

I parked in front of the ER entrance and managed with a little help from Becky to get her out of the car and into my arms again. I hip-bumped the car door to shut it, not even attempting to lock it up.

The hospital doors swished open, and I strode to the receptionist, shifting Becky in my arms. “Fucking ex-boyfriend beat the shit out of her.”

The receptionist hopped up and hurried from behind her desk. “Here—” She pushed open a door and led me into the nurse triage area. I all but fell into the straight-backed chair, holding Becky tight.

A nurse shuffled in, and I gave a quick explanation of what had happened.

Lips pursed, she listened while taking Becky’s temperature and pulse. “Pain on a scale of one to ten?” she gently asked Becky while clicking on the computer.

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