My molars nearly shatter at the mental image of Hazel running through the dark, terrified and crying while the intruder sprinted after her. “Where did you go?”
“My neighbor’s,” she replies. “Paula. I wasn’t sure I’d make it there before… he caught up to me. But… I did. And I made her hide in the basement until the police came. So he couldn’t break in and hurt her, too.”
Hazel stares at her lap for a moment before raising her head to look at me with fresh tears in her eyes. “I didn’t want to get her involved. But I didn’t know where else to go.” She sucks in a shuddering breath. “But… he got away. The police couldn’t find him. What if he comes after Paula? And it’s all my fault?”
“It’s not your fault. None of it.”
Her shoulders sag. “I guess.” After a long pause, she says quietly, “I’m sorry for calling you so late. But… I wasn’t sure… I don’t know what to do. Where to go. My house—” Her voice cracks. “I can’t go back there.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, hugging her to my side. “We’re going to figure this out. Okay?”
Tears slide down her cheeks. “Can you… maybe give me a ride to a hotel? I don’t want to ask someone from work to stay with them. Just… what if the burglar comes back looking for me? And?—”
“You’re not going to a hotel.”
Her brown furrows. “But?—”
“We’ll go to GMG,” I interrupt. “Enzo’s house, more specifically. Just to talk things over. We can make a plan from there.”
“Enzo’s house?”
“Yeah. He lives on the property. We could go to the building that serves as our official headquarters, but at this time of night, I think his place will be more comfortable.”
Small teeth dig into her lower lip. “I don’t want to bother anyone.”
“You’re not. I promise.”
As she lifts her gaze to mine, there’s a cautious hope in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Something inside my chest pulls.
“Yeah, Haze.” I gently brush a tear from her cheek. “I’m sure.”
CHAPTER 5
HAZEL
“Before we get there,do you have any questions about GMG?”
Alec’s voice breaks the heavy silence in the car, yanking me out of a suffocating loop of memories. I jolt in surprise, whacking my elbow on the car door and yelping at the sudden flash of pain.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Hazel.” He glances at me with contrition creasing his features. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” His gaze moves to my elbow, which I’m cradling with my other hand. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“No, I’m fine,” I reply automatically. Releasing my elbow, I force a thin smile. “Just whacked my funny bone is all. No big deal.”
And really, the fading ache is far preferable to the violent images burned into my memory.
Images of the masked man lunging for me with malevolent glee in his eyes.
Of his large, gloved hand clamping around my arm, his grip hard and punishing.
Images of my terrified flight from the house, the shadows bringing promise of more enemies. Of standing at Paula’s front door, pounding on it, praying for it to open before the intruder caught up to me.
How many terrible things can you store away in your mind before it breaks?
Alec’s attention shifts back to the road. In profile, his features are mostly in shadow, with hints of moonlight catching the lines and angles. A frown tugs at his lips. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I assure him. “A bruised elbow won’t kill me.”
