Almost.
The cut at the corner of her mouth splits when she does, and her breath hitches. I see red.
“You hurt anywhere else?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even.
“Just bruised. Zip ties. Being thrown around.” She shrugs one shoulder. “Nothing’s broken.”
I swallow.
Grinder steps in. “Let me take a look.”
I level him with a stare that warns him very clearly what will happen if he so much as breathes wrong near her.
He smirks faintly. “Medical only, Stud”
He checks her pupils, her ribs, her wrists. I hover so close I might as well be glued to her side.
She winces once when he brushes a tender spot on her side. My hand curls into a fist.
“Bruising,” he says. “Nothing more. She’ll be sore. Cheek needs ice. Lip too. Hydration. Food. Rest.”
“Got it,” I say, reaching for the ice pack.
He hesitates. “You good here?”
My eyes flick to him.
He nods once, understanding everything I don’t say.
“We’ll post a watch,” he adds. “No one gets near this door unless they’re supposed to.”
“Good,” I say.
He claps my shoulder and leaves.
The door shuts.
Silence drops around us.
It’s just me and her.
Holley stares at her hands, wrists red and abraded. I sit on the stool in front of her and gently tilt her chin up.
“Cold,” I warn her.
I press the ice pack to her jaw.
She flinches, then sighs slowly as the numbing starts.
For a moment, neither of us speaks.
Then, “You scared the hell out of me,” I say quietly.
Her eyes shine, but she doesn’t look away. “I was scared too.”
I swallow the huge lump in my throat. “Did he—” The words choke. “Did he do anything else to you?”
“No,” she says quickly. “Just hit me. Threatened us. Talked about… selling us.”
