“We’re leaving,” I snap, glaring back at him. “And if I see your face again, you’ll wish she’d killed you with that lamp, understand?”
“What the fuck?” The man slowly stumbles to his feet, but other than a lump on his head, he seems fine. “She came to me! This is my house! You son of a…” At his full height, he’s a head shorter than me and much thinner.
His threats die even as he tries to size himself up to match me, but he fails. “Whatever. Get out.”
“Come on, Snow. Come with me.”
Her eyes haven’t left mine and she nods slowly, then she finally looks past me to the stranger. “I’m sorry.”
“Out!”
Half an hour later, Snow sits on the kitchen counter of my apartment with her hands clasped around a steaming mug of hot, sweet tea.
I stand between her parted legs, focused on a piece of cotton as I soak it in antiseptic.
“This is going to sting,” I say softly. “But it’ll be okay.”
“Okay.” Snow nods. “It’s fine.”
Despite her reassurances, guilt warms my gut as she flinches when I clean the split on her lower lip.
Knowing she was bleeding and hasn’t had her test results back is alarming, and my concern for her clashes with anger at her actions.
“How could you be so reckless, Snow?”
“Huh?” She turns puppy eyes up to me. “What do you mean?”
“You went to a stranger’s house and didn’t tell anyone where you were going. A man whohurtyou. Do you have any idea how worried I was? To get your call when I was in the middle of surgery and to hear the disgusting things he was saying about you? I was scared, Snow. Scared I’d get there and find you chopped to little bits or worse.”
“But I’m fine.”
“By some stroke of luck.” It’s difficult to keep my voice level. “This was beyond reckless.”
“I just wanted to talk to him. Caleb sent him my money and I wanted it back.”
“Who was he?”
“Dickson.” She looks away, unable to meet my eyes. “He’s a loan shark.”
“A loan shark? Snow… One look at that place and you should have known it was a bad idea. How could you be so reckless? And in your condition.”
“Mycondition?” She jerks her head away from me.
“You’re bleeding, Snow. Didn’t you consider that before approaching someone who could hurt you? If your blood got on him and he had any cuts or anything, he’ll need to get tested, don’t you understand that?”
“I do!” Snow insists and she sets her cup aside. “I didn’t think it would go like that. I didn’t even know it was him until I arrived.”
“Why did you go in the first place?”
“Because I’m trying to get my money back!”
“By yourself?”
“I am by myself!”
“No, Snow!” Try as I do not to yell, it escapes me like an uncontrollable urge and I slam my hand down on the counter. “You’re not alone, Snow. And putting yourself in a dangerous situation like that with no help, and no one knowing where you were… Don't you understand how scared I was? I heard him… all those disgusting things, and all I could think was that I would find you and I would be too late to save you.”
“Xander…” Snow reaches forward and lays one warm, soft hand on my forearm just above my surgical glove. “I was handling it.”
