I tried not to smile when she reached for some bacon. I was relieved she felt well enough to eat. I kept pretending to read while she ate the entire strip, then took some fruit and poured herself water. It wasn’t until she went for a second helping of fruit that I finally looked up at her.
I didn’t say anything, but she instantly tensed when she noticed my attention. My heart rate picked up—and not because she was staring back at me with those winter-blue eyes of hers.
Sometimes, I was still shocked by how pale they were…verging on silver. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anyone with such an interesting color. I’d always been told my robin’s-egg blue ones were pretty, but they didn’t compare to hers.
“What?” she snapped when I continued to hold her gaze without saying anything.
Anxiety spiked—cold and agitating—in my chest. From the moment I’d gotten out of bed that morning, I’d been dreading this conversation. It had to be done, but I wasn’t sure how she’d take it.
I pulled in a slow, deep breath. Nervousness crossed her face, as if she felt the energy radiating off me.
“We need to talk about something,” I said carefully, “and I need you to hear me out.”
Her eyebrows lowered, sharp and disapproving. “What do you need to talk to me about?”
I closed my book. “We need to discuss reporting what happened to you to the police.”
I said it as softly and gently as I could, but she still flinched.
She didn’t pause before saying, “No.”
I’d expected that. I tried to keep my face impartial and nodded because I wanted to be understanding. I didn’t know exactly what had happened to her in her past, but something about the police clearly triggered her—which made everything harder.
“You wouldn’t have to go to the station,” I explained, trying to put her at ease. “I’m friendly with a detective. He’s a good guy, Quinn. I can have him meet with you here to talk, or wherever you’d feel comfortable.”
She’d gone pale again, her top lip curling. “No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
I let her calm down for a minute. A strange urge to reach across the table and touch her clenched hand came over me, but I ignored it.
I didn’t want her to have to go to the police if the mere mention of it made her tremble. Ideally, I’d go to my brothers about this. If things were normal, I would’ve texted them last night and had the whole investigation started already.
Reid used to be a detective, and August would know exactly what to do—how to help me figure out who attacked her. But since that last meeting with them, I didn’t feel comfortable asking for their help with Quinn. Things hadn’t gotten any better. August and Reid were still absent from family dinner, and I hadn’t spoken much to them in the last week.
It made me feel more alone than I had in a long time.
As much as I didn’t want to do anything that might retraumatize Quinn, I needed to keep her safe—and finding out who attacked her had to be a priority.
Cautiously, I spoke again. “I know it’s hard. I don’t want to ask this of you, but we can’t let this person get away with what they did to you.”
She clenched her jaw. “I’m fine. Nothing horrible happened.”
I couldn’t tell whether she was talking about what happened last night or…whatever had happened in her past.
I let out a long breath. “It’s not just you, though,” I said, treading lightly to keep her from shutting down. “Whoever did that to you last night meant you harm. They hurt you, Quinn. Who’s to say they won’t try again? What if someone else is attacked because the police didn’t know?”
Horror dawned on her face. Her mouth opened as the idea sank in.
I was hoping that would do it—that it would be someone else’s safety that convinced her.
Resting my elbows on the table, I leaned toward her. “You can speak with Detective Whize on your own terms. Like I said, he’s a good guy. You won’t have to go to the station. I’ll help you in whatever way I can.”
She closed her eyes, her face crumpling. “There will just…there will be so many questions,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to.”
Her throat dipped as she swallowed. “They’ll probably want to—to do an examination.” She almost shuddered when she said it.
Her eyes were still closed tight, as if the memories that haunted her were too much to bear. “You won’t have to do that. Anna examined you last night. She took photographic evidence. She can deal with that if they need it.”
