Her shoulders droop.
For a long moment, she doesn’t speak. Her fingers find the hem of her shirt, and she picks at a loose thread, twisting it around and around.
“My stockings,” she finally whispers.
“What?”
“I’d left them when I started to leave.” Her voice is so quiet I have to strain to hear it. “It’s hard to find the right ones, so… I didn’t want to leave them behind.”
She pauses. Swallows. Her shoulders curl inward like she’s trying to make herself smaller.
“I hurried back to grab them when somebody grabbed me by the hair and shoved me against the wall.”
Her hand drifts up to the back of her head, touching the spot like she can still feel it.
“My head hit it, and I slumped. Apparently, the senator is pretty spry for an older guy.”
I don’t speak. I barely breathe. If I make a sound, I’m afraid I’ll spook her—or I’ll lose what little control I have left.
Claire’s fingers are still working at that thread, pulling it tighter and tighter around her fingertip until the skin turns white.
“Every time I was around him, he’d always make comments about my lips. My mouth.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. Just something hollow and broken. “I guess I should’ve guessed that’s what he’d want first.”
My stomach drops through the floor.
No. No, no, no.
“I’d never…” Her voice cracks. She clears her throat and tries again, but her words come out fractured. Halting. “I’d never done it before. And for too goddamn long, I was just… shocked. Frozen. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think.”
She still won’t look at me. Her gaze is fixed on something outside the window, but I don’t think she’s really seeing anything at all.
“Eventually, I bit down.”
The words hang in the air.
“He flew backward. My mouth tasted like blood.” A shudder runs through her whole body. “And I kicked him in the leg so I could make a break for it.”
The room falls silent. I can hear Claire sniffle, and I know she’s crying. Silent tears streaming down her face while she stands there, still picking at that damn thread like it’s the only thing holding her together.
Something inside me cracks wide open.
I think of my team. The ones I couldn’t save. The ambush I didn’t see coming.
I couldn’t save them. But I can save her.
The thought settles into my bones like concrete.
Tentatively, I rest my hand on her shoulder. She flinches at first, then slowly relaxes under my touch.
“You did the right thing,” I say, my voice rough. “That was damn brave of you.”
Claire spins around, her tear-stained face screwed up into a frown. “Brave? I let him assault me. It shouldn’t have even gotten that far.”
“You bit the guy’s dick.”
Neither of us can help the short chuckle that escapes. It breaks some of the tension, but not the fire burning in my chest.
“That’s damn impressive.” I hold her gaze, letting her see every ounce of what I’m feeling. “And he’s going to pay, Claire. I promise you.”
