“Oh, thank God,” she cries out before jumping into my arms and holding me tight. “I was so scared you were going to get in trouble, and I couldn’t get you to stop,” she sobs. “But you’re here…you’re safe.” She buries her face in my neck, and I let myself sink into her embrace as my arms come around her.
“I’m here. It was just a bad dream.”
“They always feel so real,” she quietly cries into my neck. I feel her tears dampen my skin as I allow myself to hold her tight. Her heart is beating frantically against my chest as I start to rub her back in soothing motions.
“How often do you get them?” I ask softly.
“Not too much anymore,” she hiccups in my ear as her breathing begins to level out. “I used to get them every night that first year, but it’s only once every few months now.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner. If I had just been faster getting there, I could have stopped him.” My voice catches as the guilt consumes me all over again.
“What are you talking about?” She pulls back, her eyes wide. “You have nothing to be sorry for. What you did…” She stops as the words fail her. “You saved me, Knox. It could have been so much worse if you hadn’t stopped him. He was talking about his friends coming to have fun next,” she swallows hard as her lips begin to tremor and the tears start to fall again.
Anger slashes through me, and for once, I wish he weren’t dead so I could seek him out to punish him more.
If it hadn’t been for her, Iwouldhave killed him.
Memories resurface in a rush as I hold her while the dark secret that binds us pulls me back to that night.
Knox - Twenty-One YearsOld
“What do you mean she’s there? She’s fifteen fucking years old, and it’s a college party,” I yell into the phone as I whip my car around and head in the other direction. “How long has she been there?”
“I don’t know, man. I just got here, and Kylie’s brother told me he let them stay to keep them quiet so they wouldn’t tell their parents about the party. You told me to call you if I ever heard news about her. I’ll let you know if I see her, but she’s probably hanging out with Kylie somewhere.”
Ben isn’t the only one who keeps tabs on Savi for me. When I got called up to New York, I made sure there were eyes on her everywhere. I know she has her brothers, but I needed the extra protection on her for my own peace of mind.
“I’m on my way now. If you see her before I get there, don’t let her out of your sight.”
Thoughts begin to race through my head of all the things that could go wrong.
“Will do.” He hangs up, and I throw my phone on the seat next to me.
“Fuck!” I yell, stepping on the gas and weaving through traffic. I know Kylie’s brother and the crowd that usually shows up at his parties. He doesn’t care who he lets in as long as they show up with drugs and alcohol.
I debate whether to call Miles, but I’m closer to Bryce’s house than he is. I’ll have her out of that scene before he can even make it there. He’ll bring his brothers too, and there’s no telling what will go down, not to mention how much trouble Savi will be facing.
Right now, I just need to make sure she’s safe, then I can decide if her brothers need to be involved.
I speed onto the street that takes me further out of town, where the house is tucked away on a dead-end street. Cars line the curbs on either side and fill the front yard as I quickly shove my car into park and jump out, as I scan the area for any sign of her.
I ask every person I see as I walk toward the house if they’ve seen the person I describe before someone finally thinks they saw her with Todd a few minutes ago walking down the road toward the woods along the property line.
My heart hammers in my chest as I jog in that direction, praying the feeling in my gut is dead wrong and I’m not too late.
I see movement in a car as I get closer, and when a muffled scream fills the air, I break out into a run and yank open the back door. I grab the guy from the back and throw him out of the car, not even knowing if Savi is in there.
When I peer in, all the blood drains from my body as I realize it’s her. The blue eyes that were once so full of light are filled with so much fear that it cuts me to the core. Torn fabric is on the seat, and her clothes are askew as she curls herself into a ball and cries. When I see the blood, I feel a rage like I’ve neverfelt before rear up inside me as I turn toward the guy who’s about to take his last breath.
“What the hell, man? Can’t you see I was busy in there?” His eyes go wide as I descend upon him with the wrath of fury nipping at my heels.
I see red as my fist slams into his face, one after another. Blood pours from his nose as he falls to the ground, but I keep going as he tries to dodge the blows.
Savi’s voice barely registers in the background. Something about how I’m going to kill him and my career.
Fuck my career. He needs to die as I get another blow in, sending another spray of blood from his mouth.
Then I hear it.
