“I need you,” she cries, and then begs for me to take her home. Her sobs break through the red haze I’m in as I push off the guy and leave him coughing and spitting out a tooth on the ground.
Without saying a word, I pick up Savi and cradle her to my chest. She continues to sob against me as I walk down the dark road and put her gently in the front seat of my car.
“I…I can’t go home like this,” she says, her voice in a complete panic. “Please take me to your place.”
“We need to go to the police, Savi. You need an exam and…” I swallow down the guilt that’s suffocating me. “They need to make sure there isn’t any damage. You’re bleeding,” I say, straining to breathe through the pain in my chest.
“And I will go. I promise. I just need a minute. Please Knox. Don’t make me go now. I can’t face everyone just yet. Please,” she says, breaking down again and burying her face in her hands as sobs wreck her small frame.
“Shhh. It’s okay.” I put my hand on her leg to try to soothe her, and she flinches at my touch. She curls up into a ball further, and I hate that she’s afraid of me.
I quickly pull away as my fingers curl into a fist. It’s killing me to see her eyes still wide with fear. My fingernails dig into my palm painfully as I resist the violent urge to seek him out again.
I suck in a painful breath, knowing she’ll never look at me the same way again. Can I blame her?
She just watched me practically kill a guy in front of her. I’m the last person she’s ever going to feel safe with now that she knows what I’m capable of.
“Just for a few minutes, okay? Then it’s straight to the police, and your family will make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, hugging her knees to her chest and sniffling.
The drive back to my place is silent while we both deal with our own personal hell of what just happened. When we get to the Airbnb I’m staying at for the week, I get out and pick her up again, carrying her inside and gently setting her on the sofa.
Walking to the kitchen, I get her a glass of water before handing it to her.
“Thanks,” she sniffs, taking a small sip before her eyes get wide. “You're hurt,” she whispers, grabbing my right hand and lightly touching my knuckles that are split wide open and coated in dried blood.
She’s the one who’s been through hell, yet she still wants to take care of me.
“I’m fine,” I say quickly, not wanting her to waste a single second worried about me. I pull my hand away just as my phone rings. I see Ben’s name on my screen and should probably answer it. He may know more about this Todd guy and where I can find him later.
I step away, putting the phone up to my ear, making sure I keep a close watch on her as she drinks some more water.
“Knox, are you here? I can’t find you anywhere. Kylie’s looking all over for Savannah.”
“She’s with me. Tell Kylie she wasn’t feeling well, and I took her home.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you found her. You won’t believe what just happened. Some dude just wrapped his car around a pole and got himself killed. He left the party, and people were saying he was wasted. Bryce is freaking out that it’s going to get back to the police that it was his party he was leaving.”
“Who was the guy?” I ask, gripping the phone tightly.
“Some guy named Todd. Guy wasn’t even from around here. Was on spring break with some of his friends.”
My brain tries to wrap around what he’s telling me.
He’s dead.
“I’ve got to go, Ben. Thanks for calling me earlier. I owe you one.”
I hang up before he can reply and walk back to Savi. Sitting down next to her, I notice the blood under her fingernails and the bruises starting to form on her thighs and arms. I suck in a painful breath and try to rein in the anger I feel towards this dead guy.
She’s what I need to focus on now…not him.
“That was my friend Ben on the phone. He was at the party you were at.” Her eyes lift to mine, and I see the worry in her eyes and shake my head.
“No one knows. I told him you weren’t feeling good and to tell Kylie I took you home.” I hesitate briefly, and she picks up on it.
“What is it?”
