Xander stood and walked over to Niyah. He picked her up from the corner and wrapped his arm around her. “Come on.”
He led her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. Since her scrubs were down around her ankle, walking was difficult. Niyah thought he was going to sit her on the bed, but he leaned her against a wall instead. Warm tears saturated her face as she pictured her sweet friend’s bloody corpse.
“Niyah, we need to call the police. But, first, I gotta get you out of these clothes.”
When Xander lifted her legs so that she could step out of the scrubs, Niyah caught his hand. She reached to pull them back up, only to discover that they were wet. With a gasp, Niyah realized that she’d pissed herself. Unable to imagine herself being any more embarrassed, Niyah lifted her leg and allowed him to peel away her urine-soaked clothes.
Xander returned to the bathroom, leaving her naked, humiliated, and horrified. He came out with a large bath towel. “You go to the guest bath and get cleaned up,” he said as he wrapped her in the towel. “I’ll call the police and bring you something clean to wear.”
Niyah swiped a tear from her cheek and nodded. She pushed off the wall and left the bedroom, headed for the guest bath. Once inside, she sat on the toilet and inhaled a deep breath. Death didn’t affect her like it did most. Niyah saw the dead body as a vehicle, merely a vessel that carried the soul, much like a car that was absent a passenger. But India was her friend. She didn’t see a vessel in her bathtub. It wasIndia,her drinking buddy, sounding board, travel partner, and fellow foodie.
Niyah stood, clutching the towel and walked over to the mirror. “Get yourself together!” she scolded. She needed to get over the humiliation of being stripped naked by Xander Creed because she’d peed her pants. It was almost certain that he’d never look at her the same again.
Niyah turned around and prepared the shower. Maybe she could scrub away the shame. ?
CHAPTER 21
BELLA
“Damn, boo! Dude fucked you up!” Victoria Storm teased way to close to Bella’s face.
“Move, bitch. Your breath stank.”
Victoria laughed and took a seat in the chair next to her bed. “Really, though, how are you feeling?”
Bella struggled to sit up. She had no intention of entertaining Victoria while lying on her back. “I feel like I got beat the fuck up.”
“Too bad I wasn’t there to save you…again.” Victoria goaded.
Bella rolled her eyes and muttered, “Yeah, too bad. Who let you in?”
Victoria grinned. “I brought you some things.” She pointed to a vase filled with lilies on a table across the room. “I guess you’re supposed to bring those for the sick and shut in.”
“Thank you, Victoria.”
Victoria grabbed a bag from the floor and handed it to Taylor. “Now, this is what you need.”
Bella looked inside the bag and frowned. “What is this stuff?”
“Pull it out,” Victoria insisted.
Bella reached inside and pulled out the first item. It was a pair of resistance bands. The next item she pulled out was a stress ball.”
Puzzled by the strange gifts, she looked over at Victoria with knitted brows.
“To increase your arm and hand strength. We need to get you trigger ready for when we find out who’s got it out for you.” Victoria nodded toward the bag. “Keep going.”
Bella reached in the bag and pulled out a tube of some kind of ointment.
“Arnica,” Victoria offered. “It’s for bruising. Keep going.”
Bella dipped back into the bag and pulled out a Ziplock bag filled with… “Weed?” Bella questioned with a raised brow.
Victoria smiled. “It’s for the pain.”
Bella laughed. “You know I can’t smoke weed. You trying to get me fired?”
Victoria smacked her lips. “You know you’re about to be off work for months. That shit will be out of your system by then.” Victoria snatched the Ziplock bag. “As a matter of fact. I’m experiencing a bit of knee pain right now.”
