“No. I did. I don’t know how I found you, but I did.” I take a solidifying, steadying breath. I need her to know this, but fuck, I wish she didn’t have to hear it.
“Where was I?” she asks. Her eyes are on me, but she’s pulling the watch up to her chest for comfort.
“Broom closet, barely big enough for one person.”
“And what happened?”
“Didn’t anyone tell you, Heidi?” I growl out, completely stunned. Completely annoyed for her.
She raises her chin, “They stuck to telling me what I thought I should know, my injuries, the consequences of me being attacked etc. I remember some of what happened, but not everything. It’s the parts I can’t remember that haunt me the most.”
“Yeah, I get that,” I agree, before releasing a quick exhale. “The lights were off still, but I just knew it was you and what he’d done.”
“He had ADV.”
“When I found you both, he was gone. Lost in madness.” I lock on her eyes, my memories so visceral I’m back in that cramped room surrounded by the sound of her whimpering and fear, the scent of her blood and pain, and the insight I failed her in the worst possible way.
“And?” she prompts after a while. “Please… just say it all.”
I blow out another big exhale. “It was dark. I never knew a room could be that dark. He was actually under you. Like him, you were not really there. And I was fucking glad for that. I could smell your sadness and your terror. I knew you were bleeding. Even without seeing, I was able to scoop you up pretty much as soon as I found you. I nearly got you out, but he had your hair and he wouldn’t let you go. I swear to God, I didn’t know, but then I pretty much heard each strand being ripped out.” I shake my head looking away, getting swept away again by the memory but this time I don’t stop speaking. “Because of how he had your hair, we got yanked backwards. I tripped and fell on you. I thought hearing your hair being pulled out was bad, but when I landed on you, something broke inside you, so yeah… at the time I was so focused on getting you out, but later… knowing I added to your injuries, it’s pretty fucking hard to sleep.”
“I’m sorry,” she says quietly.
“Jesus, Heidi, you have nothing to be sorry for,” I insist.
“I don’t know,” she muses softly. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I was to blame or anything, despite being an Omega.”
“Who fucking blamed you?”
“Who hasn’t is a more accurate question. Tell me what happened once we were on the ground.”
“I snapped his wrist to make him let go. And then when your hair was free from his fist, I broke every one of his fingers before snapping his arm backwards too. Instead of getting you out of there, I…”
“Don’t do that. Clearly he’d already bitten me by that point because that would explain the blood.”
“Yeah. You had all your clothes on because I checked before I left.”
“You touched me up when I was out of it?”
My hand whacks over my chest. “Please don’t make a joke about that.”
“It is my trauma we’re talking about, buddy. I’m pretty sure I get to say whatever I want if it makes me feel better.”
I blow out another breath, knowing she is one hundred percent right. “After that, it all happened quickly. I got you out of there, and raced blindly through the place down to where I knew an exit was. I opened the door and I pretty much crashed into your security who were looking for you. I doubt the guy who I handed you over to even saw me, they saw you and then you were gone.”
She scoffs. “Did they say anything?”
I shake my head. But she doesn’t let go of it. “Is that weird?”
Shrugging, I admit. “I don’t know, Heidi. If the situation was reversed, I would have taken whoever had you in for questioning, but they really were pretty panicked and then you were bleeding and banged up something shocking, so it moved straight over to medical emergency.”
“What did you do?”
“Watched you get put in an ambulance.”
“And then?”
“I ran.” A bitterness rises and coats my insides as soon as I tell her. It’s got a lot to do with the shame I carry at letting her go, but also my anger at having to do what I did to protect my family.
