One foot twitched.
“Are you okay?”
A thin, pain-filled whine answered her.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her instincts whispered something’s wrong, and her stomach clenched tight. She slowed her steps, every sense sharpening as she approached.
“I just want to check on you,” she announced, forcing her voice to stay light even as her heart began to thud harder. “Would you like some water?”
She reached the end of the dumpster and released a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding before peering around.
“Oh my God, Melody.”
Beth rushed forward and dropped into a crouch beside the woman whose curls gave her away every time. The sight of her hit Beth like a punch to the chest.
Someone had beaten Melody until her face was nearly unrecognizable. Her eyes were swollen almost shut, her cheeks grotesquely puffy, and her lips split and crusted with blood. A dark stream ran from her nose down her chin to her white T-shirt, staining it red. Some had even splattered onto her denim shorts.
Beth’s hands trembled. “Jesus, what happened?” Panic surged, fast and sharp. “I’m calling for help.”
She reached for her pocket.
Nothing.
“Fuck. My phone’s inside.” Her breath came quicker now, uneven and wheezy. “Okay. Okay.” She swallowed hard. “Let me help you. We should get you out of the heat, then I can call for an ambulance. Can you stand?”
Melody tried to speak, but the sound barely made it past her lips. She clutched her ribs, breathing in shallow, broken breaths.
“What?” Beth leaned down until her ear hovered just above Melody’s mouth. “Say it again.”
“You… were… right…”
Beth’s blood turned to ice. The only thing she could be referring to was the warning about Demo.
“Demo did this to you?” The words tasted rancid on her tongue.Was he still in the area?Fear spiked, icy and sharp. “We have to go. You need EMS, and I have to call S… my dad.” This involved the club, and as much as it gutted her, calling Saint wouldn’t get her to the MC right now. She’d call him directly after her father. And if they both showed up, well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. Now she needed to make sure Melody wouldn’t die.
“I’m sorry,” she said shakily, slipping an arm behind Melody’s back. “This is going to hurt. On three. One…”
Melody pushed a weak hand against Beth’s shoulder. “No.”
“What?” Beth leaned in again, confusion tangling with fear. “We can’t stay here.”
“S-sorry.”
Beth shook her head. “Shh, we’ll deal with that later. Right now, we need to move.”
Melody shook her head again, making Beth sigh in exasperation.
“Mel, we need to move.”
She said something.
“What? Red?” She leaned in. “Is that what you said?”
“R-run.”
The word hit her like a gunshot.
“Run?” Beth’s stomach dropped. “Fuck, is he here? Melody, is he still around? We need to move fast.”
