A text came through on his phone.
Polly: She’s awake.
Something tuggedMaggie from the darkness. A voice. It was soft and familiar and made her want to reach out and touch the person behind it.
She breathed—in and out—trying to turn the hum of the voice into words.
The tone was sad. She knew that without having to understand anything.
Focus, Maggie.
“And you get me, you know? You’ve always been the only person in the entire world to really get me. So if you insist on staying asleep, I’ll have no one. And that’s something that will haunt you forever. Do you want that? I don’t think you do.”
Maggie’s lips twitched.
“Hey. Did you just smile? Can you hear me?”
With a frown, Maggie opened her eyes. Jesus, it was bright in here.
“Maggie!” Polly gasped. “You’re awake! Thank God!”
Maggie blinked. Once. Twice. Slowly, the room came into focus. “Am I in the hospital?”
Polly blinked back visible tears. “Yes, um, you went back to my house and someone hit you in the back of the head.”
She closed her eyes, the memory coming back to her. The deafening sound of smashing glass. The pain that shot through her skull.
When she opened her eyes again, Polly was typing something on her phone.
The door opened and her breath caught at the sight of Ethan. At the fire in his eyes. The concern and anger and maybe even a bit of fear on his face.
He closed the space between them in three long strides before taking her hand in his large one. “You’re awake.”
The kiss between him and Jay flashed in her mind, but she pushed it back. Now wasn’t the time for that. “How did I get here?”
“I followed you back to Polly’s house. I found you on the floor surrounded by broken glass.”
Her brows flickered. “Did you see the person who hit me?”
“No.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “They ran out the back door.”
So they were still out there. The person who’d followed her inside her home. Hurt her. Left her bleeding on the floor.
She felt sick.
“Hey.”
At the deep rumble of Ethan’s voice, she looked back up at him.
He cupped her cheek. “We’re going to find this person.”
He spoke with such conviction, his words felt like a vow. Like there was no possibility of him not following through.
She nodded, still not sure she fully believed him. She wanted to. But fear was too thick in the air.
Polly squeezed her other hand before rising. “I’m going to head home and grab you some clothes. Do you need anything else? Bodywash? Deodorant?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
