“I just want to check you over,” I said to her gently, my hands rubbing carefully up and down her arms.
She gave a violent shudder that had me biting back further tears and my mind screaming profanities directed at my stepfather, but then she nodded her consent. Her trust in me sowholehearted that I felt unworthy, guilt at having brought this hell down upon her tearing me apart inside. But I had to bury it. Feeling guilty wasn’t going to get us to safety.
Preparing myself, I gritted my teeth and parted the towel. Keeping my composure steady, outwardly at any rate, I scanned her body for any wounds that looked like they needed immediate attention. In truth, I didn’t really know where to begin ... her body, so beautiful and feminine, had taken on a patchwork blanket of varying shades of color. Not a limb had gone unscathed. She screamed fragile and broken, and it was all I could do not to crush her to me and refuse to let her go again.
“Where’s your first aid kit?” I asked quietly.
“Medicine cabinet” — she paused to yawn and wince simultaneously — “in the bathroom.”
“I’ll be back,” I said, closing the quilt around her.
Hurrying out of the room, I grabbed the first aid kit from the bathroom and headed for the kitchen area, closing the living room window as I passed to shut out the morning chill. Locating the freezer, I hunted out an ice tray and dropped the contents into a cloth. I was gone mere minutes, yet when I returned she was fast asleep, curled in a tight ball at the edge of her bed.
I studied her peaceful form and couldn’t bring myself to disturb her too much. Joining her on the bed, I gently pulled her body back to spoon against me and placed the ice against her jaw. She moaned in protest.
“Hush, baby, it will help,” I said into her hair, kissing it gently.
She buried her head under my chin and stilled, sleep consuming her once more. She was utterly wiped out.
Now I really didn’t know what to do. She desperately needed to rest and I needed to get us out of here before my stepfather hunted us down. But surely half an hour wouldn’t hurt? By my reckoning, he wouldn’t even know that I was missing yet. I couldtry and get some rest too. I still felt groggy from the dose the doctor had given me and now that I was lying down, my body relished the comfort.
Nuzzling into her, I closed my eyes and inhaled her freshly-bathed scent, the smell soothing me to the core.
Yes, half an hour would do it and then we could get moving.
I would use the time to plan our next move...
Chapter Eighteen
Ibecame aware of an incessant buzzing at my ear. The bloody fly persistently irritating me and dragging me out of my peaceful slumber. Groggily, I flapped my hand at the pest only to be rewarded with a shower of water droplets. I groaned and buried my face into the softness of the pillow beneath me to dry it off, curling my body into the warm figure before me as the move prompted a contented feminine sigh...
Emma!
My eyes flew open as realization dawned — I’d fallen asleep! And not for a short while either, if the defrosted makeshift ice pack that had soaked my hand was anything to go by. How could I have been so stupid?
Freeing my arm from Emma’s sleepy hold, I lifted my wrist to check the time. We’d been out of it for an hour.
Shit!
The buzzing picked up again; now that I was fully awake it was obvious that it was Emma’s doorbell. Rolling out of bed, I shot to the living room window and scanned the street, looking for any sign of who was at the door. I saw my stepfather’s car immediately; you couldn’t miss the bright red Ferrari on this street. Fear coursed through me, but I tried to tell myself I could handle him. He wouldn’t dare hurt me like he had Emma. I just needed to keep him away from her.
I moved to drop the curtain but my hand froze as a new car pulled onto the street. It was Dr Tate!
Now I truly was scared. Why would my stepfather call upon him unless it was to administer meds?
All sorts of horrific thoughts raced through my mind and my stomach churned. I gripped the windowsill and took a steadyingbreath. I needed to call the cops. There was no way Emma and I were getting out of the apartment block without a fight. And it wouldn’t take my stepfather long to decide that the fire escape would give them a route in.
Racing back into the bedroom, I shook Emma awake, panic making me less aware of her wounds, and she yelped as she shot up on the bed.
“Ow! Abi!” she said rubbing at her shoulder, tears pricking at her eyes.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I need your cell. Where is it?”
“In the kitchen, on charge.”
I flew into the kitchen, scanning desperately for the phone. Sure enough it was plugged in on the counter. Lunging for it, I almost sent it flying across the room, just managing to rescue it by the charging cable still connected to its bottom. I pulled it up and tugged the cable out, navigating the unfamiliar device for the emergency services dial screen.
“Come on, come on, come on,” I mumbled as my nervous fingers took several fumbling attempts to correctly dial out. Finally, I did it, and holding it to my ear I ran back to the bedroom.
