Page 123 of You Saw the Best In Me

“Okay, okay. I’ll do that. I’m sorry, man. She’s nothing like I remember. Do you love her?” he asks, and I spit in his face.

“You don’t get to ask me questions. I love her more than I value my own life, and I will kill to protect her, do you understand?” I say, twisting my fingers into a stitch.

“Yes. I understand,” he cries, and I hold my gloved hand over his mouth.

“Good. Your last instruction will come once you’re in prison. It’ll be your way out and Karina’s freedom.”

Nothing else needs to be said. He nods, knowing exactly what I mean.

“If you try and make contact with Karina, I know people who know someone else, and you won’t last the night. You’ve caused her enough pain, and once she’s stable I’m taking her home,” I say, slapping his face, and his eyes widen.

“What do you mean, once she’s stable?” he begs, and I deliver the final blow to his fucking conscious.

“She’s under a psych evaluation because of you, for the second time in her life, and this time, I’m the one who’s got her best interests at heart,” I twist my hand in another stitch for good measure before walking away.

“Wait. Please, wait,” he cries, and I turn, not stepping closer to him.

“What?” I spit.

“Tell her I’m sorry. I could never be the man you are. I’ll do everything you ask if you tell her I’m sorry and that I love her,” he finishes, and I race back to his bedside, wrapping my hands around his neck.

“I will never apologize on your behalf. You kidnapped her, and that is the last thing you’ll ever know about Karina,” I say, slowly easing my grip on him as the guard pulls me away.

“You’re done,” he yells, holding me strong and dragging me away.

The elevator closes, and I take a few deep breaths, collecting myself.

“I’m sorry. I lost my mind when I saw him,” I say, and he shakes his head.

“I would’ve done worse if that was my woman,” he replies, and I’m around a man who understands my anger.

“Why didn’t you let me, then?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“You need to be there for her. Leave the pain for the men who have nothing to lose,” the guard says, his empathy visible.

I return to my place outside Karina’s door when Nurse Bailee informs me that the doctor has left. I slowly enter the room and sigh in relief when I see her smile.

My girl looks radiant, and I can’t take my eyes off her. I lie beside her in the bed and hold her close.

She’s not panicked or sedated; she’s here with me, and it feels perfect.

“Mav?” she whispers, long after I thought she’d fallen asleep.

“Yes, baby girl?” I say, sitting up a little.

“Will you take a shower with me?” she asks, a vulnerability in her voice I’m not used to.

“Absolutely. I brought some of your things from home,” I smile, kissing that scrunch in her nose.

I help her under the water, letting the hot spray wash all of the blood off her body. I hate that it’s still stained on her skin, so I scrub it with her rose-scented body wash.

The bruises on her face are shades of blue and purple, but her hazel eyes finally have their glimmer back, and the tension in her body is at ease.

“I can’t take the ride back home,” she says, washing the shampoo out of her hair with her back to me.

“What do you mean?” I ask, a lump of paranoia growing in my throat.

“I can’t sit in a car for ten hours, or however long it takes. I just … don’t think I’m ready,” she faces me, and there’s uncertainty behind her expression.