Slade took in the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. Her perfect skin, something that he’d always noticed, was marred by scrapes and bruises. Her eye was swollen shut, her lips inflamed and split. She didn’t look like Jessica.
“Jess. I came as soon as I heard.” He walked hesitantly toward her. When he got close, she turned her face away from him. He pulled up a chair and sat down right beside her. “Jessica, please, sweetheart, look at me.”
He heard a sniffle. “No, I can’t.”
“This isn’t your fault. He’s the monster. You were just a victim. A brave victim. Please, Jess. Look at me.” He heard more sniffling before she turned her head slowly toward him.
His gaze was locked on her beautiful brown eyes. He reached up and smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’m so sorry this happened, Jessica. So sorry. This is all my fault. You shouldn’t have gone alone, baby. You should’ve called me. He’s lucky he’s in jail.”
Her lip quivered. “And you?” It was difficult to understand her because her jaw was swollen and her voice was low and muffled.
“My charges were dropped. Thanks to you, everything’s clear.”
“Oh, thank God.”
“Immediate family only,” a nurse said curtly as she walked in.
“It’s ok—” Jessica began to say.
“I’m her brother.” The nurse eyed him before shrugging and continuing toward her patient. Jessica’s eyes narrowed, but she seemed to accept his lie in order to have him there.
“What’s the prognosis? When can she go home?”
The nurse looked at Jessica for permission to discuss this with Slade. Jessica nodded.
As she skimmed through the chart, she said, “She’ll probably be here a few more days. Just waiting for some lab work and scan results. The broken rib punctured her lung and it caused her lungs to collapse. It’s looking better already, but we need to continue monitoring her. She’s on heavy sedatives for the injuries as well. Her arm’s broken, which is why she’s in the cast.” She turned her attention to Jessica. “Honey, I hope you have lots of family because you are going to need help once you get out.” Jessica’s eyes watered and she gave an unconvincing nod to the nurse, who smiled before leaving the room.
“Jess? Have you called your family? They’re from Charlotte, right? Are they coming?”
Jessica shook her head.
He reached for her hand, “Baby, you want me to call them for you?”
She shook her head again. She looked so fragile, so alone, and so scared that Slade wanted to put her in a protective bubble and stand guard. From the day they’d met, he’d felt this way about her. He was notoriously selfish, but when it came to this woman, a surge of protectiveness consumed him.
“Please. What can I do? I’m so sorry about—”
She shook her head again. “Not your fault.” She then grimaced.
“Does it hurt when you talk?”
She nodded.
“Then yes and no questions only, ’kay?” She squeezed his hand and blinked. Her face was turned to his, and tears were slowly running down it.
“You don’t want to call your family?”
She shook her head.
“I think you need to tell them what happened.”
She shook her head again frantically. Her chin quivered as the tears continued to fall down her eyes over her nose and onto the bed.
“Baby, please. Don’t cry. I don’t know how to handle this, but I’m here. Okay? I’m here. You’re not alone. If you don’t want to call your folks, that’s cool. You’ll just be stuck with me.”
She frowned at him.
“No?”
She whispered no.
“Why?”
She shrugged.
“Not a good reason. And since you can’t speak, it’s me or your parents. You pick.” He reached for her phone as if he were going to dial her parents.
She seemed to ponder it for a few moments, then pointed at Slade.
“Okay. That’s settled, then.”
He reached over and stroked her hair for some time. “Go to sleep, baby. No one’s going to hurt you. I swear to you. No one will ever hurt you again.” Her eyes slowly closed and then she was asleep. Slade sat there for hours looking at the beautiful woman who lay there broken.
He’d had a few regrets throughout his life. One, letting his sister walk out of his life more than ten years ago because of some bullshit he had said to her during their father’s funeral. He’d been drunk and the things he’d said he’d regret until the day he died. Because of that, she had left, and ten years had gone to waste. The second thing he regretted was not finding Dennis Stravos and fucking him up himself. Even if it had led to prison, he should’ve done it. Because Slade had stayed away from Jessica, Dennis had severely beaten her.
He vowed at that moment never to let her get hurt again.
Love stories you’ll never forget By authors you’ll always remember
eOriginal Romance from Random House
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Against the Cage (Worth the Fight #1) Page 25
