by Maegan Abel
I sped down the road, keeping my eyes open for anything, but the darkness made it impossible to see much.
“Come on, come on,” I growled, wishing I could drive faster. The ten minute drive from the stretch of beach where I’d been running to Cara’s felt twice as long, though I probably made it in record time.
It wasn’t fast enough.
The second I turned onto the street, I saw Evie’s car in the driveway and tried to ignore the painful knot in my chest. Fear wasn’t something I had time for right now. I fought the urge to rush in guns blazing and took a deep breath as I put the car in park two houses down from Cara’s. Reaching into my glove box, I snagged my gun and tossed open the door.
I listened for sound as I jogged toward the house, trying to determine my next step. I moved up the stairs, but didn’t even hear Stitch barking inside. He’d been sullen since Evie left, but he would’ve heard my footsteps. I paused at the side of the front door and took another deep breath. I didn’t give myself a chance to panic before pounding the edge of my fist against the door.
“Hawk Bay Police,” I called, waiting for a reaction—any reaction.
Nothing happened.
My mind rushed through scenarios, but I shook them off. I needed to stay focused. I turned, lifting a foot and kicking the door near the handle with all my strength. The wood buckled and I kicked a second time, sending the door flying inward as it cracked, the sound echoing back toward me. I scanned the small entryway, but there was nothing amiss.
Stepping in, I kept my back to the small piece of wall separating the entry from the kitchen. Leaning around it, my eyes searched, but found nothing. I glanced back in the direction of the open front door, second-guessing my decision to come in. He could have taken her like he did Cara and the time I wasted searching the house could give him a chance to get away. Just as I considered heading back out, I heard something and froze, listening for the sound again. When it came, I swung around, readjusting my hands on the grip of my weapon as I jogged across the kitchen. I paused when I reached the doorway to the living room, leaning a shoulder against the wood before looking around it, surveying the space. My eyes landed on Stitch. The second he saw me, he whimpered, his paws scraping along the wood floor as he attempted to move. The blood smearing around him was gruesome and my stomach dropped. I continued checking, not seeing anyone else in the room. Stitch whimpered and I started to move toward him. Once I could see down the hallway, I noticed more blood and something shiny on the floor. I moved in that direction and just as I recognized Evie’s blood-covered keys, the sound of a door caught my attention. I spun again, moving quickly back to the living room to see the back door hanging open.
I jogged the few steps across the small space, glancing out before moving onto the tiny porch. The next sound I heard made my blood run cold.
There’s fear, there’s panic, and then something so much deeper.
I shut it down and moved toward where I’d heard her soft cry. The second I rounded the corner, I spotted them. My eyes honed in on the knife at her throat and nothing else mattered.
“Put it down,” I said, lifting my gun and taking aim over Evie’s shoulder at Shawn. I didn’t look directly at her. I couldn’t. I had to keep my focus.
He laughed as he stepped back, yanking her with him as he used her as a shield. I focused on the limp. His right leg appeared to be injured. “She and I have unfinished business. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know where to find her when I’m done.”
The arm he had wrapped across her chest moved then, his hand deliberately cupping her breast and squeezing. It took every ounce of willpower to stay in place as the force of my anger made my entire frame tremble. With my eyes now on her body, I took in the ripped shirt and dark color staining her arm, dripping to the ground below. I tried to meet her gaze, but her eyes were hollow and glassy. Her face didn’t register any expression as his hand remained on her breast. He pulled her farther back and she stumbled, slumping a little before he lifted her again. I followed, step for step.
“Your problem is with me. Leave her out of it,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. I heard rustling at the same time Shawn did and he turned, pressing his back against the worn siding on the house as Dom came into view, making his way from the front, his motions meticulous.
“Fuck,” Shawn hissed, drawing my attention back to him as Evie let out another small whimper. The blade pressed harder against her skin and I froze, tossing my left hand up, palm out, toward Dom. “You piece of shit! You and this bitch ruined everything!”
“I’m pretty sure you did that yourself,” Dom answered, his jaw tight. He didn’t look at me, but paused several feet closer to Shawn and Evie than I was.
Shawn’s eyes flickered in my direction, lingering on my gun for only a second before turning back to Dom. He was feeling trapped and my fear amped up a notch as I worried he would panic.
“Shawn,” I said, drawing his attention again. He tugged Evie closer and I lifted my hands into the air, removing the threat of a gun pointed directly at him. “You don’t want to do this. The charge for attempted kidnapping is bad, but if you take this any further, you won’t be coming out of a cell for the rest of your life.”
“Fuck you,” he spat.
The hand holding the knife dropped and Evie’s body jerked violently before being flung in my direction. I lunged forward and caught her, lowering her carefully as she cried out.
“I got you. Deep breath, Ev,” I said, my eyes staying locked on the threat. Dom had him blocked as Shawn whipped the knife around in front of him wildly. “Stay put. I’ll be right back for you.”
Lifting my gun, I took aim at Shawn’s back. As if he could feel the weapon trained on him, he ducked and threw himself at Dom, catching him off guard. They both hit the ground and I cursed as I shoved the gun into my waistband. There was no way I could get a clean shot, but with him distracted, I had my opening to approach. It was dark out, but the glint of moonlight off the blade told me Shawn still had control of the knife. He lifted it over his head and I grabbed him by the back of his shirt, throwing him aside before landing on top of him. I didn’t think twice, I just delivered blow after blow to his face as he bucked under me, grunting as my fists connected with his flesh.
The next thing I knew, I was hit from the side as Dom’s body collided with mine. He cried out and cursed as I scrambled to my feet and yanked out my gun. By the time I had the barrel trained on Shawn, it was too late.
“Fuck,” I snapped, rushing forward as Shawn’s body convulsed, blood pouring out around the knife still imbedded in his skin. Dom just stared down at the wound, his eyes wide. “Move. Call for an ambulance.” I started to shove him off Shawn to render aid, which was pointless, as he choked. When I put a hand on Dom, he jerked, snapping back from wherever he was and his eyes came to my face.
“Ev,” he whispered and then shoved up, almost knocking me aside. My entire body went cold as my eyes followed his to the side of the house. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten about Evie, but the way he said her name brought my fear back out in full force.
She wasn’t moving.
“Call nine-one-one. Do it now,” I croaked, running toward her. I dropped to my knees beside her, my eyes roaming to assess the injuries I could see.
There was entirely too much blood.
It didn’t make sense at first. She’d been bleeding from a wound on her arm, but the pool surrounding her was growing by the second. I glanced down her arm, looking for the source, and saw her hands covering a large, dark stain on her lower abdomen.
The second I saw the blood flowing from between her fingers, I carefully wrapped both hands over it, knowing she wouldn’t have a chance if the bleeding didn’t stop. Her body bucked slightly and an awful groan came from her as I applied pressure. My eyes shot to her face, but hers were closed and with the swelling already starting, I couldn’t tell how conscious she actually was.
“Evie, I need you to hold on, okay? There’s an ambulance
on the way. Just stay with me. You’re going to be okay,” I said, forcing the words through my tightening throat. I didn’t want to see the way her shirt was ripped open. I didn’t want to be thinking about the way he put his hands on her or what happened before I arrived.
But that was all I could think about.
I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts. Right now, I just needed her to live. I realized she’d gone still again and leaned forward, putting my face to hers gently as I continued holding pressure. I could hear the sirens in the distance. They were close.
“Listen to me, Evangelie. I’m right here. This isn’t how things end for us, do you hear me? This isn’t how it works. I need you to hang on.” I stayed on my knees, talking quietly to her until the paramedics forced me back.
I’d washed the blood off my hands, but I could still see it. I could still smell it. The scent of it, the slickness of it, the dark tinge that appeared to be covering everything…it was driving me mad.
I left her vulnerable.
My head dropped and my eyes squeezed shut.
I walked away and she was unprotected.
Swallowing was painful as I tried to force the thoughts from my head. I knew better than to do this to myself, but guilt was like a cancer. Once it was there, all you could do was fight it out.
I sat in the waiting room, debating going to the bathroom to wash my hands for at least the fourth time, but Cara’s fingers came out and wrapped around my closed fist where it rested on my knee.
When Dom pushed me aside, he’d used his forearm to deflect Shawn’s knife from where it had been aimed at me. It was a pretty good gash, but he was going to be fine. He was in the back getting stitches and made me keep Cara from the room. He wanted her up here in case there was word on Evie.
Shawn was dead before the ambulance arrived, but I wasn’t concerned about that in the least. I was only sorry I hadn’t been able to kill him myself, and that I hadn’t had the chance to worry about what killing a man might do to Dom’s head.
We’d been sitting in this room for hours now and still had no word. None at all, other than she was in surgery. My attention turned to Cara, who had been crying silently since we’d arrived. It was impossible that a body could have so many tears. I needed to talk, to speak to her reassuringly, but I couldn’t make any promises about Evie’s recovery. This was one of the downsides to Infinity—it was no better than normal life. We had no idea at what point we would die.
“Get it out of your head,” I said, glad my voice had any conviction at all at this point. Cara looked over at me, stunned that I’d spoken. “Your eyes are just like your sister’s and they’re easy to read. Get it out of your head. This was in no way your fault.”
Her gaze slid away as soon as I finished speaking. She just shook her head and I turned my hand, taking hers in mine and giving it a squeeze.
“Besides,” I continued, unsure why aside from needing to get it off my chest, “if anyone in this room is at fault, it’s me for not being there to protect her.”
She tightened her fingers, but didn’t tell me I was wrong. Maybe because she knew I was right. Maybe because she just couldn’t speak at the moment. Whatever the reason, she was showing me support in the best way she could at the moment.
It didn’t really matter. It all just kept crossing my mind. I should’ve never left her. If I’d never walked away, she would’ve been here when Shawn escaped and we would’ve had her somewhere safe. Worse than that, I thought about calling her yesterday when it happened, but I talked myself out of it. I didn’t want to talk to her and make it harder on either of us. There was no reason to think he would have the slightest inkling of where to find her or that he was even looking for her. She was over eight hundred miles away.
I convinced myself she was safe and in doing so, I’d left her unprotected.
If she dies now, her blood will never wash away. It’ll stay with me. Just like the image of her in the wheelchair.
She’ll haunt me.
I’ll deserve it.
When Dom arrived, I noticed he’d changed clothes and had some slight bruising on his face from the fight on top of the gauze covering his forearm. He went straight to Cara and wrapped her up in a hug. Her silent crying turned to soft sobs and I hated the jealousy I felt at their moment. I wanted more than anything to be able to hold Evie and waiting to hear something was driving me crazy.
“She’s always been better at handling a crisis,” Cara whispered when the silence had stretched between us. I looked over at where she sat curled into Dom’s side. “I feel like I can’t breathe. She’s the only family I have left and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do if she…”
“Stop,” Dom said, his face against the side of her head. “She’s going to be okay.”
He lifted his head and looked straight at me, making it clear the words were meant for me as much as Cara.
We sat in silence again, no one really having anything else to say. I hadn’t told Cara what happened to Shawn and she hadn’t asked. From what I’d learned about her, she was stronger than she thought, but too much at once might take her down.
It was another hour before a doctor came into the waiting room. Since the hospital was fairly small and it was late, we were the only ones left in there. “Evangelie Walker?” he verified, and Cara nodded.
“I’m her sister,” she said, each word wavering as she trembled.
He walked over to where we were and took a seat on the small table in front of us. “Your sister is out of surgery. She’s in the ICU and is still considered critical, but she’s stable for the time being. We repaired the damage to her intestine and were able to stop the bleeding. Our main concern now will be infection. Also, she has some swelling in her brain, which has us concerned since she was unconscious when she arrived, but we’re monitoring it. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, so at this point, it’s a waiting game. You can go see her, but she’s still sedated so she can rest.” He gave Cara a soft smile. “Your sister is very lucky. With the amount of blood she lost and the extent of her injuries, this could’ve been much worse. We got to her in time.”
“Thank you,” Cara whispered, her voice cracking through the tears. Dom wrapped his arms around her and I followed the doctor to the door.
I’d pulled my badge out to try to get word about Evangelie earlier, so it was already on my belt. I nodded toward the hallway, needing to have some questions answered I wasn’t sure Cara could handle at the moment. Hell, I wasn’t sure I could handle them. Ever.
“When I arrived, she was partly exposed. It was clear there was an attempt, but were there any signs of…” I couldn’t quite finish the question, but the doctor understood.
“She has some bruising and marks consistent with the possibility of an attempt, but we examined her and have no reason to believe she was raped. If the attack hadn’t been stopped, it may have been a different scenario.”
“Thank you,” I said, somewhat put at ease by this knowledge.
Dom and Cara walked out of the room then and we started toward the ICU. Cara went in first, claiming she couldn’t do it alone and begging until the nurse allowed Dom to go with her. I didn’t think she was lying. I’d seen Evie when she was covered in blood, but post-surgery, after time added to the bruises and swelling, I was sure she wouldn’t look much better.
They didn’t stay in the room long. The fresh tears and way Dom held Cara proved I was right.
“We’ll wait and walk out with you,” Dom said as I headed for the door, and I just nodded.
Lost. It was how I’d been feeling for a while. But this was different. I was disoriented and couldn’t figure out whether I was awake or asleep anymore. It felt like I was awake and occasionally I’d hear voices, but it was like I was too tired to open my eyes and start the day.
After a while, I felt discomfort. It wasn’t pain, not exactly, but I was uncomfortable and wanted to move.
“Hey. Careful,” a voice said softly, and I tried to pry
my eyes open. It took quite a bit of effort and as soon as I got one open, it slid closed again. I was exhausted just from that. “It’s okay, Ev. You can sleep. I’m here.”
I groaned and the reverberation in my chest ached in a dull way. Not pain. Just an ache.
“I think she’s waking up again,” an unfamiliar voice said before I heard movement and the sound of a door. I blinked and the room was fuzzy as I glanced around. I could only see half of it. Why could I only see half the room?
I reached up then, my hand moving at what felt like a snail’s pace before it touched a large bandage covering my right eye. I didn’t have time to panic before a woman walked into my view wearing scrubs.
“Welcome back.” She smiled and I opened my mouth, coughing a bit as I realized my throat was dry. I was swallowing when the door opened again and Cara walked in.
“Hey.” Her eyes teared up and I sighed as my vision went fuzzy again, my own tears forming.
“Stop it. Don’t make me cry.” My voice croaked a little and I cleared my throat. I went to lick my lips and hissed as my tongue hit what I assumed were stitches.
“Do you remember what happened?” Cara asked, her face tight.
I nodded. I couldn’t remember how long I’d been awake or how many times, but it had started coming back to me slowly. The door opened again and I carefully turned my head to the side, watching Dom enter.
“About time.” He gave me a grin and I pushed my face to smile back. It hurt, but it was worth it to see his warm eyes. He had a black eye, a few strips holding closed a cut on his cheek, and a huge wad of gauze cover most of his forearm. I fought to control my emotions. “Hey.” He walked over to the bed with Cara and I reached for him, forcing him to bend down so I could wrap my arms around his neck. My body trembled with exertion, but I didn’t care. Flashes of the attack started playing out and I remembered the feeling of panic shooting straight into terror when I saw Shawn lift the knife to Gavin. I’d been too weak to call out, but I watched Dom throw himself into the middle of the fight. I knew without a doubt if Dom hadn’t been there, Gavin and I both probably would’ve ended up dead.
