Touching Scars(79)

“Well, this piece of shit is still alive. We need to get him to a hospital.”

“Let him die.” The menacing tone in Timber’s voice caused me to stir.

“Shhh, baby.”

“Why on earth were you trying to strangle him to death?” Beaver asked.

“I walked in on him assaulting her.” He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. “He fucking raped her in high school.”

“What?” Now Beaver was angry. “And you brought him to this bar, with her?”

Timber’s reply sounded defeated. “I didn’t know. I knew what she’d been through, but she never told me a name.” He looked at me, resting his forehead against mine. “God damn you Kat, you didn’t tell me a name. I could have saved you.”

Before anything else could be said, our small town police walked in to the already crowded bathroom. They began asking questions, and a stretcher was wheeled in. Adam was placed on it, his body was still limp. They whisked him away and quickly brought in another stretcher that they lifted me onto.

I started screaming Timber’s name because his warmth had disappeared. My darkness was creeping in. He immediately came to my side, and I clung to him. He was my safety. The paramedics made quick work of getting my vitals and attached an IV to my non-bruised arm. One of them said that they were administering a drug that was going to make me tired and I could relax enough so they could complete their exam.

I had no choice now. It was only a matter of seconds before my eyes closed and the darkness came for me anyway.





I RODE WITH KAT IN the back of the ambulance, never letting go of her hand. I’d earned a few scowls from the paramedic when she tried to remove Kat’s hand from mine so she could place one of those pulse things on her finger, but I refused to let her go. The paramedic would just have to work around me. I was looking down at my resting girl and I was trying to sort out how I’d missed the warning signs.

From the moment Kat had seen Adam, her reaction to him had been intense. She’d had a slight tremble in her small hands that hadn’t dissipated throughout the night. She’d barely spoken a word to me, which I’d chalked up to her being angry with me for not warning her. She’d dropped an entire case of vodka on the floor, but it hadn’t fazed her. All of these things should have been red flags to me. And granted, I admit, it didn’t sit well at the time, but why hadn’t I questioned it more? If I had, we wouldn’t be riding in the back of this rig on the way to the hospital. In fact, I could guarantee we’d be headed to the cemetery so I could bury Adam in a shallow grave.

Just thinking about Adam made my blood boil. I was so angry for what I’d seen when I stormed into the bathroom. Kat against a wall looking like all spark had drained from her face, and my best friend getting off with her hands down his pants. My first reaction had been ‘what the fuck have I just walked in on’? But it didn’t take very long for the pieces to fall into place.

The way she’d been all night. The blank stare in her hazel eyes. The dried tear streaks on her cheeks and the split lip. I’d finally realized that he was the one. I’d felt like a charging lion after that. He had seen me and the shit eating grin on his face was enough to make me see red. I’d felt absolutely crazy.

I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t make sure that I’d killed him with my bare hands. He’d tried to fight me back, and he’d gotten a good crack in. But it had only served to empower me. The pain was still radiating through my jaw but it didn’t matter.

I was so pissed that Beaver had pulled me off him. Adam’s body had been going limp in my hands. I knew he’d passed out, but that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to hear air dragging into his lungs. He needed to be gone. He was the worst kind of human on the planet. What had helped me snap out of my murderous rage was Beaver reminding me of Kat. She’d been lying in a heap on the floor. Her arms were splayed out by her sides, cheek resting on the cold tile. I’d never seen anybody lay in such an awkward angle. Panic had risen in my throat that Adam had killed her, but when I’d gotten to her, she was still breathing. Relief swept through me and now I had something else to focus my attention on.

Arriving at the hospital, the doctor asked why she was sedated. The paramedic explained that she would need a rape kit done, and she had been hysterical, fighting them when they tried to remove her from me. I think I also heard one of them say that I had been difficult too. I scowled. They could go fuck themselves if they thought I would be anywhere but by her side.

A uniformed police officer approached. He looked at me and said, “Mr. Nelson, I need to have a word with you.”