Roman - Lane Hart Page 0,25
for you, Charlotte. She wants to know if you’ll ride with her to the hospital.”
“Absolutely!” she exclaims in relief before she stands on her toes to kiss my cheek. Letting me go, she climbs up into the ambulance; and as soon as the doors shut, the vehicle takes off without the sirens on, which I take to be a good sign.
“What did the paramedics say about her condition?” I ask Verek. “I’m surprised they didn’t run you out of there while they examined her.”
“Oh, they tried, but Tessa wouldn’t let go of me, so they had no choice,” he explains. “Besides, what if everyone in town knows what’s been going on here, even the EMS workers?”
“That’s cynical and a bit paranoid, don’t you think?” I reply. “You actually believe people could know about this and not report it?”
“No clue,” he answers, crossing his arms over his chest. “All I know is that I’m going to find and kill every bastard that did know.”
“Maybe we got here too soon,” I tell him. “Maybe we should have waited until that van rolled back up…”
“We couldn’t have waited, Roman,” Verek interrupts. “These women…they needed us to find them more than they needed us to kill the men responsible.”
“But don’t you get it?” I ask him. “The motherfuckers got away. They could do this again to another woman, to more daughters, sisters, wives.”
“We’ll find them, prez,” Verek assures me with a slap on my back. “And then we’ll make them pay.”
Chapter Nine
Charlotte
My heart is breaking into a million tiny pieces as I sit on the metal bench in the back of the ambulance next to Tessa, who is strapped down on the stretcher, her hand squeezing mine tight.
“I’m here. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” I promise her as silent teardrops fall from the corners of her eyes.
“I’m so stupid,” are Tessa’s first words to me, which catches me completely off-guard.
“Stupid? No, you’re not, Tessa. What are you talking about?” I ask her. “I’m stupid. This whole beach trip was my idea. Ending up at that club was my fault, and I’m so, so sorry. You are…you’re so brave and strong. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had lost you!”
“I’m still lost, Charlotte,” she responds softly. “And I’m scared.”
“I’m right here with you, and nothing is going to happen to you like that again, I promise.”
Tessa squeezes her eyes shut, causing more tears to overflow from them when she whispers, “They’ll find me again.”
“They are not going to find you,” I assure her.
“They will,” she chokes out. Reaching up with her free hand, she rubs her fingers over the side of her neck. “Charlotte, they tagged me like a dog, like an animal that belongs to them.”
“Tagged you?” I repeat in confusion before I finally understand what she means. They inserted a tracker into her body? “Well, um,” I struggle to reply. “We’ll have the doctors take it out at the hospital soon, and I will personally kill anyone who tries to come near you if I have to.”
“Promise?” she asks.
“I do,” I tell her honestly. I would do anything to stop this from happening to her again. I can’t and don’t want to imagine what she’s been through during the last twenty-four hours since I last saw her. Everything has changed. Her entire life has now changed.
“You’re safe with me. And don’t forget Paul. He’ll be the most dangerous fiancé ever, not letting you out of his arms again.”
“He-he’s here? Paul’s here?” Tessa asks, eyes widening with panic.
“Of course. He’s been out looking for you all over town with his brother, Steven. I can’t wait to tell him the good news. He’ll be so happy you’re okay.”
“No,” Tessa says with a shake of her head. “I’m not okay, Charlotte! And I can’t see him! Please…please don’t make me face him like this,” she sobs before a flood of tears chokes her voice.
“Like what, Tessa?” I ask in confusion.
“Broken,” she replies. “They broke me.”
The final shred of my heart splinters and disintegrates. Whatever they did to her to make her feel this way, to completely destroy the spirit of my best friend, and the knowledge that there’s nothing I can do can fix it rips me apart.
“You are not broken,” I tell her. “You were just…hurt, badly, and, um, it’s going to take time, but we’ll get you through this.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be better.”
“You will,” I reassure here. “Slowly and gradually until you’re all healed up again.”
Tessa