stomach, and she howled.
“Mickey!” she cried. What was intended as a scream was barely audible because she was so breathless.
She turned over, getting on all fours in hope of crawling away. The foot dug into her side this time, and she sprawled out as her body dropped flat into the ground. She stayed perfectly still, hoping to avoid another kick so she could catch her breath, and her eyes focused on something nearby that was familiar. It was red…what was it?
Her eyes widened in horror as she realized it was Amber’s hair. She was crumpled on the ground, immobile. Abby couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive.
“What have you done?” she mumbled into the ground.
“What she deserved,” a cold male voice said. “And now it’s your turn.”
Terror flowed through Abby’s veins as she curled into a ball. Amber was probably dead, and she would be soon. She thought of Audrey and Sara, wishing she could tell them she loved them more than anything.
She couldn’t just let this happen. At the very least, she had to try to get away, or fight back. She got to her hands and knees slowly, pulling herself up.
As she raised her head, she made out the face of her attacker. She hadn’t expected to recognize him, but she saw Amber’s least favorite customer leering at her.
“Ron!” she cried. “What are you doing?”
His lips curled into an evil smile as he delivered a punch to her face that made the world spin for just a second before it all disappeared in a flash of darkness.
The sting of an icy wind gust hit Abby’s face, and she picked up a faint noise. It was a rumbling. As she felt a quick bounce, she realized she was moving.
“Here, I’ll take it,” a woman’s voice said. Abby wanted to open her eyes, but she didn’t have the energy. She was scared, but she couldn’t remember why. And she was so tired.
The noise intensified suddenly, and she felt the body heat of someone standing over her.
“Vitals?” a man asked. The woman rattled off some numbers and Abby got distracted as she tried to place the familiar smell she sensed. She knew it. What was it?
A pounding sound got louder as it neared, stopping right next to her.
“Oh, Jesus, Abby!”
“Chris,” she mumbled, forcing her eyes to open and find him.
“Abby,” he said, bending down over her. “I’m here. Don’t be scared, baby. I’m here.”
“Where are we?” she tried to say. She was woozy, and she couldn’t tell if the words came out or not.
“Abby,” Chris said again, laying his hand on her arm, “You’re at the hospital. You were beaten in the woods by the club. We’re going to give you some medicine now, to help you sleep. Just relax and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
She wanted to keep looking at him, to talk to him, but the urge to let her eyes close was too strong.
Chapter 12
The rhythmic beeping sound was getting louder and louder. It must be the alarm clock. Abby groaned, eager to turn it off. She squinted as bright light flooded her eyes when they opened.
She wrinkled her face in confusion as she saw Chris slouched in a recliner next to her, snoring lightly. His hand was up on the bed next to her arm.
She tried to say his name, but nothing came out. Her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. She reached a hand toward his, pulling along the lines that snaked out of her arm. As soon as she touched his hand, he jolted awake.
“Abby?” His eyes met hers and she was reassured by the sight of his messy golden waves. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but he made her feel safe.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Want some water?”
She wanted to nod, but her head was too heavy. A small croak was all she could manage.
“Justin,” Chris called. “She’s awake.”
“Abby!” Justin stumbled out of the bed next to hers, and she was alarmed by the look of concern on his face. “How do you feel?”
“She probably can’t talk much right now,” Chris said, reaching for the small pitcher next to the bed and pushing the call button.
“You might not be able to talk, but there’s something I need to say to you,” Justin said, approaching her bed. “You can’t work there anymore, Abby. You can’t go back there. I’ll quit school if you do. We’ll manage without that job.”
Abby’s heart broke for Justin as his voice cracked. He was