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“She mentioned her former boyfriend earlier. We’ve both seen the lengths bastards will go to when a relationship ends.” He sighs before rubbing the back of his neck. Seeing the toll the long day is taking on him, I decide to call it a day.
“Go home, get some rest. We can start this fresh tomorrow. I’ll check on Summer, but she’s safe here.”
He sighs again before nodding. Patting me on the back, we both leave the hospital room. As we break off in the hall, I watch as he heads towards the exit. I find myself wandering back to Summer’s room, knocking on the door before entering. When there’s no answer, I gently nudge the door open.
Allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim light, I sit at her bedside as she sleeps soundly. Her delicate features rest peacefully, but the sight of the small cuts and growing bruise on her forehead causes fists to clench.
Leaning back in the chair, I allow my head to fall back. I remain focused on the ceiling as my mind reels over her attack. I need to dig into Summer’s past. I know she’s hiding something. Whether it has anything to do with her father’s murder or not, I’m going to find out.
Chapter Eight
Summer?
Moving slightly, I feel the aches and bruises reawaken all over my body. I do a double take, propping myself up in bed, Detective Grey sleeps in the chair opposite me. Leaning to one side, with his head resting on his hand, I allow him to sleep further. Sliding out of bed, I go in search of a bathroom. I could hear the nurses in and out of my room most of the night. I could ask one of them where the bathroom is, but at the moment, I just need to stretch my legs and not feel like a burden to anyone.
“How are you feeling?”
My head snaps to the voice that sits towards the end of my bed. My wide and confused eyes meet his once again. Blinking a few times, I try to speak but can’t form any words. Taking a step back into the room, I take a seat on the bed.
Why do I feel like it’s some kind of accusation when he asks me a normal question?
As my jaw tenses, I look away. Trying to regain some confidence in front of him.
“I’m fine,” I respond coldly, refusing to look his way. I feel his stare burning holes into my head, but I hate how he looks at me, and quite frankly, I’m sure I hate him right now, but I’m not sure why. Whether it’s the arrogant attitude he gives off or because his questioning yesterday left me feeling like I was meant to be guilty of something, either way, I don’t have to put up with it.
“I’m heading back to my hotel. If you need anything from me, then I’ll be there.”
Before he can respond, I hastily throw on my clothes which lay on the chair next to me and head for the exit. The thundering footsteps behind me give me a reason to pick up the pace. With every muscle in my body screaming at me to stop, I head for the taxi rank.
“Summer, wait!” Halting at his command, my body internally thanks me for the break. “Let me give you a ride back. You shouldn’t be going anywhere alone right now.”
I eye him curiously, chewing on my lip. I hate to admit it, but he’s right. The last thing I want to do right now is get into a taxi alone; I don’t want to be alone at all. The feeling of being alone leaves me with a gnawing feeling of unease. Looking between Detective Grey and the waiting taxis, I eventually nod and follow him towards his car. Once I get in and clip in my seatbelt, I focus on the road ahead.
The drive back to the hotel remains silent. With my hands in my lap, I nervously twiddle my thumbs. Detective Grey doesn’t speak, and neither do I. The tension in the car is rife, and I just want it to be over as soon as possible.
Glancing towards the time and to my surprise it’s only 02:00 am. It feels strange to see somewhere so busy at this time of the morning, but it’s very rare I’m ever out this late.
Eventually I feel my eyes stealing wandering glances towards Detective Grey. In the late-night passing lights, his face is much clearer. His deep forest green eyes now appear light, almost kinder. His tanned complexion compliments his rugged and incredibly handsome features. But it’s not his strong jaw or inky black hair that draws my attention closer. It’s the scar I hadn’t noticed before that starts on his forehead and travels in a half-moon shape around his right eye. While it’s not obvious in the beginning, it’s clearly been well-stitched.
As the words leave his mouth, I feel my entire body want to crawl under the seat.
“It’s rude to stare Summer.”
My brows pinch slightly as I blink a couple of times, processing his words. I feel the heat creep over my cheeks, and I kick myself for even looking in his direction. Lowering my head, I turn my focus back to my hands placed in my lap.
“I’m sorry, detective, I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s Bhodi.”
My head snaps to my left as I study his expression. The mentioning of his name takes me by surprise, offering an odd level of familiarity to an unfortunate encounter, but I merely nod, turning my focus to the passing traffic as we head back to my hotel. Letting out an involuntary yawn and wiping my eyes.
“You should probably get some rest when you get back. You’ll probably feel tired for a couple of days after what happened.”
Cocking my head to one side, he finally looks my way analyzing the puzzled look on my face, then turning his attention back to the road ahead.
“Will you find the guy that…” My voice trails off as I try to think of the best way to end the sentence without telling him about the masked man. “You know, that attacked me?”
Bhodi sighs and continues to stare at the road ahead. Rubbing a hand over the stubble on his chin, he shakes his head.
