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I stand before the mirror and take in my swollen face, my black eyes and the bruises littering my skin. Then I lift the dress and stare in horror at the sight of more bruising and my sunken ribs.
Ryder stops in the doorway, his eyes staring wide as he take sin the scene. “Fuck.”
I rush to try and cover up feeling ashamed and embarrassed but he moves quickly, taking my hands. “Don’t,” he growls, “You’re beautiful. You’ll always be beautiful to me no matter what, so please don’t hide form me.”
“I’m a mess,” I sob. “And why the fuck is Sassy in Harlee’s bed?”
“I don’t know,” he sighs.
“Did she jump in your bed too?” I snap, all my pain and danger surfacing.
“No Neve don’t be ridiculous,” he says with a sigh.
“Why is she here then?” I scream. “Why are they in my daughter’s bed?” I begin to sob harder and he reaches for me, with sympathy on his face.
“Please baby, don’t do this. You’re tired. You need rest. I’ll explain everything and answer all your questions tomorrow. Go and wash so we can sleep.”
“How can I sleep, without Harlee? It’s impossible. What if Mary took her far away? I don’t know when she took her, they could have left the country. I haven’t seen her for days.”
“I don’t know, Neve. I don’t know where she is or what she’s playing at taking someone else’s daughter or even being a part of Finn’s fucked up world. But without rest you’ll be no good to Harlee when she comes home.” He leads me to his bathroom and turns on the shower. “I’m going to make you that drink.”
Ryder
I head back to where Sassy is sleeping and shake her awake. She smiles sleepily. “Hey.”
“What the fuck are you doing here, Sarah?” I hiss.
She sits up, looking confused. “I told you I’d put Alfie to bed, I wasn’t going to wake him.”
“You put him in Harlee’s bed,” I snap.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought your son would be priority over your girlfriends kid,” she snaps.
“I want you gone first thing. Harlee is missing and Neve came in here to see you in her daughters’ bed. I’ll be in touch about Alfie and if you start fucking me about with contact then I’ll take you to court. He’s my kid and I deserve the chance to get to know him away from you.” I storm out and head down to the kitchen.
When I return to the bedroom with a mug of hot chocolate, I find Neve laying on the bed in one of my shirts. I smile, committing the image to memory. I’ve missed her so much.
“Were you hurt bad?” she asks sleepily. “I was worried you were dead.”
“I was in hospital for a few days. Bleed on the brain apparently.”
“When you didn’t come for me, I assumed the worst.”
I slide into bed behind her, not bothering to remove my damp clothes from the rain. I pull her to be, resting her head on my chest. “Siren, we’ve been trying to find you. Griff’s spent hours making calls and plans to get you back to us. It was like you’d vanished. I couldn’t think straight without you and so Griff really took the lead.” I can’t help feeling guilty for that.
“I knew you’d find me eventually,” she whispers. “He took me to a big house. It was just out of London, I think. He had guards with guns and dogs patrolling. He wasn’t like the Finn I knew.”
I’m relieved she’s talking about it. I haven’t wanted to probe too much but I’m also desperate to know everything. “Did he lock you away?”
“Not at first. I think he was convincing us both we could work and showing off his house was part of that. But then I stole his mobile and he caught me. After that, he kept me locked in the cellar.” She begins to cry again, “I didn’t see Harlee after that.”
“I was dead set on ending him tonight, Siren. I want the fucker dead. But Griff made me see sense. If he’s dead, he can’t tell us where Harlee is and she’s my priority now. I have men out looking for them right now. I swear I won’t give up.”
“You can’t go down for murder, Ryder. I need you here.” She closes her eyes and I hold her until she’s drifted off to sleep.
Neve
“Neve, wake up.” I open my eyes to find Ryder shaking me gently. “Griff’s tracked Mary.”
