Page 88 of The Quiet Witness

Her nails tore over the concrete, dragging her closer to Isabel. “Leave him, bigger cut remember?”

She sank down next to her. “What about this chick?” Kate turned and watched them point to Emily. Defenseless on the floor.

“Not on the listing. Let’s just fucking go!”

Feet slapped against the pavement as they raced from the scene. Leaving their mewling friend behind.

Her mirror image gasped and jerked on the floor. Kate’s hands tore away at the jacket, the sweater beneath was soaked through, she pulled up the T-shirt.

Thick liquid ran between her fingers. She located the wound, pressing down on it with all her might. She trailed her eyes up to Isabel’s, forcing a small smile on her face even as her voice broke down. “You’re going to be alright, sweetie, don’t you worry.”

But the pool grew in size, spreading up against Kate’s knees.

“Kate.” She croaked out, leaning her head to the side and pinning Kate in place.

The fear in her was gone.

“You were right.”

Sirens… sirens grew in the silence after the fight. Blaring louder and louder.

Kate laughed, trembling. “Sure, hun, you can tell me all about that later.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve been able to rest my head here, thank… thank Lucien for me.”

Her eyes glazed over, closing. “Don’t you dare, Isabel! Don’t you dare leave this place!”

No response came, nothing but blaring sirens and the wind whipping harshly around them.

Chapter 36

The Aftermath

Mercifully, the sirens had been turned off. All that was left were the blue lights, flickering on and off in front of her. Kate sat on the metal railing of the ambulance, not even noticing the cold as it seeped its way into her weary bones.

Another ambulance had rushed Isabel to the hospital, its tires screeching over the parking lot. Isabel had been breathing, fighting against death’s hold as she was raised into the emergency vehicle.

The medics wanted to rush Kate off to the hospital as well. Not the greatest of ideas, considering there were people waiting to find her and kill her off. None of her words had swayed them from doing so. That was until Georgia called Lucien, who was already on his way here.

Twenty seconds in a call where the medic couldn’t get a single word in. And it was taken care of. Lucien had asked Georgia to let Kate decide. She’d merely glanced at them all and shaken her head. The last thing she needed was to be whisked off to a blindingly white room where cries rang out, footsteps dashed over the linoleum floors in haste, and doctors touched her aching body. Maybe this time too… they’d ask whether she was faking it.

No. She had been there before. She needed silence, and maybe… she needed Lucien.

They settled for a check up in the ambulance, lifting her shirt to see the many bruises creeping along her abdomen, checking her pupil response, asking her a barrage of questions.

Conclusion: Heavily bruised ribs, who luckily and quite admirably had resisted to break, considering the impact. Cuts and scrapes, a myriad of bruises, and last but not least, a hell of a lot of loose hairs falling from her scalp. Each time she ran through it with a hand, she swore she’d be bald after.

The staff had disinfected the cuts, which didn’t feel very thorough, considering that she was still covered in blood from head to toe.

It was still light out, which didn’t make sense to Kate. It had felt like she was here for a week straight, while in reality it had only been several hours. The day far from over.

She glanced at Emily, who stood sobbing and shaking near Heather and Georgia. The last one with a look that could only be described as guilt. They’d come up to her to talk before, followed by tight hugs and that was it.

Kate understood why the two women had disappeared into the shelter, knew that most would freeze, or flee. Still, if they had outnumbered the men, maybe Isabel wouldn’t be going into surgery, where they would try and save what was left of her.

Anger warred with fatigue and clashed with sadness. The only thing that kept her from screaming was the numbness that held a hold over her entire body.

A black car turned the corner, not bothering to park it was left deserted on the driveway. The driver strode straight up to Kate. That smooth walk, even burdened with urgency, she’d recognize it anywhere. Before she knew it, Kate stood upright, ignoring the shaking in her legs as she limped over to Lucien, leaving behind Georgia’s sniffling.