Page 23 of Flashback for the Forward

When my heart rate settled so that I could no longer hear it beating in my ears, I strained them to pinpoint the location of the noise that had woken me.

Listening intently for several minutes, I didn’t hear it again, so I chalked it up to my subconscious playing tricks on me.

My mouth opened wide, a loud yawn escaping. Even though it was going to hurt like hell, if I wanted a good night’s rest, it was probably better if I made my way up to bed. My mattress was best in class for muscle recovery, and the room was soundproofed with blackout shutters.

Shoving off the couch with a groan, I trudged toward the stairs. I made it halfway there when the tapping I’d sworn I imagined resumed, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

It was coming from the vicinity of the glass doors to my back deck. Probably a wayward seagull or other bird using its beak, but it wouldn’t hurt to check it out.

Walking over to the large windows, I looked through them. The area was illuminated by the underwater lighting coming from the pool, and at first glance, there wasn’t a single animal in sight. Either I was hearing things, or whatever had been pecking on the glass had flown off before I made my way over here.

Just as I reached for the chain to pull the blinds, a tiny pebble struck the glass. Then another. And another.

While I was relieved that I hadn’t been imagining the sound, the corners of my lips turned down in a frown at the idea of someone trespassing on my property this late at night.

Pulling the glass door open, I stepped onto the patio. “Hello? Who’s out there?”

There was a rustling of shrubbery, but no response.

“Listen, I’d rather not press charges, so if you leave now, I’ll pretend you were never here.”

“Cole.” My name was uttered on the weakest of croaks, but the underlying tone of desperation gave me pause.

“Are you hurt? Do you need help?” Concern colored my words.

There was movement in the landscaping surrounding the pool deck, and a figure came into view. It appeared to be a woman, dressed in oversized black clothing, with her head bowed and both arms hugging her middle.

“Miss?” I prompted.

That was enough for her to lift her head, and all the air left my lungs in a rush.

Instead of a stranger, as I’d initially expected, the woman standing before me was the one I’d been in love with for almost half my life.

“Bridget.” Her name fell from my lips like a prayer. “What are you doing here?”

She took a step into the light, and unease skittered down my spine when I saw that her lower lip was trembling, her green eyes glassy.

My fingers flexed, itching to reach for her, but my brain was quick to remind me that she wasn’t mine. Not anymore.

With hands that shook, Bridget reached up to remove the hood of the sweatshirt covering her head, and the sight of her face pulled an involuntary gasp from my throat.

There was a nasty gash above one eyebrow, a line of dried blood disappearing into her hair. My eyes trailed lower, and my heart stopped beating altogether when I saw the purple marks lining the column of her throat.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

Those rasped words acted like a knife piercing through my chest. Reacting purely on instinct, I rushed toward her, halting when she flinched at the sudden movement.

“Shit, sorry.” I tugged on the short strands of my hair, at a complete loss of how to handle this situation. It killed me to know that Russ was probably watching this scene from above, witnessing just how badly I’d failed to look out for his baby sister. “Tell me how I can help you.”

Blinking rapidly, she pleaded, “C-can I stay here? Just for tonight?”

“Of course. You can stay as long as you need.”

I held out an arm, indicating that she should precede me inside. Her motions were stiff, almost jerky, and I could have sworn I heard a whimper fall from her lips as she stepped inside my home.

Sliding the patio door shut, I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “That cut looks pretty nasty. Would you mind at all if I cleaned it?”

She failed to hide a wince as she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Okay.”