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“He?” I asked, and Rylan nodded. “Then it’s not Kelly.”
He took a corner too fast, but I could hardly blame him. My men had been almost as invested in finding Kelly as I had.
Almost, but not quite.
“Police said they found a woman fitting her description in the apartment. Ambulance is on the scene.”
“Fuck.” I dragged a hand down my face, then stared out the window as we got close. Emergency lights lit up the darkened streets, doing what the mid-afternoon sun had failed to do. Rylan slammed on the breaks, not even bothering to pull into a spot.
Couldn’t blame him for that, either. I was already out of my seat, racing toward the apartment doors. Trying to break through the police barricade to get inside.
They stopped me, held me back as I screamed and yelled. The paramedics were wheeling a stretcher out.
She was there.
“Kelly! Kelly!”
“Sir, you have to stay back.”
“Officer.” Rylan stepped up to my side, holding out his ID. “This is Lee Bridgewater, and I’m Rylan Dennis. We have reason to believe that woman is Kelly O’Connor. We’ve been working with her parents and the police to find her.”
“Bridgewater and Dennis?” The officer craned his head back to look up at me before nodding. “Go on ahead.”
I didn’t wait for anything more. I brushed past him, racing to the stretcher and the woman lying there.
“Kelly!” She looked like hell. Looked like she’d died a thousand times over. Her blue-green eyes cracked open a hair before I reached her, the swelling in her bruised face keeping them from opening further. “Kelly!”
The paramedics paused, and I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. Since I couldn’t do that, I gripped her face between my palms and lowered my face over hers.
“I’m so fuckin’ sorry. So sorry. I never—”
“Just… wanna… die…” Her voice was nothing but a rasp, but her words killed me. Flayed me open and had my heart bleeding in her unsteady hands.
“Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say that. Kelly, I—” My tears splattered across her face, twisting down her swollen cheeks. I lowered my forehead to hers. “Everything’s gonna be okay. I—” I wiped my eyes. Pressed a kiss to the only unbruised spot on her entire face. “I let you down.”
“I… did… this.”
“Don’t say that.”
Kelly curled her fist into my shirt, the weight of her arm dragging me toward her. “I’m… sorry.”
“Don’t—” I didn’t get to finish that thought. Not when I lifted her head and lowered my own. Not when I touched my lips to the perfect bow of hers. Not when I melted into her and she let out a tortured cry.
“Sir, we have to go.”
I jerked back, eyes wide as I stared down at the girl… the woman…
Fuck. I’d fuckin’ kissed her.
After everything she’d been through.
After living through hell only to come out looking like death…
I kissed her.
And I wanted to do it again.
“I’m sorry,” Kelly rasped once more before the paramedic was shoving me aside and they were loading her into the back of the ambulance.
