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I take her hand, a little shocked to find she’s still wearing my ring. She wasn’t when I tied her up the other night. I run my finger over it, then step back. Putting breathing room between us so my mind will work again.
“You’re staying here so I know you’re not going to die.” I eye her like she might just collapse in front of me. “Did you bring your key?”
She nods, pulling it and the fob from her shorts pocket.
I palm them. She follows me to the living room and sinks onto the couch gingerly. It’s late, well past midnight, but neither of us acknowledge that. Her shirt is still hanging open, not that she seems to care about that either.
In all honesty, she seems out of it.
Do I call the police? Why didn’t she?
“Are you involved in something that’s preventing you from calling the police?” I ask.
She twitches.
“Aurora.”
“Don’t call the police, Knox.” She meets my gaze. “Please.”
We stare at each other for a long time. A minute, at least. It’s not really that long in hindsight, but it is a long time when you’re not blinking. And sometimes I feel like I just need to keep my eyes open wide whenever she’s around, one, because I don’t trust her not to stab me the millisecond my eyes are shut, and two, because I don’t want to miss a thing.
Her face is going to be worse in the morning.
“Ice.” I snap my fingers. Ice always helps after fights, and this was a fight. A one-sided fight, but still. I wrap a bag of frozen peas in a hand towel and place it in her palm. “Put it on your face. I’ll be right back.”
She nods and rests her head against the back of the couch. I stand there and watch until she lifts it and gingerly presses the makeshift ice pack to her cheek.
Then I head to her condo.
The door seems intact. Meaning it wasn’t kicked in, the lock wasn’t picked. She might’ve opened it to her attacker, or at least left it unlocked. Inside appears the same as the last time I saw it, too. Minus the key details: blood on the floor. A streak, a glob. A tooth.
My stomach churns.
She threw up, too.
I dial Jacob’s number.
“What?” he asks. “You run out of TP?”
“Funny. No. Someone attacked—” My throat closes before I can get her name out.
“You? Are you okay?”
“Not me. Aurora. I’m standing in her condo.” I give him the number, knowing I only have to wait a few minutes. That’s a perk of living in the same building as my best friend.
I stash my phone and don’t move any farther into her space. Everything is brightly colored. The deep-blue velvet couch with a pale-yellow, knit blanket folded over one back cushion. It’s so… well,sunny.
How I manage to smile at that is a miracle.
Jacob enters and stops short. “Damn.”
I glance back, my smile quickly fading. He changed into shorts, a plain t-shirt, and slides. With socks. His hair is messed up, which means I probably interrupted something.
Sorry, Melody.
“Who was it?” he asks me.
I wish I fucking knew. All I can do is shake my head, and then an idea—that there is someone whowouldknow—bursts to life. I leave the condo in a hurry and jab my finger to call the elevator. At this time of night, no one’s used it since Jacob. It opens immediately.
