Page 67 of Destined for Him

"She's in room two."

I don't even wait for her to finish speaking before I head to her room, knocking lightly before walking in.

Griffin is in the far corner of the room while Pauline lies in bed hooked up to countless machines. Her face is purple and bloody, but it's the vision in the green dress beside her that captures my attention.

Her arms are dirty, and her hair is matted together, but I almost fall to my knees when she looks at me without any obvious signs of injury.

"Kevin," she whispers, her lower lip wobbling.

"Shelby, what the fuck happened?"

I cross the room and sweep her into my arms, my heart finally slowing to a regular beat as she squeezes me tight.

"You were right…." Her voice cracks, and her shoulders shake, letting out the emotion she's clearly been holding inside. "About Tommy."

I close my eyes and inhale, pressing my lips to her head as I do.

Wait…what the fuck?

"Your hair…" I whisper, pulling strands through my fingers. "It smells of gasoline."

Shelby nods against my chest, and I feel a hand on my shoulder.

Griffin.

"Let's step outside for a second, Kev."

But I don't want to leave Shelby.

"Five minutes," Griffin says, giving me a meaningful look before heading for the door.

"I'll be right outside, okay?" I tell Shelby, moving her, so she's at arm's length.

Her wide eyes are bloodshot and swollen from crying, but she still manages to give me a smile, and fuck, my heart rockets.

I rub my thumb against the corner of her mouth and try to return the smile. Then my eyes travel down to her chest, then her legs, and stop on their way back up.

The dress has a slit, but it's now torn too.

I can see everything, including the fingerprint bruises that are already forming.

Breathe.

"Stay here," I say softly, helping her ease back into her chair.

Has she been raped?

Please, God, don't let her have been raped.

I turn away, my teeth almost cracking as I grit them together, fury uncurling in my belly.

Griffin is outside, and as soon as I close the door, my eyes meet his with the burning question in my mind.

"She's okay," he says quickly. "He tried to…you know, but she fought him off."

I feel sick.

Tommy isn't slight by any means, and I'm so fucking angry I could rip him apart limb by limb, then beat his torso with them.

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