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“Don’t talk like that.” Yes, her father. “The investigation will need to be impartial. You shouldn’t be anywhere near it. None of us should.”
“He tried to kill her.”
“We don’t know that. We don’t know what happened.”
“Ser will tell us,” Lachlan said. “Sersha, honey, what happened? You were only a few blocks from McDade’s club.”
From Stag. She remembered going there… but she hadn’t got in.
“My head hurts,” she said, closing her eyes.
“Your injuries are severe,” her father said. “You have a concussion. Torn ligaments in your wrist. Bruised ribs—”
“Don’t scare her,” her grandfather said. “Give her time.”
The alley. The attack.
“The docs need…” Her brother’s voice was somber enough that she opened her eyes to try seeing him again, but she still couldn’t distinguish much in his features. “They need consent to do a rape exam.”
“Oh, God,” she groaned, warm heat slipping from her eyes when she closed them.
“We don’t know that she was raped.”
“We’ll get him,” Lachlan said, taking her hand higher. “Whatever it takes, honey, you know I won’t stop until he’s off the streets.”
Swallowing again, she parted her dry lips. “They,” she croaked. “There were two of them.”
“Two?” Lachlan asked, odd hope in his voice.
“Can I have water?”
He let her go and stood, then he was directing a straw between her lips. “The more you can tell us, the easier it will be to track them down. Take your time. Tell me what you remember.” The pain in her head pulsed every time she sipped. “They’ve got you loaded up on pain meds. Tell me what you can and then you can rest.”
“She might not want—”
“Yeah, but she might,” Lachlan snapped.
Her brother snapping? At her father? Maybe she’d woken up in a parallel universe.
“Lach,” she said, releasing the straw, her hand rising and flopping down under its own weight.
“I’m here.”
“I want you to… stay here.”
“I’m staying,” he said, grabbing her hand again. “I’m staying, honey. I’m not going anywhere. Tell me what you remember.”
She tried to shake her head. “Lach.”
“What, honey? I’m here.”
“Just us.”
“Just… Everyone clear out.”
“No, we’re not—”
“Go!”
