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“Thank you.”
She nods once and makes for the door, only pausing briefly to look over her shoulder and say, “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Catherine.”
Tears fill my eyes and, although I don’t reply, I nod and send her a shaky smile.
As soon as the doctor has gone, Toni moves to the bed and sits down. “There were others?”
“I don’t know how many.” Closing my eyes, I try to remember how many water stops the big man would make when he’d come in. “Maybe ten to start with. Then seven by the time I left.”
“All women?”
“I don’t know. It was dark…” The smell floods my memory as I think back. “Dark and damp. Like a basement or cellar.”
“Primrose is going to debrief Detective Rowe—the undercover cop. After that, he’s going to want to talk to you. They didn’t know there were others; otherwise, I’m sure they would have raided the place.”
“I know.” I swipe at my face. “I’ll do what I can to help.” When I glance towards the bathroom again, Toni tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ll leave you for a bit while I go and get you some food and water. Soup maybe?”
“Sure,” I reply because I know Toni needs something to do. But the idea of food makes me want to throw up.
“Take your time. Eat. Get some sleep. We’ll figure everything out in the morning.” Toni sends me one last smile and leaves the room.
Finally, I shift my legs off the bed, careful not to apply pressure to my swollen ankles, and hobble to the bathroom door. Raising my hand, I place my palm flat against the cool wood. “Aiden?” I rasp. There’s a wet squelch and a weird shuffle noise by the bottom of the door. “Can I co-”
The door swings open before I’ve even finished my sentence. Aiden is standing on the other side. He’s still dressed in his wet clothes. His hair is a mess. His dark eyes are bloodshot with fatigue. “You look like shit,” I say, hoping to lighten the mood.
He runs a hand through his hair, a faint smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “It’s been…” His voice breaks and he looks away, unable to finish the thought.
He doesn’t reach for me, and I know it’s because he’s giving me space. But I don’t want space. I want to be held by him, cradled against his body so that I canfinallysleep and feel safe. I want to lie down and close my eyes and breathe in his scent.
Reaching my hands forward, I start on the buttons of his shirt, undoing each one with trembling fingers. He holds still while I strip off his wet clothes, only occasionally shifting to help me unstick the soggy garments from his frame.
By the time he’s finally dressed in the sweats and T-shirt, my hands and arms feel weak from the effort. Leaving the mess in the bathroom for tomorrow, I lead him to my bed.
Aiden comes willingly.
I crawl under the covers and scoot over to the wall. The moment he’s next to me, I shimmy closer and, curling up at his side, nestle my head on his shoulder. My arms fold against my chest so that I am pressed as close to him as possible.
“I used to have my bed pushed up against the wall like this when I was a kid,” he tells me. His lips touch my forehead. “It made me feel safe to only be exposed on one side.”
“Me too,” I say. “Before.”
“Before?”
“Before I met you.” With a yawn, I snuggle deeper under the covers and close my eyes.
His entire body tenses. “How can you trust me?”
He sounds so bitter, so angry. Prying my lids open for a moment, I look at him. He’s staring back at me, his eyes boring into my soul. “You can’t protect me from my past, Aiden.” Placing my hand over his heart, I feel for the steady thump of it, knowing that it’ll calm me. “Just be there for me if it ever catches up to me again.”
“That’s not good enough.” His arms tighten around me. “Not anymore.”
“It has to be.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you and I’m asking you to stay safe. For me.” He’s so still. So quiet. I know he’s never heard me say the words before, so I give him a long moment before I tip my head back and look at him again. “I’m not asking you to stop. I know you love your job. I’m just asking that you come back to me every night…” My voice breaks. “And don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger trying to chase after my ghosts.”
“Cat…I love you so goddamn much.”
