“Something happened today. At work,” I managed, my words weak and shaky, like me. “There was a construction worker there. Well, he’s probably not actually a construction worker. But I thought he was. And he…he…uh, I went into an empty room with him.”
Liam’s hand tightened, and I felt his scowl without even looking.
“What the fuck, Jen Jen. What happened? What did he do to you?”
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, fortifying myself. “He...he undressed me...and touched me. And he gagged me and hit me. But I hit him with pliers, and then Liam came in and stopped him before he...you know.”
“Are you okay?”
I let out a tremulous breath. At least the hardest part—telling him—was over. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”
“My God, Jen Jen, I can’t believe it. I’m so sorry. Did they catch the fucker?”
“Yeah, he’s going to go to jail. He raped a woman in the park last week. And probably more people too.”
He let out a string of curses I’d never heard from him before. “Wow. You got lucky.”
“Yeah, I guess I did.” I didn’t feel lucky. Even though I knew it could’ve been—would’ve been—much worse. He was planning to rape me and murder me.
“Please come to my graduation,” Ty pleaded. “I want to see you. I haven’t seen you in so long, and now this. Come so I can make sure you’re okay and we can all be together.”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Why not? So you can work in the place where you were almost raped? Fuck them. Come be with your family where you belong. Let Mom and Dad take care of you. You’ll be safe here with us.”
Bile crawled up my throat, burning a trail in its wake, and shivers took over my body, and I couldn’t breathe, and the world was starting to go gray, and I just wanted to give in and let it all go dark because this was too much to feel. It was all too much.
“Firefly.” Liam’s warm, strong hands held me. “You’re safe. Breathe with me.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head.
“Open your eyes, Firefly. I’m right here. It’s just you and me, and you’re safe.”
I opened my eyes and locked onto his gaze. Saw his love and concern there, but his anguish too. I took a trembling breath, and then another. I hated seeing him like this. “Sorry. I’m okay.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” His eyes roamed over my face, and I wondered what he was seeing. I hadn’t looked in a mirror yet, but my skin felt raw where the tape was, and tight and swollen where he’d grabbed and hit me.
The pressure in my chest eased, but then a different panic threatened. “Tyler? Did he hear all that?”
“No, I hung up. You can call him back when you feel ready.”
I wasn’t ready, but I couldn’t leave it like that. Before I could call, though, a knock sounded at the door. Liam jumped up, standing between me and whatever danger lurked in the halls of the hospital. He relaxed only slightly when the pulmonologist introduced himself.
“Is she okay, doc?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Liam
I strangled the steering wheel, wishing it was that fucker’s neck. If only the cops hadn’t already been en route for Mary, if I’d had just a few more minutes alone with him, no woman would ever need to worry about where he put his fucking dick ever again. What kind of sicko prepares to rape a woman by jacking off on a sock and carrying it to work in his pocket, biding his time to get her alone?
And I’d fucking handed Jenna to him on a silver platter. This whole time, he was right under my fucking nose, and I had no clue. Like a useless idiot, I’d left her in his sick clutches.
I’m sorry, Firefly. So fucking sorry.
I’d promised to keep her safe, and I failed spectacularly.
Jenna stared out into the darkness, her hands clenched in her lap, looking so small and vulnerable. I pried my fingers off the steering wheel and laid my hand between us, relief flooding through me when she grabbed on. We’d held hands almost the whole time in the hospital, but I knew it would be different nowthat we were heading home. I didn’t care if she never wanted to touch sexually again, but I desperately needed to hold her and comfort her. And she needed it too.