Text (Take It Off #4)(26)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“But why pneumonia?” I asked.

“Because when you suffer that kind of trauma, it prevents you from taking deep breaths. This increases your risk. If you begin to run a fever, feel weak or dizzy, or experience any other worrisome symptoms, you need to seek medical treatment immediately.”

“Okay, I will.”

“I’ll send the police in now,” he said after a few more moments of talking. When he finally left, I blew out a breath.

“Doctor’s are so serious,” I mumbled.

Nathan chuckled. “Would you rather he be unserious?”

“I want to go home,” I griped.

He grinned.

Two police officers shuffled into the room, wearing pressed uniforms with badges clipped to their black belts. Resigned, I submitted to their questions and prying eyes. Because Nathan filled them in so thoroughly, their questions turned personal fast.

“Did Lex Sullman rape you, ma’am?”

I recoiled like I smelled something foul.

“What the hell kind of question is that?” Nathan said, jerking up from his chair and taking up position beside the bed.

“A necessary one,” the police replied, gauging Nathan, no doubt taking in his rough appearance and scars. His eyes slid to me. “How do you know this man?”

“I already told you that,” he said, and I knew he was restraining his temper. Nathan seemed to have a bit of a short fuse.

Before things could escalate, I explained quickly about how Nathan and I met.

“So you are friends with the man suspected of kidnapping women?”

“No,” Nathan said slowly, like he was talking to an idiot. “Like I told you before, we play a weekly poker game together. He’s an acquaintance.”

“You provided us with his home address.” The other officer spoke up.

Nathan shrugged. “I’ve played poker at his house.”

“Will other men testify to this?”

Nathan rattled off about four names and a phone number of some guy named Patton. When he was done, the muscle in the side of his jaw was ticking. It reminded me of a time bomb ready to explode.

“No,” I said quietly.

All eyes turned toward me.

“No?” the officer asked.

“He didn’t rape me.”

Nathan dropped onto the bed beside me. It was as if he was so relieved he couldn’t stand. I gave him a watery smile.

The police officer looked at his partner. “We’re not looking for a rapist.” The other partner nodded and wrote something in a no-nonsense black notebook.

They said it like it somehow made everything I’d gone through okay. Like what I suffered was somehow less now because my body wasn’t violated like they assumed.

It really, really made me angry.

This wasn’t just about me. It was also about Mary and whoever else came before us. “He was going to,” I said, and once again all eyes turned to me.

“How do you know that?”

“He made his intent pretty clear,” I hedged.

Nathan was sitting very still and staring at the floor. I glanced at him, feeling unease curling through my limbs.

“Maybe you should wait outside, Mr. Reed.”

“No,” I said, reaching for his hand. I didn’t want him to go. This was hard enough to say out loud. Knowing Nathan was here and that he somehow understood something about pain made it easier.

Before the officers could insist, I opened my mouth and let it pour out. “He held me down,” I said. “He… um… he took himself out.” I paused, looking at the officers, hoping they would understand. Both of them wore a disgusted look so I knew they understood perfectly. “And he tried to shove it in my mouth.”

Nathan glanced at me. “The truck?” he whispered, harsh.

I nodded.

He ripped his hand from mine and hooked it around the back of my head, pulling me into his chest. He still smelled like pine trees, and I let it fill my senses.

“Is that all?” one of the officers asked.

I lifted my head, anger on my face. “Well, aside from being kicked, slapped, punched, shot at, groped, and thrown into a thirty-foot hole in the ground, I guess that about covers it.”

“We meant no disrespect,” the second officer spoke.

“Yeah, I know.” I relented.

“I think we have all we need for now. We’ll leave a card. If you remember anything else, please contact us.”

“Wait,” I called. “Did you find him? Is he in jail?”

The officers exchanged a long look. I knew what that meant.

“I’m afraid the suspect is still at large.”

Why did they keep calling him the “suspect?” He was frickin’ guilty as sin. “You have to find him,” I implored.

“The department is doing everything we can, ma’am.”

“It isn’t enough!” I shouted.

“We’ll let you know when we’ve apprehended the—”

“Suspect.” I spat the word for him. I hoped he realized how disgusted I was by the police department’s incompetence.

He had the grace to flush as the second officer let himself out the door. Before following behind, he turned back and cleared his throat. “I should probably caution you, ma’am,” he began. “You need to remain precautious and alert until he is in custody.”

I nodded, the hair on the back of my neck rising just a little.

And then I was alone with Nathan. I looked at him. “What a bunch of idiots,” I muttered. “If you hadn’t found me, I’d probably be dead by now. They certainly wouldn’t have found me.”

He grimaced. “I had to show them where the hole was.”

I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled. It was terrible, but if I couldn’t laugh, I might start screaming. The sudden burst of laughter caused me to wince in pain.

“Easy,” Nathan cautioned, placing a hand on my shoulder and pressing me back in the bed. “You need to rest.”

How the heck was I supposed to rest when that man was still out there?

20

Nathan

I spent the night watching her sleep. Sometimes I saw her face twist in fear and pain; sometimes I would hear a low whimper.

I knew that sound, and I imaged my face likely looked a lot like hers—except much uglier—when I slept. I was thankful for the meds in her IV because I knew once she got home, she wouldn’t get much rest.

Nightmares would likely plague her.

The police were a bunch of idiots. They had no idea how to talk to people who’d been through hell. They had no idea how to search the woods. Shit, I had to leave the hospital and drive out there to show them where the hole was.