Page 25 of Finding Gwen

Before I could make a decision, a hard body pushed me up against my car, causing me to drop my phone. A large hand was slapped over my mouth, silencing the scream that escaped my throat. Immediately, I tried to push against my attacker, shoving with my hands on their chest as I willed my legs to cooperate so I could run. My hands were quickly captured and pinned above my head as a deep chuckle came from under the mask at my weak attempts at escape. Hoping someone would hear the commotion and run over, I tried to scream again, but quickly realized I couldn’t, as if someone had shoved a wad of cotton into my mouth.

My knees collapsed underneath me, my body being held up by my pinned hands. My arms screamed in protest from the weight. As my attacker dropped their hand from my mouth, moving it down my body and stopping at the top of my waistband, I realized I had been drugged. Pure terror filled my body, tears stinging the back of my eyes. Forcing air into my lungs was becoming increasingly difficult as calloused fingers dug into the skin around my hip, roughly kneading my flesh until it felt raw. They leaned closer, the fabric of the mask rubbing against my neck.

“There’s no reason we can’t have a little fun…” Although muffled slightly by the mask, the deep voice sent a wave of panic through my body, a familiarity to the voice that my brain couldn’t place. He pulled away from my neck, stopping only inches away in front of my face as his dark eyes stared into mine. A spike of adrenaline had my head flying forward as I tried to make contact with any part of the asshole’s face, not caring that I had no idea what I was doing. But my body was easily thrown to the ground, and unable to catch myself, the back of my head made contact with the concrete as my arms and legs laid in various directions, unable to move.

“Fucking bitch…” A rough hand on my face forced rocks to dig uncomfortably into my cheek and the angle made it hard to breathe. My head was swimming as another hand teased the waistband of my pants before undoing the bottom, while a knee was shoved into the already tender skin around my hip, effectively pinning my legs open. “You want it rough, don’t you?”

Fingers shoved into me under my pants while the hand on my face released, making its way down to my thigh where fingertips dug into my skin. “See, baby, you like this. Your pussy wants this.” I wanted to scream that it hurts, to beg for him to stop. Internally, I did, willing my arms or legs to move, trying to remember to breathe through all of it. Tears ran down my cheeks in hot streams as he continued working his fingers in and out of me, my pants shifting down my hips as a wetness that I don’t think was arousal dripped down my exposed sex. Abruptly, wet fingers gripped my throat and my thigh was released. My pants were crudely yanked further down as the sound of a zipper had me panicking as my airway was slowly cut off.

I closed my eyes and begged for whatever drug was in my system to finally take hold as the faint sound of a zipper pierced the buzzing in my ears. Struggling to take in a deep breath, Oliver’s giggles floated through my mind, blocking out whatever else was happening. If something happened to me, what would Oliver think? Would he understand? My heart broke at the thought of that sweet boy losing another person from his life as the squeal of tires had my eyes fluttering open, watching the man on top of me look over his shoulder and cursed. The grip on my throat released, and I choked on an intake of air. My vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges as my attacker ran in the opposite direction of the approaching vehicle.

The headlights illuminated the area as a door opened and footsteps bounded toward me. Someone was kneeling near my head, their shadow covering my exposed body. A voice spoke, sounding gargled, as if I was underwater trying to hear them. A gentle hand rested on my cheek as my eyelids became too heavy, my body numb to the world around me. Letting them close, a familiar voice broke through the haze just before the darkness finally pulled me under.

“I’ve got you, luce mia.” Anthony…

Chapter Seventeen

Anthony

Iclosed the door to Oliver’s bedroom and let out a huge sigh of relief. That kid was a master negotiator. Technically, it could be considered my fault, since I found it really hard to tell him no when he asked for one more story. Gwendalyn had been the one putting him to bed recently with this new case, so I never minded a couple extra books. That meant more snuggles.

Looking down at my watch, I noticed the time–nearly ten. I was mentally kicking myself for the fight with Gwendalyn. Maybe trying to tell her what to do was a bad idea, but when she said the name of that bar, something inside me snapped. My instincts were telling me something bad was about to happen and I had no control of the situation. Hell, I didn’t even know when she would be home. Oscurità mia was screaming at me to go to that bar and drag her home if need be. The only thing I knew was I needed her to be safe.

Walking to the kitchen, I pulled a beer out of the fridge, taking a swig of it before pulling out my phone. Drafting an email to the tech guy at work who owed me a favor, I would figure out a way to track her phone and give myself some peace of mind. You were still an asshole, though. Exhaling, I took another drink, debating if I should pull out something stronger. This was going to be a long night of self-hatred and I might as well do it while drinking the good stuff.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my hand, Gwendalyn’s name flashed on the screen as an incoming call. Maybe the universe was giving me a chance to make things right.

“Gwendalyn?” The line was quiet, and it crossed my mind that this was more than likely a butt dial. My heart sank at the thought that she didn’t intentionally call me, but I didn’t hang up right away, listening closely for any sign that Gwendalyn was on the other end. I just wanted to hear her voice. Instead, the voice I heard had me running to grab my gun and badge before I sprinted across my lawn to Katie’s house.

“There’s no reason we can’t have a little fun…”

Katie saw the panicked look in my eyes and was putting on her shoes to head to my house before I could get a word out. I broke numerous traffic laws racing across town to get to the bar. Pulling into the parking lot, I spotted her car in the back of the lot and slowed down as I drove back to it, scanning the shadows for her. When I spotted her unmoving body laying on the concrete next to her car, all rational thought went out the window and I barely put my truck in park before I ran to her.

I kneeled next to her, her head fell to the side, and her eyes were glazed over, not seeing what was in front of her. Whoever did this, I would find them. Pulling out my phone, I called for an ambulance. Blood caked her hair, and I scanned her body for signs of any other injuries. Her pants had been pulled down, and I shrugged off my jacket while I talked to the dispatcher. Not wanting to risk moving her and causing further harm, I draped it over her legs, fury coursing through my veins as I pictured someone touching Gwendalyn. My hand rested on her cheek, needing her to know it was me.

“I’ve got you, luce mia. You’re safe,” I whispered, her eyes drifting shut and my chest tightened.

My brain was going through worse case scenarios as I sat with her, waiting for the ambulance that I swore I called hours ago. My body ached to wrap her in my arms, to protect her when I knew it was my fault she was in this position. The sound of the ambulance approaching pulled me from my thoughts and I moved out of the paramedics’ way when they rushed over. As they worked on her, I moved my truck to an empty spot, having stopped in the middle of the lot.

Everything that followed happened in slow motion. In the ambulance, I sat at the end of the gurney on the way to the hospital, my hand resting on her ankle while I rubbed it with my thumb. I felt useless, but needed to be touching her, needed her to know I was with her. The steady rise and fall of her chest was all I could focus on, and it gave me hope that she was okay.

We arrived at the hospital sooner than I realized, a trauma team rushing her back to a room while I got directed to a waiting area. I paced the length of the room so many times I lost count. I watched the minutes turn into hours until a nurse came to update me, saying they had moved her to a room. Now I sat next to her bed, watching as she slept with my fingers laced through hers. I needed her to wake up.

It didn’t take too long for a doctor to stop by and update me on what they had found. After examining her head, they found a sizable gash on the back of her head. A CT scan had discovered there were no major complications. They had stitched up the wound and were hoping for minimal scarring. There was bruising on her abdomen and along her legs, too.

Because she was currently unconscious, there was no way to tell for sure the full extent of her injuries and they weren’t able to collect evidence of assault until she woke up to consent. But the doctor was hopeful for no permanent damage from the head wound. They would give her a few hours to hopefully wake up on her own while they ran her bloodwork and they could discuss options at that time. He said as long as everything checked out after that, she could rest at home.

Pulling a chair next to the bed, I collapsed into it, gathering Gwendalyn’s hand in mine. She looked peaceful. I wanted to protect her from what came next, the questioning and the decisions. She would have never been put in this position to begin with if I had been able to protect her, to keep her safe.

The adrenaline drained from my body as I watched over her. A nurse came in at one point and checked her vitals, but I paid her no mind. My only focus was Gwendalyn, waiting for her eyes to open. Time passed slowly and my arm rested on the mattress. I squeezed her hand, willing her to wake up, while the steady beep of her heart rate filled the room.

Chapter Eighteen

Gwen

The warmth of the darkness was yanked from me as I came to, refusing to open my eyes as I gained some sense of my surroundings. I was laying in a bed, but I know it isn’t mine. The sheets feel scratchy against my skin and the weight of my favorite blanket was nonexistent. I was flooded with relief when I could wiggle my fingers and toes. While I would have loved nothing more than to go back to sleep, curiosity got the better of me when I registered a heaviness on my right hand and side. Plus, I had an overwhelming need to pee.

Rousing myself, I blinked away the blurriness that was making it hard to see and internally groaned when the fluorescent lights shined too brightly above me, letting my eyes close to block out the harshness. All my senses slowly woke up as a steady beep echoed through the room and disinfectant assaulted my nose. A hospital? My memories from when I left the bar until now were hazy, like I could feel them in the recesses of my mind, but couldn’t grab onto them. I needed answers. Turning my head to the side, the action causing a dull throbbing. I opened my eyes once more and hoped I could find someone that could help fill in the missing pieces from last night. Instead, the sight in front of me had my frantic mind stopping.

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