Page 106 of Wife Number One

I couldn’t breathe for thinking about it. Did people really…do that?

I couldn’t even imagine. I needed to ask Rebel. Or Bliss. Or anyone but Hawk because I already felt like an immature, inexperienced child in his presence.

We caught up with Hayley Jade at the triage station, where the green line ran out.

It was only as Hawk gave Hayley Jade’s fake name again that I realized Hawk hadn’t once mentioned kissing me.

He’d talked about putting his mouth to my pussy and to my…

But he didn’t want to kiss me.

I couldn’t deny the way that hurt. Even though I had no business kissing anyone.

“Okay, Hayley Jade,” the nurse said with a smile. She was a lot friendlier than the woman at reception had been, though this one hadn’t heard Hawk complaining the minute he’d walked in the door, so that was probably understandable. “My name is Freya, and I’m going to do a few checks while I have a chat with your parents. Is that okay? First one, all we need you to do is pop this monitor on your finger. Do you think you can do that for me?”

Hayley Jade nodded and held a finger out.

Nurse Freya smiled. “Great job. Just sit for a moment and let that register, then we’ll move on.”

The nurse focused on us and explained, “The doctors know that patients who come to this clinic often haven’t seen a doctor for a long time, or maybe ever. So we run a few basic tests while we chat about what brought you in today.”

Hawk glanced at me, letting me take the lead.

I drew in a breath. “Hayley Jade went through something quite traumatic a few weeks ago. She hasn’t spoken ever since. I thought it was just shock, and that it would just take her a few days, but it’s been weeks, and if anything, she’s getting worse, not better.”

The nurse’s eyebrows drew together. “Can you tell me more about the event you believe triggered this?”

“Um.” I wanted to. I wanted to tell her exactly what had happened so they had all the information they needed to help Hayley Jade. But every time I thought about it, I wanted to shut down too. My heart rate picked up until it was uncomfortably fast. My breathing turned shallow. And my throat felt like it was closing in on itself.

I could only imagine it would be so much worse to be five years old, trying to make sense of that night, and all the nights that had come after.

If that was what was going through Hayley Jade’s mind every time she thought about speaking, I understood exactly why she didn’t.

The feeling was overwhelming, and I just wanted to make it stop.

Hawk glanced at me and then at the nurse. “Kara’s husband is a prick,” he said bluntly. “Your imagination can probably fill in the rest.”

The woman nodded slowly and then turned her attention back to Hayley Jade. “Right! Let’s take a look at that reading then, shall we?”

Hayley Jade let her take the monitor off her finger and fit another around her skinny arm.

But I was still firmly back there.

Running through the darkness.

Terror gripping me.

Josiah’s voice calling my name.

Across the room, someone dropped a metal tray of instruments, and the clanging noise sent a shudder through my system.

A hot sweat flushed across my skin, and the room suddenly felt too hot, even though the air-conditioning blew gently across my skin.

I tugged at the collar of my shirt, the fabric choking me.

“Breathe, Little Mouse,” Hawk said quietly beneath his breath. “She’s watching.”

I snapped my head up to meet Hayley Jade’s dark-eyed gaze staring at me intently.

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