Page 64 of Lightness In My Dark

My head hurt. I wanted to sleep. Something covered me. More muted yelling. Finn lifted me; I could smell him. I wanted to sleep. There was a ringing in my ears. Finn folded me into him. His hands secured around me. He caressed my hair, reassuring my safety, safe from the monster. I wanted to close my eyes. Tears gave way to slumber, but Finn kept me awake. I accepted the warmth of his body and the soothing touches.

Chapter 29 - Broken

FINN

My friends and I did a round of shots, sucked down a beer, and poured more. A woman by the washroom yelled she heard someone scream from inside. The owner quieted everyone while the woman tried the door. We listened to a struggle and then my name. My senses were on high alert, glancing around the bar for Wren. Nowhere in sight. A shiver crawled up my spine. I hopped over a table, smashing into the washroom door, but something blocked it. A guy yelled from inside.

The bouncers tried the door with only a slight budge. I rammed my shoulder into the door several times before it gave and the doorjamb broke. Someone lodged a chair underneath the knob. From a stall, a guy was threatening someone. To no one in particular, I pleaded it wasn’t Wren. I jumped on the toilet in the next stall. Wren had blood on her face, his hand around her throat, and the other violating her. An indescribable rage detonated within me. I put him in a chokehold and told Wren to get out. She swayed, staring straight ahead.

“Carter! Get Wren from underneath!”

Once she was out of the stall, I used the chokehold to swing myself into the same one. I saw blood on his hands, which drove my rage. I twisted and crushed his right hand into the back concrete wall and pounded it. He screamed. Behind me, I unlocked the door and hurled him out. Drenched him with a rain of fists, connecting with his face, ribs, side. I swung with abandonment, my wrath taking control. The bouncers pulled me off him, and the guy sank to the floor. While inspecting him, they swore at me, stating I could have killed him. I didn’t care.

I turned to see Wren, comatose, blood smeared on her face. Her dress torn, exposing some of her breasts.

“Carter, get the car.”

My hands gripped the back of my shirt as I hauled it over my head and onto Wren. She remained in a catatonic state, rocking back and forth. Lindsey got a towel to stop the bleed from her head. I put one arm behind her and the other under her legs.

One bouncer said, “The police will be here. They’re going to want—”

I lifted her when I responded, “They can talk to me at St. Margaret’s.” People made a path for us as I carried her out to the car. It was cold. From the front seat, Carter tossed me a blanket, but instead of wrapping it around myself, I put it around Wren, concealing her face. I kept her awake in case she had a concussion.

At the hospital, I approached the desk with Wren still in my arms, informing a woman of the sexual assault. The emergency room doors crashed open as paramedics rushed in several people on gurneys.

The frantic woman tossed a form at me. “I’m sorry, we just had multiple car crash victims come in. Take a seat and fill this out. It may take a while.”

Lindsey and Carter had found seats for us. I tried to write with Wren on my lap, but it was too difficult.

I handed the clipboard to Lindsey. “Can you fill this out for me?”

She filled in some and asked what she didn’t know. Wren’s eyes remained closed the whole time and her shivering hadn’t subsided.

“Go to the house to retrieve some clothes for Wren.” I glanced at Lindsey. “You’ll find underwear and sweats in her closet and dresser.” They agreed and left.

The fucker’s blood coated my hands. Over the blanket, I held her close, rested my lips on the top of her head, and closed my eyes. I had to calm down. Inhaling her hair, the coconut scent relaxed me. When I opened my eyes, I saw police officers at the desk mentioning my name. I approached.

They stepped back after seeing me with Wren in my arms.

“I’m Officer Marin.” And she gestured toward the other officer. “This is Officer Burke. We left Murphy’s, and the owner told us we would find you here. We need to ask you some questions.” The officer turned to the woman behind the desk. “Is there a private room we can talk in?”

She showed us into a windowless room. I clutched Wren tighter as I lowered into the seat.

Officer Marin opened a tablet to make notes. “Have they seen her yet?”

“No, so can we make this quick?”

“We’ll try. Can you tell us what happened?”

I explained what had occurred, not leaving anything out. Both officers didn’t interrupt while I went through the events, pausing to swallow when I described the guy assaulting Wren. Their gazes drifted back and forth, faces sagging with every detail. I couldn’t believe it happened, attempting to erase the scene from memory. Closing my eyes made it worse because the vision embedded in the back of my eyelids. If it affected me that way, the entire event must have been torture to Wren.

Officer Burke spoke when I finished. “We understand you were protecting her, but his injuries appear extensive. We’ll know more later. They brought him in when we arrived. Even if we don’t press charges, he might file his own.”

Officer Marin then asked, “Can we talk to Wren?”

I moved the blanket away from her face as unresponsive eyes blinked.

“She needs medical attention. You can talk to her later.”

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