I try to shake those thoughts and concentrate.
“Sarah, what happened?”
She squeezes her eyes shut and snaps them open again.
“Uh… um…” she stutters, “The… Sheriff… He was looking for… the Sheriff… He pricked me.”
My stomach clenches.
“What do you mean?” I snap, “He didwhat?!”
“A needle… in my arm,” she says.
Oh, she… she meant…
Again, I’m surprised by how hard my stomach squeezed in horror when I heard that—and how sweet the relief is when I realize what she means.
Why do I care? Last time we talked, we were arguing about… Roscoe. Again. Now, suddenly, the idea that someone drugged her and tried to kidnap her has so much rage boiling throughout my body that I can barely contain it. I want to go back up there and find him. Rip his skin to ribbons and pull him limb from limb.
Well, it’s because it’s in my nature to protect. That’s all.
But I can’t move hastily right now. Sarah’s still sitting against the tree I laid her down again, and her head droops when I don’t hold it. She’s so warm and small…
Her skin, especially that on her face, is so soft, too… I’ve never touched it before. Her delicately pink lips open, and I realize I’m staring at them as she murmurs:
“Make sure he… doesn’t get anyone else…” She says, “Please… Ginger…”
I pause for a moment as I digest that. Even now, she’s more concerned about other people than herself… This time, when my stomach clenches, my heart breaks a little for her.
I need to protect her. She’s not going to protect herself.
Once the thought hits me, I can’t shake it. Looking at her, down by the foot of the tree, too weak to even hold her head up, yet asking about the safety of other people, I know I have to do something.
I lean down and loop her arm over my neck. Then, I scoop her up into my arms.
“Come on,” I murmur, “I’ll get you somewhere safe.”
“There’s… nowhere… safe…” She slurs.
Hm. Perhaps she’s right. If they’re willing to attack her right in the middle of town, then where exactly is safe for her? I think hard about it.What can I do?
Then, an idea hits me. It’s not an ideal solution, but…
I look down at her. Her head rests softly on my chest. Her glazed green eyes blink slowly at me. As she sleepily blinks, her hand reaches up and touches my bare skin. A shiver rattles down my spine, pooling in the pit of my stomach.
“You’re… warm…” She murmurs.
“Y—yeah.” Suddenly, I’m breathless, “So are you.”
Sarah looks around.
“Are you… naked?” she asks me.
I struggle to answer for a moment—but then she breaks out into drunken giggles. She leans her head into my chest, still tittering away.
“I had a dream… like this once!” she laughs.
I chuckle back to her.