Page 6 of All My Broken Dreams

Her rescuer waved the metal pipe in his victim’s face. “If you ever come near her again–if you evertouchher again–I swear to God, I’ll break more than your arm. Now, get the fuck out of my face before I really lose control.”

The bastard seized his chance to escape and ran off.

Violent sexual assault averted.

You go, girl.

Left alone in a dark alley with a total stranger, Robbie crooked her good arm over her face and burst into tears.

She was crying a lot. Like non-stop. Deacon knelt down beside her to examine her injuries and she turned her face away to bawl some more.

“You’re all right. Shush, shush. You’re safe now. Safe and sound.” He was babbling. Anything to get her to calm down. “Bad cut on your cheek, that’s about it. Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

“My arm,” she said between gulps. “I think it’s broken.”

He lifted her to his lap, holding her upright against his chest and gently eased her coat open. “I’m going to take a look, alright?”

Deacon had to ignore it when she squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth against the pain as he worked her arm out of the coat.

“It’s not a break. Your shoulder is dislocated. Hurts like a bitch but it’s not as bad as it feels. You need to see a doctor. Can you walk? I’ll take you to a hospital.”

“No!” She tried to sit up. “No, I can’t go to the hospital. No police either. I don’t have time to file a police report and press charges. My mother can’t hear about this.”

Deacon glanced around for her wallet, some form of ID. It suited his purpose to avoid police, but if she was seriously hurt he had to get her medical help. The girl might not be connectedto Harry Listowel at all. He still didn’t have confirmation that she was a problem.

“What’s your name?”

“Robbie. It’s short for Rowena, but I’ve been Robbie my whole life. Robbie Listowel.”

Deacon swore under his breath and sat back on his heels. “Robbie Listowel. I’m Deacon Wake. I live in the neighborhood.”

“You’re American? You don’t have an accent.”

“Canadian. I get that a lot. What do you mean you don’t have time to file a police report?”

“My ticket is only good for three weeks. I’m looking for my brother, Harry. No one back home has heard from him for months. He lives at Dugald Croft. Do you know where that is? If you can help me get there, my brother will take care of me.”

If he had half-a-brain, he would leave her in the alley to be someone else’s problem. Drown her in red tape with a hospital visit and a police investigation until she ran out of time and never made it to Dugald Croft.

“Is your brother a student?”

“Yes, at Locksley Hall Academy. Oh god, I think I’m going to be sick.”

He rolled her to her side so she could vomit without choking to death. He couldn’t leave her; she was his problem now. It was too late to reverse course. On the bright side, her injuries gave him a legitimate excuse to keep her away from the Croft.

“Dislocated shoulder…. I can pop that back in for you and it’ll be good as new.”

“Do you know how to do that?”

“Sure. I used to do it all the time when I played hockey. It’s going to hurt like a bitch, but only at first. Are you ready?”

“No–yes–okay–” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Do it.”

He popped the humerus back into the socket before she had a chance to think about what was happening. Robbie pressed her face to his chest and screamed.

“Lie still. Lie still. Breathe. Give it a second, the pain will pass. If there’s been no damage to the soft tissue, you’ll heal up in a few weeks. Some ice to reduce swelling and pain killers and you’ll be back to normal in no time. How are you doing now?”

Robbie Listowel had stopped screaming but she was still crying. A real crying jag.Shock,Deacon thought.

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