Page 54 of Vicious Little Princess

For his sake.

“You’re safe here with us now, Sunshine,” I told him softly. “It’s over. It’s all over.”

He trembled as he brought his hand to his face, trying to get a handle on his emotion.

“You don’t need to hide it. I’m here.”

“I… I don’t want to… feel it,” he told me through his sobs.

“I know. I know you don’t.”

Several moments passed where he held his hand to his face, crying, his whole body trembling with it.

The urge to reach out to comfort him was overwhelming and so ingrained in me that I had to dig my nails into the seat of the chair to prevent myself from doing it. He’d already shown that he couldn’t stand to be touched right now. I wouldn’t fuck up again where that was concerned.

He brought his hand down onto the covers, revealing his blotchy face and red eyes from crying. “Is—I mean—am I… damaged? Physically?”

“No. No, you’ll be sore for a while, but you’ll heal perfectly well there,” I told him, knowing what he was getting at.

“Everywhere?”

“Yes, I promise. Is it causing you pain right now?”

“A little.”

“If you let me, I can shift you so you’re not pressing down where it hurts. But we need to be careful because you just had surgery for a ruptured spleen.”

“Jesus.” He looked out at me and swallowed hard. “Okay,” he murmured. “Can you… move me?”

“Of course.” I rose to my feet and his eyes widened.Dammit.Before I reached out, I told him, “Look at me. Keep focusing on my face, don’t look away.”

“Okay,” he murmured again.

I carefully grabbed hold of him, feeling him shuddering as I did, and I managed to shift him into what would be a more comfortable position. As soon as I was done, I released him immediately and sat back down. “How’s that?”

“Better. Thanks.”

“No worries.”

His eyes darted around for a bit as he took everything in. And then he asked me, “Is Cat okay? I thought I saw him hurt her? Strangling her?”

“That was part of what happened, but she overpowered him afterward. Then I showed up. You actually helped and took out some of his guys.”

He stared at me blankly. “Really? I don’t remember doing that.”

“To be expected, it was right before you passed out.”

“So, he’s… he’s dead?”

“He will be.”

“He got away?”

I nodded. “I’m sorry. But you don’t need to worry. You’re safe with us now. We’ll find him. You can count on that.”

As I reassured him, he didn’t actually seem that concerned about it, nor scared that the man who’d hurt him so much was still alive and out there somewhere.

What was happening?

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