Page 27 of Splintered Memories
“Emersyn?” I said her name, and her eyelids fluttered open. Those emerald eyes were dark and unfocused, darting back and forth too quick to comprehend anything. I pinched her chin between my thumb and forefinger, directing her face toward mine. “Hey, I need you to look at me. Focus.” I locked my eyes on hers. It took her a moment to shift those pupils to mine and stay there.
They seemed slightly dilated, but it was dark and shaded in the alleyway.
“August?” she said, slow and lethargic, as if it were difficult for her to grasp the word.
My frown deepened. “Are you okay?” The question seemed irrelevant because she obviously was not okay, but I wanted to gauge her response level.
After a couple of long, slow blinks, something seemed to snap into place. Her eyes widened, her body going rigid in my arms. “Oh,” she gasped, sitting up, alert as she looked around our surroundings in a panic. “Oh my God.”
I didn’t let her shoulders go as she started to shake. “What happened?” I asked.
Her eyes bounced back to mine. The blood was drying on her face, which was good. If the bleeding stopped on its own, she probably wouldn’t need stitches.
She gasped for breath, staring at me with wide, wild eyes. “Someone snuck up on me.”
My back teeth ground together. “Who attacked you?” That had to be what this was. An attack.
She shook her head, gazing around the alley as she paled. “I—I don’t know.”
“Do you remember what happened?”
The color even drained from her lips. “Whoever it was pushed me up against the building. I didn’t see who it was, but it sounded—” She swallowed hard. “It sounded like a man.”
“What did he say?”
She grimaced. “Nothing.”
“Stop with that,” I said, firm but with a caress of gentleness. “I need to know what happened. Don’t hide it from me.”
Emersyn looked away. “He wanted me to delete my videos. He said I was a liar.”
My stomach knotted. “He threatened you?”
She nodded. “Yes. He didn’t get specific, but he said I wouldn’t walk away the next time.”
Hot, acrid rage surged through my veins. Not only for whoever was continually trying to hurt her, but because she didn’t deserve this and this never should’ve happened.
“You shouldn’t have been out here alone,” I spat between clenched teeth.
Her eyes widened, and something that looked like shame flitted in her eyes before morphing into anger. “I’m a grown woman,” she growled. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
I shook my head at the pure ridiculousness of this woman. I leaned toward her, so close the heat of her rushed against my skin. “No, you don’t need a babysitter, but you do need someone to watch your back. Someone wants to hurt you, Emersyn. And I need—Ineedyou to work with me. Please.”
Her eyes grew even wider. Her mouth opened, but she didn’t answer me. Her pulse pounded frantically, thumping under the delicate skin near the base of her throat.
I let out a long sigh, forcing my frustration and anger back. Refocusing myself, I grabbed her hand. “Can you stand?”
She blinked, but eventually she nodded.
I stood and slowly pulled her to her feet. She swayed, her knees weak, and I gripped her hips, steadying her. “Whoa,” I murmured, stepping closer as she pressed a palm against my chest for leverage. “I think we should have you checked out by a doctor.” I eyed the bloody gash on her forehead.
At the mention of a doctor, she stiffened, pulling her hand away from my chest as if it had burned her. “No,” she said instantly. “I’m fine.”
I gave her a doubtful look. “You’re bleeding.”
As if she were made of glass that would shatter at the slightest pressure, I brushed the pads of my fingers under the cut on her head. The blood was tacky, and when I drew my hand back, she winced at the dark crimson.
“It’s fine,” she repeated, as if by habit.
