Page 87 of Chase
“To answer your question, I knew they got into an argument last night. I watched it on the doorbell camera feed after the game. I also know he sat his ass down on our front step until Drew walked my sister home so Sloane wouldn’t be alone.”
“We talked all about it earlier. She hadn’t spoken to him since and wanted to clear the air first thing tomorrow. We were planning on walking across the street so she could talk to him face-to-face.”
“I thought he was textin’ me to talk things out,” I tell them. “It was late when the message came through and he was asleep. He was so tired from his game and travelin’ so I didn’t wake him. I only thought I’d be gone a few minutes as it was.
So I went downstairs and waited for him. I watched him, or who I thought was him, walk down the sidewalk from the window. I saw his phone screen lightin’ up with our messages and figured I’d meet him halfway and then…”
I pause and open up my fisted hands. I need a second. And because he always knows what I need, my hero jumps in.
“They clearly took her brother’s phone to lure her out. He fucking tricked her. You guys see that right?” His hands and feet are bundled up with gauze, but my sweet man still extends his arm over the hospital bed rail to reach for me. “He’s been tormenting her for fucking weeks now.” I wipe the tears that are falling and grip my feather necklace. I’m trying to collect the pieces of myself that I know I need to explain.
“He has, and tonight he was violent. He grabbed me off the sidewalk, picked me up, and then threw me on the ground in that backyard. He tried to get my clothes off and ended up tearin’ my sweatshirt right down the middle.
He also couldn’t stop twitchin’ and shakin’, and kept goin’ on and on about how much he was goin’ to enjoy this while hetried to hold me down.” I pause and squeeze my eyes shut before continuing. “He kept talkin’ about huntin’ me to win.”
“I’m gonna fucking kill him, I’m gonna fucking kill him,” he repeats himself over and over again until Officer Izzy glares at him and he stops his talking.
“You’re doing great, Sloane. Can you tell me what happened next?” I hear her say while he and I stare at one another.
“I was fightin’ him and tryin’ to get outta his hold. I got myself up and used some kickboxing to keep ‘em back. That’s when they started holdin’ me and Will tried to get me to swallow a pill. He said several times that if I wasn’t gonna cooperate that he was gonna drug me.” My throat burns with emotions that won’t stop pushing through.He didn’t give up on me.
“That’s when he found me,” I can’t hold it in any longer. Tears burst from my eyes and run down my face. If he didn’t find me when he did things could’ve been so much worse. I’m so sorry for leaving him in bed, but so relieved he knew I was gone.
“What happens now?” Chase asks.
“Once the four of them are medically cleared, they’ll be brought in. They’re currently under arrest.”And I hope they rot inside a jail cell.
“And Davis?” I ask between blowing my nose.
“We were able to locate him with the information you provided. He was treated on scene and it’s reported he’s now in stable condition.” Hearing that he’s okay has me crying even harder. “We’re going to put all the evidence together and we’ll be in touch. It’s over now, Sloane. You’re safe.”And it’s because of my hero.
Chapter Forty-Seven
I’VE NEVER FELT SOstupid, vulnerable, scared, and angry in my entire life. The tidal wave of emotions, the events of the night and the retelling of this nightmare has made me so damn exhausted. My head is throbbing and my arms and legs feel sore. My face hurts from the punch Will gave me.
After several exams, more retelling, more discussions, it is determined that I’ll have some bruising and a heck of a headache but that I have no broken bones or damage.
I know I’m lucky, I was seconds away from being sexually assaulted and the mere thought that I put myself in this position by going outside to meet my brother instead of insisting that he come inside the house, has me itching to cut myself as deep as I can go.
I’m full of so much shame, guilt, anger, and anxiety, that I feel my whole body shake and my teeth clack together while my tears continue to drip down my face like a leaky faucet. The doctor says it's my adrenaline dumping and a nurse wraps me up in another blanket.
They’re expecting Chase to make a full recovery and need him to adhere to an antibiotic schedule and weekly wound care. I promised the doc that he would be an excellent patient under my nursing.
They suspect that Davis’s drink was tampered with in an attempt to roofie him. My brother always carries a crinkled up Poland Spring bottle that he usually has tucked into his hoodie pocket or in his jeans. Sure enough, the bottle they found had substantial doses of Rohypnol.
Davis only took a few sips before passing out in the basement on a couch. I answered all their questions about the Delta party and what he was doing there. I mention Blondie and hope like hell she’s arrested too.Maybe her and Lexi can be cellmates.
Chapter Forty-Eight
IKNEWI was in a heep of fucking trouble when I walked through the doors of that Delta party. It was doomed from the start, but I was already strapped in. There was no turning back. Not when Serafina Rossi was here.
Those chestnut eyes were the first thing I saw. They burned into me like she wanted me dead. Outta the hundreds of people in and around this house, she was the last person I expected to see and the only one that mattered.
I walk toward her and don’t dare blink; not when there's all this loveliness to look at. She’s all of five foot nothing, and full of hills and valleys, and fuck it all, do I wanna get lost in her curves.Don’t bother sending out a search party, I’ll be just fine.
She rolls her eyes the closer I get and I see her trying not to smile. She’s got a sweater on that says,Ciao, Bella!,andHello, Beautifulis right.
She’s got this smooth olive skin, brown curly hair, and sass.So much sass.It makes my dick hard just thinking about it. It’s my favorite thing about this girl.
