"Knock knock," Aubree heard Gwen's voice on the other side of the bathroom door.
She stood in front of the mirror, hunched over the sink, as she stared back at her reflection. She hardly recognized herself. Her once shiny, warm, honey-toned hair was tangled in a matted mess with dirt and bits of leaves sticking out. Gauze was wrapped around her temple and she saw dried blood that spotted through over her eyebrow. Bags hung under her bloodshot hazel eyes. A ring of purplish-blue circled her neck with other splotches adorning her arms. She lifted up her shirt to see two more on her sides before grimacing and lowering the fabric. Dirt coated her clothing, whereas there were only traces of it on her skin as if someone had tried to wipe some of it off with a clean cloth.
No wonder Stone wouldn't look at you, she told herself. You're a mess.
"Are you okay, Aubree?"
Sighing, Aubree pulled herself away from the sink and opened the door.
Gwen's brows were furrowed with worry. The taller girl studied Aubree's eyes as if looking for something deeper lingering in her soul that she couldn't communicate through words.
Aubree pursed her lips and gave her friend a nod.
Pulling Aubree into a hug, Gwen said, "It's not so bad. The bruises will heal and fade away. You're alive and that's what matters. Right?"
Aubree nodded into Gwen's shoulder, clinging to the only friend she felt she had in the world at that moment. Tears stung her eyes as the attack replayed in her mind again. Her heart twisted in pain, reliving the fear, the helplessness, the sheer power the man held over her.
She could have been killed instantly.
Shuddering, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about it.
"I'm sorry about Stone's behavior," Gwen said. "When mom died, he was inconsolable."
Aubree drew away from her friend and gave her a puzzled look.
True, Stone did look ruffled, but how could Gwen bring up her mother's death like that? What did that have to do with Aubree? She wasn't dead.
Reading the look on Aubree's face, Gwen said, "What I mean is, Stone can't handle things like this when it's about people he cares about."
Aubree's heart skipped a beat.
So he did care about her. With her suspicions regarding his feelings confirmed, she needed to know why. Why was he always trying to convince her to leave?
What about her own feelings toward him?
She lowered her gaze, twisting a lock of her tangled hair around her finger. Her stomach flip-flopped about Stone's undeclared feelings for her.
What about Dan?
She held her breath as she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
Shit.
"Do you need to sit down?" Gwen asked.
Hesitating, Aubree nodded. She wanted to brush the mats out of her hair and take a shower, but she really did need to sit for a minute and think about the situation.
She'd been in a car accident, was nearly strangled to death, found out that Stone had feelings for her—of which she was certain of having toward him as well—despite being engaged to Dan.
Could things get any more complicated and messed up now?
She sat down on her bed and Gwen sat next to her. The weight of everything pressed down on her shoulders and she leaned against Gwen for support, resting her head on her shoulder.
What should she do?
Gwen rubbed her back. The gesture should have been a comforting one, but instead, it filled Aubree with guilt.
Sooner or later, she'd have to come to terms with her conflicting feelings, and someone was going to get hurt in the end. It shouldn't have to be Dan. She loved Dan. She knew she did. And she'd already said yes to his proposal. Breaking up with him and calling off the wedding would not only crush him but break her heart as well.
And Stone, well, Stone shouldn't have even pursued her. If she broke his heart, he deserved it. He knew she was in a committed relationship. He should have backed off.
Yet, the thought of hurting him made her heart ache as much as the thought of hurting Dan.
She knew she shouldn't let her conflicted feelings around Stone cloud her judgment. It wasn't like he'd been kind to her. He'd been a jerk most of the time and extremely stand-offish. She'd be an idiot to entertain feelings toward him.
But the way he made her feel took her breath away and she'd never felt that way with anyone before.
Then, there was the possibility of her hormones being the culprit behind her confusion and nothing more.
Why did this have to be so hard?
A tear slipped from her closed eyes and rolled down her cheek.
Gwen pressed her hand to Aubree's forehead. "Are you okay? You feel warm. Maybe you should lie down and relax for a bit?"
Aubree nodded, hoping that Gwen wouldn't ask any more questions—not that she would have any answers to them in the first place.
Her head hurt from the cut too. Over-thinking wasn't going to do her any favors.
Besides, she was still worried about Dan's well-being. She wished she was in Eau Claire Hospital with him. She'd feel better if she could see that he was okay.
Lying down on her side on the bed, Gwen tucked her in. She went to the bathroom to rinse her cold compress and then stood next to her bed awkwardly.
"Um, are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?"
As much as Aubree didn't feel like eating with all the stress chewing away at her nerves, she nodded and Gwen left in search of food.
Hector came into the room then. She had no idea why and she didn't know what to say to him—not that she could speak, anyway. He didn't say anything at first. Rather, he made himself comfortable on the adjacent bed.
Not having anything to say to him, she pulled up her legs to her chest under the blanket and peeked at him occasionally between closed eyelids to see if he was still there or not. He didn't volunteer anything conversation-wise for a long time and the silence made her nervous.
Finally, he cleared his throat. "Be careful around Vincent. Watch yourself and what you say when he's around."
Aubree opened her closed eyes to regard him in the other bed. He had both his hands behind his head and was staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't read his expression but the tone of his voice hinted of his distaste for the big, hairy man.
"Stone's a good man," he continued.
Aubree felt her cheeks heat up and closed her eyes again.
"A little too honorable at times. He needs a good smack on the head every now and then."
Aubree swallowed, willing him to stop talking.
"I think you can handle that. He needs a girl like you to keep him in line."
Oh, God! It was as if they were a couple now.
"It is curious, though. Very curious, indeed," he murmured.
Pressing her hand to her face, she carefully massaged her forehead around the cut. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? Did everyone know about Stone's feelings toward her?
"What in the world are you telling her?"
Rosemary came in with Gwen behind her, a frown marring Rose's lovely face.
"Her face is all red," Rosemary stated. "You haven't been telling her dirty jokes, have you?"
Aubree opened her eyes to see a grin break out on Hector's handsome face. "No, but that sounds like fun."
"Well, what have you been telling the poor girl to make her all flustered?"
Jeez, couldn't they drop it already? She and Stone weren't together! Why did they keep talking like they were?
"Telling her about Stone," he said, like it was as simple as telling a child that the sky was blue.
"Oh really? And what exactly did you say?"
Squeezing her eyes shut again, she tightened the blankets around her, as if trying to get as small as possible and gradually disappear.
"Nothing too jaw-dropping, darling. Just that she's exactly the kind of person he needs."
Um, hello? I'm right here! She wanted to say but knew she couldn't. Damn her swollen throat glands!
"Hector," Gwen warned. She proceeded to say something in another language that Aubree couldn't understand, nor place which language it could be.
Hot with embarrassment and irritation, Aubree drew herself up from the bed and shot Hector a hard look, hoping that he'd get the hint to stop talking about her and Stone as if they were a pair of lovebirds planning their wedding vows.
Wedding vows.
Shit.
She lowered her gaze as a rush of guilt raced over her.
The others didn't even catch her initial glare as they were too absorbed in their discussion. As soon as she lowered her eyes, then they noticed she was sitting up in bed.
"Aubree, are you okay?" Gwen asked, coming around to her bedside. She had a tray in her hands with a bowl and a glass of water.
Aubree stared down at her hands. Her engagement ring was in her luggage because she was afraid of it falling off and getting lost before she could get it resized. Not having it on only added to the guilt she carried.
Gwen put the tray next to her on the bed. "Here. Maybe some food will make you feel better, hm? I brought you some yogurt and later you can have soup. And whenever you want a snack, you can have ice cream or popsicles. Only cold, easy to swallow foods for now. These two pills here will help ease some of your pain."
Popping the pills in her mouth and swallowing them with water, she lifted the tray to her lap and attempted to eat the vanilla yogurt. Its cold, smooth texture soothed the pain in her throat as it went down.
Gwen, Rosemary, and Hector talked about their families as she ate. Apparently, Gwen lived with three other men, none of whom were labeled as "boyfriend" or "father" for that matter. Which one was her father that she had mentioned before in the café? She didn't know what her connection was with Gavin, Alistair, and Gunner—not to mention how weird Gunner was for a name. Maybe that was a nickname he went by? Either way, Gwen said that all three guys were fine and working harder than usual at their jobs.
"Sounds like you all have your hands full," Hector said as his eyes fell on Aubree.
She swallowed, hating the fact that she was only adding to Gwen and Stone's stress.
Why were they staying with her? Why didn't they just ship her off to Eau Claire Hospital, or Chicago, or Minneapolis?
"We'll manage," Gwen said. "We always do. How about you guys?"
Finished eating, Aubree set the tray aside and snuggled back down on the bed. As the three continued to chat away, her eyelids grew heavy and the ache in her body dissipated. Soon, the warm embrace of sleep enveloped her and she felt at peace.
Her peaceful slumber was interrupted when the darkness split, broken by twin beams of light.
She was driving with Dan down a dark, narrow street lined with trees. Scared, she tried telling Dan to turn around and go back but he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't even acknowledge her, like he didn't hear her plea to turn around.
Just like it happened in real life, she saw the man step out from the shadows next to the road and run in front of their car. She watched everything unfold a second time as Dan slammed on the brakes, turned the wheel sharply, and rolled into the ditch.
If she screamed, she didn't hear herself.
She told herself that it was just a dream as she tried to open her door to get out before the man came for her, but he was too quick. Suddenly, he was there and yanking her door open and pulling her from the vehicle. She tried punching and kicking him, but it was useless. It was like he was a machine sent to kidnap her and nothing could stop him from achieving his mission.
Only, instead of flinging her over his shoulder and carrying her into the woods, he straddled her next to the car on the ground and sneered down at her with glowing red eyes.
This was it. Aubree didn't know why this was the end, but she knew it was. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact, when a low growl rumbled from the nearby bushes.
Before she could register the noise, there was a whoosh of air over her and the weight on her body was gone. She opened her eyes to see a shadow—a big creature—moving in the darkness next to the trees. A terrifying scream met her ears as bones crunched and a heavy thud hit the earth.
Get out of here! Her mind screamed.
She pulled herself up from the ground when the sound of grinding bones met her ears. Filled with dread, she turned to run when a hand grasped her arm.
"It's me," he said. "I'm here."
Eyes widening, she turned to see Stone gripping her arm. Gasping for air as her heart pounded in her chest, she didn't know whether to run away from him or stay.
"What happened?" she found herself asking.
"This is a dream, but it can happen again in real life," he said.
She swallowed as he took a step closer to her so that she had to crane her neck to look up into his eyes as he touched her cheek. She couldn't see his face clearly in the dark, but she knew it was him.
His voice was soft, almost sad. "And next time, I might not be there to save you."
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Dedicated to KaylaDuke650
*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2015*