“What the fuck happened?” I rush to her side, kneeling beside her.
“Willow...” She trails off.
Her body shakes as her eyes squeeze shut, attempting to hold back the tears.
“Shhh. It’s okay, Hailee. I’m here, babe. I got you.” I gently pull her head to rest on my shoulder.
I meet Chase’s furious gaze.
“I know you’re hurt, but I need you to tell me what happened. I promise you’re safe now. You can stay here as long as you need.” I pull back to take another look at her.
“It was Tim, one of my foster brothers. He ambushed me. I tried to fight back, but he just kept hitting me.” She sobs. “He said he had a message for you. He said to tell you that if you don’t stop hiding behind your guard dogs like a scared little bitch, that the man who wants you will take your mother instead.”
“Why would he think I care? She’s a prostitute. It’s legit her business.” I look to Chase, wondering if he has any clue why Tim would say that.
She shakes her head, bringing my attention back to her. “He said he would torture her until you showed your face. That her fate would be much worse than yours would be.”
I grit my teeth, warring with my emotions.
“It’s okay. Everything will be okay,” I reassure her, pulling her back into my arms.
The front door swings open, slamming into the wall. Hailee freezes in my arms. I glance over my shoulder to find a furious Nate marching straight toward us.
He kneels down next to me, pulling Hailee away from me.
“Let me look,” he murmurs as he uses one hand to gently cup her cheek while the other rests on her knee.
I stand, walking closer to Chase.
“How bad does it hurt?” I hear Nate whisper.
“My entire body is throbbing,” she confesses, unconsciously leaning into him.
“I’m going to run you a bath. It will help with the aches and pains. I’ll get you an ice pack for your face to help reduce the swelling and some medicine too.”
“You don’t have to.” She glances down.
“I want to. Let me take care of you,” he pleads.
Nate stands, pulling her up with him. He tucks her under his arm and leads her down the hall.
I turn to Chase. “They targeted her because of me.”
He nods.
“Why would they do that? And Tim? He’s her foster brother.”
“Seems this guy wants you more than we originally thought. I’ll handle it though. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Seriously? Don’t you worry your sweet little head, woman. Caveman got this. That’s what you have to say?” I snap.
“That’s not what I said. Let me make some calls. We can talk about this in the morning,” he says a little too calmly.
“They threatened my mother. They hurt my best friend.”
He pulls out his phone. “I promise you; everything will be okay. Go back to bed. I’ll be in soon.”
“Fine.”
