Blackout

by Dani Matthews

  I’m relieved to see someone that symbolizes safety to me, and I hurriedly hop down from the cot and rush into his arms.

  He pulls me to his chest protectively and holds me tightly. “Are you okay? All they told me was that you were a victim of a mugging. They wouldn’t share details since I’m not your emergency contact.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and then he draws in a deep breath as he tries to calm himself. His heart is pounding a mile a minute against my cheek.

  “I’m okay,” I mumble, wanting to stay here forever. It’s been a long time since Gabe has held me, and his familiar scent is calming my already frayed nerve-endings.

  “Talk to me,” he says softly, one of his hands lingering in my hair.

  I shiver, not really wanting to recap everything that’d happened, but he should know. With as late as it is, he’d been yanked out of bed to come pick me up. He deserves an explanation. With great reluctance, I pull out of his embrace so that I can look up at him.

  His arms drop away from me, but he doesn’t step back. Instead, he hovers closely, protectively. When his eyes drop to my bandaged arm, his brows furrow. “Is that the only place you’re hurt?”

  “Yes. Brandie and I were leaving a party and walking to my car when a guy came at us with a knife.” I tremble as I recall that moment when I’d been completely frozen with shock. “He said he wanted our money, but he didn’t give us a chance to take anything from our purses. He lunged at me with the knife, and I tried to deflect…”

  Gabe’s eyes are grim as he looks at me intently. “How bad was your injury?”

  I turn my attention to my arm, which is bandaged from my elbow to my hand, and I sigh. “I have too many stitches to count, and I’ll probably scar. I have a referral with a plastic surgeon if I’m interested.”

  “What about the pain? Is it being managed?”

  My eyes lift back to his, and I nod. “It’s mostly numb.”

  Now that he knows the extent of my injury, he’s beginning to visibly relax. “I take it the police were already here?”

  I nod once more. “They’re looking into it. Thankfully, the only thing I lost was my phone,” I tell him. Then, I yawn widely before I can suppress it.

  “It’s late, and I want to get you home. Do you need to sign anything?”

  “It’s all been taken care of.”

  “What about a prescription? Do we need to stop by the pharmacy drive-thru?” he questions.

  I shake my head. “They gave me enough pills to get me through the worst. After that, I can take regular pain reliever.”

  As we exit the cubicle, Gabe remains close, his hand resting on the small of my back as we leave the hospital and step out into the parking lot. For the first time, I take note of how he looks, and it’s apparent that he had indeed jumped out of bed. His hair is sticking up on one side of his head, and he’s wearing a wrinkled tee and jeans.

  He leads me to his car and opens the passenger door. “How did you get here? By ambulance?”

  I gingerly climb into the seat, and Gabe closes the door before making his way around to the driver’s side. I wait until he’s fully seated before answering his question. “I was the designated driver tonight, but Brandie’s the one who drove us here. My car is actually over there,” I tell him, nodding in the direction that it’s parked. The doctor had advised me not to drive while taking the pain medication, so I’ll have to come back for it another time.

  Gabe backs the car out of the space and drives towards the nearest exit. “What happened after the attack? Was the guy apprehended?”

  I rest my head against the headrest, fighting back another yawn. “Brandie dove in front of me and sprayed him with mace. Then we ran, and we came straight to hospital.”

  In the corner of my eye, I see Gabe’s head whip around so that he can stare at me. “He wasn’t caught?” he asks incredulously.

  “Eyes on the road,” I warn him. I was just injured in an attempted mugging, I prefer not to press my luck with a car accident, too.

  Gabe faces forward, looking unsettled by the news. “Were you able to describe him to the police?”

  “No. He was wearing a mask, and it was dark.”

  He falls silent for a long moment, and I turn my attention to my window, blindly watching as we drive through the city.

  “I’m surprised you had them call me and not Quinn,” Gabe says, breaking the silence.

  I turn to peer at him. “They did try her. She didn’t answer her phone. With my own gone, your number happened to be the only other one I could remember off the top of my head,” I confess.

  Gabe’s expression darkens, and I know he’s unhappy that Quinn had been unavailable.

  “She couldn’t have known this was going to happen, so don’t be upset with her.”

  He says nothing as he concentrates on driving. Soon, we reach the house, and it’s entirely dark. The only cars missing are Colt’s and Quinn’s. I’m amazed she’s gone, and even in my sluggish state, I make a mental note to ask her where she’d been.

  Gabe and I enter the house, and we’re both quiet as we go straight to the second floor. Before I can turn on my bedroom light, Gabe reaches out and turns it on for me.

  My bedroom is a wonderful sight, and the night’s tension begins to fade. I just want to strip down and climb into bed.

  “Do you need help with anything?” Gabe asks quietly from the doorway.

  I turn and give him a tired smile. “I think I’ll be okay.”

  His eyes hold mine. “Want me to stay with you for a while? What you went through was probably very frightening.”

  I’m not ready to be alone, so it’s incredibly tempting, but I also know nothing good would come of it. I’m an adult, I can handle sleeping by myself tonight. “Thank you, but I’m really tired. I’ll probably fall asleep right away thanks to the medication,” I point out.

  He nods, but his eyes still linger on mine. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate.”

  I nod and wait for him to leave.

  After he’s gone, I walk to my nightstand and turn on the lamp. As if on autopilot, I strip down and slip on fresh panties before turning off the main light. Then, I climb into bed and hug the blankets around myself. I’m cold, and my body shivers as I close my eyes.

  Six

  Gabe

  I stand outside Harper’s door, unable to walk away just yet. The hallway is dark, and I can see from the crack beneath her door that she’s turned off the room’s light, but her lamp remains on. All is silent now, and I know she’s climbed into bed.

  I’m still unsettled by the earlier sight of her sitting on that hospital cot. Her long hair had been disheveled, and that sexy sundress had been splattered with blood. Her pale face and haunted green eyes still linger in my mind. Every fiber of my being wants to go back in that room and hold her tightly to confirm that she’s safe. I’d nearly had a heart attack when my phone had woken me, and I’d found the hospital on the other end, calling on Harper’s behalf.

  Something needs to change.

  There’s no fucking way I’m going to sit back and watch her move out. Not after what happened tonight. Not only does she need to be somewhere she’s safe, but I’d learned from that phone call that I can’t imagine my life without her. I need her in it.

  My head lifts when I hear a car pull up outside in the driveway. Someone’s home. After a long hesitation, I turn and walk away from Harper’s door and head for the stairs.

  Quinn happens to be walking through the foyer, and she looks up with surprise when she hears me on the stairwell.

  “Where the hell were you?” I ask, unable to keep the irritation out of my voice. When Harper had needed Quinn the most, she hadn’t been there.

  She recoils where she stands, her brown eyes wide with surprise. “I was out…”

  I stand before her, eyes displeased. “Have you checked your phone?”

  Her lips tug into a frown. “No…”

  “Have you had it on?”

&nb
sp; “Why?”

  “The hospital tried calling you,” I bite out.

  The color drains from her face. “Who? What happened?”

  “Harper had the nurse call you, but you didn’t answer.”

  Her eyes fill with fearful tears. “Is she okay?”

  My anger fades when I see how upset I’ve made her. I’m angry over what had gone down with Harper, and I’m taking it out on Quinn. She couldn’t have possibly known what would happen tonight, and it’s not her fault that she’d been unreachable. I’m being unfair.

  Quinn steps forward, grabbing the front of my shirt. “Gabe!” she says harshly. “What happened? Is she okay?”

  “She’s up in her room, sleeping.”

  Quinn blinks and pulls back her hand, smacking my chest as hard as she can. “You asshole! That wasn’t funny.”

  I take a step back to avoid another slap. “She was involved in an attempted mugging that went bad. I just brought her home, Quinn.”

  Confusion flickers across her face, and her lips part. “So she was hurt?”

  “Yes. She suffered a knife wound to her arm. She’s pretty shaken, but other than that, she’ll be fine.”

  “Shit,” she whispers, her eyes filling with guilt. “I had my phone off…”

  “Why?”

  She’s silent now, and she looks uncomfortable.

  My eyes roam over her, taking in her black cropped jacket, short black skirt, and black boots. Her purple hair is looking a little wild, and her lips are bare of lipstick. “You’ve been out with a guy. Same one as last time?”

  “It’s not serious,” she mutters.

  “But he’s more than just a one-nighter?” I ask as my brotherly instincts kick in.

  “Sort of.”

  This isn’t the time to sort out why she feels the need to hide that she’s screwing someone. “I didn’t mean to bite your head off. I’ve just been on edge since I got the call to go get her.”

  She nods. “Understandable.”

  “This is a bad time for her to be moving out,” I say steadily. It’s time to broach the topic with Quinn.

  Her eyes search mine before they narrow. “Why do I get the feeling it’s more than that to you?”

  I remain silent, allowing her to come to her own conclusion.

  She slowly nods as she correctly assumes what I’ve left unsaid. “I’ve seen the way you watch her when you think no one’s paying attention. I’ve also noticed that there hasn’t been a woman coming out of your room in a very long time. Gabe, if you want a second chance with her, you need to make a move—and soon.”

  “We all know how badly I hurt her.”

  “She has a big heart, so nothing’s for certain.” Her eyes flash with warning as she takes a step towards me, letting me know that she’s dead serious. “I’m telling you Gabe, if you hurt her, I will kill you—brother or not,” she threatens.

  I nod, expecting nothing less from her. Then, I hesitate and ask, “Do you think I have a chance?”

  “I don’t know,” she says honestly. “All you can do is try.”

  I was hoping for a little more than that, but it’ll have to do.

  “Try hard, and don’t give up,” Quinn adds. “If you give her time to have doubts or analyze it too much, it’ll work against you. She needs to feel instead of relying on that logical mind of hers.”

  “Does she talk about me?” I can’t resist asking.

  She shakes her head. “I’m not answering that, Gabe.”

  We hear Colt’s truck pull into the driveway. None of us use the garage except for storage. With as many vehicles that we all have, it makes more sense to park in the driveway, and those that get up earlier than the rest park at the end of the driveway or at the curb.

  “Do you work tomorrow?” Quinn asks as we hear the front door open and quietly close.

  “No.”

  “I’ll probably be gone by the time she gets up. Make her take it easy, and I’ll talk to her when I get home.”

  I nod, and she turns and walks towards the hall, disappearing out of sight.

  Colt appears from the direction of the living room, and he looks surprised to see that I’m still awake. I’m known for going to bed earlier than the others, even on nights that I don’t work the following morning.

  “Something up?” Colt asks.

  “Harper was hurt in an attempted mugging tonight,” I tell him.

  “Shit. She okay?”

  “Yeah. I just brought her home a short time ago. She has a lot of stitches in her arm, and she was referred to a plastic surgeon.”

  His expression tightens. “Did they catch the bastard?”

  “No.”

  A tense silence lingers between us.

  “Yeah, that doesn’t sit well with me, either,” I tell him.

  “Did he get her wallet or anything?” he asks, and I already know what he’s thinking. If the bastard has her wallet, he could try to track her down. It’s probably an exaggerated concern, but I think anyone in her situation would be worrying over it.

  “No. She said she dropped her phone, but she won’t know until tomorrow if the cops were able to recover it.”

  Colt nods. “I’ll see what I can find out from Bryce.” He steps closer and squeezes my shoulder. “Not much else you can do tonight. Get some sleep.”

  I watch as he walks away, and after I turn off the foyer light, I walk down the dark hall and head for my room.

  I almost lost Harper.

  Sleep won’t come easy tonight.

  Seven

  Harper

  I wake to the sensation of my arm throbbing horribly, and it takes a moment for last night’s events to catch up to me. With a soft, pained groan, I carefully roll onto my back, taking care not to move my bandaged arm. Instead of trying to climb out of bed, I lie there and patiently breathe through the pain. When I think I’ve got a handle on it, I turn my head and peer at my alarm clock.

  My eyes widen when I see that it’s going on ten. I’m late for my shift at the animal clinic. As much as I dread the idea of doing anything today—or even sitting up for that matter—I still force myself into a sitting position. My nose wrinkles, and my stomach turns over. The medication must be causing a little nausea or else my stomach is upset because it’s empty.

  I spy two notes sitting on the nightstand along with the small packet of pills the doctor had sent home with me. A bottle of water is next to it. Since the nightstand is to my left, I twist my body so I can reach for the pills and bottle of water with my right hand. I use my teeth to open the packet, and I quickly shake two pills into my mouth and wash them down with water. Once that’s been taken care of, I put the items back on the nightstand and reach for the notes.

  The first one is from Quinn. Girl, I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you last night. Well talk when I get home later. Until then, rest!

  The second is from Gabe, and I scan his masculine writing. I called the clinic and explained what happened. You have the day off to recuperate. Go back to bed.

  I debate whether I’m irritated or relieved he’d been presumptuous that I’d want the day off. Then, I have a new thought. Does Gabe work today? I try not to keep track of his schedule anymore.

  I read his note one more time. As much as I would like to go back to sleep and pretend none of this happened, I can’t. It did, and I need to deal with it.

  My lamp is still on, and I ease myself from the bed and turn the lamp off. I stand there for a long moment, sorting out how I feel. I’m tired, kind of groggy, and the pain is bad beneath the bandage, but the rest of me feels okay. I swear I can still feel where the blood had soaked into my skin through the dress, so a shower would be ideal.

  The doctor had warned me to keep the bandage dry for the first twenty-four hours, and I sigh. Okay, a bath it is. While I grab fresh clothes, I try to keep my left arm as stable as possible. Just bending my fingers causes pain. This is going to affect my job at the clinic for a while, and I’m disappointed. Then, I remind mys
elf that I’m lucky to be alive. I’d much prefer this over something worse.

  The bath is time-consuming, but I manage to wash my body with one hand. Washing my hair is trickier but manageable. After I rise from the tub and let the water begin to drain, I climb out and dry myself with a towel.

  By the time I make my way downstairs to the kitchen, my arm is better. The pain is still there, but it’s faded quite a bit thanks to the pain reliever. I want to get something in my stomach, and then I need to call the police department and see if my phone’s been recovered. I have the paper the officer had given me last night with my case number.

  Gabe happens to be sitting at the island counter and reading the paper. When he hears me enter the kitchen, he looks up and frowns. “I thought you’d sleep longer.”

  “I’m hungry.” I hold up the slip of paper. “I also want to call and see if they found my phone.”

  He closes the paper and rises to his feet. “Sit, and I’ll make you something.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I protest.

  His eyes hold mine. “Sit,” he repeats.

  I give in and sit down in the stool he’d vacated. “Fine, but may I use your phone?”

  Gabe pulls his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and hands it to me. I thank him and watch as he pulls a pan from a cupboard and sets it on the stove. He looks freshly showered and alert this morning as he rummages around the kitchen. Today, he’s wearing a red tee and worn jeans, and I can’t help but admire how the shirt forms to his muscular chest and biceps.

  He happens to look up, and when he sees me watching him, his brows lift. “Requests?”

  I shake my head. “I just realized that I haven’t thanked you for picking me up last night.”

  “Anytime, Harper.”

  There’s something in his tone that has my insides trembling, and I hide my reaction as I drop my eyes to focus on his phone. I call the police department, and when someone picks up, I give them my case number. While I wait as I’m put on hold, I turn my head and watch Gabe. He cracks three eggs into the pan, and then tosses the shells in the nearby garbage. He’s keeping busy, but I know he’s going to shamelessly listen to my side of the conversation.