Chapter 7 The Esplanade

Sophie's POV:

Derek had been right to reveal my secret to her, even if it stung at first, because this girl would have completely lost control if we hadn't tried to calm her down.

She agreed to follow the nurse into the room, but not before she gave me a frightened look.

The nurse came into the hallway.

"Excuse me, are you the one who came with Miss Stevens?"

I didn't even know her first name, much less her last.

"The young girl who was assaulted," she explained when she noticed my hesitation.

"Yes, that's correct. Is there a problem?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Stevens is a minor, and we are required to have a parent or an adult as a point of reference, but she refuses to give us her mother's number," she said, clearly troubled.

I already knew she was a minor, but I still couldn't understand why she refused to call her mother. She would need her family to get through this.

I thought to myself that she must have her reasons, and if she didn't call her mother, they wouldn't run the tests, and that jerk would end up getting away with it.

"I'm going to be her point of contact," I declared.

The nurse handed me the paperwork to fill out before she went back to the exam room where the kid was waiting.

I sat back down as my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket.

"So, how's Derek?" Ayden asked me.

I realized I had completely forgotten to update him.

"It's going okay. I'll explain it to you-or actually, he'll explain it to you himself," I said then hung up.

Crossing my arms and legs, I wondered how things ended up with Derek in the middle of all this. Not that long ago, I was hoping they wouldn't even run into each other. Now, I would have to talk to him after he got out of the ER.

Derek's POV:

After the X-ray confirmed nothing had been broken, the nurse carefully cleaned my wound and applied a bandage.

"There, it's done. Here's your discharge slip," she said, offering a kind smile.

"Thank you for your work," I simply replied.

Flirting with the nurses was the last thing on my mind. I couldn't stop worrying about the girl with black hair.

I remember when Sophie was raped at school; she was in an atrocious state afterward, but we supported her so much that she bounced back in no time. Since then, she decided to become a lawyer to support all those women who are victims of rape, harassment, as well as abused women. She's taken Karate lessons and has built a real shell around her heart that she only lets breathe with Ayden and me.

I must say we've always been there for her, especially on the day we caught that bastard.

"Are you done?" She asked as I left the room where I've been treated.

"Yes, just some cuts, nothing serious." I reassured her.

She stood up, tilted her head and gazed at me suspiciously.

"Sophie, if you have something to say, just say it. You pulled the same stunt on me before getting into the Mustang earlier."

"This girl is a minor. She's seventeen, nine years younger than us, and she's just been assaulted!" she said, her voice icy.

I still didn't see where she was going with this.

"And?"

Sophie stepped closer and jabbed her finger against my chest.

"I saw the way you looked at her after you won your race. I'm telling you now, stay away from her. You're almost twenty-six, and you have nothing to offer her, not after what she's just been through." She told me firmly, pressing her index finger into my chest where I felt her nail dig in.

I ran my hand through my hair. Even though her intense stare rattled me, I knew Sophie was right. I couldn't risk everything by getting involved with a minor.

I had finally found a job I cared about, and I wasn't about to throw it all away for some fleeting romance.

I absolutely meant to do nothing about it. That was my decision.

Sophie shot me a glare just as the door to the examination room opened.

"She's finished," the nurse said, looking at me with a strange expression.

"He's a friend-he's the one who rescued her and brought her here," Sophie added quickly, noticing the suspicion in the nurse's eyes.

"If you say so," the nurse replied. "She's getting dressed and will be able to leave soon."

The nurse shot me another odd look before finally walking away. I lowered my head; she probably thought I was the one who had hurt the girl.

"I'll take her home," Sophie told me. "You should go before she comes out. I think she'll feel more at ease with me."

I nodded; truthfully, I felt uncomfortable too.

Alix's POV:

At last, I got to put my clothes back on, even if it was only a pair of hospital pants. That exam had felt like pure torture. I couldn't stop crying, every second haunted by what happened in that alley. They let me keep the sweater the tattooed man had given me, since they'd kept the rest of my things.

After slipping on my sneakers, I opened the cabin door.

"Miss Stevens. Here's a prescription for sedatives, and an appointment with the gynecologist in three months, just to make sure everything is all right," the nurse told me.

"Do I have to come back?" I asked, terrified.

"It's just for a routine check-up." She reassured me.

Well, that was what she believed. The bills would arrive at my place, and if my mother found them, what would I do? And how was I going to pay them if I didn't mention it to her?

I completely panicked at that moment when she opened the door and I caught a glimpse of him.

For a brief second, I met his eyes, and in that moment, his intense stare looked unbearably sad before the door shut again.

I pulled the hood over my head again before stepping out, and when the door opened, I froze for a moment. He had been right there a second ago, yet now he was gone.

"I'll take you back," Sophie said as I searched instinctively for the tattooed man.

"Derek already left, if it's him you're looking for. His arm is fine, nothing serious, so don't worry," she added while guiding me out of the hospital.

Outside, I realized the motorcycle was gone too. Something in my chest tightened. I would never see him again, never thank him for what he did for me.

Sophie drove me back to the building where our apartment was, and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I felt myself trembling again, terrified that my mother might be awake.

"Do you want me to come up with you?" Sophie asked, turning off the Mustang's engine.

I shook my head. She had already done so much for me tonight.

"Here," she said softly. "I'll leave you my number. If you ever need to talk, even in the middle of the night, call me. I'll listen."

I took the small note from her, nodded, and stepped out of the car. By the time I slipped into the building, I heard her engine fade away-and then everything inside me collapsed. I sank to the floor and started crying again.

As the hallway light automatically shut off, panic rose in my chest. I pictured myself back in that alley, seeing nothing but his hands grabbing at me, his sweaty scent clinging to the air, and his tongue dragging across my face as he tried to force his way into my mouth.

His hands glided down my body and...

I ran out of the building, crossed the road without noticing the cars, and sprinted through the park that led to the Battery Park esplanade, thinking only about throwing myself into the Hudson River.

I didn't want to live anymore.

Derek's POV:

I left as soon as the nurse walked away, but I couldn't help myself-I ended up following Sophie at a distance all the way to the girl's building.

I had no idea why I was doing it, not really. She was safe now, but something inside me needed to make sure she got home in one piece.

I parked at the end of the street, watching as Sophie's Mustang pulled away only after she saw the girl safely inside.

The memory of finding her in that alley came back with brutal force, sending a fresh wave of pain through my chest. How could someone do something so vile? My anger boiled over, and my hands tightened so hard around the handlebars that the veins stood out in sharp relief.

The hall light inside the building switched off. That was my cue to leave. I no longer have anything to do here.

Just as I started up the engine, a blast of honking caught my attention.

I turned to see the girl burst out of the building, running straight across the street without even looking, then sprinting into the park.

"The esplanade!" I exclaimed in horror, dismounted the motorcycle, and sprinted through the park, trying to reach there before her.

I dashed onto the esplanade, straining to spot her, but she slipped past me in the shadows. I turned around just in time, grabbing her by the hood and pulling her back as she tried to climb the barrier.

The momentum sent me falling backward, and I held her tightly against my chest-for the second time tonight-refusing to let her go.