Page 40 of Kiss Kiss Bang
“Fuck.”
“She was alone. Naked,” he repeated, almost in a daze. He swallowed thickly and was a second from losing his shit.
“Take care of her. We’ll figure things out. Right now keep her safe. I have Sophie, I’ll bring in Megan if Winnie needs to go. She’ll keep Sophie entertained.”
“Right,” Joey said, unable to say much of anything else, and then hung up.
How the fuck could he have dropped the ball this fucking colossally? And Tom? Tom was abso-fucking-lutley fired! After Joey ruled out for having anything to do with the attack. Damn it, he should have fired Tom himself, the night of the gala. Better to apologize then to ask permission, right? But with what authority? The overprotective . . . boyfriend?
* * *
A burning, stinging feeling woke Olivia up in a jolt. “Ow!”
“Shh . . . Ms. Russo. It was just a tetanus shot. Do you remember what happened?”
She had worked out. Then she was in the shower of the gym. And then . . . a man held a knife to her throat and then moved it down her body, threatened her child and said she’d had to give him money immediately. “Yes. Oh my God. Yes! Where’s my daughter? I need to get to my Sophie. What time is it? How long have I been here?”
She turned her head to see Joey and a huge surge of relief came over her. Somehow she knew—knew it in her bones—that he’d protect Sophie from harm. Soft, he put his hand on her shoulder. “You’ve been here for about an hour. They gave you something for the pain . . .”
“It was mostly the stress, I think, that made her pass out.”
“Sophie?”
“She’s safe. She’s at ICS with my team, and Winnie is with her too.”
“I need to see her. She needs to be here safe with me.” The beep in the monitor began to speed up.
“Calm down, Ms. Russo,” the nurse said, looking up at the machines and then typing something into a computer.
“Livie, honey, look at me. Sophie is in a compound with Winnie and about ten ex-military personnel. She is safer than anyone. Trust me when I say she is fine.”
She shifted and then winced, remembering the ordeal.
“You were—you were cut,” he said. “Do you remember?”
The doctor, a woman in a white coat, stepped closer and interrupted. “I need to ask you a few things and examine you. Maybe it’s best if he steps out for a minute.”
“No!” She gripped Joey’s hand. “No, please.”
“It’s okay, Livie. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay, Ms. Russo,” the doctor said, placing the stethoscope on her chest. “You have some superficial cuts on your torso. We just gave you a tetanus shot. Right by your rib cage, the cut was a bit deeper and we did have to put in two stiches. They’ll come out on their own. You just need to keep the area clean. We’ve dressed it and you should change the dressing a couple of times a day. I’m also going to give you some antibiotics as a precaution, and you may want to take some over-the-counter painkiller if needed.”
“Okay.”
“Now, I need to know, when Mr. Clad found you, you were nude. Did the man touch you—”
She shook her head. Her chin wobbled. “No. He didn’t. Not the way you’re thinking.”
“Are you sure, Ms. Russo?”
“I’m positive.”
“Okay, then a rape kit will be unnecessary.”
Thank God for small favors, Olivia thought. Joey closed his eyes and let out the deepest breath she’d ever seen.
“Any other place where he hurt you? Anything feel broken?”
