Page 5 of Rock the Boat
I hadn’t expected him to be there at all. “Don’t you ever go home?”
He chuckled. “I am home.”
“You live here?”
“Sort of. I have an apartment on the second floor.”
“You must not be very busy if you have given me one of your beds for three weeks.” I was searching for answers. Anything that would tell me if this man could be trusted or not.
“It comes and goes in waves. Plus, here, I have all the equipment to treat you myself.” I was almost certain there was something he wasn’t telling me. Was I going to be a prisoner once I was healed? A sex slave?
“Did you find Matthew?” My breath caught. I didn’t know what I wanted the answer to be. Yes, Matthew had been found. He was alive and well, and not looking for me at all. No, Matthew couldn’t be found, which meant his fate had been worse than mine that night.
Dom got off the bed he was lying on across the room and landed hard in the seat next to mine. “What do you remember about that night?” That was not what I expected to come out of his mouth.
Staring up at the ceiling, I thought about that night. “Matthew wanted to go to a party. I’d agreed to go because I wanted to make him happy. We stopped for food first and then…”
“Nell?”
I swallowed hard. The pain from before had decreased to a small ache now. “The parking lot was darker than normal because the light wasn’t working. When we started walking to the restaurant, someone attacked us.”
“Us or you?”
Closing my eyes, I frowned, trying to recall everything. “I was attacked first.”
“Nell, is this Matthew?” He held up a picture that had been printed, and I nodded. “This is the person I saw…” He swallowed hard. “Look, what I’m about to tell you is going to come as a complete shock to you, but I swear, it’s the truth.”
“What?” My heart thundered in my chest. I was confused and terrified.
“This was the man I saw leaving you on the rocks.” He couldn’t look at me, couldn’t look me in the eye when he gave me news that sounded so ludicrous…
Shaking my head gently, I clenched my jaw tightly. “No.” I lifted my hand to touch my neck and could feel the raised line. “Not Matthew. He loved…loves me.”
“I wish it wasn’t. I wish I had some explanation, some rhyme or reason.” This time, he did meet my gaze. He believed what he was saying, but that didn’t mean I had to. He had to be mistaken about everything he saw. Had to.
“Matthew—”
“Left you for dead on a pile of rocks and debris. I’m sure he was hoping your body would be found eventually.”
“What were you doing out there?”
“It’s near the beach. I was out there to think. I heard someone scream and went to check on them to make sure they didn’t need a doctor. I saw about five people on the rocks, dropping something. Someone asked if they should hide you better. Matthew said no, and by the time you were found, it would be done with.”
I didn’t want to believe it. It couldn’t be. “Done with?”
“I don’t know. As soon as they left, I climbed up to you and felt for a pulse. You barely had one, and I had a hard time stopping the bleeding. I thought the cut on your neck was enough to do you in, but it missed everything vital and wasn’t as deep as it initially appeared.”
“Why not the hospital?”
Dom raked his hands through his hair, pulling at the short black strands. “I don’t know. I was scared that if I called the cops or took you to the hospital, something would happen to you. Maybe I was stupid, maybe the risk was too great, but I was scared. Not for me, but for you.” By the time he finished, he was breathing heavy, and a small bubble of spit clung to the side of his mouth.
When I’d first met Dom, I had been fifteen, and my parents asked me to take some cookies over to the neighbor. She was a sweet older woman who loved gardening and always gave my mom fresh flowers and vegetables. He answered the door and looked a little haggard. He wore thick-framed black glasses the same color as his hair that almost hid his tired, hazel eyes. After that, I saw him a few more times but barely interacted with him until he fixed my bike for me. That was the last time I had anything to do with him. His aunt moved into a nursing home to have round-the-clock help, and there was no reason for him to come by any longer.
The glasses were gone, but his hazel eyes still looked tired. His hair, which had been pulled into a ponytail the last time I saw him, was now short and combed over to the side. Many clumps were sticking straight up. I couldn’t say that he appeared older, but there was something different about him.
“How is your aunt?”
“She is well. She joined the dance club and found the second love of her life.”
