pillow, her long dark hair covering her hospital gown.
“It started a couple months ago, when he began partying more and, well, harder. He
becomes angry when he does that stuff.”
Sawyer gave a grim nod. “Drugs can do that to people.”
By the darkness in his features, Chloe suspected that Sawyer didn’t think it was only
drugs that made Travis an asshole—he clearly thought his sister’s ex-boyfriend simply
was
an asshole.
Chloe asked, “Did you break up with him because of his drug use?”
“Yeah, I hated the partying. And I’d heard rumors he’d been cheating on me.” Ashlyn’s
voice cracked. “I’d only seen him a few times in the last month. He hadn’t been answering
my calls, so I left a message telling him not to call me again.”
She paused, inhaling a deep breath. “When it happened…I was asleep when something
woke me up. He was there, and he
lost
it.” Her swollen bottom lip quivered. Chloe noted how Ashlyn couldn’t look at Sawyer.
“He kept me in the bedroom a while before taking me to the kitchen. I tried to fight
him off….” Tears rushed over her cheeks.
“Don’t do that to yourself, Ash,” Sawyer said softly, drawing his sister’s attention.
That only made her cry harder. “You’re tiny in comparison to Travis. What could you
have done?”
Ash’s voice trembled. “He was so strong….”
Chloe leaned forward and rested her hand on Ash’s arm, wanting to somehow help her.
“Travis is a trained fighter, don’t forget that. Even Sawyer would’ve had trouble
fighting him.” She slid her glance to Sawyer, whose intense eyes told her that no,
he would have no trouble royally kicking Travis’s ass. Looking at
that
body, Chloe didn’t doubt he could. But she gestured toward Ash, hoping he caught
the hint.
He nodded and turned to his sister. “Travis is trained to hurt people. That training
makes him stronger.”
“I felt so”—more tears spilled down Ash’s face—“helpless to stop him.”
Ashlyn’s expression became haunted, and a sick feeling rolled through Chloe as she
understood what Ashlyn was unable to say. “Your brother needs to know everything,”
Chloe said very gently, “no matter how hard it is to talk about it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe saw Sawyer stiffen, but she stayed focused on
Ashlyn.
Ashlyn hung her head for a long moment before she murmured, “Before he took me into
the kitchen to beat me…he raped me.”
There was a long, heavy silence.
Chloe glanced over at Sawyer as he rose from his chair, his expression closed off.
“Please excuse me for a moment.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ashlyn’s forehead.
“I’ll be back soon.” Without looking at either Chloe or his sister, he left the room.
“He’s going to lose his shit, isn’t he?” Ashlyn asked, eyes wide and worried.
Chloe took Ashlyn’s hand. “He loves you,” she said, giving the other woman a soft,
reassuring smile, “and you’ve been hurt in a very bad way. Of course he’s going to
lose his shit.”
Chapter 6
After Sawyer’s parents returned to Ashlyn’s hospital room with full bellies, Chloe
left them and found Sawyer sitting outside the hospital on the bench by the main entrance.
Arms resting on his bent legs, he bowed his head. It saddened Chloe to see a man as
strong and powerful as Sawyer with such a haunted aura.
Sawyer didn’t look at her as she approached him, nor did he say a word when she sat
down next to him. Torn between wanting to talk to help him and knowing it might be
best to stay silent, she angled her head back, gazing up at the stars.
A soft cough caught her attention, and she lowered her chin, catching sight of a couple
walking past them toward the hospital entrance. Their faces were drawn, a telling
sign that whomever they were visiting tonight was not doing well.
Chloe shivered. She hated hospitals and avoided them at all cost, not enjoying the
“It started a couple months ago, when he began partying more and, well, harder. He
becomes angry when he does that stuff.”
Sawyer gave a grim nod. “Drugs can do that to people.”
By the darkness in his features, Chloe suspected that Sawyer didn’t think it was only
drugs that made Travis an asshole—he clearly thought his sister’s ex-boyfriend simply
was
an asshole.
Chloe asked, “Did you break up with him because of his drug use?”
“Yeah, I hated the partying. And I’d heard rumors he’d been cheating on me.” Ashlyn’s
voice cracked. “I’d only seen him a few times in the last month. He hadn’t been answering
my calls, so I left a message telling him not to call me again.”
She paused, inhaling a deep breath. “When it happened…I was asleep when something
woke me up. He was there, and he
lost
it.” Her swollen bottom lip quivered. Chloe noted how Ashlyn couldn’t look at Sawyer.
“He kept me in the bedroom a while before taking me to the kitchen. I tried to fight
him off….” Tears rushed over her cheeks.
“Don’t do that to yourself, Ash,” Sawyer said softly, drawing his sister’s attention.
That only made her cry harder. “You’re tiny in comparison to Travis. What could you
have done?”
Ash’s voice trembled. “He was so strong….”
Chloe leaned forward and rested her hand on Ash’s arm, wanting to somehow help her.
“Travis is a trained fighter, don’t forget that. Even Sawyer would’ve had trouble
fighting him.” She slid her glance to Sawyer, whose intense eyes told her that no,
he would have no trouble royally kicking Travis’s ass. Looking at
that
body, Chloe didn’t doubt he could. But she gestured toward Ash, hoping he caught
the hint.
He nodded and turned to his sister. “Travis is trained to hurt people. That training
makes him stronger.”
“I felt so”—more tears spilled down Ash’s face—“helpless to stop him.”
Ashlyn’s expression became haunted, and a sick feeling rolled through Chloe as she
understood what Ashlyn was unable to say. “Your brother needs to know everything,”
Chloe said very gently, “no matter how hard it is to talk about it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe saw Sawyer stiffen, but she stayed focused on
Ashlyn.
Ashlyn hung her head for a long moment before she murmured, “Before he took me into
the kitchen to beat me…he raped me.”
There was a long, heavy silence.
Chloe glanced over at Sawyer as he rose from his chair, his expression closed off.
“Please excuse me for a moment.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ashlyn’s forehead.
“I’ll be back soon.” Without looking at either Chloe or his sister, he left the room.
“He’s going to lose his shit, isn’t he?” Ashlyn asked, eyes wide and worried.
Chloe took Ashlyn’s hand. “He loves you,” she said, giving the other woman a soft,
reassuring smile, “and you’ve been hurt in a very bad way. Of course he’s going to
lose his shit.”
Chapter 6
After Sawyer’s parents returned to Ashlyn’s hospital room with full bellies, Chloe
left them and found Sawyer sitting outside the hospital on the bench by the main entrance.
Arms resting on his bent legs, he bowed his head. It saddened Chloe to see a man as
strong and powerful as Sawyer with such a haunted aura.
Sawyer didn’t look at her as she approached him, nor did he say a word when she sat
down next to him. Torn between wanting to talk to help him and knowing it might be
best to stay silent, she angled her head back, gazing up at the stars.
A soft cough caught her attention, and she lowered her chin, catching sight of a couple
walking past them toward the hospital entrance. Their faces were drawn, a telling
sign that whomever they were visiting tonight was not doing well.
Chloe shivered. She hated hospitals and avoided them at all cost, not enjoying the
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