her.”
“I’m going to kill her anyway,” the man said. “She knows about Tom.”
At those words, Nick burst in to the room. He ran at the startled man and without one word or second of hesitation, Nick punched him in the face, as hard as possible. The man grunted and went down on his knees, dazed and shaking his head. Nick hit him again, and again, crazed and out of control, his blood pounding in his ears. He saw nothing but red.
Adam grabbed his fist. “Nick, stop! Nick, he’s out!”
Nick blinked and his vision cleared. He looked down at the guy unconscious on the floor, battered and beaten. Nick looked around and sucked in his breath.
Mia was tied to a chair, her face bloody, her clothing and hair soaking wet. She wasn’t moving and her eyes were closed.
“Oh, God…Mia.”
He ran to her and then stopped, suddenly scared to touch her. He knelt down beside her.
“Mia? Can you hear me?”
Mia thought she heard Nick talking to her. But that’s not possible. Nick is in the club flirting with that woman. Maybe he’s even having sex with her right now. She turned her head and moaned.
“Mia?” Nick reached out and stroked her face. “Babe?”
She opened her eyes.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m right here. You’re OK now. I’ve got you.”
“Nick?” Her voice was weak and full of pain and it terrified him.
“It’s me. Hold on, OK? I’m going to untie you.”
His fingers fumbled with the knots and she groaned as he lifted her out of the chair and carried her to a dry place. He sat down, his back against the wall, and wrapped her in his arms. Vividly, he recalled that first night they met and how he held her like this in the back seat as she lay helpless on his body, totally dependent on him to keep her safe.
Mia tried to speak again, to ask Nick what he was doing there, but the pain in her head overwhelmed her and she whimpered. She fell in to a black pit and passed out cold.
Nick felt her go totally still. “Mia? Mia!” His split knuckles trailed blood on her face and hair as he touched her. “You promised me you wouldn’t leave me, babe. You promised … I need you to keep that promise, OK? Mia?”
The blonde woman was kneeling next to him. “Oh, my God... is she going to be alright?”
Nick looked over at Adam. He was pale and furious but he was calm, calling for an ambulance. Their eyes met.
“Adam, please.”
Adam nodded. “She’s in bad shape,” he said to the 911 operator. “You need to hurry.”
“Three minutes, sir.”
He came over to Nick. “Is she awake?”
“No. She’s out again.”
Adam sat next to Nick and put his arm around his friend. Nick was shaking wildly, rocking back and forth, tears coursing down his face, begging for Mia to keep her promise. And Adam hoped with every fibre of his being that she would.
**
Dr. Sam Inglis stared in astonishment at the young woman lying unconscious and beaten on the stretcher, and then at the young man shaking and pale and teary in the waiting room.
These two look very familiar.
“Is she going to be OK? How badly is she hurt?”
“I can’t say right now. I need to examine her carefully.” Sam glanced down at the man’s swollen and bloody hands. “And it looks like you need some medical attention, too.”
“Huh?” The man’s gray eyes stared down. “No. No, I’m fine. My hands have been worse, believe me. Just take care of Mia.”
“Mia?” Sam blinked. “Oh, yes. You two were in here – what? Two months ago? You’re Nick, right?”
“Yeah.” The man was shaking worse than before. “Please help her.”
“Sit down, man, before you fall down.” The huge man next to Nick pushed him in to a chair. Nick subsided without a word of protest and Sam looked down the hall to where Mia had been taken.
“I’m Adam.” The giant extended a massive hand to Sam. He shook it, astounded at the man’s strength.
“It’s good to meet you, Adam. OK, I’ll go check her out right now. I’ll be back soon and
“I’m going to kill her anyway,” the man said. “She knows about Tom.”
At those words, Nick burst in to the room. He ran at the startled man and without one word or second of hesitation, Nick punched him in the face, as hard as possible. The man grunted and went down on his knees, dazed and shaking his head. Nick hit him again, and again, crazed and out of control, his blood pounding in his ears. He saw nothing but red.
Adam grabbed his fist. “Nick, stop! Nick, he’s out!”
Nick blinked and his vision cleared. He looked down at the guy unconscious on the floor, battered and beaten. Nick looked around and sucked in his breath.
Mia was tied to a chair, her face bloody, her clothing and hair soaking wet. She wasn’t moving and her eyes were closed.
“Oh, God…Mia.”
He ran to her and then stopped, suddenly scared to touch her. He knelt down beside her.
“Mia? Can you hear me?”
Mia thought she heard Nick talking to her. But that’s not possible. Nick is in the club flirting with that woman. Maybe he’s even having sex with her right now. She turned her head and moaned.
“Mia?” Nick reached out and stroked her face. “Babe?”
She opened her eyes.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m right here. You’re OK now. I’ve got you.”
“Nick?” Her voice was weak and full of pain and it terrified him.
“It’s me. Hold on, OK? I’m going to untie you.”
His fingers fumbled with the knots and she groaned as he lifted her out of the chair and carried her to a dry place. He sat down, his back against the wall, and wrapped her in his arms. Vividly, he recalled that first night they met and how he held her like this in the back seat as she lay helpless on his body, totally dependent on him to keep her safe.
Mia tried to speak again, to ask Nick what he was doing there, but the pain in her head overwhelmed her and she whimpered. She fell in to a black pit and passed out cold.
Nick felt her go totally still. “Mia? Mia!” His split knuckles trailed blood on her face and hair as he touched her. “You promised me you wouldn’t leave me, babe. You promised … I need you to keep that promise, OK? Mia?”
The blonde woman was kneeling next to him. “Oh, my God... is she going to be alright?”
Nick looked over at Adam. He was pale and furious but he was calm, calling for an ambulance. Their eyes met.
“Adam, please.”
Adam nodded. “She’s in bad shape,” he said to the 911 operator. “You need to hurry.”
“Three minutes, sir.”
He came over to Nick. “Is she awake?”
“No. She’s out again.”
Adam sat next to Nick and put his arm around his friend. Nick was shaking wildly, rocking back and forth, tears coursing down his face, begging for Mia to keep her promise. And Adam hoped with every fibre of his being that she would.
**
Dr. Sam Inglis stared in astonishment at the young woman lying unconscious and beaten on the stretcher, and then at the young man shaking and pale and teary in the waiting room.
These two look very familiar.
“Is she going to be OK? How badly is she hurt?”
“I can’t say right now. I need to examine her carefully.” Sam glanced down at the man’s swollen and bloody hands. “And it looks like you need some medical attention, too.”
“Huh?” The man’s gray eyes stared down. “No. No, I’m fine. My hands have been worse, believe me. Just take care of Mia.”
“Mia?” Sam blinked. “Oh, yes. You two were in here – what? Two months ago? You’re Nick, right?”
“Yeah.” The man was shaking worse than before. “Please help her.”
“Sit down, man, before you fall down.” The huge man next to Nick pushed him in to a chair. Nick subsided without a word of protest and Sam looked down the hall to where Mia had been taken.
“I’m Adam.” The giant extended a massive hand to Sam. He shook it, astounded at the man’s strength.
“It’s good to meet you, Adam. OK, I’ll go check her out right now. I’ll be back soon and
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