Page 2 of Surviving Slater

"And what?" Connor snapped. The stress of worrying about Taylor had eaten away at him and he was running on empty. The murder of his parents had placed the heavy responsibility of his much younger sister on his shoulders.

"She was found in her underwear."

Oh, my God.I put my hand to my mouth at the horror. In my mind it could only mean one thing. I felt an arm wrap around me to give me comfort, and I looked up at Matthew. His dark green eyes mirrored mine.

"He wrapped her up in his jacket and brought her here. He said she stayed awake the whole journey like she was too scared to let go until she knew she was going to be…safe." Sin's voice broke slightly on the last word. Matthew hugged me tighter as I felt the sting of tears, pressing my hand to my mouth.

"Did Eric…?" Connor couldn't finish his sentence but the panicked expression on his face left Sin with no doubt about what he was asking.

Sin briefly closed his eyes as he rubbed his head before answering in a defeated voice, "I don't know."

Connor looked momentarily stunned.

"We won't know anything until the doctor finishes examining her," Sin offered.

I didn't want to think that something like that could have happened to her, but it was the reality of the situation that refused to allow me to push it to the back of my mind and forget about it.

"How did Jeff know where she was?" Connor asked, still needing to know how exactly this all happened.

"I asked him to find her so he started his investigation by looking at the people closest to us," Sin began to explain, rubbing the back of his neck. Eric was Sin's roommate, although they weren't really friends; they were more like acquaintances. "He discovered Eric had rented another house. It was suspicious, so he decided to check it out."

We still had no idea what his motive was. He had been stalking Taylor for a while, following her in the dark corners of our dorm. He had broken into our room and left her a message. When he'd attacked her in the staircase it had been the final straw. Scared and having no idea who it was, Taylor had finally informed her brother, which had led him to hiring Matthew.

But even with that, it hadn't been enough. I took a deep breath, still trying to process everything.

"She's okay," Matthew murmured softly to me.

I swallowed hard as I looked up at him. His toffee-colored hair hung across his face, hiding half the bandage on his forehead where he'd been injured during the car accident that had left him unable to protect her. I nodded my head. Unlike him, I knew the wounds you couldn't see were sometimes the hardest to cope with.

She had been found semi-undressed. I couldn't get that thought out of my mind.

When I pulled away from Matthew, I caught Slater's eyes, which were fixed on me. His expression was unreadable. I felt a shiver that shook me to my core. He had that way of looking at me and seeing so much more than anyone else did.

But even he didn't know what I kept hidden from everyone.

I was the first to look away. It hurt too much. To see him and remember how it had ended between us… I still didn't know what had gone wrong. He had broken things off, leaving me confused and hurt.

We all waited patiently outside the hospital room. Eventually feeling exhausted, I walked to the wall and leaned against it. I held my bag, my eyes fixed on the door while waiting for it to open. Matthew came to stand beside me once more.

Connor, Sin and Slater refused to budge from outside the door. They wanted to catch the doctor as soon as he was finished with her.

I bit my nail as I waited, watching Sin and Slater talk quietly to Connor. Secretly, I allowed myself to let my eyes take Slater in while his attention was elsewhere.

"Do you really think she'll be okay?" I asked Matthew, still with my eyes fixed on the group in front of us.

"She has to be."

I looked up at him. He had been just as concerned as the people who loved Taylor. He hadn't just been a bodyguard to her, he had been a friend to both of us. I reached out and squeezed his arm gently, trying to comfort him. "Whatever happened, we're all here for her."

I wanted to hope she hadn't been raped but it would entail trusting that there were people who weren't capable of it, and I couldn't—I knew different.

The sound of the door opening pulled us to the moment. The doctor looked subdued as he closed it behind him.

"I'm Connor Price, Taylor's brother," Connor said, taking a step closer to the doctor. "How's she?"

The time was here. I wasn't sure I was prepared for what the answer might be. I reminded myself we all had to be strong for her. She would need it. Sin shoved his hands in his pockets as he waited beside Connor for the information.

"She's been beaten quite badly. It will heal, and I don't believe there will be any scars."