Page 42 of The Illicit Play

Both options suck, but as I near the hospital, I know I can’t take the first one.

It takes two hours to get Blake checked out. She wakes up in the middle of the exam and starts crying, blubbering incoherent answers to the sweet nurse who patiently talks her through the process. I stay by her side the whole time, answering what I can and holding her hand when a police officer shows up to take her statement. Her answers are muddy and vague, her skin turning scarlet when he asks her age. I quietly beg him to go easy on her.

“Please, Officer. I know she’s underage, but she’s had a really rough night.”

He eyes me up and down, then points to my face. “Looks like you have too.”

I dab my lip and softly murmur, “Some guy was trying to take her where she didn’t want to go. I only just got there in time. If I’d known where she was, I would have gone sooner.”

Clicking his tongue, he scribbles something else in his notebook while my heart starts to race the way it always does around authority like this. I’ve never once done anything wrong, but damn if they don’t make me feel like a criminal just because my skin’s a few shades too dark for their liking.

My teeth clench and I will my chin to stay up, because I am an innocent man.

“Can you describe the person you fought with?”

Closing my eyes, I try to picture him, but everything was such a blur. “Uh… the party was pretty chaotic, but from what I can remember, he was about six foot—a little taller than me. Caucasian. Light brown hair, kinda shaggy. Medium build. He was wearing jeans and a white shirt. I think it was white.”

“And he’ll have a fat lip too? Or a black eye or something?”

Smashing my teeth together, I give one quick nod but refuse to feel guilty for that. He was an asshole and deserved a punch in the face. “I was defending myself… and her.” I rub my thumb over the back of Blake’s hand and glance down at her. Her eyes are closed, her lips slightly parted. She’s asleep again, oblivious to this conversation.

“You her boyfriend?”

“No, sir. She’s my best friend’s little sister.”

“Where’s he?” The officer frowns.

“He’s with his girlfriend tonight, and I’m…” Looking down at Blake again, I give her slender fingers a light squeeze. “I’m trying to keep her out of trouble.”

The man stops writing to study my face, and I dare to look him right in the eye. After a long pause, where I can’t breathe, his lips finally twitch, and he starts nodding. “I take it he won’t be too happy about his kid sister partying it up where she shouldn’t be.”

“No, sir.” I shake my head.

“Okay, then.” Flipping his notebook closed, I watch his lips form a thoughtful pout before he looks at the nurse, who’s hovering nearby. “I’ve finished up here. Does she need to spend the night?”

“No. Test results are back, and she should be good to go home and sleep it off.” Looking at me, the nurse rattles off some care instructions for the morning and I nod, absorbing each word like it’s fresh information.

It’s not. I’ve seen Carson through enough rough nights to know. Although I doubt he was ever roofied.

Those fucking assholes!

A blast of hot rage fires through me, and I call after the officer. “Any chance you’re gonna find the guy who did this to her?”

He glances back over with a sad smile. “I wish I could say yes. It’s going to be hard to prove who put the roofie in her drink, but we’ll do our best. The information you’ve given me will be helpful.” He points to Blake. “Just make sure she knows the danger she put herself in tonight.”

I frown at him. “She didn’t ask to be roofied. I’m not victim shaming her.”

The officer frowns right back at me. “She went into a party,alone, obviously got drunk, and didn’t watch herself. I’m not saying it’s fair, but it is reality, and she needs to know not to put herself in a situation like that again.” His lips form a thin line before his intense blue gaze is burning holes in my face. “She won’t remember much in the morning, and it’s up to you to make it clear for her. She needs to know that if you hadn’t shown up, it’s most likely she would have been raped tonight. You understand?”

I swallow, the reminder making my blood run cold. “Yes, sir.” I lick my bottom lip and nod. “I will.”

“Good.” He turns, and with a heavy sigh, I watch him walk away before taking the discharge papers from the nurse and helping Blake to my Jeep.

Fuck, this night could have gone so much worse.

And it still could get worse if I can’t get Blake inside without alerting her brother.

CHAPTER 13