Page 264 of Filthy King (Five Points' Mob Collection 7)

"Cassie? What do you want? Do you want to stay there?"

"No!" she cried. "I want to get away from here. He'll come looking for me, Savannah. He always does."

I narrowed my eyes. "You can stay with us, Cassie. Please, don't worry."

"Savannah?"

"Yes, Giulia."

"She's bleeding and she's half-naked."

"He raped her?"

"I think that was his end goal. It looks like he tried to cut off her clothes." There was another thud, and I knew she was kicking the bastard. "Cassie, shall we get you washed up?"

"No," I told Giulia. "It's horrible, but she needs to stay like that. The sheriff needs to see the state she's in." To Cassie, I said, "I'm so sorry, honey, but please, just bear with us."

"Sheriff's ETA is five minutes," Nyx rumbled in my ear.

"Five minutes, Cassie. That’s it. I know it's a lifetime, but let's get you safely out of there, yeah?"

She didn't answer, but her breathing sounded loud in the room again.

I swore those five minutes were as long for them as they were for me.

I was just thankful as hell that Cassie lived in goddamn Jersey, in a town near enough to where Giulia and Nyx had been when they’d gotten the call.

"His jurisdiction isn't here," Giulia commented. I knew that wasn't to me, but to Nyx.

"Doesn't matter. We need him to smooth things over," was all her Old Man said.

I stayed on the line with them, even though no one spoke to me for the next forty-five minutes.

I was there when her husband was arrested, and I was there when Giulia helped her into the bathroom.

I was there as Giulia promised they were safe now and when Cassie broke down, I was there too.

I listened to it all, wishing like hell I could be with her and not Giulia, and I whispered, "I'm so sorry, Cassie. So sorry."

I didn't expect her to answer, but she did. "You saved my life, Savannah. You have nothing to be sorry for."