Dark Heart, Gentle Hands - Chapter 27: Dilemma

... ticking sound of the clock on the wall count out the seconds with its lazy, uneven ticks. Outside, the afternoon light has slanted into gold, then bruised itself purple, and still Alaric hasn’t come back. Every creak in the hallway startles me half upright; every motorcycle engine three blocks away drags hope through my aching ribs then lets it go.

He said he was going to "take care of" the man who hurt me. At the time those words had sounded protective, almost gentle, but hours later t ...