Without You (Love Wanted in Texas #1)(89)

Holy shit. That hurts like hell.

“Hello, Janet.” My mother looked back at me. “Alex, Janet is here to talk to you, sweetheart.”

The blonde turned her attention to Will. “How are you doing this morning, Will?”

He smiled slightly and said, “I’m good.”

Janet cleared her throat and pointed to the police officer standing next her. “This is Officer Franks.”

My mother quickly nodded her head and took a step back. My father held her in his arms.

Why is a police officer here?

I attempted to smile as Janet walked closer to me. Something about her made me feel…safe and comfortable. It was like she recognized this strange feeling inside me.

“Alex, my name is Janet. I’m a counselor, and I work for the hospital. I’m here to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?”

“Hi, Janet. Um…sure,” I said.

She smiled back. “Alex, do you remember anything about last night? Anything at all?”

“Um…not really. I was at a party with Grace.” I closed my eyes and tried to remember.

Damn, maybe I drank too much. I must have fallen and hit my eye— My eyes snapped open. I frantically looked around the room.

Oh God. Oh God. No…Blake.

“Blake,” I whispered.

A warm sensation filled my body as Janet touched my hand.

“Alex, you’re safe, sweetheart. He’s not here.”

I felt the tears burning my eyes, and my head began pounding. “He…he tried to…I think he gave me something…he…Oh God. He slapped me because I was fighting him back.”

Janet held my hand. “Alex, sweetheart, Officer Franks would like to ask you some questions.”

I nodded my head and looked back to where Will was standing.

Officer Franks cleared her throat and took a step closer to me. “Alex, I’m going to ask you some personal questions. If you prefer, I can ask everyone to leave the room.”

I shook my head and whispered, “No, they can stay.”

“I need to ask you something important,” Officer Franks said.

I looked back at Janet. I began crying harder as the memories of last night started to come together.

“O-okay,” I whispered.

“How much do you remember about last night? Specifically, about your time with Blake Turner?”

I closed my eyes.

Chrissie…

The room was spinning.

She told Blake she gave something to me.

I felt sick.

Blake carried me up the stairs.

Get Grace, Chrissie…

“I asked Chrissie to get Grace. Blake wasn’t acting right, and he said…he said…”

“It’s okay, Alex. Take your time,” the officer said.

I opened my eyes. “He was mad about me not passing out. He ripped my shorts open and put…”

I looked at Will. I slowly turned to my parents and then to Officer Franks. Then, I looked into Janet’s eyes.

“I can’t…” I shook my head.

Janet looked up at Will and then back at me. She nodded her head.

Officer Franks took my hand. “It’s okay, Alex. You did great. I want you to know that Blake has been arrested. Chrissie spoke to the police and confessed that she gave you a drug called Rohypnol. Blake had given it to her. You must not have had very much to drink because you were able to stay awake and fight him off.”

I took in a deep breath as I remembered that I’d dropped the beer Chrissie had given me. “I only took a few drinks of it. Someone bumped into me, and I dropped it.”

Janet turned around to look at my parents. I noticed my mom wiping a tear away.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I said as panic began to set in.

Janet walked up to my parents and said something to them. She then turned, moved next to Will, and whispered something to him. He nodded his head before turning and smiling at me.

“Lex, I’m going to go sit in the waiting room with your mom and dad.” He leaned down and gently kissed me on my lips. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

He smiled at me and walked toward my mom and dad.

My mother moved next to the bed. She leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, followed by my father.

“We love you, sweetheart. We’ll just be right outside,” my father said with a smile.

I tried to smile, but every time I moved, my face hurt.

The moment they walked out the door and shut it, I looked at Janet and began crying.

She sat down and took my hand. “Alex, it’s okay. It’s just us now, sweetheart. Whenever you’re ready…you tell us.”

I swallowed as I looked at Officer Franks. She smiled sweetly and nodded her head.

I took a deep breath. “Blake told Chrissie that I belonged to him, and then he told her to leave. I begged her to get Grace. Then, he put me on the bed, and he took his pants—” A sob escaped my mouth.

“Take your time, Alex. Just take in a deep breath,” Janet said in a soft voice.

Somehow, I pulled out my inner strength to tell Janet and Officer Franks what had happened to me in that bedroom last night. When Officer Franks told me that Blake had punched me right as Grace walked in, my sore face made sense.