Reclaiming his grip on her face, Nick leaned in and studied her eyes. “Have you taken anything today?”
“Just the painkillers you gave me this morning before you left.”
Nick stood. “I'm going to take you home, get you into bed, you need …”
“No.” She clutched at his hands to stop him from closing her door. “I don’t want to go back to my place. Can, can I stay with you at your place tonight?” Aggie didn’t want to be pushy, but she couldn’t face a night alone in her apartment, wasn't even sure she could face it if Nick was with her. If he turned her down, then she would give in and either spend the night at Summer’s or her father’s.
Squatting back down, he lifted a hand to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking along her cheekbone. “Of course you can stay with me. Are you scared to be at your place because of the break-in?”
Sniffing, she managed a nod.
“I think we should call the cops, get them to come and check out your place.”
Dully she nodded. “Okay.”
Moving his hand to the back of her head now, he threaded his fingers through her hair. “Sweetheart, there’s something we need to talk about, something I need to tell you.”
She was so drained she could barely concentrate. She’d slept reasonably well after her nightmare last night, but it hadn’t made a dent in the overwhelming tiredness that swamped her. Maybe Nick was right, maybe she was just experiencing a crash after an adrenalin overload. “Can it wait? I'm so tired.”
He hesitated, but then nodded. “Sure. Let’s get you to my place.” He tilted her face up and kissed her again. This time there was a desperation in the kiss that hadn’t been there before. Like Nick was afraid of something. Too tired to think it through too deeply, Aggie assumed he was just afraid of the man who had been in her apartment and what he might have done, and of what he might do when he came back.
Nick leaned across her and took hold of her seatbelt, buckling her in, then closed her door. Aggie rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. The gentle rocking of the car as Nick drove them to his place lulled her to sleep.
All of a sudden her eyes popped open.
Nick had pulled to a stop in the parking lot where they'd met.
Why was he stopping here?
He climbed from the car and disappeared. Where had he gone?
“Aggie.”
Was Nick calling her?
She got out of the car. She tried to find him but she couldn’t. It was foggy, only it hadn’t been foggy that night, and it wasn't foggy tonight.
A dream.
Again.
Why wouldn’t they stop? She was almost to the point where she was scared to go to sleep because another nightmare would wrap its tentacles around her.
There was a figure up ahead.
For a split second, she thought it was Nick, but as the shadow rushed toward her she realized it washim. Her attacker.
He knocked her to the ground, knocking the breath from her lungs.
He pinned her facedown, sitting on her back.
“You’ll never get away from me.” He laughed.
Nick? Where was Nick? Why didn’t he come and save her?
“I'm part of you now. Part of you forever.”
No. He wouldn’t be. She’d move on, forget about the attack, it would fade.