Escape Route | ✓

8

'Do you want to talk about it?'

Carrie sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. 'I... What is there to talk about? I went outisde for some fresh air, and then the next thing I know, I'm turning around to find this guy standing behind me and then he's all over me.'

Jace's face darkened. 'He didn't hurt you, did he?'

She shook her head. 'No, I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all.'

'Understandable,' he agreed softly, wrapping his hands around the mug of hot chocolate Carrie had made for him. 'I could have killed him Carrie. I could have killed him,' his voice was vulnerable and his eyes were stormy.

'Jace, I'm fine,' she assured him quickly. It was a little scary, yes, but I'm not injured at all. Please don't stress about it.'

He ran a hand over his face, his other hand clasping the mug so tightly his knuckles were white. 'It was deja vu.'

'Deja vu?' she questioned carefully.

He bit his lip, seeming hesitant about something. 'There weren't always three of us,' his voice was scratchy and yet again vulnerable. 'We used to be four. My baby sister was out one evening with some of her friends in Dallas and I was out with Gabe and Mark, too. They were triplets, Abigail, Alice and.... Arianna,' his voice cracked.

Carrie set her mug down, and moved around the table until she was standing next to him. 'Jace,' her voice was soft. 'Jace.'

His hands shot out and wrapped around her waist all of a sudden. He hauled her into his lap and nestled his head against her neck, as her arms wound around him. 'We were at the same club,' his voice was muffled. 'And she was gorgeous, just like the others. She was dancing with a guy, and one moment they were in the middle of the dance floor, and the next they were nowhere to be seen. I had turned my back just for two minutes to get another drink and she was gone.'

She hugged him tightly, wishing she could comfort him. She, of all people was aware that often, words weren't enough.

'I searched high and low for her but I couldn't find her anywhere in the club. It was huge and packed with bodies. Once I realised she wasn't in the club anymore, I left and found her in an alleyway not far from there. She was bruised and... broken.'

A sharp breath left Carrie's mouth. How awful.

'The guy she had been dancing with had taken her outside, beaten her, raped her and then left her for dead,' his voice was bitter. 'She didn't even make it to the hospital.'

Horror filled her mind. No wonder he had been so angry the night before. No wonder he had almost pummelled the guy into the ground.

'My parents were absolutely heartbroken,' Jace sighed heavily. 'So they just upped and left the three of us here without even looking back or a contact number. Everybody here was great, but it was so hard, you know?'

'That's awful,' Carrie whispered quietly. She knew how awful losing a person could be, and how hard it was to deal with it.

He laughed bitterly. 'We're no strangers to death either, you know.'

'That's why you've been so nice and understanding about everything to do with Abigail,' her voice was a little strangled. 'And your sister Abigail was so understanding because she'd lost somebody too.'

'Yeah.'

'Jace, I know words aren't enough. Words are never enough,' she sighed, trying to comfort him. 'I'm so sorry I don't know what to say.'

He shook his head quickly. 'I'm not expecting you to know what to say. You shouldn't know what to say, because nobody should go through that.'