“I wasn’t thinking,” he agrees, hissing as they shift but squeezing her hand back best he can. “I couldn’t let him take you back there.” He winces, pain flaring, heart aching as the sob twists her face.

He must have terrified her, being violent like that and now bleeding on her. And she was there for days. The thought still makes his stomach tight.

“I’m sorry I scared you. And I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”