Dark Side of Dawn: The Nightmare Chronicles Read Free

to recommend that she stay here for a couple of days.”
    He didn’t correct her on the term wife and I told myself it didn’t matter. I should be ashamed of myself for even feeling so jealous at a time like this. “How serious?”
    The older woman flashed a quick look at me before continuing, as though she was glad I was the one who would have to deal with the barely restrained anger lurking under Noah’s polite exterior. “Lacerations of the scalp and face. She was beaten, choked, and sexually assaulted. However, I don’t believe any of her injurieswill require surgery. She should be able to go home in a day or two, but I would suggest she see a specialist.”
    Noah frowned. “I thought you said she didn’t need surgery?”
    I put my hand on his arm, and kept my voice low. “I don’t think that’s the kind of specialist the doctor means, Noah.” I was already running through my mental address book. Did I know anyone who dealt with victims of violent crime? Surely the hospital could make a referral.
    Noah stiffened beside me, his cheeks flushing scarlet. For a moment I thought he might simply explode.
    “The police have already spoken to her,” the doctor continued, taking a wary step back. “I’m sure an officer can give you particulars. Amanda asked that you be allowed to see her as soon as you arrived. She’s two doors down on the left.”
    Noah thanked her, and I waited until she’d left us to ask, “Do you want me to wait for you?”
    “Come with me.” He met my gaze with dark, worried eyes. “You know the right things to say.”
    I knew what he meant, and shook my head. “Noah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not comfortable acting in a professional capacity with your ex-wife.”
    He squeezed my fingers. “Okay. Come anyway.”
    “All right.” But only because I knew deep down that he needed me in that room when he saw Amanda.
    “I’m going to stay toward the back, though,” I said, holding his hand as we walked down the hall. “Amanda might not appreciate my presence as much as you do.” I knew that I wouldn’t were the situation reversed.
    Two doors down wasn’t far. I walked behind Noah as he entered the room, and heard his sharply indrawn breath as he saw the occupant of the lone bed. Private room. That was good.
    “Noah,” a voice croaked. I recognized it as Amanda’s, but it was hoarse and faint. I didn’t want to see the face that went with that voice.
    He released my hand to move closer to the bed. I didn’t follow, but let him go. The stupid jealousy I’d felt earlier was gone, and when Noah stepped to the side, giving me a view of the woman on the bed, every emotion I was capable of fled, replaced by an overwhelming surge of pitiful sorrow.
    And horror. There was a lot of that as well.
    The Amanda I’d first met a few weeks ago at Noah’s gallery showing had been lovely to a fault; a golden-tanned blonde with big eyes and delicate features. She was petite and I’d felt like a pale, lumbering oaf standing next to her.
    This woman looked nothing like that Amanda. This woman was swollen, her skin darkened with so many bruises I couldn’t begin to count. One eye was purple, shut tight. That side of her face was discolored all theway down to her throat, where a circle of purple and red formed a handprint necklace. No wonder her voice had sounded so awful—the bastard had choked her.
    The bruising extended to the flesh of her shoulders. I could see the ruddy abrasions where the neck of her hospital gown had slipped down. Christ, were those teeth marks? I swallowed. Hard.
    But it was her head that was the hardest for me to look at. Her golden hair was matted with blood, held back from her face by a sterile gauze head band that held a bandage to her scalp. A quarter-sized circle of blood had soaked through, terribly red against the stark white.
    Years of watching Law and Order: SVU hadn’t prepared me for that stain. TV never got the color of blood just