Derek's POV:

I had brought her onto the motorcycle without even considering where I was headed, but in a situation like this, I figured the emergency room was the only real option.

I kept my speed in check, unsure if she would keep clinging to my T-shirt the whole way.

It seemed smarter to avoid the police; getting pulled over for not wearing a helmet would have been ridiculous, so I wound my way through Manhattan's back roads until I reached Bellevue Hospital.

Upon arrival, I parked right up on the sidewalk outside the emergency room. After all, it really was an emergency.

"You can get off," I said, noticing she was still clutching my T-shirt.

The girl didn't budge, so I gently placed my hand over hers, hoping she would understand she needed to let go.

At my touch, she released her grip right away.

I swung my leg over and got off the motorcycle, realizing she was still sitting stiffly, her head bowed.

"You need to get off and have the doctors look at you," I said softly.

Still, she stayed frozen, her fists clenched tightly inside her sleeves.

I was at a loss for how to convince her. With the helmet's visor down, I couldn't see her face. I had no idea if she was crying, if she was even looking at me.

Stepping closer, I decided to take off her helmet for her. She didn't react at all as I eased it off, and her face came into view again, streaked with tears and lost in anguish. Seeing her like that made my chest ache.

Her messy black hair tumbled back across her face, but her green eyes were visible—shining with tears, fixed on the hospital with unmistakable fear.

Don't tell me she was scared of the hospital?

Sophie's POV:

As I stepped out of the bar where we'd stopped for drinks, I spotted Derek's motorcycle revving up in the distance, a girl sitting behind him—at least, I thought it was a girl.

He really couldn't control himself. But it was obvious how taken he was with that girl and her black hair.

Part of me figured it was for the best; he was nearly twenty-six, and this wasn't the time for him to start fooling around with someone so young.

"Did you lose your dance partner?" Ayden asked as he walked up to me.

"Yes, and it looks like we've lost Derek too," I replied.

We were chatting with a few friends when my phone began to ring. I glanced at the screen. Why was he calling me already?

"Hello, couldn't you seal the deal?" I laughed.

"Now's not the time, Sophie!" he snapped. "Can you meet me at Bellevue?"

"The hospital?" I asked, surprised. "Don't tell me that..."

"Can you come or not?!" Derek exclaimed, clearly irritated.

"Yes, I'm heading out right now. Can you tell me what's going on? You sound furious," I asked, already making my way toward my Mustang.

"Don't bring Ayden. And hurry up!" he ordered before hanging up.

I stared at my phone, a mix of surprise and worry churning inside me; Derek almost never sounded this serious. Something big must have happened.

"You look off, Sophie. Is everything okay?" Ayden asked, trailing behind me.

"Honestly, I have no idea what's going on, but I think Derek's gotten himself into trouble again," I admitted, feeling the tension.

"Where is he?" Ayden asked, now sounding anxious too.

"At the hospital."

"At the hospital? What are you waiting for, let's go!"

"No, he told me not to bring you, and I'm serious—he wasn't joking. I'll let you know as soon as I find out what's going on," I assured him as I slid into the Mustang.

"It's not true, Derek. What stupid thing did you get yourself into this time?"

Marina's POV:

It had been a while since we returned to the bikes, but Alix and the others still hadn't come back.

"Relax, they're probably off somewhere having fun, just like we were," Daniel told me.

"No, Alix isn't that kind of girl," I replied, scanning the crowd for any sign of her.

I pictured Alix sitting in a corner, lost in her sketchbook, barely paying attention to the guy who'd been with her.

I shouldn't have left her with him. She barely spoke to boys, and since she wasn't sociable, he had probably abandoned her in some corner.

I kept brooding, unsure where she had gone, until I finally spotted the guy she'd been with. Letting go of Daniel's hand, I headed toward him and realized Alix was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Alix?" I asked, a mix of surprise and worry creeping into my voice.

"I have no idea. She left a while ago," he replied, heading toward his motorcycle.

Alix leaving on her own didn't sound like her at all. We were on the other side of town, and I doubted she would have taken a taxi.

Anger boiling up, I turned around and grabbed his arm just as he reached for his helmet.

"Alix wouldn't leave without telling me!" I shouted, unable to hide my frustration.

"I'm telling you, she let go of me when I suggested we get a drink. Just call her, then you'll know where she is!" He said as he released me while putting on his helmet.

Pulling out my phone, I quickly dialed Alix's number, but she didn't answer.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, watching that jerk ride off while I was still left clueless about where Alix had gone.

"You're seriously overreacting," Daniel chimed in. "Your girlfriend's frigid. She probably left, just like he said."

I turned toward Daniel and looked him over. Alix might have been frigid, but she was my best friend, and I was the only one allowed to say that. Without warning, I slapped him and headed for the parking lot, trying Alix's number again.

Derek's POV:

That girl still didn't want to get off my motorcycle. I couldn't force her to go inside, so I had called Sophie for backup. She was dragging herself over now.

I pulled a cigarette from my pocket. I needed a moment to calm down before she arrived, because I knew I would have to deal with her temper on top of everything else.

It was hard to believe the evening had begun so smoothly. If I had just gotten off the motorcycle and talked to him, none of this would have happened.

I ran a hand through my hair and took a long drag from my cigarette just as the Mustang roared into the emergency parking lot, tires screeching across the pavement.

I had better explain before she started assuming things and blowing up. With the way she reacted to everything, I half expected her to grab the girl by the hair and drag her out herself.

"What's the problem?!" she yelled as she stepped out of the Mustang. I walked toward her.

I saw her gaze drift to the motorcycle, and her face tightened with anger.

"Are you messing with me?!" she screamed as she marched toward me.

"Damn it, calm down and let me explain!" I said, gripping her shoulders.

"Explain what?! What are you doing with that girl?! Do you want to end up in jail or what?!" she exclaimed.

"Sophie, shut up and let me explain!" I snapped, trying to get her to calm down.

This time, I had her attention and could finally explain what was really going on. As I told her what happened, Sophie's expression shifted to disgust. I saw the same hatred burning in her eyes that I felt inside me, mixed with sadness and revulsion.

Alix's POV:

I was still sitting on the motorcycle, frozen. I didn't want to get down or step into that hospital and risk having my humiliation begin all over again. I only wanted to go home and wash away the filth clinging to me... And the part of it that felt like it was still within me.

I just wanted to go home, fall asleep, and never wake up.

There was no way anyone else could find out what I had been through.

If I stepped in there, my mother would find out, and she would never recover from what I had endured. She would blame herself for pushing me to go out, even though none of this was her fault or Marina's. It was my fault. I should have been more careful. I should have stayed on guard. I should have bitten him, hit him, pushed him away.

I began crying in anger, and when a hand touched me, I jolted so hard I nearly slipped off the motorcycle, but the hand tightened around my sweater to steady me.

The hand belonged to a mixed‑race girl. When I lifted my face to look at her, I recognized her as the girl who had been near Marina during the race.

"Hi, we saw each other earlier at the race." She tried to smile at me.

I realized the tattooed man had called her to convince me to get down and enter the hospital.

"Derek thought you might feel more comfortable with me when going into the hospital," she said gently.

This woman was the kind of woman I wished I had been. Beautiful and aware of it, but also capable of defending herself. You could see it in her eyes, in the confidence of her voice. Someone like her would never go through what had happened to me.

"My name is Sophie, and yours?" she asked.

"Alix," I muttered.

"Very beautiful name," she said, gently tucking my hair away from my face. "Will you please get off the bike now?"

I couldn't stay on this bike forever, and I knew it. Surely they must have had better things to do than look after a wreck like me.

She still had her hand on my arm, and I finally decided to get down, only to end up collapsing into her arms.

I suddenly jerked back in surprise and stumbled.

"It's normal that you're unable to stand after what you've been through. Your body's nerves haven't calmed down yet," she said, catching me before I fell again.

I let her hold me, hoping I would gather enough strength to leave on my own and call a taxi.

But it hadn't even occurred to me that my bag wasn't with me; I had left it in Marina's car.

"What if we went back for a check-up to make sure you're alright?"

"I will not go back into that hospital," I said as I pulled away from her arms.

"But you need to go for a check-up. Tomorrow will be too late. We must do it to stop that bastard," she insisted.

"It's out of the question!" I screamed hysterically, backing away toward the road. "I don't want anyone to touch me anymore! Leave me alone! Let me die in peace!"

A car suddenly came out of nowhere, and before I even understood what was happening, I felt myself being lifted off the ground and thrown onto the sidewalk.

I opened my eyes. I felt no pain anywhere except in my foot, and Sophie was hovering above me. I realized she wasn't leaning over me, but over the tattooed man who was holding me tightly in his arms.

"Everything is fine, Sophie. I'm fine. Stop looking at me as if I'm about to die," the man said.

I struggled, trying to break free from his hold. When he still didn't release me, I turned my face toward him.

His intense gaze in that moment was both sorrowful and severe.

"If you want to die, do it after the test so we can stop that bastard," he told me coldly. "And another thing, she came because she knows what it feels like to be violated."

I shuddered at his words. She, who seemed so strong, had lived through the same thing I had.

Sophie gave me a gentle smile and extended her hand to help me up.

I took Sophie's hand, unable to bring myself to meet her eyes, and rose to my feet. Without letting go, I walked toward the emergency room doors, holding her hand tightly.

Sophie's POV:

Derek had been right to reveal my secret to her, even if it stung at first, because this girl would have completely lost control if we hadn't tried to calm her down.

She agreed to follow the nurse into the room, but not before she gave me a frightened look.

The nurse came into the hallway.

"Excuse me, are you the one who came with Miss Stevens?"

I didn't even know her first name, much less her last.

"The young girl who was assaulted," she explained when she noticed my hesitation.

"Yes, that's correct. Is there a problem?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Stevens is a minor, and we are required to have a parent or an adult as a point of reference, but she refuses to give us her mother's number," she said, clearly troubled.

I already knew she was a minor, but I still couldn't understand why she refused to call her mother. She would need her family to get through this.

I thought to myself that she must have her reasons, and if she didn't call her mother, they wouldn't run the tests, and that jerk would end up getting away with it.

"I'm going to be her point of contact," I declared.

The nurse handed me the paperwork to fill out before she went back to the exam room where the kid was waiting.

I sat back down as my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket.

"So, how's Derek?" Ayden asked me.

I realized I had completely forgotten to update him.

"It's going okay. I'll explain it to you—or actually, he'll explain it to you himself," I said then hung up.

Crossing my arms and legs, I wondered how things ended up with Derek in the middle of all this. Not that long ago, I was hoping they wouldn't even run into each other. Now, I would have to talk to him after he got out of the ER.

Derek's POV:

After the X-ray confirmed nothing had been broken, the nurse carefully cleaned my wound and applied a bandage.

"There, it's done. Here's your discharge slip," she said, offering a kind smile.

"Thank you for your work," I simply replied.

Flirting with the nurses was the last thing on my mind. I couldn't stop worrying about the girl with black hair.

I remember when Sophie was raped at school; she was in an atrocious state afterward, but we supported her so much that she bounced back in no time. Since then, she decided to become a lawyer to support all those women who are victims of rape, harassment, as well as abused women. She's taken Karate lessons and has built a real shell around her heart that she only lets breathe with Ayden and me.

I must say we've always been there for her, especially on the day we caught that bastard.

"Are you done?" She asked as I left the room where I've been treated.

"Yes, just some cuts, nothing serious." I reassured her.

She stood up, tilted her head and gazed at me suspiciously.

"Sophie, if you have something to say, just say it. You pulled the same stunt on me before getting into the Mustang earlier."

"This girl is a minor. She's seventeen, nine years younger than us, and she's just been assaulted!" she said, her voice icy.

I still didn't see where she was going with this.

"And?"

Sophie stepped closer and jabbed her finger against my chest.

"I saw the way you looked at her after you won your race. I'm telling you now, stay away from her. You're almost twenty-six, and you have nothing to offer her, not after what she's just been through." She told me firmly, pressing her index finger into my chest where I felt her nail dig in.

I ran my hand through my hair. Even though her intense stare rattled me, I knew Sophie was right. I couldn't risk everything by getting involved with a minor.

I had finally found a job I cared about, and I wasn't about to throw it all away for some fleeting romance.

I absolutely meant to do nothing about it. That was my decision.

Sophie shot me a glare just as the door to the examination room opened.

"She's finished," the nurse said, looking at me with a strange expression.

"He's a friend—he's the one who rescued her and brought her here," Sophie added quickly, noticing the suspicion in the nurse's eyes.

"If you say so," the nurse replied. "She's getting dressed and will be able to leave soon."

The nurse shot me another odd look before finally walking away. I lowered my head; she probably thought I was the one who had hurt the girl.

"I'll take her home," Sophie told me. "You should go before she comes out. I think she'll feel more at ease with me."

I nodded; truthfully, I felt uncomfortable too.

Alix's POV:

At last, I got to put my clothes back on, even if it was only a pair of hospital pants. That exam had felt like pure torture. I couldn't stop crying, every second haunted by what happened in that alley. They let me keep the sweater the tattooed man had given me, since they'd kept the rest of my things.

After slipping on my sneakers, I opened the cabin door.

"Miss Stevens. Here's a prescription for sedatives, and an appointment with the gynecologist in three months, just to make sure everything is all right," the nurse told me.

"Do I have to come back?" I asked, terrified.

"It's just for a routine check-up." She reassured me.

Well, that was what she believed. The bills would arrive at my place, and if my mother found them, what would I do? And how was I going to pay them if I didn't mention it to her?

I completely panicked at that moment when she opened the door and I caught a glimpse of him.

For a brief second, I met his eyes, and in that moment, his intense stare looked unbearably sad before the door shut again.

I pulled the hood over my head again before stepping out, and when the door opened, I froze for a moment. He had been right there a second ago, yet now he was gone.

"I'll take you back," Sophie said as I searched instinctively for the tattooed man.

"Derek already left, if it's him you're looking for. His arm is fine, nothing serious, so don't worry," she added while guiding me out of the hospital.

Outside, I realized the motorcycle was gone too. Something in my chest tightened. I would never see him again, never thank him for what he did for me.

Sophie drove me back to the building where our apartment was, and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I felt myself trembling again, terrified that my mother might be awake.

"Do you want me to come up with you?" Sophie asked, turning off the Mustang's engine.

I shook my head. She had already done so much for me tonight.

"Here," she said softly. "I'll leave you my number. If you ever need to talk, even in the middle of the night, call me. I'll listen."

I took the small note from her, nodded, and stepped out of the car. By the time I slipped into the building, I heard her engine fade away—and then everything inside me collapsed. I sank to the floor and started crying again.

As the hallway light automatically shut off, panic rose in my chest. I pictured myself back in that alley, seeing nothing but his hands grabbing at me, his sweaty scent clinging to the air, and his tongue dragging across my face as he tried to force his way into my mouth.

His hands glided down my body and…

I ran out of the building, crossed the road without noticing the cars, and sprinted through the park that led to the Battery Park esplanade, thinking only about throwing myself into the Hudson River.

I didn't want to live anymore.

Derek's POV:

I left as soon as the nurse walked away, but I couldn't help myself—I ended up following Sophie at a distance all the way to the girl's building.

I had no idea why I was doing it, not really. She was safe now, but something inside me needed to make sure she got home in one piece.

I parked at the end of the street, watching as Sophie's Mustang pulled away only after she saw the girl safely inside.

The memory of finding her in that alley came back with brutal force, sending a fresh wave of pain through my chest. How could someone do something so vile? My anger boiled over, and my hands tightened so hard around the handlebars that the veins stood out in sharp relief.

The hall light inside the building switched off. That was my cue to leave. I no longer have anything to do here.

Just as I started up the engine, a blast of honking caught my attention.

I turned to see the girl burst out of the building, running straight across the street without even looking, then sprinting into the park.

"The esplanade!" I exclaimed in horror, dismounted the motorcycle, and sprinted through the park, trying to reach there before her.

I dashed onto the esplanade, straining to spot her, but she slipped past me in the shadows. I turned around just in time, grabbing her by the hood and pulling her back as she tried to climb the barrier.

The momentum sent me falling backward, and I held her tightly against my chest—for the second time tonight—refusing to let her go.

Alix's POV:

I didn't understand what had just happened. I had been ready to climb over the barrier when I suddenly felt someone pull me backward, and I was drawn straight into a pair of arms.

I was completely in tears, trembling, my breath catching so painfully in my chest while the arms around me held me tightly against a body that kept me from moving. I had no will left in me at that moment.

One of the arms shifted and began to stroke my hair while I cried in frustration, unable to calm down as I lay against this unfamiliar body.

"Calm down..."

That voice... No. It couldn't be. Why would it be him? Why would he be there?

I tried to steady myself while his hand kept smoothing my hair, but I couldn't. All I saw was that alleyway again. I didn't want to see it anymore, yet it still came back and swallowed me whole. I cried again and again, and he said nothing. He simply stayed there, holding me close, his hand brushing my hair with gentle patience.

I didn't know how long we stayed like that, but eventually my tears ran out and I started to catch my breath. My breathing was still uneven, but I could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear, and little by little I matched my breathing to it.

We remained like that a while longer until his arm, the one holding me close, slid down to the floor along with the hand that had been stroking my hair. I shivered instantly, as if the warmth that had kept me together had been taken from me.

In that moment, I understood that I needed to move or at least sit up. As best as I could manage with my numb limbs, I shifted and sat beside him with my head between my knees, never lifting my gaze.

Derek's POV:

I had truly believed I would not catch her in time or that her hood would tear with the force I used to pull her toward me.

This was the second time in just a few hours that we had ended up in this position, but this time I truly struggled to let her go. Maybe it was because Sophie was not there.

I stayed on the ground, my arms resting at my sides as she shifted away. The cold of the night settled over me, and for a moment I regretted releasing her.

My T-shirt was soaked with her tears, but I did not care; I was fighting the urge to pull her back into my arms.

I was out of my mind to think this way, even if she had not endured the humiliation from earlier. She was far too young for me to let thoughts like that cross my mind. She was just a kid, as Sophie had reminded me, a kid who had just gone through the worst thing a woman could experience, and I had no idea how to comfort her in a way that would stop her from wanting to harm herself again.

I glanced in her direction, pushing my hair back from my eyes so I could see her clearly.

She sat there with her head buried between her knees, silent and shivering.

Her long black hair spilled over her face, the same hair I had been stroking only moments earlier as I tried to soothe her.

I took out my cigarettes while still lying down and lit one, staring at the stars as I tried to shake off the feeling that had come over me when I held her. It had not been desire or longing. It had been fear, fear that if I ever let go again, I might never see her alive in front of me.

As I took another drag, she tried to stand. I grasped her hand firmly without looking at her, stopping her movement.

"If you want to see each other again, you must stay alive," I said calmly.

I regretted those words the moment they left my mouth. I still would not be able to see her again.

"I will stay alive," she whispered.

I hesitated for a moment, exhaled a slow breath of cigarette smoke, and released her hand reluctantly.

It would be the last time we saw each other and the only moment in my life when I would ever touch her.

Alix's POV:

I crossed the park again, and the tears returned.

It was not the alley this time. It was Derek, the tattooed man I would probably never see again.

I had heard it in his voice, even though he tried to sound firm. To me, his voice had carried something close to a cry.

When I reached the apartment, I went to the window of my bedroom and saw the Ducati roll past the building.

The fading sound of the motorcycle as it moved down the street shattered me completely. I fell onto my bed and cried again, thinking only about his tattoos.

Marina's POV:

It was nine o'clock when I arrived at Alix's apartment.

I had not been able to reach her the night before and did not dare come here then, afraid I would startle her mother if Alix was not home.

I heard the locks turn, and Alix appeared in black sweatpants, her hair wet, looking as if she could frighten the dead.

"My God!" I exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

I panicked the moment I saw her. Something serious must have happened last night for her to be in such a state.

Alix did not answer me. She went straight into her room, sat at her desk, and began drawing as if I were not even there.

"I tried to call you, but I couldn't reach you," I told her while looking around her room.

Her bed, her desk, even the floor were covered with drawings spread everywhere.

"I lost my phone," she murmured while continuing to draw.

I picked up a few sheets on the ground and only understood what she was working on when I reached the third sketch.

The sheet in my hand showed a Tibetan face sticking out its tongue, framed by a Mandala. I instantly connected it to the biker's tattoo from yesterday.

"They're the tattoos of the guy with the Ducati," I said, unable to look away from the details.

Alix did not respond, but I had known her long enough to understand she would not say anything yet. She would pour all her pain or anger straight into her drawings.

Even so, I felt relieved to know she was truly alive. Last night, my mind had imagined every horrible possibility.

I stayed in her room with her in silence through the whole morning, waiting for her to talk, but she did not.

Derek's POV:

It was the last day of vacation, and there was not a single day I had not thought about that girl with black hair and green eyes.

Not a day passed without seeing the image of her in that alley, her tearful gaze frozen by what she had just endured.

Not a day when I did not feel the memory of her trembling in my arms.

I reached the racecourse like I did every evening since that night, hoping I would come across that bastard and make him taste what he had done to them.

"You're still here?" Sophie asked me. "You're not starting tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I couldn't sleep," I replied as I grabbed a Corona from the crate.

I opened the bottle with my teeth and took a sip while scanning the people around us.

"I don't think he's here today either. I don't think he would dare set foot here again," Sophie said, studying my expression.

"You really look awful, you should go rest," she added when she noticed I kept searching.

My gaze stopped on a blond guy near the starting line, and my blood ran cold when he turned around. I would have recognized that face anywhere.

I dropped the bottle on the ground without thinking and headed toward him, rolling up the sleeves of my sweater. Rage pushed everything else out of my vision as I heard Sophie shouting behind me, but it was useless. Even she could not stop me, and she knew it.

I forced my way through the people between us, and once I got close, I threw my glasses aside and landed a punch straight into his face, sending him crashing over his motorcycle.

Everyone immediately stepped back as I grabbed him by the collar, lifted him, and pulled him close to my face.

"So you want to play the real man," I spat. "I'm going to show you what real men do."

I slammed my fist into his filthy face again, sending him back to the ground. I climbed on top of him and kept hitting him, strike after strike, not giving him the slightest chance to dodge the punches I had been saving for weeks.

"Derek, stop! Stop!"

Ayden grabbed me under the arms, and two others joined him to pull me off this bastard, but I refused to let go. The moment they managed to get me on my feet, I lunged forward and kicked him straight in the genitals.

"That's for that girl!" I snapped, spitting in his face.

I turned away without looking at Sophie or Ayden, got on my motorcycle, and started the engine.

Alix's POV:

Today we returned to school. I had absolutely no desire to go.

Since that night, I had mostly stayed inside the apartment, especially in my room, sketching his tattoos. I knew I would never see him again. I had become so obsessed with him since that day that at night I sometimes imagined I heard the sound of his motorcycle and pictured him riding down the street doing wheelies.

My new cellphone beeped. It was Marina, letting me know she was here.

She had gotten her license at the start of the vacation and had decided she would drive me to school.

She had never asked me any questions about that night, but she knew me well enough to understand I would not have said anything.

"The look. If you want to scare off all the guys, you're on the right track," she teased as I got into the Ford.

I did not answer. I wore my usual black jeans and a long black hoodie that nearly covered my eyes. I had dressed like this ever since that night.

When we arrived at the high school, we walked straight to class. As always, Marina sat beside me, but for once, I asked if I could take the seat by the window. She nodded, surprised, but there was no way for me to explain that I wanted to avoid even the lightest contact with the boys who sat near us.

"We have a new math teacher! He's so sexy!" a girl shouted as she entered the classroom.

I rested my arm on the desk and leaned my head on it while staring out the window. I should have stayed at the apartment to draw.

"Please have a seat!"

"Oh damn!" Marina muttered.

"Miss, what a lovely word on your lips. Could you tell your neighbor that it's math class time, not nap time?"

Marina nudged me with her elbow, and I turned toward her, asking what was going on.

"I'm waiting for your neighbor to take off his hood and sit up before starting the class."

I straightened slowly, keeping my head lowered as I pushed back my hood. I lifted my face toward the teacher, and the moment our eyes met, I froze. Because the intense green I saw staring back at me was his.