Tassamara 03.5 The Wedding Guests by Sarah Wynde

Author:Sarah Wynde [Wynde, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: IndieWrites, Inc
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five: Humiliation Hurts

Ugh, it hurt.

What had she done? Broken a finger, she guessed. Maybe two? Her whole hand was a mass of pain, of searing nerve endings screaming abuse. God damn, but she hoped Mark’s chin felt anywhere near as bad.

“This way, Mer.”

Dave’s voice. Calm, as always, but with an undercurrent of urgency. She kicked toward him, feeling one of her shoes slip off in the cold water. Her skirt clung to her legs, getting in her way, but she reached toward the sound with her good hand, feeling his fingers close around hers.

“Feet against the wall,” he said. “Walk it up.”

Water was running down her face, into her eyes. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t think. But she followed Dave’s instructions, kicking out toward the wall, finding solid footing. He pulled her out of the water with ease, one-handed, not reaching for the hand she was sheltering.

Damn, it hurt. She wanted to curl up into a ball against the throbbing pain, to lie on the ground and sob, but she staggered upright. “I hurt myself.” It was a stupid thing to say, but she couldn’t pull her thoughts into any semblance of order. What had she done?

“Yep.” Dave’s tone was laconic as he wrapped a towel around her shoulders, his hands gentle. “Come with me.” He had an arm around her shoulder, guiding her. She followed him blindly, limping up and down on the one shoe she still wore.

“Wait.” She stopped, the reality of the past moments crashing in on her, and turned. Dave was leading her away from the water, but she couldn’t go, not yet. “Mark.”

“Colin’s taking care of him.” Dave’s voice was grim.

“What?” Meredith shoved her bedraggled hair out of her face so she could see.

Colin wasn’t helping Mark out of the water. The sheriff stood, hands on his hips, watching as Mark hiked himself up onto the wall. One of the lanterns had gotten caught on Mark’s jacket and the roses and jasmine dangled off his shoulder, but his face was contorted with fury. He was barely on his feet before he started toward Meredith.

Colin let him take two steps, then grabbed his arm and tugged him around. “Not so fast.”

Mark raised a fist, then seemed to realize who he was looking at. He turned the fist into a gesticulating thumb, aimed at Meredith. “Assault,” he snarled. “I want her arrested.”

“Trumped by possession with intent to distribute.” Colin didn’t even glance in Meredith’s direction.

Mark stared at him. “Drugs? What are you talking about?”

Colin shook his head in mock sorrow. “Child porn.” He wasn’t in uniform, but he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and dangled them in front of Mark’s face. “God, I can’t tell you how happy this makes me,” he added. “You always were an asshole.”

Child porn.

Meredith’s heart sank. Images flashed before her—headlines, a trial, the sheriff’s deputies awkwardly shuffling their feet when they saw her in town, the whispers abruptly stopping when she walked into a room.

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