For the Love of Anna (The Town of Pearl 1)

* * * *

Ben tried to control his breathing as his brother suggested, but as Charlie removed Anna’s T-shirt, the extent of her injuries was too much. The bruising and discoloration was horrible. There was some swelling and rounded marks that made him instantly think of boot marks. They must have kicked her thirty times.

Ben wondered, what the hell happened? He wanted to ask her a thousand questions. He wanted to know where she came from. Why someone would want to hurt her? He had so many thoughts.

He began to tense and grind his teeth.

“Hold her tight, bro, but don’t squeeze her to death,” Charlie reprimanded as he began to check the damage. From Ben’s position, he had a full view of her voluptuous breasts. The bra was pink and lacy, and she smelled sweet like brown sugar. Her right breast was scratched, and a bruise ran across it, disappearing under the material of the bra.

“Did you see her breast?” Ben asked.

“Is this really a good time to be talking about her body?” Charlie asked as he began to wrap her waist from below the breast line under the wire of her bra. The bruising appeared worse by her stomach and lower ribs.

“No. I mean the one breast where there’s a red scratch. It’s deep and leads toward her…just check it out.”

“In a minute, I’m almost done wrapping this.”

Charlie finished up then helped Ben lay Anna back down.

She moaned in her sleep, and both Ben and Charlie locked gazes.

“The painkillers should begin to work soon.”

Charlie stared at her a moment and saw what his brother had seen. He carefully inspected the scratch by her breast. Moving the bra away, he saw the bruising that led toward the areola. He covered her then pulled the covers up to her chest. His hands remained on either side of her, clenching the covers.

He was silent a moment as the thoughts filled his head.

“Do you think…do you think she was raped?” Ben asked, then closed his eyes and breathed.

Charlie saw his brother clench his fists as he kneeled by the bed.

“I don’t know, Ben. I sure hope not. I’ll have to ask her tomorrow.”

“I want to stay with her. The guys can handle the last few hours.”

“I’ll go downstairs and tell Stacy and Eric what we saw and what our plan is. Call me if she stirs.”

Ben nodded then pulled the large recliner closer to the bed.

Chapter 4

Charlie, Wyatt, Ben, Eric, and Max sat in the study. It was midnight, and they finally got Stacy to settle down in the same room as Anna.

“I think I should call a few friends in New York and see what we can find out,” Wyatt stated as he sipped a snifter of brandy.

“No. Stacy said that Anna won’t speak to the police or to you, Wyatt, as the sheriff. She’s scared. Whoever did this roughed her up good. I’ve seen the damage up close. We need to make her feel safe,” Charlie stated as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Wyatt exhaled. “Maybe if I have a talk with her tomorrow she’ll feel comfortable enough to trust me. I am the sheriff, and I’ll need to determine if there’s a chance someone is after her.”

“Trust is not going to come easy with that woman. The fear in her eyes as I examined her was gut-wrenching. I don’t know how she survived the pain so long without meds.”

“Yeah. Just about every spot on her body was bruised. I don’t know how she made it here in one piece,” Ben added, shaking his head.

“You’re gonna bring her to see Doc Jones tomorrow, Charlie?” Wyatt asked.

He nodded as he rubbed his eyes.

“I want to find out who did this and kill the bastard,” Ben stated very seriously.