HIRAETH

Twenty Six

SEBASTIAN

"Mack, I don't know. You didn't see her yesterday. I don't think we should just happen to show up to the same club."

Those words repeat in my mind as I realize what would have happened if Mackie hadn't of convinced me to go to that club. A shiver runs down my spine.

"Is she good?" Mackie asks as I walk back into my apartment.

I ignore him and walk into the laundry room. Her bathroom is on the other side of this wall. I know I probably shouldn't be doing this, but I listen for her. I'm afraid of her being alone right now, but I also know she needs her space.

Then, I hear something that makes me fall to my knees.

She's sobbing.

My own tears well in my eyes as Mackie comes running into the laundry room.

"Hey, come on man." Mackie says quietly. Then, he looks toward the wall as he hears her let out another gut wrenching sob. "Fuck."

"I can't let her stay in there alone." I choke out as I try to remember to breathe. My lungs feel tight as Mackie pulls me up.

"She needs her space, man. Let her have a minute. Let her get it out." He tells me.

"Mack, what would've happened? She would've been raped. If we hadn't of been there that bastard would have had his way with her and no one would have been there to protect her." Tears roll down my cheeks as my heart aches for the girl on the other side of the wall.

"Don't think like that. That will eat you alive." He looks me in the eyes as he talks. "You are going to have to suck it up for that girl in there. She needs someone to lean on and you need to be there for her. You didn't know when your daughter needed help, and that has bothered you more than anything. Now, you can help Madelaine. But, you are going to have to pull yourself together. If you need to do what she's doing and let it out, you do it here and now. But, after that, you need to pull it together until she's ready to talk." He pulls me into a hug and I remember why he is one of my best friends.

"Thanks, Mack." I say. "For everything."

"Anytime, brother." He says as he lets go of me and walks out, leaving me with my emotions.

I play it over and over in my mind.

Mackie had come running off the dance floor, dragging Tara with him. He was talking wildly about Madelaine being in trouble and that some guy had pulled her out of the crowd, to the back of the club.

I remember the feeling of the adrenaline pumping through me as I searched for her. I remember thinking it was taking too long to find her. I felt sick as I searched through the crowd. My mind had run off imagining what was happening to her every second that it took for me to find her.

I remember barely hearing her scream for help over the loud music.

I had run blindly in the direction of her voice and saw her legs under that bastard. My blood had run cold and I saw red in that moment. I remember pulling him back so hard that I ripped the collar of his shirt, the way he had ripped her dress. I had seen her face. She was terrified and crying with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

The sight of her so afraid filled me with a rage I had never felt.

I relished in the feeling of his nose cracking beneath my fist. I hit him over and over, harder with every hit.

I wanted to kill him.

I was disappointed when he was able to walk away, instead of being carried out on a stretcher like he deserved.