10. Soren
Chapter ten
Soren
B eeping pierces my ears, accompanied by muffled voices, as I struggle to regain consciousness. My eyes snap open to reveal a man who embodies perfection - a God among men. His chiseled jaw is set in a permanent scowl.
"You're awake! Thank fuck, you scared us there, Damsel," he says in a thick Scottish brogue that seems out of place in this small southern town, yet strangely familiar .
His name teeters on the tip of my tongue. He's a Horseman, their enforcer. And suddenly, it hits me - Caden.
Have I died and gone to heaven?
The man in front of me cannot contain his laughter. At what? I'm not exactly sure.
Wait a second, did I just say that shit out loud? My face turns a bright red and the headache ailing me only seems to worsen against the light and the laughter at my drugged-induced state.
Caden’s eyes lock onto mine as he says, “I’m afraid you haven’t reached the pearly gates just yet, Damsel, but you came uncomfortably close.” He continues, “And even if you had, the devils we are wouldn’t be worthy of an angel like you.” A sly smirk spreads across his lips, sending a jolt of unexpected lust through me. I squeeze my thighs together, caught off guard by the sudden spark.
Jesus, this is such treacherous territory to be treading. When my mind is still a jumbled mess of what and why this happened to me. Was that man Jace? If so, why in the hell did he attack me leaving the bar with a bottle to my fucking head like an absolute lunatic? How the fuck did he know where I'd be? Why the fuck is he trying to kill me? My heart begins to beat in an erratic rhythm, and my hands tremble with the questions swarming my head.
I shift slightly, taking in my surroundings and realizing that this isn't a normal hospital. This is a bedroom turned into a medical room, and I'm not alone. My eyes slowly track the slight movement of the men who are now wandering a bit closer to the bed I'm lying in, their eyes burning a hole in my vulnerable state.
“W..where am I?” My voice sounded raspy and slightly quieter than usual.
“We brought you here to patch you up,” Rad says, closing the space between us with a few swift strides. “He said he’d be back to finish the job and that this wasn’t the last time you’d see him.”
“He got away?“ I said, my fingers clutching the covers so hard my knuckles were white. “What possible reason could he have for doing this?”
My mind races as I try to grasp the words that just left his mouth. What is going on? Why is my fiance trying to kill me? What snapped in his mind to make him want to kill me since our last conversation?
I look up and meet Rad's gaze as Caden steps up beside him, speaking before Rad has the chance.
“Yes, he seemed to be hammered. He kept saying he was going to ‘teach that slut a lesson in humiliating him. That a common whore should know not to cross Jace Grayson if they value their lives.” The words make me want to vomit. He has officially lost his goddamn mind. That's it, the wedding is off and I'm filing charges. He cannot get away with trying to bash my head in a club parking lot or calling me a slut and whore .
“He is, well he was, my fiance. We got into an argument tonight before I came to the bar to let off steam. I didn't expect to be struck with a bottle to my head while walking to my car to leave.” I grimace at the memory of the heavy footsteps closing in on me and then everything going dark. I shake my head slightly trying to dispel the vivid memory trying to drag me into a full-blown panic attack.
“Well fuck. There goes my plans of asking you on a date.” Reed grumbles leaning against the bottom of the hospital bed
The laugh that escapes my lips has me slightly grasping my head with my hand trying to rid myself of this headache that feels like my brain is being scratched and poked with a hot iron.
“I've been attacked. Not to mention that I'm here laying in a hospital bed and you're thinking about dating me? You don't even know me.” My voice comes out bitchier than I intended, especially to the guys who practically rescued me from being murdered by my psycho fiance.
Reed seems completely oblivious to what I’m saying.
“Oh, I know you better than you know yourself, Soren Jade Flint,” he says, his Spanish accent more evident than I remember from our limited high school interactions. “I’m going to take this as a challenge – I’m not giving up on making you mine.”
My mouth parts to speak but the words won't come out. I'm both terrified by that statement and oddly turned on.
“Enough, you idiot, give her some space,” Rad says, pushing Reed. “She narrowly escaped being murdered by her fiance. She is not trying to be anyone’s anything.”
He steals a quick look at his brother Drake, who’s silently standing in the corner of the room. It feels like his gaze is burning a hole through my skull.
Slowly I turned to meet his gaze head-on. “You had the option to abandon me in that parking lot, but you didn’t,” I say to Drake as I slowly turn to meet his gaze head-on. “I am grateful you did not abandon me to die there, leaving my sisters without anyone to care for them.” It brings tears to my eyes to think that I could have died tonight and they would have been left alone.
It would have been my fault for going to the bar and abandoning my plans to just grab dinner and head home. I could never forgive myself.
“Don’t thank me for being a decent human being,” Drake growls as his eyes slice into me, completely catching me off guard with how intense they look. “I just stopped some sick fuck from braining an unsuspecting girl with a liquor bottle in a bar parking lot.” His voice is starting to echo off of the cream-colored walls as it gets louder the longer he talks.
“I don't know what you did to piss that dumb dickhead off,” he continues,” but if that’s your fiance like you claim, reconsider those wedding bells – seriously." Every eye in the room snaps toward Drake, drawn by his raised voice .
Before I have the chance to even reply to him my phone goes off on the table beside me, Ben flashes across the screen.
I lean over, the blankets sliding down as I snatch it up before he has a chance to end the call, the men stay deadly silent as I answer and place the phone to my ear.
“Sour Patch Where the fuck are you at?” His voice hinted at a slight panic making the words more high-pitched than usual.
“I'm fine Bennington, what's going on?” Technically, I am fine now that I'm awake and the bleeding on my head has stopped. But telling Ben where I am doesn't feel right, not until I know why he's in such a panic state.
He huffs out a raspy laugh as he can barely believe the lie by omission.
“Yeah, okay of course you're ‘Fine.’ Little Sour Patch, but from what is going around town and the call that I just received from Jace's Father would say otherwise.”
Why the fuck would Tom call Ben of all people about Jace? Why would he not even try to call me first? I’m Jace's fiance, calling me seems like it would be the more logical explanation.
“What did Tom tell you, Ben?” I wait silently for him to reply.
Ben's voice comes out almost so deadly quiet that I have to strain to hear him.
“ That the ‘South Side Whore’ that his son is determined to marry set four big gang members on his son when he came to pick you up at some seedy bar you ended up trashed at. What the actual fuck are you doing at a bar on that side of town when you live in your parent's old house in West Lake? And why would you let someone jump your fiance?”
My jaw practically hits the floor. Why would I sic anyone on the man I love? And why would I go and get shit-faced at the bar on a Thursday when I have work tomorrow? Also, why the fuck is Tom calling me a whore? I haven't been with anyone but his piece of shit son since I lost my virginity to him on prom night. You've got to be fucking kidding me.
“Well, first off I was upset after leaving the bonfire and wanted to get a drink before heading home.” I grind my teeth trying to keep the composure that I’m barely hanging on to by thread as I continue. “I didn't sic anyone on his precious son. The motherfucker snuck up on me after I was leaving the bar and hit me in the fucking head with a goddamn liquor bottle. Nearly killing me, might I add.”
There's a beat of silence again before a deathly growl comes out on the other end.
“He hit you with a fucking bottle? Alec said they were heading home because they had a job to do in the morning that needed them to be in good shape and focused. It doesn't make sense. They don't even live close to you, Soren. Why would they be at that bar and why didn't Alec stop him from hitting you. ”
“He said that he was going to teach me a lesson and that common whores should know not to cross him if they value their lives. He's going to come back for me Ben, he might kill me next time.” My voice breaks at the admission, and the new knowledge that someone I thought was my friend was there as well. Watching this happen to me, and he didn't step in to help.
Strong hands grip my leg and my eyes roam up to the man at the other end of that arm. Reed’s face shows the same emotion as those around him.
“I’m making sure he never gets close to you or your sisters again. Everything’s going to be okay, you’re safe..” He growls out through clenched teeth. His assured confidence makes it hard for me to doubt him.
I nod absentmindedly, biting my lip as my mind drifts off. I’m drawn back by the sound of Ben’s continuing voice. He’s talking so fast that his words are running together and making no sense.
“Who was that? Soren, where are you? Can you hear me?” Ben’s voice escalates. “What the actual fuck? You and your sisters have to leave town immediately! You need to fucking live!” His scream, in the last few words, forces me to break eye contact with Reed.
“Slow down Ben, I can't just fucking leave. The girls are still in school. They are close to graduating. Where the fuck would I even go? You know Jace’s father is a dirty cop that could hunt me down with all his bad connections. Not to mention I have a business I run, or did you forget that?” My chest is heaving as I white knuckle grip my phone not even caring as I hear a slight cracking in my ear from the force I’m exuding. What am I going to do? I need to make sure I don’t get killed. What about my sisters? They’re innocent and have nothing to do with this whole mess. This can’t be because I’m not going to Brown with him. Killing someone you claim to love because of college rejections or petty fights makes no sense.
"What good are you to them if you're dead? What good are you to Flintstock Enterprise?" Ben’s voice cracks with urgency. "This isn't a game, Soren; it's life or death. Jace's threat is real. If he’s already tried to kill you, then someone is pulling his strings. You have to get your sisters and leave before he strikes again." Ben pauses, inhaling a shaky breath. Like the next words will be even harder to hear than everything else he’s told me tonight. "Worse still, I love you, Soren. I've loved you for years. I wish you'd chosen me, but now I beg you: choose yourself. You and your sisters must be gone by morning. You won't survive if you stay."
Without another word from him or waiting for me to reply the line goes dead. All that is left is the uncontrollable sobs wrecking my battered chest.
I have no choice. I have to flee. It's not just my life that's in danger but my sisters too .
I slam my phone against the blankets and cover my eyes ashamed of crying in front of these men who saved my life. What am I going to do?!