39. So Incredibly Generous
So Incredibly Generous
CARTER
It was muffled, but I could hear it from down the hall. Her screaming. I’d never heard a more sickening sound, and my body took over as I dropped the goblin and launched myself towards that scream.
I burst into the room and rushed to the long, body-sized cooler that was shaking violently. Sara was sobbing inside it, screaming, all while two goblins leaned against a nearby table, laughing hysterically—only one thing mattered right now. Her.
I dropped to my knees in front of the cooler. “Sara, I’m here.” I frantically shoved at the lid, but it didn’t open.
To my horror, I realized the cooler was locked.
They’d fucking locked her in.
I had to get this thing open. Right-fucking-now.
“Help me!” She screamed . “Please, somebody help me!”
Using the butt of my gun, I smashed the first latch. “I’m here! I’m gonna get you out!” I shouted as the cooler shifted across the floor. Something was wrong, so incredibly wrong. Whatever they’d done to her—I smashed the second latch and shoved the lid open.
Sara exploded out of the cooler faster than I could grab her, and as I looked inside, I suddenly realized why. Ohhh shit .
She was hysterical. “Get it off me!” She ripped my hoodie off, crashing into a wall as she wrenched the fleece off her body, rope still dangling from one of her wrists.
I grabbed her, skin damp under my fingertips, ducking to her eye level. “Sara, baby, it’s in the cooler.” I gripped her tightly as her thrashing turned into breathless sobs. “It’s not on you.” I forced her to look down. “I got you.” I chanted, crushing her against me. “You’re safe now.”
“It—b-bit me.” Her voice broke, and the sound cleaved me in half.
Fuuuuuck.
“I know it’s painful—but it’s not poisonous.” Red hot anger pulsed through me as I gently stroked her hair. “You’re going to be okay.” I assured her, but Sara’s sobbing quickly morphed into hyperventilating—she was having a full-on panic attack, and for good fucking reason.
I gripped her face in both hands, and her skin was so incredibly hot to the touch, as she gripped my shirt in her curled fists, a wild, panicked look in her eyes.
“Let’s take some slow breaths.” I tried coaching her through it, but we were so far past that—she was spiraling and I couldn’t get through. “Sara. You’re going to be okay, you’re just having a panic attack, and we’re going to take some nice, slow?—”
Her hands flew to her throat as her lips parted in panic, because no matter how many breaths she pulled in, she couldn’t speak, and she couldn’t breathe.
“Look at me. We’re just going to ride the wave—don’t fight it.
This will pass.” I said calmly as the red tint of her face started to fade, her lips turning a pale color as she hyperventilated.
“Sara. Eyes on me.” I commanded, and her gaze jolted to mine.
“I’ve got you. Whatever is happening right now, you’re gonna be okay—even if you pass out, I have you.
” A moment later, her hand slid from her throat, eyes fluttering before she went limp in my arms.
I gently lowered her to the floor, brushing the hair out of her face as I pushed two fingers against the pulse point on her neck.
“Shit, it was just supposed to be a prank.” One of the goblins started quietly.
My gun was a tempting, heavy weight at my back, but bare hands were good too. Slower. I ignored them altogether and forced a slow breath out as Sara stirred awake.
Sara whimpered softly as her eyes flickered open, her breathing weak but steady.
“I know, baby.” I brushed her damp hair off her neck and pulled her dress down, covering her. “I’ve got you now, you’re gonna be okay.”
“Sara?” Jules gaped from the doorway.
“What the fuck is going on in here?” Liam barked, thundering into the room. “What happened?” Liam dropped into a squat, taking Sara from my arms, his tone lethal. “Sara, who did this to you?” Sara didn’t even attempt to answer him, and Liam’s gaze narrowed in on the goblins across the room.
His expression went icy as he stood, leaving Sara in Jules arms. “What did you do to her?” He demanded.
“They touched her, Liam.” I curled and uncurled my fists. “And then they locked her in there—with that. ” I dipped my chin to the cooler, towards the eight-legged fuzzy thing that was bigger than Sara’s hand.
Liam leaned over to look in the cooler. “ Oh, fuuuck no. ”
“So, who wants to go first?” I asked, hands now free, aching to do some damage.
“Listen, this is all just a big misunderstanding.” One of them started. “It was just a prank.”
“You think I give a shit what your reasons were?” I bit out lethally soft. “She was screaming for help while you stood there and laughed at her—you are so incredibly lucky she doesn’t have a goddamn medical condition.”
“We aren’t liable, you know.” Another one argued. “You signed the waiver.”
“You’re right.” I agreed quietly. “They did say everyone who entered this building risked bodily injury. ”
“Listen, the monsters are allowed to do whatever they want in here, so?—”
“ Lucky me. ” Liam murmured, cracking his neck like a twitch, as he stood next to me, breathing heavily.
“Masks off.” I demanded calmly, and the goblins all looked at each other and then back at me, while I chuckled darkly, explaining, “That wasn’t optional.”
They shifted nervously.
“ NOW! ” I barked, and they startled, quickly pulling them off.
“It was just a?—”
“Shut. The fuck. Up.” I bit out cooly. “Here’s how this is going to go, two of you are going in that cooler, and one of you gets whatever the fuck I decide, and I can promise you—it’ll be a hell of a lot worse than the cooler.” Their eyes went wide. “Decide amongst yourselves.”
One made a run for the door, and Jules stuck her leg out, tripping him. Atta girl.
“Bitch.” The guy spat, and Liam decked him square in the nose before shoving him in my direction.
I shrugged. “I guess that decides that, then.” I hauled the first goblin over to the cooler.
“Wait, it was just a joke. Please.” The goblin begged, nose pouring blood as I dropped him in.
“Then I’m sure you’ll find this fucking hilarious, won’t you?” I shoved him into the cooler, and there was a hard crack and groan behind me, and then Liam was stuffing the other guy in, right on top.
I forcefully shoved the lid down, and Liam and I dug in, shoving the cooler under a table so it wouldn’t open.
They were already screaming. Good. I hoped that thing bit the shit out of them.
Meanwhile, the other guy was headed for the door, but Jules had already shut it and was standing, wide eyed, blocking his way out with a determined look on her face .
The guy grabbed her, and she yelled as he threw her to the ground and ripped the door open, but not fast enough—Liam had him by the scruff in the next instant, shoving him against the wall. “Don’t you fucking touch her.”
“You’re the one who touched something that wasn’t yours to touch.” I tilted my head, and my blood thrummed as white-hot protective rage blinded out everything else—because after everything she’d been through, this shit was going to end here. Now. With me.
“It was nothing.”
“It was everything.” I seethed, quietly demanding, “Now, for starters, you can apologize—to both of them.”
“You’re fucking insane.”
I seized him by the throat and shoved him into the wall, coming nose to nose with him. “I am not going to ask you again.” I reached behind me and grabbed my gun, jamming the barrel into his neck.
“Shit.” Jules hissed somewhere behind me.
“Apologize.” Liam growled right next to me. “Or you will regret it.”
“I’m sorry.” The guy ground out in a childish tone.
I actually laughed as I cocked the gun. “I swear to you on my mother’s grave, I will pull this goddamned trigger if you don’t make it sound like you mean it.”
“Carter?” Jules said softly, coming around my side, tentatively placing her hand on my arm. “Let’s just go. She’s going to be okay.”
“Jules.” I said calmly, glancing back at Sara, who was currently lying on the floor like a fucking starfish, just staring at the ceiling.
“Yes?”
“Take Sara and go wait in the hallway.” I instructed.
“Liam, you have to do something.” Jules turned to him, alarm rising in her voice.
“Do as you’re told, Julia.” Liam murmured softly, but she didn’t move. “ Please. ” He asked, eyes shuttering .
“Liam?” Confusion and worry washed over her face as she looked up at him.
Liam loosed a heavy breath and quickly gathered the girls, moving them towards the door as Jules argued at him.
“Carter? Carter! You aren’t thinking clearly.” Jules yelled over Liam’s arm as he pushed them out into the hallway. “ Liam, you can’t let him do this! ”
“Do not open this door.” Liam demanded firmly, and Jules just gaped at him as he simply flicked the door shut in her face, without another word. Meanwhile, I watched the perverts eyes linger on the girls a little too long, as if he wasn’t in life-threatening danger. Fucking moron.
“Since you don’t seem to understand choice.
Let me give you a little lesson.” I said, my fingers twitching because I wanted to pull the trigger so fucking bad.
“You didn’t give her a choice.” The cooler behind us rattled violently, and I smiled at him, and clarified, “But I’m a generous guy, so I’m going to give you one— a choice. ”
“Fuck. I’m so sorry.” He begged. “Please don’t kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill you.” I shook my head with a dark chuckle. “I’m going to make you suffer so much you’ll wish you were dead though.”
“Please.”
“Option A. I shoot you in both kneecaps.” I continued calmly. “Option B. I break every-single-one of the fingers that touched her.”
He gaped at me, understanding washing over his face.
“Take your pick, but I promise each will be equally as horrifying.”
He started begging, but there was nothing he could say, because he’d made her scream and now I was going to make him do the same.
“Pick one.” I finally roared, trembling with restraint, as my patience wore thinner and thinner.
Liam gently reached out and lowered my gun to the floor. “I think we both know there’s only one choice here.” He stepped around me and grabbed an arm. “Let’s not make the mistake of leaving any evidence behind.” Option B was a superb choice.
Sarafina
Liam carried me to the car on his back. “Are you okay?” He turned his head to mine and asked quietly.
“No.” I sighed. “But I will be. I just need to sleep it off, I think.” My leg hurt like hell, though, and I didn’t know if I’d ever felt so exhausted, or so sticky.
I slid into the back seat of Liam’s Range Rover and rolled the window down as Sloane rushed up.
“Sleepover still on?” She asked, and I nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to grab a few things and then I’ll head over.
” She headed for Cade’s motorcycle. I could hear her talking to Cade more quietly.
“I guess you aren’t the only psychopath around here. ”
He shrugged, totally indifferent. “If the punishment fits the crime.” He pushed the helmet onto her head and tightened the straps before he put his own helmet on and did the same.
“Sara?” Carter ducked his head into the open window. “Put an ice pack on the bite. It’ll help with the swelling.” I nodded as he added, “Text me if you need anything at all.”
“I lost my phone, remember?” And then I offered hopefully, “You should join us for breakfast?”
“I have to leave pretty early.” His face fell. “I’m sorry.” He tapped the door as Liam called goodnight and started to pull away.
Next to me in the back seat, Jules sighed heavily. “Stupid, stupid men.” She muttered, shaking her head.
I leaned on her shoulder, letting my eyes fall shut. “I’m sorry about you and Douglass.” She deserved to know, I’d want to know.
“We’ll work it out.” She murmured quietly. “We always do.”
“I don’t know this for sure, but Cade thinks he saw Douglass using drugs in the bathroom at the club. ”
Liam’s gaze snapped to us in the rearview mirror as Jules took a sharp intake of breath. I hugged her tightly, supporting her in every way I physically could while we waited for her response. “He said he’d stopped.” She breathed.
“Jules,” Liam muttered from the driver’s seat. “How long has this been going on?”
“No.” She bit out more sharply than I think I’d ever heard her speak. “I can’t right now. I just—can’t.”
“Well, there’s one thing I know for sure.” I offered.
“What?” they both asked.
“Fuck. Spiders.”
Liam and Jules chimed in agreement. “Yeah, fuck spiders.”
Carter was leaving in the morning, and we still had so much to talk about, to plan for. Our argument seemed so stupid now. He was deploying soon, and I had to see him before he left.