Chapter Two
T he first thing Taylynn was aware of was she didn’t hurt as bad as before. It was more of a dull throb now instead of the sharp, stabbing pain that had been so insistent for so long. She had hurt so bad before, she hadn’t cared if she died.
Before when? Something had happened to her, but what? She searched her mind, and while she remembered how she’d gotten hurt, or at least most of it. Then she remembered waking in the brush off the side of the road somewhere she didn’t recognize. The pain had been nearly overpowering, but something told her that if she didn’t move, then she would die there and no one would find her body any time soon, if ever.
She’d done her best to ignore the pain, to crawl toward the highway, hoping she could get close enough that someone would see her, and maybe stop. Or if she didn’t survive, maybe she would get close enough that at least her body would be found. Though, why she hated the idea of no one finding her body, she wasn’t sure.
“Hold on, sweetheart, I’ve just got a couple of things left I need to do, then we’ll let you rest.” The deep rumble of a voice she didn’t recognize penetrated the haze that surrounded her brain, and the fog of pain she was doing her best to swim to the surface of. “Just relax, sweetheart. I’ll get you fixed up as good as I can. You’ll heal, then you can tell us who did this to you.”
Taylynn wanted to yell. She wanted to say no. She wanted to run far and fast to get away from everyone. She was dirty. Used. She wanted to hide and not let anyone see her ever again. She tried to curl up into a ball, to pull her arms over her head and hide but she couldn’t move. Something was holding her down. Her chest felt tight. Every breath sent stabbing pain through her, but she wasn’t getting enough air. Her entire body went hot, and she tried to sit up, but her body wouldn’t or couldn’t do what she told it to.
“Take it easy, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you. At least not any more than I have to. I’ve already given you as much pain killer as I dare, at least for now. Give me another couple of minutes and I’ll be all done here.” The soft, even tone as the unfamiliar voice rambled on soothed her nerves, if only marginally.
He didn’t sound like the men who had hurt her, either in tone or voice. They had been cruel, taunting her about what they had planned for her and laughing about it. They had enjoyed seeing her terror, they’d gotten off on hurting her. This stranger’s tone was different. She might say he sounded caring, if life hadn’t already taught her that no one cared about anyone but themselves. Either way, there was no point in fighting. She had no way to get out of there and whatever he’d done, he’d made it hurt less. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stay there, at least for now. Besides, what could they do to her that hadn’t already been done? What did once more matter, especially when she knew she couldn’t fight. She couldn’t stop them no matter what they wanted to do to her.
With that decision made, she could stop fighting whatever was holding her down and give in to the floaty and not quite real sensation that had been trying to take over since she woke. Voices seemed to float around her, none of which she recognized. But she had decided not to care. She let the darkness come back. At least she didn’t hurt so bad when the darkness was there.