4. Brute
Brute
F or as long as I can remember, rage has been the fuel that drives me.
As a child, when my parents would fight, I’d smash anything I could get away with before being stopped.
When they divorced, totaling my mom’s car was payback to her for taking me away from the club.
And getting into a new bar fight every night and beating men until they were close to death was my solution to my Ranger’s discharge.
None of that prepared me for what I’m learning now about Finleigh’s assault before being abandoned and left for dead.
She was gang raped by at least five men, beaten until she was forced to scurry through the woods like a hunted animal in nothing but a ripped shirt and shorts. Shot in the shoulder and head. Those assholes likely thought she was dead when they left her bleeding in a ditch.
How the baby survived, nobody understands. It shouldn’t have.
When she was found in the wee hours of the night, she’d lost so much fucking blood, was half frozen from a day of rain, and caked in mud. Her pulse was so faint that first responders were about to call time of death until she managed a moan of pain.
“Were there DNA profiles?” We’ll find these fuckers no matter what, but DNA matching makes it simpler.
“Yes,” the doctor hesitantly answers. The man has been afraid of me since the moment I walked up to him. “The crime lab has everything.”
I nod. It doesn’t matter who has it; I’ll get my hands on what I need.
“Have the detectives been back to speak with her since she’s woken up?” We’ve been around all evening. The nurse notified them that we were here and knew her name, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of anyone.
“A few days after, but they didn’t stay long. I believe they’re waiting for her memory to return.” He seems disappointed in that.
“When can we take her home?” It wasn’t until she fell asleep in my arms that I confirmed with Axl that she would accompany us back to Gulfport. She can recover there, where the threat of her attackers finding her is small.
The doctor clears his throat and looks around. He’s about to tell us we can’t, so he’s searching for security because he realizes I won’t take it well.
Sighing, I shake my head. “Look, doc, if she still needs treatment here, that’s fine, but if the only reason you want her to stay is because someone told you she has to, I’m going to take issue with it.”
He blinks a few times before relaxing. “I’d like to have another neuro exam in the morning, run more labs to be sure the infections have cleared, and have obstetrics ensure the pregnancy is progressing as it should before allowing her to leave.”
“Tomorrow morning or afternoon, then?” Axl sidles up behind the man, making him jump. It’d be amusing if not for my desire to get Finleigh under lock and key, away from prying eyes and the possibility of returning danger.
“Yes. That will work. I’ll have to notify the detectives of your intent.” He swallows roughly as he relays the information.
“Whatever you need to do, doc.” Axl squeezes his shoulder until he bobs his head and leaves, almost running away from us.
“Give Viking a call, tell him to send the prospects with a truck tomorrow. Get Easy on the computer to find out if that DNA has any matches yet. The sooner we eliminate the threat, the better off she’ll be.”
“On it.” Axl turns and takes a few steps before stopping. “I’m going to get food, back in a bit.”
Watching him leave, it’s one of the few times he’s gone anywhere without me.
We’ve been inseparable since meeting and are often compared to yin and yang.
It’s why sharing a woman has been so important to us both.
Finding a woman who is accepting of that is good for a night, maybe two, but it’s never been a long-term goal for us.
I turn around and lean against the wall across from Finleigh’s room, staring at the closed door while contemplating how she’s about to complicate our lives. How the baby will do that as well.
We’ve lived outside the law for too long; it’s only a matter of time before one or both of us is caught and either tossed in the slammer or killed. It’s never been a question of if it will happen, more like when . We’ve come to terms with that. Fin might not be as accepting of the lifestyle.
I’ve seen guys crash and burn after falling in love.
Some make it work; most don’t. To have an ol’ lady is to make yourself vulnerable, and I never anticipated that.
Though from the minute we met her in that bar, Axl and I both knew she was different.
That weekend with her was too good for the likes of us.
We didn’t deserve the kind of pleasure she brought.
The way she laughed when we told her we were a packaged deal because she’d figured that out before introducing herself.
She’s smart. Too fucking smart for Axl and me. But there was something in the way she carried herself. The confidence that she would leave us wanting more. She was right. I think she knew it, too, and that’s why she left us without a word.
We brushed it off as a terrific weekend out of town and moved on, not giving her another thought.
At least not out loud. I’d taken on more orders while Axl dove into more bike restorations.
Working until we dropped became a regular thing, and I’m not sure about Axl, but Finleigh has visited me in my dreams all too often.
Axl has always been more open about his wants and desires.
He mentioned her to me a few times in that first month, but I shut him down every fucking time because I didn’t think I could handle losing her.
Now that we nearly have, I’ve changed my mind.
Leaving her alone almost got her killed; it’s time to bring her home and protect her.
I quietly enter her room, and she’s covered from neck to toe in blankets, still naked, but without all the monitors and IVs. She comes with baggage, but don’t we all? Keeping Finleigh has become my…our…new priority.
Drawing the privacy curtain across the end of the bed, I drag a chair beside her and sit down. Staring at her tense face, I can tell she’s locked inside a mind tormented by memories she can’t recall.
Gripping one corner of the blanket, I drag it back to reveal her body to me. My eyes lock on her belly and the life she’s creating, wondering briefly if it's mine, Axl’s, or someone else’s before focusing on the rest of her.
I could admire how her curves have filled out more since I last touched her, but I zero in on the injuries.
The boot prints on her arms and thighs. The stitches on her chest, arms, and legs.
Her bandaged feet. The fresh cast on her arm, because they did have to redo that; thankfully, there was no need to reset the break.
What catches my attention, however, lies between her legs—not the obvious swelling and bruising from being raped, either.
Scars blemish the insides of her thighs, nearly covered up by bruising, but clustered and pronounced enough to recognize that they’re older and have nothing to do with her attack.
If I had my guess, it’d be that she was mutilating herself long before we met her.
Whoever she was, wherever she belonged, it clearly wasn’t a life she was happy in.
She carries pain inside her that flows deeper than what shows on the surface.
She’s marked by trauma far more profound than what anyone could understand.
“What the…” Axl enters the room as I continue to study our woman. “Jesus,” he mutters as he steps around the curtain to get a closer look at her damage. “She cuts.” He’s always been observant, so it’s not surprising his eyes land straight on the scars.
“Yeah. Looks like several years’ worth.” And I bet if we were to examine the rest of her body, we’d find more.
“Easy is digging into… Everything about her,” Axl says as he sets the food down on the tray on the opposite side of the bed. “He’ll send her address once he has it. We can figure out how and when to collect her things another time.”
I agree, already thinking about our explanation of all that she’s endured. How we’ll get the detective off our asses so we can bring her home.
“Grabbed some stuff for us, too.” He drops a small travel case in my lap before ripping open the bags of food.
“Thanks.”
Covering Finleigh back up, I accept the burger and fries he hands me before checking my phone to see if there’s been any more orders for me.
The calendar is clear, so I block it off for a few days.
I’m not sure how long I’ll last before needing a target in my scope again, but I can focus on Finleigh and club business until the time comes that I must shed the world of another life.