Twenty-Seven
I woke up on that bed, minutes or maybe even hours later, I had no idea. I was alone, but I don’t think I was untouched. I sat up, feeling groggy, with a sore throat, and a feeling like someone was still leaning on it. I didn’t feel like I’d been tampered with, but then… I definitely wasn’t completely untouched.
I pulled at my clothes, which were coated with something I recognised instantly. That fucker had spunked all over me, the sick bastard! I gagged at the thought of his cum being all over me, although I was grateful it was only on my clothes, and not my bare skin.
I shoved up from the bed, and staggered as a wave of dizziness washed over me, and made me gasp, which led to a coughing fit. My throat felt like rocks had been shoved down it. Did he fuck my throat after I was unconscious? I didn’t think so, or certainly he’d have finished in my mouth, right?
I tried standing up again, after falling back on the bed during my coughing fit. I felt like hell, but I had to find a way out before he returned. Whatever had dragged Raoul away, it wouldn’t keep him away indefinitely, and when he came back for me, he wouldn’t let anything else stop him from raping me.
It took me a good few moments just to feel steady enough to try for the door. It wasn’t locked, but the second I pulled at the handle, the door was shoved inwards, and nearly knocked me to the floor.
“The fuck are you doing, bitch?” The guy snarled, as he leaned over me. Oh wait, I was on the floor, but I didn’t even feel it happen. I felt too groggy and out of it.
“Let me go.”
He snorted, stepping closer to me.
“Of all the things we’re gonna do to you, that’s not one of them. You’ll pray for death before we’re through with you.”
I shuddered. If I didn’t feel like hell, I’d sass him, but speaking hurt too much right now. I flipped him off instead, and received a kick in the stomach for my troubles.
“If Raoul didn’t want you first, I’d already be fucking your ass. Just bear in mind, we’re all gonna take a piece of you, you worthless cunt.”
I glared up at him. “Can’t be that worthless if you all want a fucking go on me, can I?” It hurt to say even that much, but oddly it was worth the pain.
He glanced behind him, and suddenly kicked the door shut, trapping me with him in the bedroom.
“Actually, what Raoul doesn’t know won’t fucking hurt him. I’ll fuck your ass right now, and he’ll never know.”
I scrambled back across the floor.
“Obviously I’ll tell on you, you stupid fucker.” God it hurt. Stop making me talk.
He pulled a knife from his pocket, or his belt, I don’t know where the fuck it came from. It was just suddenly in his hand.
“Not if you don’t have a tongue.”
Jesus . “I think he’d notice that, dipshit.”
He brandished the knife as he followed me across the room, with me frantically shuffling back on my ass and hands.
“I’ll tell him you were being mouthy. All he said was not to fuck you, but apparently it doesn’t matter if we hurt you.”
As he crouched over me, grabbing my poor, sore throat in his hand, I prayed for rescue, and what happened next was anything but.
“WHAT THE FUCK!? Get your filthy fucking hands off her!” Someone lunged at the guy holding my throat, and he crashed hard into me. The part that was least fun was the burning pain slicing through me, setting fire to my nerve endings, and sending me into blissful darkness.
Reacher
O f all the times to end up laid up, and fucking useless. I’d tried twice more to get out of the fucking bed, and it was only on the last one that Stitch threatened to ‘fucking handcuff me to it, if I tried again’.
The worst part was the fact that I could feel that he was right. I wasn’t as weak as I’d been when I first woke up, but I knew that I’d be completely useless during a rescue operation. Hell… I couldn’t even stay on my bike. My hands had no grip. I could barely hold a cup, and that’s a cup of sodding tea, because nobody would let me have coffee.
Stitch had disappeared to take a call, and I was losing my mind waiting. I’m the fucking Club President. I’m not supposed to wait in the wings like a fucking princess. I’m supposed to be in the thick of things, keeping my brothers safe, and rescuing my damn woman. Torch appeared instead of Stitch, who needed to fucking update me asap.
“Brother?”
He grinned as he leaned against the wall.
“Docs are in with Ice, so I had to leave. I figured I’d come and say hi, while Stitch is getting an update.”
“This is completely out of order, keeping me out of the fucking loop. She’s mine, dammit.”
He was watching someone moving about outside of the room I was in, but I couldn’t see who. I wished like hell that Ally would stick her head around the damn door and start grovelling. I was seriously pissed at her, and why wouldn’t I be? She’d walked out of the damn ward, when she’d been under strict instructions to stay put. She’d put herself in danger, and now she was paying the price, and so was I.
“Pres… you know the club’s fucked without you and Stitch, right? Don’t go fucking yourself, and leaving him alone to deal with the fallout. We need you both.”
I stared at Torch as he grabbed the seat beside the bed. He was the guy who normally kept his feelings pretty well hidden. The guy who normally smirked his way through any sensitive moments, was speaking from the heart, and it hit me hard enough to make me wait. For long agonising fucking minutes, until Stitch returned, and he looked unnervingly concerned.
“VP?” He waved at Torch to stay in his seat.
“Uh… they went in, and they hit the cartel hard. They took Raoul, as requested.”
He paused for way too long.
“Fucking tell me, dammit.”
He lowered his eyes, and I didn’t like him fucking dodging me like that. Something bad had happened, hadn’t it?
“Alicia was injured, but I’m not sure if it was during the rescue, or beforehand. She’s on her way here… as an emergency.”
Fuck . I felt ice moving through my veins, chilling me from the inside out. Fuck no, I couldn’t lose her.
“Jesus… is she gonna live?”
He rubbed his beard, meeting my eyes at long last.
“I don’t know, brother. She… it sounded pretty bad. They… uh… the knife was still in her stomach when they found her.”
The pain in my chest had returned, my heart racing, and bringing a nurse running, but I wasn’t sure if it was something they could even fix.