Chapter Two #2
I know exactly what he’s getting at and I dare the motherfucker to say it.
He shrugs. “Just wondering if this could be one of y’all’s trysts. Maybe you got carried away this time…”
“You son of a bitch.” I lunge forward, grabbing him by the shirt before my father and Craig intervene.
“Knock it off, you two!” Craig manages to get between us, prying the bastard from my grip while my father holds me back.
I point at Craig. “Get him the fuck out of my face before I rip his fucking throat out!”
My father’s grip tightens on my shoulders in warning. “That’s enough, son. You’re better than this.” His voice is stern, but his eyes are filled with patience and understanding.
It calms the rage, something he’s always been able to do for my brothers and me.
“Go back to the station, Pierce,” Craig orders. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Pierce’s jaw clenches, our glares locking until the very moment he leaves the room.
My attention snaps to Craig. “What the hell were you thinking bringing him here? You know I hate that piece of shit.”
He stiffens at my tone. “He’s all I had available and it’s protocol, all right?”
“Fuck protocol. He’s as corrupt as Toder was and you damn well know it.”
“Well, until I have evidence of that, my hands are tied, but I’m keeping an eye on him. You on the other hand need to keep your fucking cool.”
“He was out of line.”
“Yes, he was, and I’ll deal with it. It won’t happen again.”
That’s where he’s wrong. I have no doubt it will. Pierce’s accusation won’t be the last once the town gets wind of this. Hell, even the nurse thought I was responsible when we rushed in.
Rumors have run rampant for years about my brothers and me. All because of a pact we made years ago. A bond we forged for Knox’s sake. That bond behind closed doors is far more sacred than anyone realizes. Despite that, we are not into binding women and beating the shit out of them.
The shrill sound of my father’s phone breaks the moment. “Excuse me. I need to take this.”
As he steps away, I drop into a chair, scrubbing a hand down my tired face. “I can’t fucking believe this is happening.”
Craig takes the spot next to me. “We’ll get to the bottom of it. My men are combing through every inch of that place, if there is something to find, we’ll find it.”
Not for the first time am I thankful he’s the Sheriff of Winchester now.
I have no doubt if Toder were still alive I’d be behind bars before I even had a chance to explain.
That asshole was always gunning for my brothers and me.
The best bullet we ever released was through the center of that bastard’s skull.
My father returns moments later. “That was your brothers.” He pockets his phone before taking a seat on the other side of me. “They checked the surveillance cameras. There’s nothing there.”
Since the cameras only cover the entrance, I am not surprised they didn’t see anything. However, the fact she was left near our property line in such a way to be found, yet far enough outside of it as to not trigger the alarm, has suspicion forming in my gut.
“What are the chances this could be personal?” Craig asks, sensing my thought.
My father shrugs. “I don’t know how it could be considering we don’t even know this girl, but after what my family has gone through the past few months, I’m not ruling anything out.”
He’s talking about the founding families. Even though most are dead or in jail, some are still walking free, wreaking their quiet havoc in this town. That said, I have a feeling this doesn’t have to do with them and the oil buried beneath our land. Not by a long shot.
“Someone left her for us to find,” I say, feeling my anger shift into something darker. “Whether it was by coincidence or more, doesn’t matter. I’m taking it fucking personal.”
My father clasps my shoulder, sharing his agreement.
In the hours of waiting for the doctor, Craig receives a few calls from his deputies only to be told they found nothing.
Not even a fucking foot print which means the asshole covered his tracks well.
Our only hope now is for our victim to shed some light on who the hell she is and how she ended up this way.
By the time the doctor enters the waiting room, I’m practically crawling out of my skin. The nurse from earlier follows close behind him, her suspicious eyes directed right at me. I ignore them and focus only on the doctor.
“Doctor Carver,” Craig greets him with a handshake, clearly knowing the man.
“Sheriff.”
“How is she?” I ask, not bothering with pleasantries.
His gaze swings to mine, my chest locking up tight as I await the verdict.
“She’s stable.”
I let go of a heavy breath, what feels like the first one I’ve taken since finding her.
“I won’t lie, it was touch and go for a while. Her injuries are quite extensive.”
“How extensive?” Craig asks.
The doctor hesitates, flicking me a brief look. “Maybe it’s best we talk about this in private.”
I straighten at the apparent brush off. “Now hold on just a goddamn minute. I’m the one who found her. I have a right to know what’s happened.”
“He’s right,” Craig speaks, backing me up. “The Creeds are not suspects in this case. Any information you share with me will be shared with them anyway.”
The doctor nods. “I just wanted to be sure.”
Nurse bitch seems to disagree with the decision, if her pinched expression is anything to go by.
“She has a few cracked ribs, a ruptured spleen, and quite the concussion. We also discovered prior fractures that were never properly treated.” He clears his throat before speaking again.
“She’s also quite scarred across her lower back and bottom.
Not only is it obvious this girl has endured many years of abuse, I’m quite certain whoever left her there didn’t expect her to survive. ”
“Son of a bitch!” I drive a hand through my hair, that blistering fury blooming within the darkest parts of my soul.
“Signs of sexual trauma?” Craig asks, sending all of that rage plummeting to the pit of my stomach.
My eyes fall closed as I prepare myself to hear the answer.
“No.”
My gaze snaps to the doctor, both shock and relief barreling through me. Considering the way her nightgown was, I assumed differently.
By Craig’s expression it seems I’m not the only one. “You’re certain about this?”
“I am. I ran several tests and per my own examination, her hymen is still intact.”
Another dose of surprise fills me and I begin to wonder if the woman is younger than I initially thought.
“When can I speak with her?” Craig asks. “I’d like to question her as soon as possible.”
“Well, I’m afraid that’s going to be hard for you to do.”
The doctor’s change of tone has dread coiling around my chest like a vicious snake.
“Why do you say that?” Craig asks.
“Because she has no memory.”
“Excuse me,” I jump back in, swearing I misheard him.
“She was in and out of consciousness throughout the examination, most of the time confused and disoriented, but the last time she was awake long enough for me to ask questions. Other than her first name she doesn’t know who she is, where she came from, or how she ended up this way.”
“Is that even possible?” Craig asks. “To remember her name but nothing else?”
“It is. We hold three different stages of memory. Encoding, storage, and retrieval. Usually when someone suffers memory loss due to injury they lose only one of them. However, when brought on by trauma anything is possible. It all depends where her fear allows her mind to go.”
“So there’s a chance she could regain her memory,” I say.
“It’s very probable, but right now she is too afraid to remember anything. Considering what she has been through I can understand why.”
Craig blows out a heavy breath. “If it’s all the same to you, doctor, I’d still like to stick around and talk to her.”
“Of course. I’ve sedated her for the time being, but we’ll alert you the moment she wakes up.”
“Thank you.”
With nothing left to say, the doctor leaves us with our conflicted thoughts.
“Well, this just keeps getting more fucked up by the second,” Craig grumbles.
“So, what do we do now?” my father asks. “There has to be a way we can help this girl.”
“There is,” I say, taking a seat in one of the chairs. “We wait.”
Craig shakes his head. “You go on home. I’ll wait and call with any information.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Annoyance sparks in his eyes. “You heard what the doctor said, she can’t give you any answers. Until she does, there’s no point for you to be here.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Craig. Until she regains her memory, she has no one. No family or friends. I’m the one who found her, which makes her my responsibility, and I’m not leaving her.”
We become locked in a stare down until he sees the resolution on my face. He knows me well enough not to argue.
“All right then,” he concedes. “Who wants coffee?”