Chapter 17 #4
“You don’t understand…I…” God, Devyn hated this. Didn’t want to admit it. But the second she stood up—if she could even stand after all this time—it was going to become really obvious and uncomfortable.
“You can tell me anything, love,” Lucky said softly. “Trust me.”
“It’s embarrassing. I’ve been chained to this tree. I couldn’t move. And when I had to use the restroom…I couldn’t get my pants undone.” Devyn knew she was probably beet red, but she couldn’t help it.
Lucky shrugged the pack he’d been carrying off his shoulders as he spoke.
“I was held hostage once. I can’t tell you where or what we were doing there, but needless to say, it wasn’t fun.
They tied my hands to a beam over my head and left me standing there for days.
They took great pleasure in beating the shit out of me and laughing when I couldn’t do a damn thing to defend myself.
By the time I was rescued, I’d been there long enough to have pissed my pants several times…
and I had also shit myself.” He pulled out a pair of her sweatpants, a T-shirt that was too big to be anything other than one of his own, a pair of socks, her sneakers, and a package of wet wipes.
Lucky put one hand around the nape of her neck and leaned down so his forehead rested against her own.
“You did what your body was made to do. Do not be embarrassed about that. I’d be more worried if you didn’t go while you were out here.
I had no idea what condition we’d find you in, and I’m more thankful than I can say that you’re conscious and you mostly seem to be all right.
But I brought some clothes for you, just in case.
I know how it feels to be dirty, and I wanted to do everything I could to make this easier for you, even if that was just bringing a change of clothes. ”
Gah. This man. Devyn wanted to cry, but again, her body wasn’t capable of it right this moment. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me yet; you’re gonna have to let me help you,” Lucky warned.
Devyn crinkled her nose.
“It’s either me or Grover…or Doc or Trigger,” he told her.
“You,” Devyn said immediately.
“Right. Let’s get you changed so we can get the fuck out of here. Sound good?”
It definitely did.
“First step, let’s see if you can stand,” Lucky said without seeming too concerned.
Devyn wasn’t too sure how that would go, but she nodded anyway. Lucky did most of the work, basically lifting her off the ground, then holding her around the waist until she stood, using the damn tree as a prop to keep her upright.
“Okay, we’re going to have to do this quickly,” Lucky said. “First, because I don’t think your brother is gonna wait much longer.”
Devyn looked over and saw that Trigger, Doc, and Fred all had their backs turned to them, giving her some much-needed privacy.
“Second,” Lucky went on, “you aren’t going to be able to stand on your own for long. I’ll hold you steady while you get your pants and underwear off, okay?”
It wasn’t, but Devyn nodded anyway. She was going to have to strip and clean herself with the wet wipes while Lucky held her upright, but that was much better than the alternative…staying in her soiled clothes for a second longer.
Surprisingly, the entire process of changing and cleaning up went much faster than she could’ve imagined.
Lucky was all business, and he did his best to keep his eyes on her face, which made it much easier.
By the time she had on clean underwear, sweatpants, and had donned his T-shirt, Devyn was completely drained.
Her entire body shook, and she felt extremely dizzy.
“Doc?” Lucky shouted as he put one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, picking her up and holding her against his chest.
The other man was there in seconds. “What’s up?”
“We need that IV. Stat.”
Lucky knelt on the ground, still holding Devyn, as Doc got to work attempting to find a good vein to insert the IV.
“Once he gets this in, you’ll feel much better,” Lucky told her, distracting her from what Doc was doing. “We’ll get some fluids in you, get you to the hospital, and you’ll be right as rain in no time.”
“No hospital,” Devyn said insistently.
“Not an option,” Lucky told her with a frown.
“Please! I’m okay. I swear I am. Yes, I’m dehydrated and hungry as hell, but they didn’t hurt me.
All I want is to go home and sleep for days.
I won’t be able to sleep in a hospital. I hate them.
” She looked up into Fred’s eyes. He and Trigger had approached the same time Doc did.
“Please, Fred! Tell him how much I hate hospitals.”
“She does,” Fred said quietly.
“I need to make sure she’s okay,” Lucky insisted. “She could have internal injuries. Her organs could be shutting down from lack of water.”
“I managed to drink some of the rain,” Devyn said. “I don’t have internal injuries. I swear.”
Lucky closed his eyes and looked up at the sky.
Devyn loved this man so much. She hated to stress him out, but she honestly didn’t think she needed a hospital. She wrapped her hand around his neck and stroked the sensitive skin there. “I know I probably look like hell, but you got here in time. You found me,” she said softly.
“I’m in,” Doc said as he taped the needle to her inner arm. “For what it’s worth, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be to find a vein. I can monitor her on the way back to Killeen and if I think there are any complications, I’ll let you know.”
“Please,” Devyn begged. She knew she wasn’t being fair, that she should go and get checked out for Lucky’s peace of mind, but she only wanted to go home and be held. That was all the medicine she needed at the moment.
“Fine,” Lucky said. “But if Doc says you need to go, you’re going.”
“Okay,” Devyn agreed. She wasn’t an idiot.
She didn’t want to die after finally being rescued, but although she was weak and shaky, she truly felt as if she was okay.
She’d learned a lot about her body when she’d been sick, and right now, it wasn’t telling her that anything major was wrong, other than needing nutrients and water.
“It’s gonna be even slower going back to the chopper,” Trigger said. “With that IV in, and you carrying her, it’ll be tricky.”
“We’ve got her,” Doc said. “All you need to do is lie there,” he told Devyn with a wink.
“Thank you all for coming to get me,” she told the men as they all started walking. She held on to Lucky even tighter, though she knew he wouldn’t drop her.
“No thanks necessary,” Trigger said. “You’re one of us now, and we’ll always have your six.”
“My what?” Devyn asked in confusion.
The four men chuckled.
“It means we’ve got your back,” Lucky told her.
“It originated in World War One. Fighter pilots referenced the rear of the airplane as the six o’clock position.
If you think about a clock face, and you’re standing in the middle, twelve o’clock is in front of you, three is to your right, nine to your left, and six is behind you.
On a battlefield, your ‘six’ is the most vulnerable position because you don’t have eyes in the back of your head.
So when someone says they have your six, they mean they’re watching your back. ”
“That actually makes sense,” Devyn said as she put her head on Lucky’s shoulder.
“Of course it does. Everything we say makes sense,” Fred told her.
Devyn rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“And there she is,” Fred said with a huge smile. “Gotta say, I never thought I’d see the day when I liked my little sister being annoying.”
“Oh, I’m sure it won’t last,” Devyn said, her voice slurring. She was amazingly comfortable sitting in Lucky’s arms. She hadn’t even bothered to take a last look at where she’d been held captive for so long. It was done. Over. She was moving on.
“Feel free to take a nap,” Lucky told her.
“I won’t be able to sleep until we’re home,” Devyn told him, but with the gentle rocking of Lucky’s steps, the knowledge that she wasn’t alone anymore, and because she hadn’t truly gotten any real rest in days, she quickly fell into a deep slumber.
“You think she’s truly all right?” Grover asked Doc softly as they walked back to the helicopter. Trigger had informed the pilots they’d found Devyn and were headed back with her. All four men had heard the pilots cheering through their earbuds.
Lucky had forgotten about the radio when he’d been helping Devyn change, and he knew his team—and the pilots—had heard every word of her humiliation. But he also knew no one would ever mention it.
He was so damn grateful he’d thought to bring a change of clothes for her, just in case. It was obvious she’d been embarrassed about what had happened.
“I do,” Doc said, answering Grover’s question. Then to Lucky, “There’s no doubt she’s dehydrated, but the rain she said she drank must’ve helped. Other than the bruises on her face and arms, did you see any on her legs that might indicate she’s too embarrassed to tell us about a sexual assault?”
“No. Thank God. I think Rocky’s goons did just what he claimed they did. Brought her out and left her. You heard her; she said she never even saw them.”
“Makes it harder for the cops to ID them,” Trigger mused.
“You know as well as I do that there’s no way the cops will find them,” Grover said in disgust. “Rocky may be an asshole, but he’s clearly smart.”
Lucky nodded and shifted Devyn in his arms. She might be tall, but she wasn’t a heavy burden for him, not in the least.
“I wasn’t sure we would find her,” Grover admitted softly. “I thought for sure we’d walk up on a freshly dug grave.”
Lucky swallowed hard and nodded. He’d had the same thought even though he’d refused to verbalize it. “I know he’s your brother, but it’ll be a long time before I want to see Spencer again,” Lucky admitted.
Grover nodded. “I know, and I don’t blame you.
But…Devyn’s one of the most loyal people I know.
It’s why she didn’t want to share his secret.
She’s also a peacekeeper. She wants everyone to get along.
She’s always been that way. If you want to keep her in your life, you’re gonna have to find a way to forgive him, Lucky. ”
“I know,” Lucky said. And he did. “I will. It just won’t be this week. Or this month. It might even be years. Going to rehab and kicking his gambling habit will go a long way toward making that happen.”
“He’s going to rehab,” Grover said firmly.
Spencer should feel damn fortunate to have a family who loved him as much as they did.
It took double the time to get back to the chopper as it did to get to Devyn’s location, but no one seemed to be overly concerned. Trigger and Grover helped Lucky get into the helicopter without having to let go of Devyn. She stirred when he got settled.
“Are we home?”
“No, go back to sleep,” Lucky told her with a small grin. “I’ll let you know when we get there.”
“Okay. I want to see Angel and Whiskers and give them kisses,” she said sleepily.
Lucky chuckled. “Okay, love. I’m sure they’ll like that.”
He mentally made arrangements to get his animals back home. He wasn’t sure how they’d feel about going back into the townhouse after the violence they’d obviously witnessed there, but he hoped Devyn’s magic would work once again and they’d be all right.
“Gillian called a cleaning company after the cops were done taking pictures and prints,” Trigger told him. “I figured dealing with all that was the last thing you’d want to do once we found Devyn.”
That was very true. Lucky appreciated his friends so much. “Thank her for me.”
“No thanks necessary,” Trigger said. “But I’ll tell her all the same.”
Doc put a pair of headphones over Devyn’s ears and did the same for Lucky, who hadn’t let go of his woman for even a second.
When everyone had ear protection on, the chopper slowly and carefully lifted out of the precarious landing zone and headed west, toward home.
“You know everyone’s gonna want to come see her,” Trigger warned.
“I know,” Lucky said. “I need at least a day to make sure she’s all right. If she has complications, I’m gonna take her to the hospital no matter how much she begs differently.”
“Good,” Trigger said. “Just say the word, and we’ll keep everyone away until she, and you, are ready.”
Lucky sighed in relief. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Kinley, Riley, and the others over, he just needed some one-on-one time with Devyn.
To reassure himself that she was truly all right.
He could’ve lost her. Almost had lost her.
If Spencer hadn’t gotten his head out of his ass and come forward with the truth about what happened, it was possible they would’ve found her too late.
As much as it was Spencer’s fault she was taken in the first place, it’d been because of him that they’d been able to get to her before any long-term damage had been done.
The men fell silent in the chopper and Lucky looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms. Her blonde hair was a complete mess.
He knew Devyn would have a hard time getting it clean and brushed, but he’d help her.
The black and blue bruise on her face was vivid against her pale skin and her arms would be bruised for quite a while.
He knew she still felt dirty; wet wipes couldn’t take away the feel of contamination, although they helped a hell of a lot.
She needed a shower and some very definite pampering.
But the thought that she felt safe enough to fall asleep in his arms went a long way toward reassuring him that she would be all right.
Her chest rose and fell rhythmically, her breathing didn’t seem labored, and she’d stopped shaking as the IV in her arm did its best to replace the lost fluids in her body.
Lucky leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, leaving his lips against her skin for a long moment.
He loved her so damn much, and he was thankful as hell that they’d gotten a second chance.
Life was so damn short; he’d learned that the hard way.
He and Devyn were going to live life to its fullest from here on out. He’d make sure of it.