Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Allora
The sound of my father’s thunderous voice makes me jump, but not in fear. He just startled me. I’m well aware of his temper, though, and that’s the last thing I need tonight, so I quickly lift my head, brushing at my tears.
“Dad, I—”
“Who the fuck are you? If you don’t get your hands off her—” Dad is marching toward Grim like he’s going to do something obnoxious.
“Dad!” Despite my breakdown, I find a way to gather my wits and yell loud enough to stop him in his tracks. “This is Landon. He’s the one who rescued me.”
Dad’s face is tight, eyes narrowed, as he assesses the situation.
“From what?” he demands.
I pull in a shaky breath. “I was kidnapped two nights ago.”
“Kidnapped?” He looks confused. “What the hell are you talking about, Allora?”
“Dad, could you just sit down and…let me explain?”
He stalks over to the bed and lifts my chin, staring into my face. “This guy better not be involved.”
I scowl. “Of course not! Jesus.” I huff, even though I can barely breathe because I’m so stuffed up.
“I’m Landon Grimshaw.” Grim extends his hand. “I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.”
Dad eyes him for a beat before slowly taking his hand. “What circumstances, exactly, are we talking about?”
“We believe a sex trafficking ring kidnapped your daughter two nights ago. I saw her in a van earlier this evening at a gas station, and she asked me for help. From there, it’s kind of a long story.”
I don’t say anything, content to let him explain. My father is the kind of man who acts first and thinks later, a huge bone of contention between us, but I need him tonight. We’ve drifted apart since my mother died, but he’s still my dad.
“Theo Sterling. My friends call me Silver but you can call me Mr. Sterling.”
I almost roll my eyes.
Then I catch sight of more leather-clad, booted men in the hall and I grip my father’s leather vest. “Get rid of them,” I hiss.”
He looks down in confusion. “Who?”
“Your brothers. Not here. Not tonight. I don’t need an audience to my humiliation. I’m serious, Dad. Either they go or you can all leave.”
He sighs heavily. Like he’s losing his patience with me but after another look at my bruised face, he acquiesces.
“All right, darlin’.” He walks into the hallway, says something to the guys, and after a short argument, they disperse.
Thank God.
The last person I want to see tonight is my ex, Pete.
He’s the club’s treasurer and one of my father’s closest confidantes.
One of his “brothers.” I walked away from the motorcycle club years ago, and my father and I have come to an understanding about his lifestyle when it comes to his relationship with me, but there’s no way to truly separate the president of the local Renegade Demons club and my father—they’re one and the same.
He simply behaves a little better when it’s just the two of us.
“Wait. Stop.” Dad finally interrupts Landon. “Are you saying…you were trafficked?” He stares at me as if it’s just now sinking in.
“Yes. We’re not sure but that’s what I think based on things I saw and heard.”
“And then he just stopped the van in the middle of nowhere and ran?” His voice is laced with disbelief, and I bristle.
“Dad, I was just kidnapped, beaten, and raped. If you’re going to stand there doubting me, then I don’t need you here.” That’s a lie but I’ll die before admitting it.
Something about the word rape makes him wince and then his face hardens. “Did you see their faces?”
Now it’s sinking in.
I nod slowly and he hisses out a breath. “Fucking hell. You okay, baby?”
“Do I look okay?”
“No.” He turns to Landon slowly. “And you’re the one who rescued her?”
“Yes, sir.” Like he’s my new boyfriend trying to impress my dad, he nods solemnly, with a respectful air.
Dad slowly holds out his hand. “I owe you a debt.”
Landon shakes his head. “No, sir. I did the right thing. Something anybody would have done.”
“But no one else did.” Dad turns back to me. “We’re going to find them. And make them pay.”
That’s pretty much the only reason I called him. He’s not good at comforting me, and I’m definitely not moving to the clubhouse, so revenge is the only part of the equation that works for me. And I don’t care if that makes me a bad person.
Because I know exactly what will happen to those men if my father finds them.
It won’t be a painless death, and I can’t bring myself to care.
They deserve anything they get—it’s the only thing keeping me sane at the moment.
Assuming they can be found.
I have no idea where they held me or where we were going when he took off.
“Gentlemen.” A stern-faced nurse comes in. “It’s well past visiting hours, and my patient needs to rest.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Landon and my father speak in unison and then glare at each other.
If I wasn’t so miserable, I might have laughed.
The two of them are talking over each other now, arguing like I have no say in the matter and I squeeze my eyes shut.
Stop, I think to myself, willing them to understand.
Another tear leaks from my eye and I swipe at it angrily as they continue to argue.
I hate crying. Hate showing weakness. Hate everything about what’s happening.
“Stop!” I choke out, my hands balling into fists. “Just fucking stop!”
They both turn in surprise.
“I’m too tired and stressed to listen to this.
I don’t expect either of you to stay.” For some reason, more tears leak out, and I grit my teeth as I try to regain control.
“I can’t listen…to anymore…” I break down all over again, covering my face with my hands.
I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.
Well, I probably do, somewhere deep down in the darkest recesses of my mind, but I can’t think that hard.
All I can seem to do is cry.
And cry some more.
“That’s it.” The nurse says something I can’t hear but less than a minute later, the room is quiet and she’s bustling around. “The doctor said I could give you something to help you relax. Would you like that?”
“No…” I pause. “Yes. I don’t know.”
“You’ve been through a terrible ordeal. There’s no need to suffer. Let me give you something that’ll help you sleep. Tomorrow, when you wake up, you’ll feel so much better.”
“Can I take a shower tomorrow?” I whisper.
She nods solemnly. “Absolutely.”
“Why do I keep crying?”
“Trauma. Your mind and body’s way of trying to cope with it all. That’s why you should take the meds. But only if you’re okay with it.”
I think about it, and suddenly I don’t care about anything but blissful oblivion.
Sleep.
Nothing to think about, talk about or do—just rest.
“Yes,” I say softly. “I’m so…tired.”
“Of course, you are.” She nods, straightening the bed. “Would you like another blanket? You’re shivering.”
I hadn’t even realized I was cold until she said it.
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Alone for the first time in days, I snuggle deeper into the pillow, my thoughts racing. I don’t know what I’m going to do to get past this but there’s an overwhelming need to check out completely. If that means more drugs, even though I hate how they make me feel, I’ll deal with it.
I can hear Landon and my father, and I think other voices, whispering in the hallway, but I don’t care.
By the time the nurse comes back and covers me with a second blanket, I’ve already started to tune out.
I watch as she injects something into my IV and then close my eyes. The meds kick in quickly, I feel myself sliding into sleep.
The last thing I see before I drift off is Landon’s handsome face.
I’m not sure if it’s really him or a figment of my imagination.
It doesn’t matter.
But it soothes me, like it did earlier tonight when everything blew up.
I have so many questions. So many concerns. So many things to do.
Just not tonight.