Rory
Fifty-Two
My head throbbed and my body felt like I went five rounds with Jude.
That mental slip made me jolt up, which caused scorching pain.
Nausea churned in my stomach as I lurched to the side.
My chest felt like there was a fire raging in it while my head screamed in misery.
Beeping distracted me from the need to vomit before I realized I was in a stark white room.
There was a gentle knock on the door before a blonde woman walked in with a bright smile. “Mornin’ darlin’,” she greeted as she walked to a monitor and scribbled on her clipboard.
“Where am I?”
“Briarwood Medical. You were in a motorcycle accident. They found you at the National Park entrance, unresponsive.”
My brows furrowed. “I don’t remember going to the park.”
“You had a bad head injury, darlin’. It can lead to memory loss.”
I wasn’t headed to the park. When I left the club I was angry, but I knew I was going the opposite direction of the state park. “Do you have my phone?”
“It’s with a woman in the lobby. You kept asking for Widow. The entire club is out there, waiting.”
There was a lump forming in my throat. “My sister?” I needed to apologize to her for reacting the way I did.
Her face dropped. “Widow asked if Cinder was here already when she first got here. Apparently, no one knows where she is.”
“What? Can you send Widow in, please?”
The nurse nodded and stepped out of the room.
My chest tightened with guilt. This was my fault.
The fight was my fault, and now my sister was gone.
She was out there looking for me. It was the only thing that made sense.
She would come after me. She was fine. I would go to sleep and she would be here with me when I woke up.
There was a heaviness in Widow’s eyes when she walked in, but she forced a smile.
She always tried to mask her emotions, but she was doing a shit job right now.
Something was wrong. When she looked at me, her eyes softened.
She didn’t look at me like that anymore because of what happened.
I missed the way she looked at me, but that just proved my theory that something was definitely wrong.
Her short hair was disheveled and she looked frazzled.
Widow never looked frazzled, not on this level.
She always kept herself and her emotions under control, never allowing anyone to see the parts of her she hid from the world.
If I said she let me see her, I would be lying.
Maybe before, when we got close and I fell in love with her.
I saw all her broken pieces because they fit perfectly with mine.
She might’ve shattered my heart, but she was still the only one who could mend it.
The look in her eyes told me something happened, and I was terrified of the answer. “Where is she?”
“We don’t know, phoenix.”
“S-she knows I didn’t mean it…right? I…I was angry. She’s not like Mom. She was never close.” Tears swelled in my eyes. “I-I can’t lo-lose her.”
Widow walked to the bed, hesitant for a moment, but when I leaned into her, she wrapped her arms around me as I sobbed. Pain erupted in my body, but I ignored it. “She knows. I’m going to find her, I promise.”
“Why is this happening? Why is he back?”
Widow pressed her lips together. The boogeyman was back, even if Jude Booker was gone. Someone was creating havoc, and I had no idea who it was. “Do you remember anything?”
“Not everything. I was with—” I froze, reality smacking me in the face as I remembered I was supposed to meet Hades. “Fuck. Hades.” I cringed when her name fell from my lips. “Shit.”
“We know you're with Axel’s daughter, she’s currently at the clubhouse. Unharmed. Now, what about this bastard?”
“I don’t know…I keep seeing morphed images in my mind and hearing his voice, but I can’t see who he is. I don’t know! What if…” My mind trailed off.
There were dark spots in my memory, but I figured that was my mind protecting me from the trauma. Maybe Jude or whoever this person was did something to me so I would forget. I was scared. I grabbed Widow’s hand, tears streaming down my face. “I can’t be that girl again. I’m not Aurora June.”
Widow brushed my hair away from my face. “You will never be her again, phoenix.”
There was a knock on the door, and Melisa stepped inside my hospital room.
She gave me a soft smile before turning her attention to Widow, and I recognized that look.
It meant bad news. I grabbed Widow’s hand to prevent her from leaving.
If they wanted to talk about me, I would be in the goddamn room.
She could have information about Cinder.
“No,” I hissed. “If you’re talking about me or Cinder, do it in this room to my face. I am not a child and will not be treated like one. What is going on? Do you know where my sister is?”
Melisa waited for Widow’s approval, and she gave a slight nod. “We found her bike at the docks and her phone in one of the shipping containers. The same one where the pictures were. There was blood.”
My breath got trapped in my lungs. “Did you find her?”
She shook her head. “No. We…We found her phone and we had to have our tech analyst unlock it. She received a couple of messages with pictures.” The phone was in her hand, and I stared at Widow.
I already knew she wanted to be the first to look.
Her facial expression gave her away. She didn’t have a poker face, especially where it concerned me.
Widow took the phone from Melisa and her demeanor changed instantly. “Rory, I don—”
“Let me see.” I extended my hand, waiting. I read the text thread from an unknown number then saw the picture, my stomach churning. The edges of the photo blurred as my eyes started to burn and it made me recoil. “I’m going to be sick.”
Melisa grabbed a basin, placing it on my lap right before I heaved, stomach acid burning the back of my throat as I emptied what little contents were in my stomach.
Widow stepped behind me, holding my hair back as sobs mixed with dry heaves.
Blood pounded in my ears as my heart thudded in my chest. My hands were shaking uncontrollably; I was pulled into that room once more.
I was Aurora June again, begging and pleading with Jude not to hurt me, but then… the boy’s face was more prominent.
I was there, feeling their calloused hands on my skin and hearing their wicked laughter at my misery. I couldn’t see his face, but his voice was like poison in my mind. His lips felt like a thousand razor blades as he kissed me, going lower and lower until…
“Rory!” Widow’s voice pulled me from my spiral and I heaved once more. “Breathe, phoenix.”
There were nurses and a doctor in the room with me now, spilling medical jargon about sedation, but I didn’t want anyone but Widow to touch me. Widow caught on instantly, stepping in front of me as the doctor inched closer. “Doc, I mean this respectfully, don’t touch her.”
He lifted her hands and stepped back. “Rory. What do you need?”
“Shower.” My voice was barely a whimper. His semen was on my chest, tainting me and making me filthy. “I need to get clean.” My fingers flexed, the urge to claw at my skin strong, but Widow saw the turmoil and grabbed my hands.
“I’m going to help her. Something to help her to sleep would be good. I want her to have a woman-only care team from here on out. I know Cher is on vacation, but try to get her back. Doc, what do I need to do to help her wounds?”
“The best option is to not get anything wet, but we can wrap her ankle. Don’t soak her head in water. I know it is pointless to suggest a sponge bath, so just be careful with her injuries.”
They continued to talk momentarily, but their voices started to muffle together. In my panicked state they mentioned a rape kit, but I didn’t feel like I needed one.
“It’s okay, phoenix. I got you.”