Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
If he didn't have enhanced speed, Thunder knew he wouldn't have made it to her before she threw herself out the window.
Much as he hated that she kept picking death over listening to what he was saying to her, he was proud of her for fighting, even though she had every reason in the world to give up.
Which is what he thought she’d done when he first found her. That emptiness in her eyes had convinced him that they were rescuing nothing more than a body with a mind that could no longer be reached, but she’d gone and proved him wrong at every turn.
Like right now.
Darting down the hall, Thunder reached the window at the same time she did, wrapped his arms around her body, and drew her close against his chest.
Immediately, she started fighting him, going wild, like a trapped animal.
Because he wanted her to know that he wasn't going to hurt her, and she didn't seem to be listening to a word he said, or if she was, she didn't believe him, he shifted his hold on her so she faced him.
That way, he could still keep a firm grip on her, because he was pretty positive that if given half a chance, she still thought going out the window was a great plan, but he could also make his hold more supportive and less restrictive.
“Shh,” he murmured as he rubbed small circles on her back. “It’s going to be okay. You're okay. It’s safe here. You are safe now. Always.”
Of course, she didn't listen. Her small fists hammered at his chest, and tears streamed down her cheeks although she didn't make a single sound. Her body thrashed about, and it was difficult to maintain a hold on her while also trying to make sure she didn't feel too trapped.
“I'm Thunder, this is my home. I share it with the other guys who were with me when we rescued you. This is the place where we all healed after the same man who was keeping you in that cage kept us in a cage. He had us for three years and experimented on us during that time. If we hadn't managed to escape, we’d still be there. It’s been seven years since we got away from him, and it took us most of that time to find out his name. It’s Dr. Ridge Gardner, although I have a feeling you already know his name.
You hate him, too, maybe even have more reason than we do to despise him.
We were there to kill him, and when we find him, I'm going to take great pleasure in making him suffer. He deserves it, for everything he did to us, for everything he did to you.”
His words must have started to get through to her, because she stopped trying to shove her way out of his arms, although tears still flooded down her pale cheeks.
Or maybe it was the gentle way he was stroking her back.
While she was crying, she wasn't making a sound, and he wondered if perhaps she wasn't hearing him because she physically couldn’t.
Maybe she was deaf and communicated through sign language.
Before he could attempt to find out, the woman went stiff again, and her gaze shifted to something over his shoulder.
The panic beginning to overtake her features quickly morphed into confusion, and her gaze darted to meet his before returning to the new arrivals. Thunder didn't even have to look to know that it wasn't the members of his team.
It was the women. Rose, Cassandra, Whitney, and Indigo, or some combination of them if they’d decided not to overwhelm her all at once.
He was pretty positive that this woman thought that he and his team were more human traffickers, so seeing other women walking around freely was no doubt confusing her.
“Can you hear me?” he asked, and when her head turned back toward him, he knew that she could.
If she was physically incapable of speaking, it wasn't because she was deaf.
It could be something that had happened to her before she was taken, or in the intervening years, regardless, he didn't intend to push her too hard on it.
After a pause, the woman gave a single nod.
Small but massive progress.
Especially since she wasn't fighting him at all anymore.
“Would you like me to introduce you to my teammates’ partners?
” he asked, guiding her a step or two away from the window, because he still wasn't convinced she wouldn't try to throw herself out of it with the slightest provocation.
Thunder didn't move her too close, though, because he didn't want to overwhelm her with a bunch of new people.
They’d managed to build a single thread of trust, but he knew how delicate it was. One wrong move and it would snap.
“This is Rose,” he said, pointing to the redhead. From the way the woman’s body drifted slightly closer to his, he knew she’d noticed the similarities between Rose and the man who had kept her in a cage.
“Sorry for what my brother did to you,” Rose said, not bothering to beat around the bush.
It was one of the things he respected the most about her.
She faced everything head-on, and without her suggestion that they leave the woman to wake up alone, he was pretty sure they’d still be stuck in that same cycle of her freaking out and needing to be sedated.
The woman’s brows knit together, and when she glanced up at him, Thunder took that as asking for more information.
“Dr. Gardner raised Rose. Well, not really raised. He abused her in the name of teaching her life skills, but she got away from him as soon as she turned eighteen and never looked back. I think she hates him even more than the rest of us combined.”
“I do,” Rose agreed cheerfully.
“That’s Cassandra,” he said, pointing out the brunette who smiled warmly at the woman.
“My brothers all work with these guys,” Cassandra told her.
“I can guarantee you that none of them have any intention of hurting you in any way. If it would be helpful, we can call one of my brothers, or all six of them. You can talk to them, ask questions if you want, or just listen to what they have to say. Or you can talk to their wives and fiancées if you’d prefer.
Although maybe not my niece, unless you want an entire spiel about weddings.
She’s going to be a flower girl in her dad’s wedding, and it’s safe to say she’s obsessed with the idea.
Whatever you need, let us know, and we’ll do it or get it for you. ”
Although she didn't say anything, the woman beside him did relax ever so slightly. The girls were doing a much better job of convincing her she wasn't in danger than he’d been doing.
“Next up is Whitney,” Thunder said, pointing to the blonde.
“I'm sorry,” Whitney said softly. “I knew the rumors he was keeping a woman, but I didn't know enough details. If I did, I would have told the guys so they could get you out sooner.”
Once again, confusion marred the woman’s features, but he loved that she shot him a questioning glance. Maybe he had added something toward helping her to calm down, and it wasn't all thanks to the girls.
“Whitney was forced to work for Dr. Gardner from the time she was a kid. She managed to get out, and she gave us a lot of helpful intel,” he explained.
It might scare her to know that almost all of them were connected to the man who had hurt her, but this woman deserved the truth.
She was part of this, so shielding her wasn't an option, besides, if she had the strength left to try to escape, she had the strength to handle the whole truth.
Thunder had a feeling she was a whole lot stronger than he’d been giving her credit for.
Than she’d been giving herself credit for.
“Last up is Indigo, she was one of Dr. Gardner’s experiments as well, and you have her to thank for us finding you,” he said, pointing out the second brunette.
“Not really, it was all these guys, I just remembered a comment he made one day about living where the sun always shone,” Indigo piped up, offering the woman a warm smile.
“They’re good guys, I swear to you that they are.
I've dealt with enough bad ones to be able to tell the difference. They will never hurt you, and they’ll kill anyone who tries. ”
That sentiment was obviously shared by the others because they all nodded.
“The rest of my team wants to officially meet you when you're ready,” he told the woman. “But for now, maybe you’d like to go with the girls for a bit, you might feel more comfortable with them. You can go back to your room and take a shower or a bath. Or you can go down to the kitchen and cook whatever you're craving. If you want, you can take a walk around the grounds. Whatever you want, all you need to do is tell us, and we’ll make it happen. If that’s just calling your family so you can go home to them, then that’s okay too. ”
There was no way he wouldn't make that offer.
The woman needed people around her she could trust to begin her journey of healing, and her trust in them was maybe a whopping one percent.
But he didn't like the idea of sending her away, even if it was just home to her family, the people who had probably been searching for her and praying for her from the moment she disappeared.
Shifting his hold on her so that his hands covered her shoulders, Thunder kneaded gently. “Whatever happens next is up to you. You're in control here. No one is ever going to steal your control from you again.”
February 24 th
7:47 A.M.
Control.
Maya knew she had zero control over herself or what happened to her.
And yet … the man—Thunder—wasn't holding her in a restrictive way. If she wanted, she could pull away from him, and she was pretty sure he’d let her.
Pretty sure the only reason he maintained contact with her at all was because he was sure that if he didn't, she might decide to still throw herself out the window.
Would she?
Maybe.
Death still seemed like the safest option. It didn't require her to put her trust in strangers, especially ones who all seemed to be tied to the same man who had kept her in a cage for years and tortured her mercilessly.