Chapter 22
Henley
Holding Grace in my arms was like taking the first breath of air after holding it underwater for far too long. My lungs opened, my muscles feeling a strength they hadn’t felt before she showed up.
“We need to get out of here,” Grace said, her arms still around me. I didn’t want to admit I was having a hard time standing with the pain in my ribs, but I didn’t even have to. She simply knew and assisted with no questions asked. I didn’t want to know how I looked for her to be that worried.
Two men had beaten me senseless, sending jabs to my ribs and face left and right.
I’d heard cracks louder than I thought possible, indicating I definitely had a broken rib or five.
They never stated why they were beating the shit out of me—they only looked to be enjoying it.
And the woman who had come in? She’d watched, a grin on her face with each punch, as if she loved the violence.
She hadn’t spoken until they were done, when she’d tipped my chin up with a pointy fingernail and murmured, “I’m going to have fun with her.”
I’d fought against my restraints as hard as humanly possible, causing these lacerations in my wrists. My attempts were futile, though. I was pretty sure they’d broken a few of my fingers, making it difficult to attempt to untie the bonds myself.
I felt…useless. Then, and now. Hell, I was leaning on Grace when she should’ve been relying on me. She was hurt, too.
I tried to get her to let go of me, but she refused. “Don’t try to act tough now, Henley.” She moved until she was standing at my side with an arm looped around my back.
“The woman,” I gritted out as we started to move. Each step sent agony tearing through my abdomen, and I tried to hide it the best I could. “Did you kill her too?”
When we approached the door, she scanned the hallway before dragging us through. “No. She got away.”
I stopped walking and winced. “She’s still here, Grace. We have to—”
“I know,” she interrupted, urging me to keep moving. “I’m going to get you out, then deal with her.”
“No,” I growled. “No fucking way are you coming back in here without me.”
“You’re about to knock on death’s door, Henley. You can’t fight, let alone defend yourself.”
I shook my head. “I’m not leaving you. It’s not up for debate.” After a few steps, I noticed a limp in her gait. “What’s wrong with your leg?”
“Don’t deflect,” she muttered. “I’m fine.”
“Nothing about this is fine—”
“The woman is Tyler’s mother,” Grace cut in. “She’s also my boss.”
The muscle in my jaw feathered, a throbbing sensation following it. “Anything else you need to tell me?”
“We’re underneath Club Fourteen, and this is also apparently some sort of…sex place?”
My brain stuttered at all the information. “Sorry, what? How did you find that out?”
“That’s not important.” She adjusted her hold on me as we hobbled down the hall. Hopefully she knew the way out, because I sure as hell didn’t. “I’ll get this handled, okay? Can you trust me?”
Of course I fucking trusted her. Did a bear shit in the woods? It was them I didn’t trust. I opened my mouth to say as much, but stopped as a woman’s voice echoed from somewhere behind us.
“Grace,” she singsonged. “Kill him, and maybe I’ll spare you.”
Our steps froze, and Grace swung around to find where the voice had come from. I flinched in pain as she switched arms, hooking one around my front. She must’ve noticed my reaction, because she gentled her touch on me.
“I’d rather kill you,” Grace replied, eyes darting around the space. The voice clearly belonged to the woman I’d seen before, but she was nowhere in sight.
“That’s too bad,” she cooed. “I guess I’ll have to get my own hands dirty, then.”
A shot rang out, piercing my eardrums. Grace shoved me against the wall, and her eyes fell to my shoulder and widened.
Something warm trickled down my chest and arm, a numbness taking over the right side of my body.
Pain blended together, so much of it enveloping me that I couldn’t tell where one injury ended and another started.
Grace pressed her hands to my shoulder as I slid down the wall. Slowly, my gaze fell to a bullet hole marring my skin, and the blood pouring through her delicate fingers. I’d always wondered how someone with such small, beautiful hands could spill so much blood.
“Fuck, fuck!” She pulled off my Carhartt and pressed the fabric to the wound. “You’re going to be okay.”
I nodded, leaning my head back against the wall. She cupped my neck, my cheek, ran her hand through my hair. It was like she was categorizing every part of me in case it was the last time she got to touch me. I wanted to do the same to her, to feel and worship her, but my limbs were heavy.
The strength she elicited in me seeped out of my soul, and I hoped it flowed into her.
“Henley, baby. Look at me.”
Her voice pulled my eyes open. I hadn’t realized they’d closed. “Go.”
She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. She was crying for me?
“I won’t,” she promised.
I gripped her wrist that held the jacket to my shoulder. “Leave me behind, Grace.”
Her head shook faster, her eyes so full of torture. “No.”
She needed to go now, because if the bullet had come from somewhere in this hall—
Where had it come from?
I thought it a moment too late, because one second, Grace was in front of me, and the next, she was thrown to the floor.
She screamed, twisting onto her back quickly to look up at her attacker. The woman loomed above her, gun pointed at Grace’s chest. Without hesitation, Grace’s leg flew up and hit the woman in the side of the knee. It buckled, taking her down.
Grace quickly scrambled to her feet, her movements growing blurry in my sight. I blinked hard, trying to clear the fog, then remembered, Oh yeah—I’m bleeding out.
Death was so goddamn inconvenient, but the one thing I wouldn’t let it get in the way of was saving my girl.
While the two were distracted with each other, wrestling for the gun that had, at some point, flown out of the woman’s hold, I forced my legs to work.
Blood flowed freely to the ground as I stood.
I brought my fingers to the hole in my shoulder, curious how bad it really was, and—my entire hand was coated red.
Okay, so it was bad.
Probably why I felt lightheaded.
Staunching the gush would be futile, so I focused instead on helping Grace. I relied on the wall behind me to get my bearings, my foggy mind trying to come up with a better plan than the one I had. When nothing came to mind, I figured it was better than nothing.
Grace punched the woman, straddling her hips on the ground.
But her attacker quickly got the upper hand and spun Grace so fast that her head snapped back against the marble floor.
Her eyes squeezed shut briefly. I fucking hated seeing her in pain.
Funny how, so recently, I wanted to see her squirm in discomfort, and now it only made me see red.
I took a deep breath, mentally cursing at my arm to get its shit together for five fucking seconds.
I shoved off the wall, mustering all my strength, and reached down with my good arm while the woman was distracted with choking my girl. I fisted her hair, and she yelled out, attempting to reach up to grab me, but I was quicker. I tore her off Grace, slamming her into the opposite wall.
Behind me, Grace scrambled to her feet and grabbed the gun. Her eyes landed on me, shock and adoration shining in them.
I smiled at her over my shoulder while holding the woman up. “Do the honors, baby. I want to see you kill one last time.”
With her tormented gaze still focused on me, she aimed the gun and pulled the trigger, ignoring the woman’s pleas for mercy.
The bullet lodged itself in her forehead, and I dropped the body. As if my strength fell with it, I collapsed to the ground. Grace was in front of me in an instant, hands returning to my wound to apply pressure.
“Why did you do that?” she shouted, so much pain echoing in her voice.
“Because…” I croaked. Something lodged in my throat, and I coughed. Blood splattered Grace’s shirt. I cringed. That isn’t good. But not only that, I couldn’t say the damn words I needed to say. She needed to hear them. And I couldn’t…
Her eyes turned frantic, moving from my wound to my face over and over. Then she searched the hall—for what, I wasn’t sure.
“Stay with me, please,” she begged.
I thought of every time she’d looked at me and thawed my heart. Of every time we’d teased each other, or when her lips would part as I brought her nothing but bliss.
I was good for her. And honestly, I didn’t think I needed anything more out of this life.