CHAPTER 21

Mac

I’d never ridden so fucking fast in my life. I didn’t care that it had started to rain, or that lightning was streaking across the sky above me. The sense of urgency I felt grew, the closer I got to the property north of Angleton where Zara’s phone was located. I fucking hoped I wasn’t too late. I didn’t want to think about life without Zara in it. Or the hell I’d bring down on every fucker I could find that had anything to do with whatever had been done to her.

With Scout and Taz at my back, I roared my bike up the driveway to the farm and on instinct, headed to the large barn. I didn’t give a fuck that the noise we were making would alert them to our presence. Hopefully they’d think it was more thunder. Either way, I wasn’t going to take the time to park and walk in. They’d had my girl for too fucking long already. When I saw the side door had been left open, I gunned straight for it. It was a people door, not a vehicle one, but my bike passed through with no problem.

As I burst into the interior, I skidded to a stop and was off my bike in a flash. No caring if the machine fell.

“You motherfucker!”

The second I spoke, Sledge froze as he looked over his shoulder. Zara was hanging, naked and bloody from a fucking hook, and that fucker was standing between her thighs. His jeans hung loose on his hips as though they were open, and he had my girl’s leg hitched up in one of his hands.

“You’re too fucking late to save her. She’s mine now. Might as well just leave her with me at this point.”

Like fucking hell I would just leave her. I’d draw my gun and shoot the bastard, but he was too fucking close to risk a shot, and I knew I was too fucking far away to stop him from thrusting into her if his pants were, in fact, open. But I wasn’t going to let it stop me from trying. With a roar, I lunged forward as I pulled my knife free. Before I made it more than a handful of steps, two gunshots rang out from behind me, echoing around the space. Knowing they were from Taz and Scout behind me, I didn’t stop. Just kept moving forward until I knocked into Sledge, shoving him away from Zara. He hit the floor with a thud as I saw the hole in the side of his temple. Had to have been Taz. He was the only man I knew who could have pulled off that shot with a fucking handgun.

Ignoring the dead man, I scrambled to get back to my feet, to get to Zara. I got her at the same time as Taz.

“What did those fuckers do to her?”

Taz’s accent had deepened, a sure sign the Aussie was furious. I reached up to lift her wrists off the hook as Taz moved around behind her. He winced and let loose another string of curses. “They died too fucking fast. They didn’t suffer nearly enough.”

I slowly lowered her arms, Taz slipping his hands under her armpits to keep her from falling to the floor. I frowned when she continued to stare off over my shoulder in complete silence. She had to have felt a rush of pain when her blood flowed back into her arms just now. She had blood smeared over her face, but I couldn’t see any open wounds. I went to wrap my arm around waist, to pull her against me, but Taz yelled out and shifted her so I couldn’t touch her.

“Don’t touch her back, it’s a fucking mess.”

That had me freezing for a moment before fury blasted through me.

“What the fuck did they do, Taz?”

“She’s been whipped raw. Shoulders to ass. It’s a bloody mess.”

Rage had my vision turned red for a minute. Scout came up beside me and hissed out a curse. I gave my head a shake to clear my vision. Zara needed me. I’d get angry later, after she was safe and had medical care. With Taz holding her steady on her feet, I focused on getting the fucking chains off her wrists. I tensed when Scout gently gripped her jaw and tilted her face so he could look into her eyes.

“Looks like she’s in shock, unless this is part of one of her conditions.”

“Her eyes are open, and she’s standing up, sort of. This isn’t an episode.”

I got her wrists free and lifted them up to inspect the wounds. They hadn’t fully healed from the last time Sledge hurt her, now they were a real mess. Clearly she’d fought to get free.

“Scout, how far out are the others? We need the truck to get her to hospital.”

“Messaging them now.”

Squeezing my eyes shut against the tears burning them, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple, praying we hadn’t been too late. That she’d snap out of this weird zombie thing she had going on and come back to me.

“Taz, I need to hold her.”

I watched as he ran his gaze down her back. “I’m not sure how you’re gonna do that without hurting her and making this mess worse.” He was silent for a bit. “Maybe if you sit down, and we lay her on her side over your lap, with her face against your shoulder. You’ll need to make sure you don’t touch her below her neck. And if you wrap your other arm around her legs, keeping them folded up, but don’t let them touch her ass, she shouldn’t be too uncomfortable. Hopefully it won’t make any of her wounds worse.”

That sounded doable, and I needed to touch her, to have her pressed against me, more than I needed my next breath. “Help me.”

I sat on the lone chair that was nearby, and with Scout and Taz both helping, I soon had my woman bundled against me. Tilting her body towards me, I could finally see her back and hissed out a string of curses of my own. Why would anyone do something like that? Especially to someone as innocent as Zara. Taz lifted her arm and rested her palm against my chest, over my heart. A moment later her fingers twitched and I held my breath as I focused on her face.

“Zara? C’mon, bunny. Wake up for me.”

Her fingers flexed against me again but her pupils were still dilated and she showed no other sign of coming back to me. Taking a deep breath, I looked away from her and around the barn, for the first time seeing the dead man on the table and another in a heap on the floor in front of it. Guess that was the second gunshot, Scout shooting that bastard. Scout glanced up to me from where he was standing over the guy on the table.

“Looks like Bash scored a hit on this one. Guess neither Sledge or that other fucker were too good at being medics.”

Scout’s phone pinged and a moment later I could hear the sound of engines getting closer. At least, I hoped it was engines and not more fucking thunder.

“Truck’s here. Taz, help me open the door for them.”

I sat nursing my woman, counting her shallow breaths as Taz and Scout got the big doors open. The same armored vehicle we used to treat Zara last time backed through the opening. The second it stopped, the rear doors opened and Donna jumped out. She made it two steps before her gaze landed on me and Zara and she stumbled with a curse. Seconds later, her expression cleared as she obviously switched into nurse mode.

“Keys? Help me get the gurney out. Mac, stay where you are. We need to limit moving her as much as possible.”

I turned to press another kiss to Zara’s temple when they came toward us with the stretcher. When they stopped in front of us, I slowly stood and placed her on the mattress on her side.

“Hold her in that position.” With a palm on her shoulder and thigh, I kept her from moving as Donna put two pillows in front of Zara. “Okay, roll her onto her front. Great.”

I watched, feeling useless as Donna did her thing, getting a drip into Zara’s inner elbow–because her wrists and hands were too fucked up to find a vein–before carefully strapping her down and into the back of the truck.

“You coming with us, Mac?”

“Yeah, I’ll follow you on my bike.”

Scout growled behind me. “Like hell you will. Get in the damn truck with your woman, brother. We’ll see your bike gets home.”

With a nod, I climbed in, and as I turned to shut the door, I saw Scout ordering around the rest of the Charons that had ridden out to help save my woman. The last thing I heard before we took off out of the barn was Scout ordering that the place be burned to the ground.

Zara

My head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton wool, and my throat was parched. Voices filtered through to me, making me frown. Who were they? My eyelids were heavy, but after taking a deep breath and catching the smell of antiseptic, I forced them open to take in my surroundings. White. It was all I could see. Maybe my eyes were still shut? Or was I blind now? Closing my lids again, I focused on my other senses. I was lying halfway between being on my side and front, something firm but soft keeping my body at this angle, and my face resting on a smooth pillow. Testing my body, I attempted to roll onto my back. And promptly gasped when pain shot up my spine as though I’d been struck by lightning.

“Mac, she’s awake.” I knew that voice! That was Marie. She was my new boss. “Don’t move, Zara. You have to stay off your back while it heals, sugar.”

With a frown, I had another go at opening my eyes, this time blinking until the white fog cleared and I could see Marie sitting in a chair beside me.

“Hey.”

She smiled gently at me and gave my hand a light pat. “Hey there, sugar.” Tears filled her eyes and she stopped speaking. Her gaze shifted away from me for a moment, then she stood. “I’m going to go find the doctor to let him know you’re awake.”

The moment she moved, Mac took her place. My man crumbled into the small seat. He looked terrible. I frowned again as I took in his red rimmed eyes, and the stubble on his skull. Even his skin looked paler than normal.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

He shook his head and smirked for a moment. “Nothing’s wrong now you’re awake, bunny.” He softly ran his knuckles down my cheek before tucking my hair behind my ear. “Don’t you remember what happened? That you were snatched from the parking lot behind Marie’s?”

As though that one sentence triggered the door in my mind, all the memories came flooding back and I trembled as I struggled to breathe through the remembered agony.

“Shhh. It’s all over now. There’s no one left to come after you.”

“I don’t remember getting free. You came for me? How?”

He kept stroking my face and neck, then down my arm, as though he had to touch me. Not that I was complaining, I loved the feel of his hands on me, and his touch was currently helping me stay focused on the here and now.

“The prospects guarding the front of the cafe heard the shots and alerted us. Then Keys hacked into your phone to give us your location. I took off the moment he had it.” He winced. “I’m so fucking sorry it took so long, bunny.”

“You came. That’s all that matters.”

My last memory was Sledge cutting my pants off my body. I closed my eyes as I tried to catch the full memory. Had he raped me? I didn’t feel sore between my thighs. A knock on the door stopped my spiraling thoughts.

“Ah, so our patient is finally awake. Hello, Zara, my name is Dr. Tod Johnson and I’ve been in charge of you since you came in yesterday.”

My breath caught and I twisted my neck so I could stare at the doctor. “A whole day? I’ve been out that long?”

“Yes, we’ve kept you sedated to give your body a chance to physically heal. Now, you’re awake, I’ll get the hospital’s psychiatrist to come visit you.”

I cut him off with a frown. “Why would I need to talk to a shrink?”

The doctor came over to stand near Mac, which I was grateful for. It meant I didn’t have to twist my neck anymore.

“It’s standard practice in cases like yours. You’ve suffered not only physically, but mentally. Nightmares are common, and sometimes the victim struggles to adjust back to normal life. It’s not a sign of weakness to seek out help, Zara, but strength. That you want to get well and move forward with your life, not let those that hurt you continue to do so.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay. I, ah, I can’t remember if he–” I couldn’t get the words to form. “My last memory is of him cutting my pants off. I don’t know if he–” Tears burned my eyes but I still couldn’t say the word, as though saying it would make it real somehow.

The doctor smiled gently at me. “No, you were not sexually assaulted.” He started to move toward the end of the bed. “Let me check how your back is looking.”

A shudder ran through me while a whimper escaped my throat as I remembered the pain of each of the strikes Whip had landed against me.

“Shhh, sweetheart.”

Mac leaned in and pressed kisses against my temple, cheek, then mouth, his soft lips caressing my skin bringing me back to now. I held his gaze with mine as the doctor lifted the blanket, then peeled something else off my skin.

“Now, several of these lacerations were deep enough to require stitches. They’re looking good. Let me just put a new dressing over them.”

I stayed silent, staring into Mac’s ice-blue irises as the doctor did his thing. He was my anchor, my protector, my guardian. Tears blurred my vision as emotion overwhelmed me.

“He’s nearly finished. Does it hurt? Do you need something for the pain?”

With a watery smile, I shook my head a little. I was in pain, but not enough to complain about. “Love you.”

His expression softened and the tension in his body seemed to drain away. He wiped his fingertips under my eye, wiping the moisture away. “Love you too, bunny. But loving me shouldn’t make you cry, sweetheart.”

I wasn’t entirely sure why I was crying, so I didn’t know how to explain to him why I was.

“Kiss me.”

He leaned in and gently kissed my mouth. It wasn’t the usual heat-filled mating of mouths that we normally shared. But this sweet brush of his lips over mine cracked my heart wide open and shook me all the way to my soul. When the doctor cleared his throat, Mac pulled back. I chuckled when I noticed the color in his cheeks. Big, tough Marine biker, Mac was blushing.

The doctor came over and did something with the tube that was connected to my inner elbow before he spoke again. “Okay, so, like I said, those lacerations on your back are healing well so far. I’m not sure how severe the scaring will be at this stage. We had our plastic surgeon sew you up, so hopefully the scars won’t be more than thin lines that’ll barely be noticeable in time.”

I gave him a nod. Scars had never bothered me. They told a person’s story that made them who they are. However, I was glad they were on my back so I wouldn’t have to see them every time I looked at myself in the mirror.

“When can I go home?”

“We had to give you a transfusion due to how much blood you lost. We’ve also given you intravenous antibiotics to eliminate the risk of infection. You’re still on morphine for the pain. I’d like to keep you in for at least another day, to make sure everything is still on track and healing as it should. However, if you’re desperate to get out of here, we can arrange that for you. It would mean less potent pain killers, oral antibiotics, and you’ll need someone to change your dressings regularly.”

I gave him a nod, suddenly feeling really tired and more than a little fuzzy. Guess he’d given me a shot of morphine when he was mucking around with my drip.

“As much as I know Mac would deal with everything if I went home, I think I’d like to stay here for a while longer.”

The pain was already nearly gone. This morphine was good stuff.

“Excellent. Well, I’ll leave you to get some rest for now. I’ll be back later to check on you again.”

With that, the doctor left and before I could say a word, Mac softly kissed my lips again.

“Go to sleep, bunny. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Mac

It was well past dark when I returned to the hospital. Silk and Eagle had come to see Zara, and after taking one look at me, Silk had demanded I go get cleaned up and find something to eat. These last thirty-six hours had been some of the longest of my life. I knew she was safe and would heal from her wounds. But seeing my woman looking so pale, lying on a hospital bed was seriously screwing with my head. The doctor confirming she hadn’t been raped had been some of the sweetest words I’d ever heard. I swear, if that fucker had forced himself on her, I would have dug up his body and killed him all over again.

I was nearly at the elevator when I was approached by a familiar–and unwanted–man.

“Come with me.”

With a sigh, I glanced around to make sure no one club-related was around before following Mr. Smith. I should have guessed he’d show up at some point. He led me to a small exam room and locked the door.

“You didn’t call.”

“Sorry, I’ve had my hands full. Haven’t found the time.”

His gaze hardened. “You should have called me when Claire went missing. Both times.”

I scoffed at that. I hadn’t even considered calling in the feds to find Zara. “Her name is Zara, not Claire. And she would have been raped, possibly murdered by the time your bunch finished with all your paperwork and protocols to go look for her. The club has its own resources, and by using them I got to my girl in time. I’m not apologizing for that.”

He sighed heavily, like I was a stubborn toddler or some shit. “Do you have information about her father for me? Or do I need to go talk to her? I can, quite easily, you know? Now she’s here in the hospital, after being attacked, it’s standard protocol to have a police officer interview her.”

The threat was bullshit. I knew Scout had contacted Donald, the local cop who was friendly with the club, and explained the situation. Zara wasn’t going to be interviewed by the local guys. However, that didn’t mean Mr. Smith couldn’t pull strings and cause trouble.

“Zara spent last week going through boxes from her father’s office. She found a diary he left her. It told her how he’d found a beaten girl one night down in Galveston. She’d been at the Iron Hammer’s clubhouse for a party. They’d raped and beaten her but she somehow managed to escape. He took her to the hospital, and by morning she was dead. Inside job. After that, he joined a team. Couple of cops that weren’t on the Hammer’s books, a doctor, nurses and another taxi driver all joined up and started going after the girls the Iron Hammers were snatching to sell across the border.

“So the guy was a fucking saint, saved who knows how many girls from a lifetime of sexual slavery. And for his efforts? He got himself and his wife murdered. It’s also why Sledge had such a hard-on for Zara. He wanted her to pay for what her daddy had cost him. But none of that matters now. The Iron Hammers have been cleaned out and that shit will never happen again with the new leadership in charge.”

Mr. Smith just nodded as he rubbed his jaw, which had my anger building. I hadn’t set my eyes on Zara for over an hour. I was done wasting time with this bastard.

“Can I go now?”

“Yeah, you can. Thank you for the information. You may like to know, Claire’s parents weren’t the only ones murdered that day. Over half a dozen seemingly unrelated deaths occurred within hours of each other.”

That had me blowing out a breath. “The whole team. Sledge found out who was sabotaging his runs.”

“However, there wasn’t a second taxi driver in the mix. That diary didn’t mention names, did it?”

I shook my head as I reached for the door. “Nope, no names. You’ll have to find some other way of identifying the rat. I’m done helping.”

Before he could respond, I pushed out and hurried down the hallway. Skipping the elevator, I hit the stairs. Taking two at a time, I got up to the third floor quickly. By the time I hit the door to Zara’s room I was breathing heavily.

“What the fuck?”

Eagle cursed as he and Silk jerked in their seats.

“Mac, I suggested you go get cleaned up. Not rush around so you’re sweatier than before you left. What the hell did you do?”

Eagle’s gaze narrowed on me and when he raised an eyebrow I shrugged, not wanting him to worry.

“Sorry, Silk. I was in a rush to get back to Zara.”

Zara smiled as I went to her. She tilted her face up in silent invitation so I leaned down and gave her what we both needed. With a palm cupping her cheek, I took her mouth, pouring all my love for her into the kiss.

Silk sighed loudly and with a chuckle I pulled back. “Shut it, Silk. I’ve had to watch you and Eagle do worse.”