Текст книги "Addiction"

Автор книги: Shantel Tessier

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 27 страниц)

The guy behind me yanks me backward, and my eyes spring open. He starts to rattle off some curses and then places the knife on my neck with his free hand. I barely feel my heart speed up; my body is so weak.

“Let her go.”

A low cry rips from my lips when I hear a voice. A familiar voice. A very blurry shape is standing in the alleyway coming toward us. The closer he gets, the more I am able to make the person out. And it’s Case. Tears fill my eyes once again, but this time they’re happy tears. Finally. I’m gonna survive after all.

“Where is he?” comes the demand from the guy holding me.

“Dead,” comes Case’s cold voice. “Like you’re gonna be.” He comes to a stop a little ways in front of us. My vision starts to clear, and I see him standing there. Blood covers his clothes, but I know it’s not his. He wouldn’t be able to stand if it was.

His eyes meet mine, and I see the guilt in them from our earlier fight. He thinks I wouldn’t be in this position if we hadn’t fought. But there’s no way to prove that. “Case …?” The guy behind me yanks me back another step cutting off what I was about to say to him.

Case’s eyes look me up and down, assessing the damage, I believe. They darken when they settle on my bare breasts. I feel so ashamed. I don’t want him to see me like this. So helpless. So I close my eyes.

“Stay back,” the man behind me snaps. “Or I’ll kill her.” I feel him shifting around, and then I feel the cold steel on my neck for the second time tonight. “I’ll kill her,” he screams desperately.

I feel the knife cut into my neck and then warm liquid runs down my chest. Thanks to either my adrenaline or my body giving up, I don’t feel much of the pain. Just a throbbing sensation.

“Taylor,” Case demands. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

I open them slowly and fix them on his. My eyes are heavy and all I see are shadows. “Just hang on,” he says softly. I wish I could nod, but that isn’t an option as the knife is at my throat.

He then looks at the guy behind me with thinned lips, flared nostrils, and narrowed eyes. His chest rises and falls quickly. He looks like a dark angel who has come to rescue me from hell. “Let her go now. I’ll let you spend the rest of your life in jail. If you don’t, I’ll kill you right where you stand.” He lifts his right hand and there’s a gun in it. My body trembles once again. I know he has it pointed at the guy behind me, but it looks like I’m staring right at it.

“You shoot me, I kill her,” the man snaps.

The knife goes in a little deeper, and this time, I feel a sharp stinging pain. I scream out as it cuts my neck. I hear Case yell something and then a really loud bang goes off, so loud my ears ring. The man's arm releases my waist and my shaky legs can’t hold me up. I fall as I close my eyes; I don’t try to open them. I just want it over.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

 

CASE

 

I watch the bullet I just fired hit the man right in the head. It snaps back as he falls to his back. I start to run as soon I see Taylor start to fall. I barely catch her in time before her head hits the concrete. Her eyes are closed, and her body lies motionless. I hold my breath as I check for a pulse. I relax when I feel how strong it is.

“Taylor?” I yell as I rip my shirt up and over my head. I then press it to her neck to stop the bleeding. “Taylor?” I repeat myself. No response. Probably better off that way. I’d rather her be alive and passed out, then be awake and in pain.

“Case?”

I look up to see Brecken standing in front of me. “It’s done,” he announces before he looks down to her. “Is she …?”

“Call Doc,” I bark. “Tell him to meet me at the club and to bring everything he can fit into his car.”

I place my hands underneath her and lift her. I press her neck up against my arm, my shirt still in place to help stop the bleeding as I carry her very exposed body back to the club.

I breathe heavily as I carry her limp body in my arms. My heart races and my mind wanders to what I’ve done. From the second I saw her, I’ve wanted to keep her out of harm’s way, but our fight tonight did just the opposite. A fight over Rachel no less.

“He’s on his way,” Brecken announces as he places his phone in the back of his pocket. “What if she ...?”

“Shut up,” I snap as I look down at her. Her features are soft as her head turns to the side, her hair covering half of it. “She’s gonna be fine,” I assure myself.

He holds the back door open for me, and I run with her as I make my way up to my apartment. As soon as I lay her down on my bed, I hear Doc in the hallway speaking to Brecken. “What happened?” he demands when he walks into my room.

“She passed out,” I inform him. “Her neck needs stitches.”

“She needs a hospital,” he argues.

I shake my head. “No.” Hospitals have records. They make you do paperwork that conceals all of your personal information. I need to know if this was meant for her or if she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“But ...”

“But nothing. Either you give her the proper treatment that she needs right here in this room, or I find someone who will,” I shout.

***

I sit on the side of the bed as I watch Doc finish the stitches on her neck. It ended up costing her ten. She also needed some on her upper arm and her outer thigh. But other than that, everything seems to be fine.

“I need you to stay until she wakes.”

He looks around the bedroom as if to ask me where he would stay. “I have a guest room. Once she wakes, I need her to tell us where she hurts. Then we can decide if she needs further treatment.” Who knows what happened to her while they had a hold of her. She may have a concussion. Broken ribs. Internal bleeding. The gashes and bruises are visible to the eye. So much more could be happening underneath her skin. But we’ll have to wait to find out. I lift my comforter up to her neck to shield her body.

There’s a knock on my bedroom door and then it opens slowly. “I’m ready for you,” Brecken announces, popping his head in.

I nod my head as I stand from the bed. I slap Doc on the shoulder on my way out. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Following Brecken, we make our way down to the club floor. Then we walk down the hallway that leads us to the bathrooms and the private rooms. He comes to a stop at the one marked SLOTH, and I almost smile.

He pushes the door open for me, and I walk in. A man lies on the floor, face up. The second he sees me, he tries to jump to his feet. The broken ribs I gave him earlier in that alleyway prevent him from moving as fast as he wants.

“Who the hell are you?” he demands.

“Not important.” I look over at Brecken. “Go keep an eye on her, will you? I got this here.” Then I turn to face our guest.

He doesn’t respond, but the sound of the door opening and closing lets me know he is following orders.

“Where’s the other man I was with?” he rasps, holding his side.

I arch an eyebrow. “Don’t want to speak his name?”

“Fuck you,” he spits out.

Just looking at the motherfucker makes me want to pull my gun out from the waistband of my jeans and shoot him dead, but I need answers. “You fucked with a woman. My woman. Now, I’m going to fuck with you,” I say truthfully.

“You think you fucking own this town,” he growls. “But you don’t. People are on to you.” Thought he didn’t know who I am? Doesn’t really matter what he knows.

I ignore him. He wants me distracted, and it’s not gonna work. His dark gray eyes dart around the room as blood runs down the side of his head from the wound I gave him when I jumped him in the alleyway. The first thing I did was rip that fucking facemask off him to see if I knew who it was. No such luck. “Now, I’m going to ask you a question. Every time you refuse to answer, I’m gonna break something. Deal?”

“You’re crazy,” he says in a high pitch voice as he starts to back up.

I shake my head back and forth in disappointment. “That was a question.” I close the space between us in the next second and punch him in the side of his face. He falls back, tripping over the coffee table as he falls to the floor grabbing his nose. “That’s one,” I say, knowing that I just broke his nose. I shake off the sting in my hand.

“Next question.” I watch as he rolls around crying out like a child. “Why her?”

He takes in a few deep breaths. “I could ask you the same question,” he grounds out. “She seemed like such a high-maintenance bitch …”

I pull him up by his arm, spin him around, and kick the back of his knee. He screams like a bitch as he falls to his knees and I shove his head down onto the coffee table with my free hand. Pulling his arm behind his back, he lets out a scream so loud it has my ears ringing. I smile when I feel the pop in his arm from bending it at this angle.

I let go of him and step away as he rolls off the coffee table and onto the floor screaming out in agony.

I breathe heavily. “Same question. If you don’t answer, I’ll break two bones.” A part of me wants him to keep his mouth shut. I’ve killed a man with my bare hands before, and I have no problem doing it to this sick bastard as well.

He moans as he holds his arm to his chest. Babying the one I just broke. “Okay then.” I pull my foot back about to kick him in the ribs when he holds up his uninjured arm. “Wait,” he shouts before taking a few deep breaths. “I got a phone call earlier this evening. I don’t know who it was. They just offered me a job. Said that it involved you …”

“What about me?” I demand.

“There’s a buyer who wants you out of the equation. Feels if you’re out of the way, your loyal customers will go to them.”

“What does that have to do with Taylor?” I snap. “What the fuck did you want with her?” I roar fisting my hands down my sides. I see nothing but red right now.

He swallows. “We weren’t going to kill her. Just fuck with her as a warning.” He leans over as his chest heaves.

Motherfucker! I bend down next to him. “Fuck with her how?” I ask gripping his blond tips.

He looks up at me, his gray eyes puffy. His dingy teeth covered red with blood that drips down the side of his lips. “They didn’t say …”

I rip his head back, and his mouth opens wide but no scream comes out this time. My nostrils flare as I’m tired of this fucking game. “I’ll rephrase the question. What were you planning to do to her?” I demand.

I watch his neck work as he tries to swallow, which is kinda hard for him to do with his neck yanked back at this angle. “I wasn’t gonna kill her. I promise,” he all but sobs. “Just cut her up a little bit …”

“Fucking bastard.” I spit in his face. “And then what?” They had cut her top off her. They were going to do more than cut her up. They were going to destroy her. That thought has me bringing my other hand and wrapping it around his neck.

I smile when I feel his pulse race under my hand. You had better be scared, you son of a bitch. “Leave her on the back porch for you to find her in the morning,” he rasps.

I let go of his neck and with my hand that’s still in his hair, I shove his face down to the floor as I growl like a fucking beast. They were going to leave her on the back porch like fucking trash to be picked up, like a wounded dog left to be found. I’ll show him how you treat trash, all right. He rolls onto his back with a dazed look in his eyes. “Thanks for the cooperation. I’ll now answer your question. Your friend is dead! I shot him!” He whimpers. “But I’m gonna let you live,” I say, and he moans this times in pain. I wish Taylor were here to see it. To see how easily he cracked. “But we’re not done …” I stand and look down on him. “First, I’m going to break your jaw so you can’t go and run your mouth, and then your other arm.” I shrug carelessly. “Maybe both of your legs.” He cries out at that. “Once you’re released from the hospital, you’re going to jail.”

I sit in my office by myself as I go over what happened tonight. Shit just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Taylor had ended … whatever the hell we were doing, and she had every right to. I haven’t been honest with her. Then, of course, Rachel had to go and run her mouth about what she and I have done, and it just caused even more fucking problems. I’ll never forget the look on her face when I told her that Rachel was different. It hurt her to think I could hold Rachel on a higher level than her, no matter how untrue it was. I was just mad at Taylor. Mad at her for not listening to me. For not trusting me. Now, I see why she didn’t.

A ringing sound gets my attention. I look down at the bottom drawer of my desk. I dig the keys out of my pocket, unlock it, and grab the iPhone lit up with BOSS written across it.

“Hello?” I ask with a sigh.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jones yells into my ear.

I sit back in my seat, running a hand through my hair. I knew this call was gonna come eventually. “What needed to be done.”

“Case,” he growls. “There are rules for a reason. And you’re ignoring them. All for a piece of ass!”

“I am not,” I defend myself, but he has a point. And he is right. Isn’t he? I would have saved any woman in the position I found Taylor in. Would I have killed one without question? No, I have to admit that was due to the terror I felt when she screamed out in pain. The way my heart had beat in my chest as I watched the blood drip down her exposed chest. I snapped and shot him without thought. He deserved a more torturous death, but I don’t regret it. And the second guy? Would I have brought him back to my place of business, my home, just to beat the truth out of him? Maybe not. I can’t say. But I don’t regret that either.

“I thought I told you to fucking end it when I saw you earlier today? This is not ending it! This is making it worse.”

“You think I fucking had this planned?” I growl. “You think I wanted her to get hurt?” My voice begins to rise. “You think I wanted to fucking kill someone? I did what was right, and if you have a problem with that, then fucking fire me!” I finish with a shout, now standing.

He sighs heavily and takes a few seconds to respond. “I just need to know that when it comes down to it, you can do what must be done.” Click.

I fall down into my seat and take a deep breath as I run a hand over my forehead. He acts as if I have a choice. I knew what I needed to do when I started this job. Get in, get answers, and get out. But can I do that now? I had been one hundred percent honest when I told her she was mine. How do I let her go now? Especially since I now know someone is after her.

Tonight, I felt like she was being taken, ripped from me. I refuse to let someone take away what is mine. And she is mine. How will I be able to walk away myself?

My door opens and in walks Brecken. Blood covers his black security shirt, and he has a bar rag in his hands as he wipes the blood from them. “It’s done.”

“Thanks,” I mumble.

He starts to leave but turns back to face me. “Thigs are getting too deep,” he says softly. “I think it’s time you tell her the truth.”

I shake my head. I’m so tired of people telling me what they think I should do. “She’ll run. And tonight proved that she needs to stay with me at all times.”

He sighs heavily. “What are you doing, Case?” He frowns as he tucks the now bloody bar towel in the back pocket of his jeans. “This isn’t you.”

“If you’re referring to the man I killed tonight, save it. He wasn’t the first guy I killed, and he won’t be the last.”

He frowns. “That’s not what I’m referring to. How far are you going to let this go …”

“I don’t know,” I snap interrupting him. “But when I decide, I’ll make sure you’re the first to know,” I say sarcastically.

“Well, I’ll make sure to say I told you so when it blows up in your face,” he replies just as bitchy as he waltzes out of my office.

After Brecken leaves, I make my way upstairs to my bedroom. Even though she is still asleep, I make sure to be quiet, not wanting to wake her. I pull another bloody shirt up and over my head for the second time tonight as I walk over to my bathroom. Shutting the door behind me, I turn on the shower and let it warm up as I take my jeans and boxers off.

Once ready, I step in and shut the door behind me. I finally wash off the blood that covers my body—some from Taylor and some from the men who attacked her. The memory of that man holding her against her will with a knife against her neck has stained my mind. And it makes me think of Nicole. Was it like that for her? Did she cry out and beg me to save her? How long was she in pain? Is she still alive to this day? So many questions are unanswered. So many things I need to dig to find. I need to be there for Taylor as I should have been for Nicole. And if I tell Taylor the truth, she’ll run.

I can’t do what Brecken said. He knows it can’t happen yet. But things do need to change. And I know exactly what needs to change.

I get out of the shower, dry off, and look over at the bedroom. I slip on a pair of boxers and then crawl into bed next to her. She lets out a little whimper as she shifts in her sleep.

“Taylor, baby?” I ask, gently touching her warm arm. I watch her chest rise and fall through one of my t-shirts I dressed her in and I sigh heavily. This is all my fault. And I don’t know how to apologize for it.

She moves again, and I know that her pain meds from Doc earlier are starting to wear off. “Case?” her voice rasps.

I feel my heart break as I look at the handprint mark on her neck, and I wish I would have killed the guy I let Brecken turn over to the cops. The bastard is now in the hospital on pain meds himself. And that thought pisses me off; he deserves to feel every broken bone I gave him. “I’m right here, sweetheart.” I place a soft kiss on her cheek, making sure not to touch the bruise from where one of them slapped her. I hope it was the guy I killed.

She tilts her head to me and her eyes slowly open. Closing and reopening them a few times. “Where am I?” she whispers.

“You’re at my place.” Where you’re going to stay.

“I need … to go home.” She lets out a little moan as she shifts, trying to get comfortable.

I shake my head. “You need to stay here, Taylor. I have a doctor in the other room, and he’s going to take care of you.”

She sighs heavily, and I know I’ve won. She’s too tired to argue with me. “Are you in any pain?” I ask

She swallows and shifts on her back. “No. Just tired.”

I lean over and give her a soft kiss on her lips, but she doesn’t act on it. “Get some sleep, baby.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

 

TAYLOR

I wake to darkness. And the first thing I notice is how my body aches and my head pounds. I’ve only ever been hung over three times since I’ve turned twenty-one, and one of those times was just days ago after Case and I went to that club. This feels kind of like that but worse.

I sit up and place my hand on my forehead. Did I drink last night? I think back to what I remember and my fight with Case comes to mind. Then snapping at Rachel. My brother showing up. Another fight with Case. Then me walking out the back door …

I shove the covers off me and try to run to the bathroom, but I gasp at the pain that shoots through my body. I quickly look over at the bed where Case sleeps and let out a shaky breath when I see I didn’t wake him. I quietly and slowly finish making my way to the bathroom. I turn on the light as I shove the door shut. I gasp when I get a look at myself in the mirror. I have a bruise under my right eye and a white bandage on my neck. I pull up an overly large shirt that I know must be Case’s and my eyes widen as I take in the bruise on my side. That’s where the guy kicked me. I drop the shirt and my hands start to shake. I remember Case showing up and lifting a gun … did he shoot that guy? The man had asked where his friend was. Case had said dead … Did he kill him too?

I reach up and softly touch the handprint mark of the man who wrapped his hand around my throat. I swallow thickly. For as bad as I look, I don’t feel as bad as I should. I’m lucky. I’m very lucky Case saved me.

“Taylor?”

I look over to my right and hiss in a breath at the pain that shoots up my neck. I moved too fast.

“Taylor?” Case’s voice is frantic. “Where the hell did she go?” he demands.

“I’m in here,” I say, reaching up to touch the white bandage on my neck as it pulls at my skin.

He comes barging into the bathroom making the door bang against the wall. I flinch. “Jesus Christ,” he hisses, jaw tight and standing there in his boxers. “You scared the fuck out of me.” He walks over to me. “What happened?” he asks as he watches me grab my neck.

“I’m fine.” He pulls my hand away and examines it. “I just moved it too fast,” I inform him softly.

He lets out a heavy sigh as he stares down at me, his eyes softening. “Why are you out of bed? You need to rest.”

“I had to use the restroom,” I lie softly.

His dark blue eyes look into mine, and I look away. For some reason, I feel ashamed of last night. He saw me shirtless with another man. He stood there, staring at me with hatred in his eyes. He had lifted a gun …? “Case.” I lick my lips nervously. “Did you shoot that guy?” I need to know what happened because for some reason I don’t remember.

“Yes,” he says with no hesitation.

I lower my eyes to look down at my hands. “Is he dead?” I whisper.

“Yes.” No hesitation again.

My head snaps up to him, and I hiss in another breath at the movement. “You need to take it slow,” he orders through clenched teeth.

How can I think about taking it slow when he killed a man? I narrow my eyes on him. “And the other one? You had said you killed him too?”

He runs a hand through his hair, and it makes the muscles in his arms and stomach flex. I can feel the tension rolling off him. “No. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve death as a punishment.”

He saved me. He killed another man in order to save me, yet I don’t feel happy about that. “I need to leave,” I state.

“You need to stay here with me.”

“I don’t want to stay here.” All of a sudden, I don’t feel safe here. I don’t want to walk around a packed and noisy club tonight and wait on people while they get shitfaced. The bruises and cuts on my face are enough to scare them.

He hangs his head, and after a few long seconds, he lifts it back to look at me. “Do you want me to take you home?”

I turn to face myself in the mirror and sigh. “I can’t go home.” If Blane sees me like this, he will freak.

Case comes to stand behind me. He gently wraps his arms around my waist as he sets his chin on my shoulder and looks at me through the mirror. “Let me take you away from here.”

“You don’t have to do that …” He’s done enough for me.

“I want to.” He pulls away from me and slowly spins me around to face him. It’s as if I’m all of a sudden made of glass. He reaches up and places his hands on my hips. “I wanna be alone with you. Not here at the club. Not where others can find us and bother us. I want to be alone with you. Just you and me.”

“Where would we go?” I question confused. “We can’t go to my house. Blane doesn’t know about us,”

He gives me a big smile. “Let me take care of it.”

“But I don’t have any clothes …”

“Trust me.” He leans down and kisses my forehead gently. “You don’t need any clothes.” And with that, he pulls away and walks out of his bathroom. I take one long last look at myself in the mirror and sigh. What have I gotten myself into?

Case called Brecken and asked him if he could take care of the club for a couple of nights without him. Brecken sounded offended he would even ask and told him to get me away from here and get some rest himself.

Case had some guy by the name of Doc come into his room and check me out one last time while he packed us a bag. He said I didn’t need to get any of my clothes, but he had packed me a few pairs of his sweatpants and a couple of t-shirts for me to lounge in for the next couple of days. Doc examined me and asked how I felt. I told him that other than being a little sore, I felt pretty good.

We were walking out of the back of the club within thirty minutes. “Where are we going?” I ask as we pull out of the parking lot of Seven Deadly Sins.

“I’m taking you downtown. We are going to spend a few days in a hotel.” He looks to the side and throws me a soft smile.

I return it with a small smile of my own and then lie back in the passenger seat and enjoy the ride to downtown.

***

He holds the door open to our hotel room for me and I walk in with a mumbled thank you. I take a long look around at the suite he got us. I tried to tell him downstairs that we didn’t need anything special—just a bed—but he wasn’t having it. So I’m not surprised to see a large living room with a couch and loveseat, a small kitchenette to the right, and a hallway leading to the master suite.

I walk into the bedroom and look over the king-size bed that sits back against the far wall. The white comforter looks as white as snow with the rich purple pillows. I look to the left and see a big window with the same color of purple drapes pulled open. I walk over to it and look down over the city. It’s almost frightening how high up we are. It also doesn’t help that I’m afraid of heights.

“Taylor?” I turn around to see Case standing in the doorway of the bathroom. “Would you like to take a nap?”

I shake my head, wrapping my arms around myself. “I wanna take a bath.” I feel so dirty. The thought of those men having their hands on me makes a shiver run down my spine.

He nods once and then turns around to go to the bathroom. Moments later, I hear the water come on. I take a deep breath as I walk into it. He sits on the side of the Jacuzzi tub in his dark blue jeans and a simple white cotton t-shirt as he leans over to check the temperature. “How do you like your water?” he asks not turning around to face me.

“Hot.” The hotter the better.

He reaches up, adjusts the knobs, and then places his hand back under the water. Once he is satisfied, he turns to face me. Without a word, he reaches for the hem of his shirt that I’m wearing and starts to pull it up. I slap his hand away from it and take a step back from him. My heart now racing.

“What’s wrong?” he asks with a frown.

I look around the overly large bathroom quickly to avoid his eyes. “I … I wanna be left alone.” I swallow nervously as I feel the tears start to sting my eyes.

“I just wanna help you,” he says softly.

A tear slides down my cheek, and he takes a step to me, closing the space between us. “Taylor, baby. Talk to me.” He reaches up and rubs it away with his thumb.

I wrap my arms around myself once again. My head starts to ache again as I think about last night. “I don’t want you to see me,” I whisper as my chest tightens.

I take the chance to look up at him and his brows are pulled together, that frown still on his face. “I don’t understand.” He shakes his head once.

I drop my head to look down at his sweatpants that are so long for me, they cover up my shoes. “I saw how you looked at me.” A knot forms in my throat. “When you saw me in the alley last night.” I swallow thickly. “I’m ashamed,” I whisper as another tear runs down my face.

Two strong arms wrap around my shoulders at that next moment, pulling my body into his. A sob escapes me causing my body to shake. He bends his head down to mine. He moves one hand to hold my head against his chest while the other strong hand runs up and down my back. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he says with a heavy sigh and another sob comes out of me.

I don’t know why he’s apologizing; it’s not his fault those guys jumped me. “I’m so sorry, Case,” I cry, soaking his white shirt with my tears. “I tried … I tried to get away.” My body failed me. I just wasn’t strong enough. And at one point, I had even given up.

“Oh, baby.” He tightens his arms around me as his chest rises and falls quickly. I suck in a breath from the pain his arms are causing my body. I’m still so sore.

He pulls away from me quickly and grabs my hand. He pulls me over to the tub and he sits down on the side of it as he places his hands on either side of my face. “Listen to me, Taylor.” His voice is rough with emotion. Hate heats his dark blue eyes, and it just makes me cry harder. “There is nothing for you to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong. Do you understand?” he demands. “Nothing!”

“But …”

“But nothing!” he snaps interrupting me. I suck in another deep breath trying to calm my racing heart and stop the tears that continue to fall. “You did nothing wrong,” he repeats. “If you want me to leave so you can take a bath by yourself, then I will understand. But ask me to leave because you’re mad at me, not because you are ashamed of yourself.” His hand falls from my face, and he lets out a long sigh.

“Why would I be mad at you?” I ask through the tears.

He sighs heavily as he runs a hand through his dark hair. “Because it’s my fault. I should have never yelled at you.” He stands quickly and gives me his back as he turns to face the door. “I should have never let you go outside …”

I grab his hand, and he turns to face me. “It wasn’t your fault,” I say shaking my head and it intensifies my headache. “Case, you saved me,” I say reaching up and place my hand on his wet shirt. My tears have it clinging to his chest, and I can see his strained muscles through it.

“You wouldn’t have needed to be saved if I hadn’t put you in danger,” he growls through gritted teeth.

“I should have never asked about Rachel,” I say in all honesty. “What you did in the past is none of my business.” He keeps telling me that, but I just can’t keep from asking.

He reaches up and runs a hand over his unshaven face, and I feel my body start to relax. I love that sound. “After you’re done with your bath, I will tell you all about Rachel.” He turns to leave the bathroom, and I find myself reaching out for him again. Needing him to be with me. Needing him to calm me. That is why I left Seven Deadly Sins, to be alone with him. I pushed him away just yesterday and look what happened. I need him by me.

“Please stay?” I beg softly.

He turns to face me. His face wearing mixed emotions. “You don’t want me…”

“I do,” I interrupt him. He stands there, his dark blue eyes looking down into mine. I quickly wipe what tears I have left off my face and take a deep breath. With my heart still pounding against my chest, I reach down, grab the hem of his shirt, and pull it up and off. I let it fall to the floor and I bite the inside of my cheek as his eyes drop to my breasts. They fall lower to my stomach and then trace the bruise on my right side. I watch nervously as his eyes take in every inch of me. His jaw twitches, and his Adam's apple bobs as he swallows thickly. He fists his hands down by his side, and I feel that knot in my throat return. It’s as if he’s seeing me again for the first time naked, but only this time, he doesn’t like what he sees. I know I’m ugly. I have bruises and scratches all over me. And my legs look even worse than my upper half.