Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
“No one’s gonna hurt you anymore, Scarlet. We’re gonna take you back with us, and you’ll be safe.”
“Never… be safe… again.” She let out a broken sob, her voice scratchy from the constriction of the noose.
“Once I get these fluids started, we’ll move her to the Expedition. Take her to my clinic in the compound so I can assess what needs to happen next.” He continued to work with the IV, taping it down before spiking a bag and connecting it to the port in her arm. “She’s talking and seems aware of her surroundings. Must have found her seconds after this happened.” He didn’t specify that she’d hanged herself or what exactly the “this” was, but we all knew. My guess was that Stitches was trying to push all that aside and get us all to focus on the immediate problem: Scarlet’s physical well-being. The mental damage we could worry about later. Right now, though, we needed to get her out of here.
“Honey, do you know where Hammer went?” Breaker knelt on the other side of her, stroking her hair back. I growled at him, heedless of Rage’s hold on my neck or that I might terrify the young woman on the ground.
“Get away from her!” I yelled at the Breaker, trying to lunge out of Rage’s hold but the other man held fast.
“Calm the fuck down, Mars.” Rage was at my ear, not raising his voice. The logical part of my mind knew they were right. I needed to get a fucking grip. But I also needed to get to Scarlet. Only then would I be able to get control of my baser instincts. “You’re gonna scare the bejesus outta her.”
“I said get away from her!” I was beyond caring. I needed the other man away from Scarlet and I needed to be the man at her side. I’d already failed her by not pushing my way inside that fucking house when I’d followed them after that fucking party. I wasn’t ever leaving her side again. Not as long as I was able.
Scarlet’s head turned toward the sound of my voice and our eyes met. I felt my breath catch in my chest as I looked into her clear hazel eyes, so full of fear and pain. I knew that look well. I had seen it in the eyes of so many women before her. Women who had been beaten, abused, used and discarded by men who had no right to touch them. Men I’d happily killed with a fucking smile on my face. It was those women who haunted me. I knew in the pit of my soul, Scarlet would be imprinted on me more than any of the ones before her.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Let… me…” She took a shuddering breath and a small sob broke free. “… die…”
“Like bloody hell!” I finally shrugged off Rage and moved to kneel beside Scarlet, stroking the hair off her forehead. “You’re ain’t fuckin’ dyin’.”
A tear streaked from her eye down her temple to her hairline. That one single tear felt like a dagger to my heart and I had to focus all my concentration on those glassy green and gold eyes.
She took a shuddering breath, then a sob escaped. “I don’t want to die.” That little hopeless confession was all I could take.
I pulled Scarlet into my arms and held her tightly against me. “You ain’t gonna die. I won’t let you. Never let you die. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” My words all ran together.
“Please don’t make me go back to him. I can’t. Can’t keep going…” Her voice was so thin and full of pain I clutched her to me and threw my head back and roared. She was weak and had to be in pain, but she bunched her fists in my colors and hung on like her life depended on it.
“Let me have her, Mars.” Stitches tried to pull her from me, but Scarlet whimpered and pulled herself closer, burying her face in my chest and clinging tightly.
“Get your Goddamned hands off her!” In my mind, Scarlet was Scarlet but… not. She was one of dozens of women I’d come across over the years and couldn’t save. Only this one wasn’t dead. Almost, but we’d saved her.
“Please… no…” Scarlet whimpered and drew in another shuddering breath.
“Is he with us?” That was Rage. He, more than anyone, might know what I was going through. And I knew he wasn’t talking to me. Even if he was, I wasn’t sure I could answer him. I was caught between the present and past. I knew it, but couldn’t seem to do anything about it.
“Maybe? I don’t know. She wants him and he’s protecting her, so I’m not sure how much it matters. But we gotta get her some medical care.”