She looks around at all the guys surrounding the table, and I know it must be scary for her to see such big guys, but each one of them has a smile on their faces, which eases her fear slightly. “Okay.”
“Good. Can you tell us your trailer number? Do you remember which one it is?”
“It’s um, number five. It has yellow paint on the outside with the bars on the windows. Momma got mad at me once for opening the window to get fresh air because it’s so hot in there, so she put them up, saying that bad girls don’t get things.”
I look up at the ceiling, pissed off. I'm ready to tear out of here and track down her so-called parents, and I don’t think I’m the only one. Madison grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. I look at her to see tears swimming in her eyes.
“Thank you, Bailey, you've been such a big help.” Blade smiles at her, but I can see in his eyes that he’s ready to murder someone.
I turn her chair around and get down to her level. “Okay, Bailey Bee, we are going to head to the medical bay here so Madison and I can take a look at your bruises, okay? Just to make sure nothing is wrong.” All she does is nod her head, looking scared, and grabs my hand as I help her up.
“Joker,” Blade calls me before I leave the room. I turn my head to look at him. “We ride in an hour.” The smile he has is feral, mirroring my own. Let’s pray the stepfather is there so I can end this once and for all.
Madison
I walk out with Joker and Bailey, heading for the medical bay at the clubhouse, and I just hope we don’t find anything else wrong. Right now she’s so quiet, when before with the girls she was in heavenlooking at everything they bought for her. We will still have to go to the mall, but for now she has everything she will need until then.
As I look around, I can see Joker has everything you could need in a medical bay, which makes me wonder how often they use this stuff in here. I walk towards the bed, and I can feel Bailey’s hand tremble in mine.
I give her an encouraging smile. “Can I help you up onto the bed, Bailey?”
She looks around the room in fear. “Okay.” Her voice is hardly a whisper, and I know she’s scared. I don’t think this poor girl has ever been seen by a doctor.
I pull out the stool on the bottom and help her up as Joker comes over with a few things on a tray. “Okay, Bailey Bee, I’m going to check your lungs and draw some blood, but first, can you tell me if you're hurting anywhere else?”
Bailey looks at both of us with tears in her eyes. “Um, my back hurts a little bit. Leo got mad at me when I asked for food.”
My head flies up to look at Joker, and he is livid. I don't think I’ve ever seen him look so mad. “I’m going to take a look, okay?” All she does is nod her head and look at the wall.
I walk around the bed and take a deep breath. Joker places a hand on my back as I slowly lift her shirt. I gasp seeing the bruises and what looks to be whip marks lining her back. How she’s not crying in pain right now is beyond me. There are old and fresh marks all over her.
“Oh my god, Joker.” Tears fall down my face at the horrors Bailey has faced.
He leans down and kisses the top of my head, whispering in my ear. “I know, angel, I promise you he is going to get his.”
I stand back up and wipe my tears because right now Bailey needs me to be strong. Later, when she’s asleep, I can fall apart. I pull myselftogether and walk to face her with a smile on my face. “So I’m just going to grab something, and I will be right back, okay? And then we can get started.”
“Am I in trouble?” Her lip trembles, and my heart shatters into a million pieces. All this poor girl has known is pain, but no more.
“Oh, honey, no, you're not in trouble. I’m just going to grab a laptop so you can watch a movie while Joker and I clean the marks on your back. Then we can go into the kitchen and make some lunch. How does that sound?”
“Can I have more of those cookies Hailey brought?” She gets a hopeful look on her face, making me smile.
“As long as you eat your lunch, of course you can.”
Joker comes around and gives her a mischievous smirk, lowering his voice. “Don’t worry, Bailey Bee, you can sneak all the cookies you want.”
I listen to her giggle and walk out the door, closing it softly behind me, and walk with purpose towards the living room. Everyone is sitting around talking, but as soon as they see my face, all talking stops.
“What’s wrong, Madison?” Blade asks as he gets up. Everyone else is on high alert.
I angrily wipe the tears that don’t want to stop falling. “When we asked Bailey if she’s hurt anywhere else, she said her back, and when I lifted her shirt, she had old and fresh whip marks all over. When you find Leo, I want you to inflict the worst kind of pain imaginable on him. I want him to feel everything that Bailey has gone through.” I’m not a violent person; I don’t seek revenge ever, but everyone has a breaking point, and this is mine. When you hurt innocent children. This I won’t stand for.
He runs his hand through his hair in frustration. “Fuck. Does she need to go to the hospital?”
“No, between Joker and me, we have it covered. I only came out here to grab a laptop so she can watch a movie while we clean up her wounds. And while you guys are gone, we are going to be making lunch and hanging out here until you guys get back.” I look at the girls to see them with tears in their eyes. This is hitting all of us hard.
Hailey stands up and walks over to me. “You can use mine. I already have a few movies she can watch, and while you guys are cleaning up her back, I can sit with her if you'd like.”
