“He…every time…it was worse…I tried to fight…but…I don’t want to hurt anymore.”
What the fuck? Calm her down. Now.
“Wren. Repeat these numbers. Twelve, two, ninety-seven, sixty-one, five.” I don’t know if she’s coherent enough to hear me, but I have to get her panic under control before I can find out what’s wrong.
She loses focus after the third number. “Ry…”
I do the only thing I can. I kiss her. Cupping the back of her head, I brush my lips to hers, then trace the seam with my tongue. My dick rises to attention, jutting firmly against her ass, and she parts for me, letting me in for several seconds before she pulls away with tears brimming in her eyes.
“I need…to tell you…show…you…” Her head bobs a little as she tries to extricate her left arm from between us, and I gently take her wrist and help her. Ice creeps through my veins, despite the steam filling the bath. Half a dozen needle marks dot the inside of her elbow.
“Heroin.” The pieces start to fall into place, and it’s almost like I can hear them click together. The scratches on her chest and breasts. The dazed look in her eyes. The scent of bile in her hair. Kolya drugged her. “How many times?”
“Dunno. Nothing hurt then. And everything hurts now.”
“Wren, listen to me. When was your last dose?” I cup her cheek, rubbing my thumb in circles over a small patch of unbruised skin.
“Wore off. I could think again. Had to…get out.”
“A few hours then. Five, six at least. I promise, baby. You’ll feel better after I get you clean and we sleep a while.”
Her eyes unfocus, and though she’s staring right at me, I don’t think she sees me. “You…?”
“Ipromise, Wren. I know what that word means to you. And I promise. I’ll take care of you. He won’t hurt you again. We’ll get through this. Whatever you need, I’ll be here.”
The words catch in my throat. The three words I knew I had to say to her the moment I saw her fall off that balcony. But my promise must be enough, because she rests her head on my shoulder and whispers, “I believe you.”
30
Ryker
“Arms around my neck, sweetheart. Can you hold on long enough for me to wash your hair?”
“I…think so. I’m so tired, Ry.”
Stepping under the spray, I help her tip her head back, then start to massage shampoo into her hair. “I know. We’ll sleep in a few minutes. Tell me what hurts.”
“Everything,” she murmurs against my chest. “How long did…he have me?”
“Thirty-three hours.” I could tell her the minutes. Tell her how I kept checking my watch. Pacing. How West threatened to tie me up next to Semyon if I didn’t stop hovering over his shoulder.
“I kept hoping…you’d come for me.”
The sudden tightness in my chest steals my breath. If she’d shot me, I’d be in less pain. “I’m so sorry, baby. I…”
“S’okay. I know…Kolya had too many men.”
As the blood and dirt wash down the drain, Wren falls silent, and I don’t know if she’ll ever truly come back to me. Not after what that bastard put her through. Thirty-three hours.Thirty-three hours.Even if she spent much of it high, her body shows the horrors he visited upon her, and I’d bet my life he didn’t hurt her until the drugs wore off.
I keep my touch light as I skim my hands over her mound, her hip, her ass. She doesn’t react—to anything—and I whisper her name. “Wren?”
“Uh huh.”
Thank God she’s still with me. “Let’s get you into bed, okay?”
“‘Kay.”
Maneuvering a limp woman into a sweatshirt and fleece pants isn’t easy. Not with her injuries. But I bandage her arm and ankle, and then sit her up against my chest and press one of her daily anxiety pills to her lips. “Open, baby.”
