“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of,” I call back, dropping my bar towel on the counter and moving from behind the bar.
Going into the kitchen, I gather a couple of bottles of water and a few things to snack on.Then I make my way to the closet where we keep all the extra supplies that we keep stocked for reasons similar to this.I don’t know anything about her, nor did I even see her when they rushed her through, so I just grab a large t-shirt and loose-fitting shorts.I also grab a couple of washcloths, towels, and shower supplies.When I finally feel like I’ve got it all together, I make my way down the hall with the bedrooms.
To my surprise, they have her placed in the last room on the right.Twitch was leaning against the wall, his foot kicked up behind him.
“Is there anyone in there with her?”I ask him.
“Nope,” he replies and pops the p on the end.
Knocking softly on the door, I then turn the doorknob and push into the room.Lying in the middle of the bed is a small woman with her face turned away from me.Turning to the dresser against the wall, I lay everything down.I walk over to the edge of the bed and reach out, gently shaking the small woman.She moans before rolling over to face me.I jump off the bed as soon as I get a good look at her face.No, no, no, this cannot happen.
She stretches but stops, then groans in pain.I stop moving and just watch as her eyes slowly open.Our eyes connect, and instantly she gasps, looking around wildly.She’s shaking so badly that I swear I can hear her teeth chattering together.I put as much space between us as I can, praying to whatever god, universe, or other that she won't completely fucking lose it until we get to talk.I raise my finger to my lips to shush her.
Her eyes are so wide that I can see the entire whites of them.“They said you were dead.”Her words are so quiet that I can barely hear them.
“Please, I’ll explain everything.You just have to not say anything right now,” I beg her with my hands folded in front of me.
When the words leave my mouth, her eyes narrow and fill with anger.She opens her mouth to speak when there are three hard knocks on the door, giving the injured woman in front of me time to cover her body before the door opens.Hurriedly, I rush to the dresser, grabbing the shirt and shorts and handing them to her.She quickly pulls the shirt over her head before sliding back on the bed until her back hits the wall.Raider, Blender, Terro, Remedy, and Blitz all come through the door.
I look at all of them before squeezing the bridge of my nose, “If your goal was to scare the poor woman, all of your big asses in here sure the fuck will do it.”
Blitz immediately comes over to me, sliding his hand onto my hip before leaning close to my ear.“That smart mouth is going to get you into trouble.”
I just shrug as my chest is entirely too tight for me to get words out.The woman on the bed eyes all the men in the room.Her eyes lock onto Blender’s intimidating form, scanning him and only stopping when she spots his cut and the title stitched on it.She tries to scramble off the bed.When her feet hit the floor, she crumbles down with a cry, instantly covering her head with her arms and hands as if bracing for someone to strike her.
When I start to pull away from Blitz, he tightens his hold on me.Glaring over my shoulder, I say, “You don’t get to do that.”
Blitz’s gaze narrows before he lets me go.I drop to my knees slowly, then make my way over to her.I get close but don’t touch her.I sit cross-legged between her and the men in the room.My nerves flutter as I draw a shaky breath, anticipating the shit that will unravel fast once I utter my next words.
“Nova, sweetie, I need you to breathe.No one standing in the room is going to hurt you,” I say shakily.
I can feel everyone's eyes sharpen on my back as I speak.I’m so fucking screwed right now, but Nova needs me, and helping her is all that matters.I’ll deal with whatever these men have in store for me when I know she is safe and okay.For a long time, she acts as if she can’t hear me.I know she does, though, so I just sit there and wait for her to decide how she wants to handle this.If there’s one thing I know, it’s what her life has been like within the walls of the Lucifer's Knights clubhouse.It’s that she had no choices for years.
Nova finally drops her hands, revealing eyes still so wide.“You're supposed to be dead.They used you as an example.I don’t understand.”
“I know, sweetie,” I state, calmer than I truly feel.“Right now, we need to know what is bothering you and what happened for you to end up at the Kings of Anarchy’s clubhouse.”
She looks up at all the men standing behind me once again.I wave a hand behind me, showing bravery that I don’t truly feel.
“Ignore them.They’re here to make sure that you’re okay, that nothing happens to me, and to get the same information I just asked for.So, for now, I need you to talk to me as if it’s just me and you in here.”I pray that the said men will in fact hold it together long enough for them to hear her out.
“Sunny, I don’t understand.”Her shaking is so bad, and I’m realizing that it’s more than just fear.“Shit.How long?”
A tear slips down her cheek.“Too long.”
“Fuck!”I know I’m going to have to make this quick.“What did they say?Why did they bring you here?”
“I was meant to be a reminder that you haven’t truly escaped and had better do what is asked of you.”Nova’s words are flat and unforgiving.
Shaking my head, I back away from her until I hit something hard.Tilting my head up, I find I’ve backed into Raider’s legs, and the look in his two-toned eyes is pure murder.Shocking me, though, is that behind the murder I see sadness and even hurt.A whimper from Nova finally breaks the trance, and I look over at Remedy, who is just shaking his head.
“She’s about to detox.”I look at Nova and ask, “Pres or VP?”
Nova shakes her head, refusing to answer.
“We need to know so we know how to help you,” I push softly.
“Both!”
