Her fingers are still gripping my shirt as if it’s the only thing tethering her to this world. I lean my head down, brushing my lips softly against the top of her head.
“It’s okay, baby,” I murmur. “You’re safe now.”
Her breath shudders. “I wanna go home,” she whispers, voice cracking as she speaks, attempting to hold back her sobs.
The words cut straight through my heart. If I could take her home I would. But I need my medical office at the clubhouse. We need to handle those bastards. And if she wants to take her revenge on them, I’m going to make sure she has that chance. That it’s not taken from her.
“You will,” I promise quietly. “We just gotta check you out first. Make sure you’re okay. The clinic’s at the clubhouse. Then, I’ll take you home.”
“We’lltake you home.” Luke clears his throat, interjecting.
Her grip tightens on my shirt. “No,” she begs, shaking her head weakly. “Please Josh, just take me home.”
Luke moves from where he sat crouched on the floor of the van and sits down on the bench beside me. He places his hand gently on her leg.
“Sweetheart,” he says softly. “We just need to make sure you’re alright. We need to—”
Veronica starts shaking her head fiercely, her eyes widened with panic. She speaks with shaky words, cutting him off. “I am…he didn’t r—” Her voice fades almost if she can’t say the word. Her eyes drop to her fingers clenched in my shirt, refusing to look at either of us. “The son did… other things,” she whispers. “But no one… touched me there.”
Silence fills the van as the world stops. All of us feared for the worst. Death. Rape. For her to be alive, to tell us that didn’t happen is a small bit of relief. I let out a deep exhale as that small piece of comfort takes hold.
But the relief is tangled with something darker. Because she’s still shaking. Still hurt. Still carrying the emotional and physical proof of what those bastards did to her. I want to ask what the son did to her. But she’s vulnerable right now, and as much as I want to push her, I can’t. I need to be patient no matter how bad the not knowing is killing me.
My hand slides up into her hair, holding her head against my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whisper. “No one will ever do anything to you again. I promise.”
Luke’s phone rings. Neither of us move. His attention, along with mine, stays solely locked on her.
Then my phone starts vibrating in my pocket.
I ignore it. Already knowing who it is. Someone I have no desire to speak or talk to right now.
A moment later, Luke’s rings again. He pulls it out of his pocket and glances at the screen briefly, jaw tightening, but he still doesn’t answer.
Nothing matters right now except Veronica.
“We’re going to make them pay, Veronica.” My voice is low. Cold. “They’ll die.” My hand tightens slightly around her. “But not before they feel every bit of pain you did.”
Her breathing calms as if she’s finally realized she’s safe and can relax. “Good,” she whispers. A minute later her grip on my shirt loosens. Her breathing evens out, and I can hear her soft snores.
She’s asleep. Exhaustion from all the events of the past twelve hours having taken its toll on her body.
Neither Luke nor I say a word the rest of the ride to the clubhouse. When the van finally rolls to a stop, Luke stands first and opens the doors.
I stand carefully, adjusting her sleeping body in my arms so her head stays tucked beneath my chin. She barely stirs; she’s so deep in slumber. Stepping down onto the ground, I head straight for the clubhouse doors. Brothers fill the outside of the building, clearing a path for us., lowering their heads as I pass. A sign of respect and support. Because as much as Luke and I love her, she’s family to many of them. Each of them willing to lay down their life for her.
I’ve barely stepped inside the building when a deep voice shouts, “Stop!”
Hank.
He’s already moving toward us, anger in every step, but there’s something else in his eyes. Pain. Hurt. Regret.
Luke leans in kissing Veronica on the head. “Go,” he tells me quietly. “I’ll handle him.”
I don’t hesitate and head straight to my clinic.
Right now, the only thing that matters is taking care of my girl.
Luke
