Silas heard running footsteps behind him but still couldn’t look away from the horror in front of him.
There was an audible inhale and other sounds of complete shock, and then Drake’s voice drowned out any sounds Hayley was making.
“What the fuck happened here?” Drake roared.
The question jarred Silas from his stupor and he ran to Hayley, his legs so shaky that he collapsed to his knees as soon as he reached her.
“Hayley!” His tortured cry spilled from his lips. “Oh God, baby. Letme look at you. Can you tell me what happened and how badly you’re hurt? Where you’re hurt?”
She didn’t even acknowledge his presence. She just continued with the steady click, click, click as she fired over and over, her eyes dull with pain and terror and so cloudy that he knew she was no longer even aware or cognizant of her actions.
Maddox leaned over her other side and gently eased the Colt out of her hands. Behind Silas, Drake was issuing orders for cleanup. He hadn’t looked at Drake even once and had no idea who had come with him.
Silas ran his hands over her body, trying to determine the severity of her injuries. Most of the blood appeared to be from her face, where her nose was busted and the corner of her mouth was cut open and bleeding steadily down her neck, but her shirt and pants were both open, leaving him to fear the worst. That he hadn’t gotten here in time to spare her the pain and degradation she’d suffered at the hands of Vanucci’s men. Dear God, what had they done to his sweet girl?
“Hayley? Baby, I need you to talk to me. Where are you hurt? I’m here. You’re safe now. Just talk to me, princess. Please,” he begged.
Silas pushed Maddox away so he could gather her gently in his arms and lift her off the filthy pavement. But as soon as she left the ground, she became a wildcat, struggling and swinging but still not saying a word.
“Hayley! Stop before you make your injuries worse. It’s Silas, I’ve got you, sweet girl.”
If anything, his words made her fight harder until he was forced to lower her back down. Restraining her would only cause more damage. He would just have to keep talking until she came back to herself and recovered from the initial horror of her attack.
Easing back a little, he slid his hand around her slender throat, caressing the tender skin in hope that the familiar act would calm and steady her.
“You’re all right now, princess. I promise.”
Her hand came up and slapped his away, and her eyes finally met his.
“You promise? Youpromise?” Her harsh whisper sent chills down his spine. “We both know what yourpromisesare worth. Don’t touch me,” she said, recoiling from his hand.
This time Silas didn’t care that tears stung like fire and threatened to burn a path down his face. Her words were like the sharpest knife, slicing directly through his heart. She was absolutely right. His promises meant nothing to her. He’d made her many and had broken every single one. He wanted to beg her forgiveness here and now, but the most important priority was to get her to a doctor so the severity of her injuries could be determined.
Maddox edged closer to Hayley. “We need to get you help, Hayley. You’ve got one hell of a bruise on your face and with the way you’re holding your side, I can tell you’re hurt.” He took in her disheveled clothing and the blouse she was now gripping closed. The rage and pain on his face was obvious. “What did they do to you? Did they...” He trailed off, probably not able to voice the word that Silas hadn’t allowed to truly cross his mind until that moment.Rape.Had these men raped his beautiful sweet girl?
“No,” she whispered raggedly. “They tried...” Her gaze bounced helplessly around, finally landing on the bodies a few feet away. “Are they dead?”
Her voice trembled and tears began silently trickling down her ashen cheeks. Silas wanted to howl and vent his horrible, all-consuming grief. She’d suffered terribly because of him. Not once, but three times, because in each instance he had failed her when she’d needed him most. How could he ever hope to gain her forgiveness when he would never forgivehimself?
Drake was squatting next to the bodies, carefully going through their pockets, when he heard Hayley’s barely whispered question.
“Yes, honey,” he said in a soothing voice. “They’ll never hurt you or anyone else again.”
Using his foot, he rolled one of the bodies over.
“This is Vanucci’s oldest son. Stupid fuck can’t take a shit without Daddy telling him how. I don’t even want to know why he was allowed out of the house, but he’s an inept little chickenshit, and we have that to thank for Hayley being alive right now. The other is Vanucci’s second-oldest son. My guess is they were making their move and trying to prove themselves to the old man.”
Maddox held up the gun he’d taken from Hayley. “Not the usual firepower carried by these assholes. A revolver? They don’t leave their houses without assault weapons or a gun capable of carrying at least a dozen rounds.”
“It’s mine,” Hayley said dully. “I want it back.”
Silas’s muscles twitched as he held back the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and hold her forever. She wouldn’t accept that from him and it was no less than he deserved but it still killed him. Then her words sank in and the panic he’d been fighting bubbled back up. “What?” he roared, then spun toward Drake. “She can’t even legally carry that gun here. This will never go down as self-defense with half the fucking cops on Vanucci’s payroll and the fact that if the Vanuccis grease enough palms they’ll easily pin this on her and claim they were the victims.”
“Easy, Silas. A cleanup crew is on the way. This will all be taken care of and there will be no blowback on Hayley. We’ll cover her. I promise. Just get her to our doctor and have him look her over. This part is handled.”
Silas reached once more for Hayley, but she went rigid and turned away from him, curling into a ball in front of the Dumpster.
“Princess, you heard Drake,” Silas said in a soft voice. “I have to get you to a doctor. I swear we’ll work everything out just as soon as I know you’re all right.”
