“She’s gettin’ discharged tomorrow. Gonna need physical therapy for a while and Dr. Keen wants her to see a therapist. Her dad told me she’s thinkin’ about it. I’m tryin’ to figure out a way to get her to the ranch. Roger has a good setup there andnow that Annistyn is involved, I think it would be the perfect fit for Taleah. Her voice is still weak and might never be what it once was from what her dad just told me. She’s still rarely talkin’ and uses her voice for the staff when they go in to see her. I know she’s havin’ nightmares when she does sleep. Last night it was really bad. She only got an hour of sleep before stayin’ up the rest of the night. Her parents tried to get her to nap durin’ the day, but she couldn’t,” I tell him as Tonya, a nurse, walks in Taleah’s room with medicine in hand.
“You also need to sleep, Master. I don’t think you’ve gotten five hours since the day we rushed to Fantasy Realm. You’re gonna fuckin’ crash hard and make yourself sick. You were barely sleepin’ before this happened. Let’s go. Evan has the door and won’t let anyone in who doesn’t work here. Taleah’s parents are with her and you’ve already had dinner delivered to all three of them like you do for every meal every single day. It’s time for you to go to the compound, take a shower, get some real food, and sleep in your bed. Not go to your office and stare at the computer monitors until you lay your head on your desk and catch an hour or sleep,” Count says, his voice hard as I turn my attention toward him and see the serious look on his face.
“Fine,” I mutter, getting out of the chair that’s molded to my body and stretching before I step over to Evan and look in the door to see Taleah in the bed looking smaller than ever before. “I’m headin’ to the compound. Anythin’ happens, I’m your first fuckin’ call. Keep doin’ what your doin’ and don’t let just anyone in her room. You got it?”
“Got it, Master. Tonya is her night nurse and Dr. Keen left for the day already. No one else should be goin’ in her room but Tonya,” he informs me as I nod in response before turning to leave with Count at my side.
“Talked to Reynolds earlier when I saw him in town. They’re still searchin’ for TJ. He’s hidin’ and they have an undercover cop sittin’ down from the house in case he goes back there. They’ve checked his parents’ house even though it’s in another state and have talked to all the women he’s cheated on Taleah with. No one has seen him. At least that’s what they’re sayin’. TJ isn’t smart enough to hide on his own. Someone has to be helpin’ him,” Count says once the elevator doors close and we’re alone so no one can overhear.
“I’ll find him,” I state the truth because he won’t be able to hide from me.
“Not tonight you won’t. We’re all worried about you, Master. We all know you work yourself to death, but this is personal and you aren’t takin’ care of yourself. It’s worse than ever before and none of us are gonna stand for it much longer,” he tells me as we exit the elevator and head for the exit. Our bikes are parked close to the door as we walk over and straddle them.
“Tomorrow. I can bring my laptop with me or use my phone to find him. TJ isn’t gonna hide forever.”
Starting my bike, I let it warm up for a minute while I put my helmet on after tying a bandana around my face. I hate getting hit with bugs and other debris while I ride. Bhodi and I used to wear full face helmets so I never had to worry about that shit. We also rode sport bikes. I still have my bike, but rarely ride it. No one else in the club has one and I only take it out once a month to ensure it’s running properly. Very few people know I have the sport bike because I don’t keep it on the compound. I store my bike at a secure garage across town. Every single time I take it out, I remember the times Bhodi and I would ride together for the day without anyone with us. How I never onceput Taleah on the back of it for a ride she was desperate to take with me.
Count and I pull into the compound a few minutes after leaving the hospital. I needed to feel the wind and rode faster than I should have through town to cut the trip time short. After parking, we walk in the clubhouse together to find a party going on. Nothing new for the guys here, but I’m over it. I do see Reckless and Link sitting at their normal table in the back and know they aren’t here for the party. They’re waiting for me to get back. Taking a deep breath, I head for their table and stop in front of them. I don’t say a word as the two of them stare at me for a minute.
“Know whatever this situation is, it’s personal for you, Master. Not gonna ask you questions tonight about it, but wewillbe talkin’ about this. Worried about you because you’re quiet and rarely here these days. You’re burnin’ yourself out and we all saw how you responded to the girl in that store. All we want is to make sure you’re okay and that you realize we’re all here for you. None of us will hesitate to help you with whatever you need. Whatever she needs. Obviously the girl is important to you,” Reckless says as he leans back in his seat and folds his hands together on the table in front of him.
“Not ready to talk about it yet,” I say before leaving Count with them.
I don’t head for the bar to get a drink or pay attention to any of the Feral Girls trying to get my attention. Going into the kitchen, I find a plate in the refrigerator with my name on it. Pulling it out, I heat it up in the microwave. The ol’ ladies must have made dinner tonight because I have a full plate of lasagna and garlic bread. As it heats up, the smell surrounds me and I realize how truly hungry I am. After removing my plate from the microwave, I head straight upstairs and don’t stop until I get tomy room. After unlocking the door, I sit at my desk and eat the food left for me. Reaching down, I grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge I have right next to my desk and take a large sip. When all of my food is gone, I head in for a shower so I can go to bed. I’m exhausted and have been pushing through it because the need to be close to Taleah is all-consuming. Even if I’m not in the same room with her, just being close is enough for now.
Chapter Eight
Taleah
I’M FINALLY FREE. Dr. Keen has discharged me from the hospital as long as I go to my parents’ house while I continue to recover from TJ’s attack. It took me until late last night, but I finally remember everything that happened. TJ breaking into the store with a key he copied at some point, getting into an argument with him because I froze his access to my money, and then him beating the hell out of me. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital with Elara at my side. The one thing I can’t remember no matter how hard I try is Rex showing up. Elara told me more than once that he’s the one who saved me and then called my parents and her to tell them what had happened to me. The cops didn’t say much about what happened in Fantasy Realm once they showed up either. When Officer Reynolds came to see me, he asked me a bunch of questions I had to write the answers to. He didn’t get much information from me because I didn’t remember anything at that point. I was informed they have the security footage from that day and it’s a clear case and TJ won’t be able to get out of the charges.
“Sweetheart, it’s time to get changed so we can head home. Tonya will be back soon with the paperwork so we can leave. Dad is down moving the car to the front doors,” my mom says as she grabs the bag Elara brought me filled with clothes from her house. Some of them are mine while others are hers before she got pregnant this time.
Nodding my head, I carefully shift in the bed so I’m sitting up with my legs over the side. I currently have to use a walker because my legs aren’t strong enough to hold my weight. Between the injuries on them and laying in bed most of the day while I’ve been in the hospital, I need to gain more strength before my physical therapist will be comfortable enough to let me stop using the walker. My mom helps me change from the hospital gown into a pair of loose sweatpants and a tank top. The last thing she pulls from the bag is one of Rex’ old hoodies Elara stole from him when we started our freshman year of high school. It’s one of his football hoodies. I don’t really want to wear it, but I don’t want my body on display either. I look horrible and know strangers and people I know from town will stare at me with pity in their gaze because I’m literally covered in marks from head to toe.
By the time I’m dressed, Tonya makes her way back in my room and hands all the papers over to my mom. I’ve already signed them. She lets us know prescriptions for pain medicine and a muscle relaxer were called in yesterday so they should be ready to pick up from the pharmacy in town. Tonya and my mom help me from the bed and I sit heavily in the wheelchair I’ll be riding in for my trip to the front door. I don’t want to walk because my movements are still so much slower than normal. I’m ready to leave here and go home. Only I’m not going home. I’m going to my parents’ house.
“Mom, after we pick up my medicine, I want to stop at the house. I want some of my own clothes to wear at your house and I need to see the damage that’s been done to my space by him,” I say, refusing to use the name of the monster who put me in the hospital.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Bean?” she asks me as we exit the elevator and I can see my dad waiting for us by the car.
“Yeah. It’s something I need to do today. If I put it off, I won’t ever go back there,” I tell her honestly because there are so many horrible memories with TJ there. Honestly, I just want to get rid of the house for good and never step foot inside again. Realistically that can’t happen because I know there’s damage I’ll have to fix and that doesn’t include packing all of my stuff so I can move.
“Okay, Bean.”
My dad helps me in the backseat of the car before covering me with blankets. I’ve been freezing since the day I woke up in the hospital. I know they keep it colder than anywhere else, but I can’t seem to warm up entirely. The nurses have given me multiple heated blankets throughout the day and I’ve kept most of them on me. I wouldn’t drink ice water and chose to have room temperature water instead. Anything that was cold I avoided and I still have yet to warm up. Even now when it’s hot as hell outside, I have goosebumps on my arms and am shivering.
I close my eyes as my parents get in the car after loading the bag and walker in the trunk. They open the windows a little bit causing a gentle breeze to blow through the car. It feels good to breathe the fresh air, but does nothing for my already chilled body. I pull the blankets tighter around my body as we leave the hospital behind. My mom tells my dad to go to the pharmacy for my medicine before we go to my house. I feel his eyes on me in the rearview mirror but don’t open my eyes to look at him. I’m mentally preparing to see the house and possibly TJ for the first time in over a week.
The trip to the pharmacy was short and my dad went through the drive-thru instead of going inside. We didn’t have towait and he took care of the co-pay for me. With my medicine in hand, I finally opened my eyes and watched the scenery pass me by on the way through town toward my house. With every mile closer we get, my heart starts beating faster and I have a hard time breathing. Nervous tension fills my body and I know I was right in coming here today. This is something that needs to happen if I’m ever going to be able to come back here once I can leave my parents’ house.
We pull up and once again the driveway is full of cars that don’t belong here and I can hear the music blaring from inside. None of the windows or doors are opened and I can still hear every word of the current song playing inside my house.
“Are you kidding me?” my mom says from the front passenger seat. “How often does this jerk do this, Bean?”
“I’m not kidding you, Mom. This happens multiple times a week. Well, it used to. Probably daily now that I haven’t been here for weeks before the attack. Someone is funding the party because I’m sure he spent the money he stole from Fantasy Realm that same day. I’m calling the cops right now,” I answer my mom while keeping my eyes locked on the house I once believed was my sanctuary and has turned into a pit of nightmares.
I call the cops and ask for Officer Reynolds since he’s the one who came to see me in the hospital. While I’m on the phone, the rumble of bikes coming up behind us fills the air and drowns out the music blaring from my house. I don’t turn around to see who’s here because this is the first time I’ve ever heard motorcycles on this street. No one here owns a bike and none of the members from the club come down my street.
