Paige was crying. He could hear it by the way her breathing had changed.
“We each take a turn. We won’t leave any marks. No-one needs to know. Even the other bitches will think we’re taking her to interrogate her. It’ll stay between us.”
“I don’t want any trouble,” Gus said.
Paige cried out. It sounded like that fucker, Tim, was hurting her somehow. “No trouble. If she tells anyone anything about this, I’ll kill her. We don’t need her.”
Paige was crying openly now. The bastard was definitely hurting her somehow. Flood couldn’t help it when his hands curled into fists. When his breathing increased a whole hell of a damn lot. He could taste the adrenaline in his saliva. Could scent it seeping from his pores. How could he sit by and allow this to happen?
Fuck!
He had to ignore this! He had to stay strong. The lives of his people depended on it. Besides, he was still too damned weak to be of much use.
“We’re going to show you how it’s done,” the prick said. “By the time we’re done with you, you’re going to beg us for more. Trust me though, when I say I’ll kill you if you say so much as a word. I mean it! You won’t say anything about this, will you, bitch? Will you?” His voice hardened up.
Paige cried out, louder this time. Her voice laced with pain. The prick was hurting her. Trying to force her to agree and then they were going to do what they pleased to her. These males had no honor.
Fuck that! Flood saw red. He was on his feet in an instant. His hand closed on the throat of the male closest to him. There was a yell, which quickly turned into a crunching noise. The male fell to the floor, his body jerking. His windpipe was crushed and his carotid artery was probably destroyed as well. Flood took it upon himself to study anatomy. The quickest ways to kill. It was a toss-up as to whether he would die from lack of oxygen or blood loss first. Flood didn’t care. His only hope was that it wouldn’t be too quick. The male needed to suffer some.
Both of the remaining males were yelling. Their eyes wide. Tim had Paige by the hair. She had both her hands around his, trying to alleviate the pressure to her scalp. Gus tried to stick him with the knife, but he grabbed his arm, hearing bones crunch beneath his grip. The male screamed, dropping to his knees. His gaze was zoned in on Paige though. So much so, that he almost forgot that Tim was holding a gun. Almost. The prick fired, Flood managed to dodge but not quite getting out of the way of the bullet, which went through his side. He felt the bullet enter and exit. Felt his hip bone shatter. Flood fell to the floor. Thankful when Tim let Paige go.
Tim began to level the gun at him. Flood felt all the strength leave him. The short burst of energy he had felt momentarily was gone.
Instead of running, the idiot female threw herself at Tim, knocking him onto the floor. The shot fired wide. The gun went flying. It took everything in him to claw himself back to his hands and knees just as Tim pushed Paige off of him.
“What the hell is going on here?” It was a woman who spoke. Not Paige. At least he didn’t think it had been Paige. Flood felt the last of his reserves drain. He collapsed in a heap.
Chapter 10
Oh, thank god!
Paige could hardly catch her breath. Her heart raced like mad.
She watched as the unknown woman in the business suit reached down and picked up the weapon, holding it like it was something that belonged in the garbage. Her hands were manicured. Her dark hair styled to perfection. Her blouse looked silk. The real kind. The long strand of pearls around her neck looked pretty authentic as well. She wore black stockings and high, stiletto heels. She looked completely out of place.
Paige pushed out a breath. For a second there she had been sure she was a goner. That both of them were. Flood! Dear god! He had been shot again.
She scrambled over to the fallen shifter. The back of his cotton pants were wet with blood and a pool was beginning to form below him. “Get the first aid kit!” she yelled, taking off her sweatshirt so that she could use it to staunch the flow of blood. “We need to get him into the recovery position. Dammit!” She said, feeling helpless. He might not survive this time. Her eyes stung with the realization. He had stood up for her in the end. He’d warned her he wouldn’t. Paige hadn’t expected him to and yet, here he was, fighting for his life again because of her.
She glanced at the guy on the floor. His eyes were fixed and glassy. She couldn’t muster a single smidgen of guilt that he was dead. The other guy, Gus, was cradling his arm and moaning softly. His face was pinched with pain.
“Answer me,” the woman said in a commanding tone. “What the hell happened here?”
“They wanted to rape me,” Paige blurted, looking the woman head-on. Screw Tim! He could go to hell if he expected her to keep quiet about this.
The woman’s eyes widened and her jaw tightened as she moved her eyes to where Tim was now standing.
“That’s bullshit, boss. I swear,” Tim growled, narrowing his eyes at Paige. “We were trying to take her to interrogate her. That’s all. She must have gotten the wrong idea.”
“That’s not true. They made it very clear what they planned on doing to me,” Paige countered. “How they were going to strip me and take turns.”
“Interrogating you,” Tim threw back. “Stripping a subject is not an unusual thing to do.”
“Bull! You said it was your duty to show me what a real man could do.”
The woman looked like she was mulling it over. “You were given strict instructions to wait,” she said, using a no-nonsense voice as she addressed Tim. She put her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you do as you were told?”
“We were sure we could break her,” Tim replied, giving Boss Lady a tight smile. “All of that stuff I said was to scare her into talking. I know what I’m doing.”
“If rape can be considered breaking then yes, that’s what they planned.” Paige pushed her sweatshirt harder against both the exit and entry wounds using both hands. He was still bleeding badly.
“That’s complete crap!” Tim yelled. “Say something, Gus.”
“I need to go to the hospital,” he pushed out. “The bone is sticking out.” He sounded like he was on the verge of panic.
“This is a colossal mess,” Boss Lady said, not looking too impressed. “I made it clear that none of the women were to be touched sexually. That’s not the type of set-up I run.”
“I didn’t—”
“Save it!” She pointed a manicured finger at Tim, Paige noticed she had a tattoo on her hand. It was black and not very big. It seemed out of place on her otherwise perfectly coifed exterior. “You had better pray the dragon makes it because if he doesn’t you’ll regret it.”
“This bitc— woman is a…she’s something medical, a vet or something. She kept him alive before, I’m sure she can do it again.”
“You had better hope so. Gus, I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait to go to the hospital until the next shift arrives. With him,” she pointed to the body, “dead, and you injured, we’re officially short-staffed.”
“What do you need?” the woman asked Paige.
“He needs a hospital.” She pointed at Flood, thinking she’d try her luck.
The boss lady shook her head, looking amused. “Not going to happen. Try again.”
Shit! “I need that first aid kit for a start. Any other medical supplies you might have. Things like oxygen, IV fluids—”
The lady put her hand up. “This isn’t a medical facility, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“A blanket or two would be nice and regular meals would be fantastic too. He might have bouts of consciousness…if we’re lucky. He was extremely weak, barely even conscious before and now he’s been shot again.” She gave Tim a dirty look, wishing she could turn the gun on him. “I don’t know, chicken soup. Maybe fluids with electrolytes. I need to try to get some sustenance into him.” Paige stopped there. She didn’t want to push it.
“They don’t have blankets?” Boss Lady lif
ted her brows, turning to Tim. “And what’s this about regular meals? What’s been happening in my absence?”
He shuffled under her scrutiny. “We needed them to talk. Denying a couple of basic needs is a good way to make that happen. You hired us, you need to trust us.”
She ignored that statement. “Where are John and Mike? One of them was supposed to be here at all times.”
“It was John’s off shift and Mike had a family emergency. We had it covered.” Tim muttered weakly, looking at the floor as he spoke.
“I can see that.” The woman shook her head, looking disappointed. “Get whatever… What’s your name?”
“Paige.”
“Get one of the others to bring whatever Paige needs. If I catch you so much as looking at these women in the wrong way again, you’re off this team. Do I make myself clear?”
Tim’s eyes hardened but he nodded once. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I’ll be in my office. Get rid of the body.” She turned back to Paige. “You can patch him up after you’ve seen to the shifter.” She pointed at Gus.
“No!” Paige spat. She pulled in a deep breath. “He was going to rape me. I’m not touching him.”
“N-no I wasn’t. I was—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Tim growled.
The woman sighed. “Sorry Gus, but you’re out of luck. I wouldn’t do it either if I was her.”
Gus made a pitiful whimpering noise. Paige had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Tim picked up the knife and handed it to Gus, who sheathed it using his good hand. It took some effort. Gus walked from the cell, crouching through his middle, still cradling his arm to his chest. Still moaning. Good!
Tim grabbed Elliot by the feet and pulled him out of the cell. He closed the door behind him. Boss Lady handed him the weapon and walked away. The sound of her clacking heels became softer and softer.
Tim smiled at her. There wasn’t an ounce of humor in it. “You’re dead!” he whispered, looking around to make sure no-one was listening in. “You’re as good as fucking dead. As soon as I get the chance, I’m coming for you.”
She could see he meant it. Paige didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t help anyway. Instead, she looked down at Flood. Thankfully the bullet had an exit wound, so she wouldn’t have to dig it out. The wound had stopped pumping blood. Flood was still breathing. His skin was pale though. He’d lost too much blood in such a short time.
She released a pent-up breath when she heard Tim leave, dragging the body as he went. She tried not to think about his threat. About him coming back. This wasn’t the time.
Within a few minutes, one of the other men brought a first aid kit and a blanket. “I’ve also been instructed to bring a bucket of hot water and a washcloth. Do you need anything else?” He looked from the shifter to her and back again.
“Please help me turn him onto his back.” Right now, Flood lay face down in a heap on the cold, hard floor. His breathing was strong, so she didn’t think he needed to be in the recovery position. “Let’s move the mattress, put it right next to him and then try to flip him onto it.”
The guy nodded, he pushed the mattress across and Paige positioned it where she wanted it. Then he moved to Flood’s head and gripped him by the shoulders.
Paige took ahold of his legs. “On two…” She counted down and they both did their best to turn Flood. Paige used every ounce of strength and then some. The guy’s face turned red from the effort but they finally managed it.
Flood grimaced and then groaned loudly as his back hit the mattress but within seconds he was out cold again. She looked down at his torn pants. They were wet with congealed, drying blood. “I’m going to need a pair of sweatpants for him.”
The guy nodded. “I’ll see what I can find.”
It didn’t take long and he was back with the hot water and the washcloths. He also brought soap, a towel and some other basic toiletries. “I’ll bring some food in a little while.” He frowned. “I’m afraid I couldn’t find anything that would fit him. It might take some time.”
She nodded. “Thank you. Can you make sure the other women get some food and supplies as well?”
He nodded. “I will.”
Once the door clicked shut down the hall, and all was finally quiet, Sydney asked what had happened. Paige told them briefly, sticking to the facts and warning them about Tim. "I need to sort out this gunshot wound," she finally said after a barrage of questions. The women didn't ask anything more after that. If Paige strained, she could hear them talking with one another. They were worried and Paige couldn't blame them.
She looked back down at Flood, watching his chest rise and fall. His color might be terrible but he still looked strong. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” She opened the first aid kit and removed the blunt-nose scissors she’d seen earlier. Being as careful as possible, she pulled the congealed material away from his skin and cut down. She rolled the pants away from the wound, taking care not to touch anything she shouldn’t. Again, she was astounded at how small and insignificant the wound looked. The hole was just to the right of his hip bone. Purple blossomed across his skin. It looked painful. She wondered what kind of damage it might have done to bone and organs. Hopefully nothing major had been affected. He was going to need his super healing abilities all over again. Her sweatshirt was wadded on the bottom wound, which she would just be able to make out above the mattress if she removed it. The shirt was also soaked with blood in places.
Using the water and cloths, she cleaned the area as best she could before using what was left of the rubbing alcohol to sanitize the wound. Then she dressed it. She did the same with the exit wound before checking on his chest wounds. It was a miracle that none of them had been affected. They continued to heal up. The one on the actual bullet wound had become a thin pink scar.
She pushed out a heavy breath. “These pants have to go.” She spoke more to herself since he was still lights out. The garment was tattered, dirty and blood-soaked.
Okay! She was a grown woman. She’d seen a couple of naked men in her life. It was no big deal. Paige cleared her throat. She could do this.
Going slowly and carefully, she peeled his thin cotton pants down…down. Oh good lord! She quickly looked away. Okay, so maybe she’d seen a couple of naked men before but nothing like this. Flood was a monster of a man…all over. She glanced back up, looking away again. Concentrate on the job at hand, Paige! He was huge, as in, long and wide with heavy balls. There was not a hair in sight which made him look even bigger. She swallowed thickly. The abs she had seen above his pants line continued below it. He also had that muscled V. She got back to work, peeling his pants down further, revealing thick thighs, just as tanned as the rest of him. Come to think of it, he didn’t have tan lines anywhere.
Flood might not be handsome in the classical sense but he sure had a beautiful body. Even shot to hell and covered in bandages, he was something to behold.
Tanned, honed and well-muscled. She peeled his pants off his legs, one at a time, noticing that his feet were massive too. Paige bit down on her lower lip as she recalled the particular saying that had to do with feet, their size and another part of the anatomy. The saying was clearly true!
Her cheeks felt hot. The rest of her did too. Undressing him without any help had been hard work. Paige quickly pulled the blanket over him, protecting his modesty. Hopefully they’d find some clean clothing for him soon.
She cleaned up the small cell. Washing the cloths and hanging them to dry. Flood might want to wash when he finally regained consciousness. She looked down at the soap. What she wouldn’t do for a shower. There was no way she would risk it though. She put the bloody rags that used to be her sweatshirt and his pants, next to the cell door.
She sat on the edge of the mattress and waited. What else was there to do? One thing was for sure, they needed to break out of there soon. Tim meant every word. He was going to come after her. On the surface, it felt like things had improved, when in reality, the
y may just have gone from bad to worse.
Chapter 11
Something touched the back of her head. Fingers threaded through her hair. Rubbing softly on her scalp. It felt good. Goosebumps lifted on her arms. Sparks of pleasure rippled across her skin, moving down her back, even though his hand stayed threaded in her hair. Soft…gentle.
Flood.
She sucked in a breath and her eyes opened. Where was she? There was soft, warm skin against her ear and…and… What was she looking at? A hand clamped over that something, pushing it down, in the same instant as she realized what it was.
“Oh!” she said as she sat up. “I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep,” she blurted turning to face Flood, his face that was.
Impassive as always. His dark eyes gave nothing away. “I’m sorry.” He glanced down at his hand. “It happens sometimes.”
She’d been lying on Flood’s stomach ‒ more to the point, on his abs, the washboard ones ‒ facing towards his legs. His penis had been fully erect when she’d woken up. So much so that it had lifted the blanket. Lifted. It. She’d woken up facing a wall of blanket. That was, until he’d pushed it down. He was still holding his hand over his…big gulp…area.
“You’re half dead. You shouldn’t be able to get…those.” She waved a hand in the general direction of his erection.
“Dragons are a strange species. We get extra horny when we’re injured. I think it’s because sex helps the situation. Don’t be afraid or take it the wrong way. It’s how I woke up. I can’t seem to,” he squirmed a little, “get it to go down.”
“I’m surprised with all the blood loss that you haven’t passed out with the amount of blood needed to fill that thing.” She made the stupid joke, giggling to herself afterwards even though it made her cringe inside. Why was she acting like such a teenager?
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