by Jenika Snow
“Do you want me to go and wait,” Greys asked.
The last time one of the club women was supposed to be watched and ended up taken and hurt, Demon had killed the prospect when he’d failed. This wasn’t a fail. He didn’t expect the prospects to be walking side by side with the women. Even he couldn’t handle that kind of care.
“No, this isn’t your fault.”
Steel knew the blame was entirely on Hanson. No one could have predicted when that fucker was going to strike back. After the warning he’d given him, he really didn’t think the bastard would have the balls to try it again. He’d underestimated him, but that wasn’t ever going to happen again. Hanson was living out his final hours.
“She was smashed up pretty bad. I should have fucking known when she didn’t come straight in. Fuck,” Greys said, standing up and pacing. “I should have known.”
Greys kept repeating the same words over and over again.
“Sit down,” Steel said. “You couldn’t have prepared for this.”
He’d not been there in time to see the mess that Hanson had created, but from the look on Greys face, it was bad.
Sitting down on the nearest seat, he stared at the clock, willing the doctor to put him out of his misery. He couldn’t handle this, not knowing what was happening to her. Eloise had gotten under his fucking skin and he loved her. He’d never loved anyone in his whole life and the first woman he did, there was a risk she was going to be taken away from him. No, he couldn’t allow it nor would he accept it. If the doctors came out and told him anything but good news, he’d kill every single one of them. No one was telling him bad news, not today.
The minutes passed; and the clock seemed to take its time.
Tick tock.
Tick tock.
He was going to smash the fucking clock in a minute if they didn’t hurry up.
Suddenly the door opened, and the doctor called his name.
“I gave them your information as her next of kin,” Greys said.
Yep, the prospect was going to get a patch all right.
With his brothers at his back, he listened to everything the doctor said. Eloise’s jaw and nose were broken, but they’d repaired them. She’d be in a lot of pain, but with time the bruising and swelling would go down. She had several cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder, which had been re-set.
The list seemed to go on and on.
“We’re going to keep her at least overnight, and probably several days, in case of a concussion and because she needs sedated for her pain.”
Steel grew angrier by the second. When he got his hands on that piece of shit he was going to tear him limb from fucking limb. Before he was finished, he was going to make sure Hanson begged for death long before he ever allowed him the pleasure of experiencing it.
“I want to see her.” He couldn’t settle the score until he saw Eloise.
“She’s asleep right now, heavily sedated.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I want to see her.”
The doctor nodded. “She’s only allowed two visitors at a time.”
Steel looked toward Demon, his Prez.
“I’m right behind you.”
They followed the doctor past the double doors then down a long, busy corridor. Steel didn’t like the twisted feeling he was getting deep in his gut. He knew it was going to be bad. The long list of problems wasn’t going to make for his perfect Eloise now. He didn’t care about the risk of scars; he loved her no matter what. Steel was more concerned with how it was going to affect the woman he loved. She’d been attacked and he’d not been there to protect her. He’d pay to help her heal inside and out.
“Be prepared,” the doctor said. “She’s badly bruised, and the swelling has started—”
“Just fucking show me,” he said.
The doctor pulled back the curtain, and the sight before him twisted Steel’s stomach. He wasn’t repulsed. Eloise was his woman. He’d fallen in love with her and would love her to the day he died. No, he was disgusted with himself. He’d not been at the clubhouse; otherwise he’d have been the one to follow her out into the dark. His obsession for her wouldn’t have allowed him not to go out. He’d have used the opportunity for privacy, and to fuck her against the wall, otherwise he’d have taken the trash out for her.
“I’ll give you a couple of minutes.”
He didn’t look at the doctor. Instead, he walked toward his woman. All he wanted to do was take her hand, but her hand was badly bruised as well.
“What the fuck happened?” Steel asked.
Steel knew, but he didn’t want to believe it was Eloise lying in that bed with tubes hooked up to her, monitoring her breathing and her vitals.
“Fuck, brother, we’re here for you. All of us are.”
“I don’t care about the fucking repercussions. Hanson is a fucking dead man, and he’s dead at my hands, tonight.” He glanced toward Demon, and his Prez nodded.
“I’m not going to argue with you. We’ll handle any blowback.”
Turning back to Eloise, he reached out to touch her hair, wanting, no, needing to touch her even though he didn’t want to hurt her. Hovering his hand over her head, he gritted his teeth.
“I’m going to make it better for you. I promise you no other harm will come to you. I’ll make fucking sure of it. I promise you.” He wanted to kiss her but he couldn’t.
Each little thing he couldn’t do: touch, taste, kiss built the rage inside him. He was going to fuck Hanson up and laugh while he did it.
Withdrawing his hand, he fisted it by his side.
“I’m going to be back, Eloise. You’ve got nothing to worry about. The club and I are behind you. You’re in safe hands with us.” Damn, how could he even promise he that when she’d been at the clubhouse when she was hurt? He leaned forward as if to kiss her but stopped. She was too fucked up to be kissed. “I’ve got to go and take him out, Demon.”
“Greys can stick by her door for protection and if she wakes up.”
Steel nodded, getting up to leave. He didn’t want to. He wanted to stay by his woman’s side, protect, and love her. There was nothing he could do here.
Back home, he could handle business.
On the way out of the hospital he sensed the rest of the brothers leaving with him, preparing to go home. Straddling his bike, he turned the engine over, relishing the vibration between his legs.
In his mind he saw Hanson, gutted and dripping blood from the shed. It was going to be a long night.
With every second that passed, he thought about each mark and bruise on Eloise. Thinking about her lying there on the hospital bed, broken, kept him on the road gunning toward the club. Parking up his bike, he saw Deanna waiting.
He didn’t acknowledge her as he passed, going straight for the bar.
“What’s going on?”
He heard Deanna asking Demon.
“I can’t talk about it, baby. Stay in the club. Don’t come out.”
Steel entered the large barn. Hanson was tied to a chair and awake. Joker nodded toward him.
“How is she?”
Hanson laughed. “Is the fucking whore dead?”
Walking toward Hanson, Steel smiled down at him. “No, my woman’s not dead. She’s alive, but I saw what you did to her.” Slamming his fist against Hanson’s face, he loved the sound of Hanson’s nose breaking.
The scream coming from the man’s mouth filled him with joy. The bastard hadn’t cared if Eloise was screaming or begging. He knew she would have. That kind of pain being inflicted on anyone would have people begging to make it stop.
“You made your first mistake in touching her. I let you live. Your biggest fucking mistake was not leaving her alone like I said and putting your hands on her.” He removed his jacket, aware of his brothers around him, watching and waiting. “You’re not leaving this place alive, Hanson. I swear, I’m going to fuck you up and you’re going to be the one begging. I’m going to have you begging for fucking hours before I allow you to even hav
e the pleasure of dying.”
He gripped Hanson’s hair at the back of his neck. Pushing his finger against the broken nose, Steel didn’t stop as Hanson screamed, begging Steel to stop. Hanson was already bleeding out from being shot in his side but the damage wasn’t enough to kill him. Steel was going to have enough time to make him suffer before he finally ended this piece of shit.
“Did you stop for her?” He pressed a little harder, pulling away when he was satisfied with the pain he’d inflicted. He wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
Moving toward the wall, he picked up one of knives that Joker liked to keep stashed in the shed for these kinds of occasions.
Slicing the blade across Hanson’s chest, he tore the clothes from the bastard’s body until he was sitting on the chair naked.
He started to piss himself and Steel laughed. “You’re not a fucking man.” Pointing the tip of the blade at the man’s flaccid dick, Steel flicked it. “This is fucking useless.”
“Dude, that’s my knife. You better clean it,” Joker said. “I don’t want another man’s dick on it.”
“I’m going to clean it all right, but first I’m going to wash it in blood.”
Gripping Hanson’s cock, he pulled and slid the blade over his dick, severing that part of his body. Throwing it to the floor, he stood back listening to Hanson’s screams.
Closing his eyes, Steel saw Eloise’s bruised body. He couldn’t touch her or kiss her.
Opening his eyes, he stared at Hanson who had drool coming out of his mouth. “Now we get to the real fun part.”
Chapter 16
Steel stared at Hanson, saw the blood drip from his mouth and nose, loved and felt pride that he’d been the one to make this man hurt, and planned on ending it now. He’d been working on the motherfucker for the last hour, his knuckles were bruised and battered from the punches he’d thrown at this prick, and now was the time to end it, while Hanson was still conscious.
He moved forward, and the closer he got to Hanson, the angrier he became. “You touched my woman.” Steel stopped in front of him and tightened his hold on the butt of the gun he’d taken from the clubhouse. “You spoke to her after I told you to stay away.” He gritted his teeth. “You touched her, fucking hit her.” Steel didn’t hold back his anger from flashing to the surface.
Hanson started gurgling something.
Steel lifted his hand and shot him in the arm. Hanson wailed and thrashed on the chair. Blood oozed out of the bullet wound and started making a small puddle on the floor.
Steel narrowed his eyes and tossed the gun to the side. He grabbed the knife at his waist and held up the gleaming metal.
“It felt damn good to beat the shit out of that bitch. I would have had a fun time sticking my dick in every hole she owned.” Hanson gurgled out, blood and spit spraying.
Steel’s anger exploded inside of him. He was going to kill Hanson, and he was going to take pleasure in doing it. He brought his fist to Hanson’s jaw and sent the man slamming back against the floor. Steel stalked forward. Wrapping his hand around Hanson’s throat, he hauled Hanson up, tore the rope from his body, and pushed him up against the wall.
Steel thrust the knife into Hanson’s gut and slowly pulled it up. The blade was sharp and went through his abdomen like a hot knife through butter. But he wasn’t done just yet. Using his forearm to keep Hanson pressed up against the wall, he held the bloody knife in front of Hanson’s face. Blood trailed out of the fucker’s mouth, and he started coughing, drowning in his own body fluids.
In a move just as slow as when he cut him the first time, Steel brought the blade across Hanson’s throat. He took a step back and stared at the prick gurgling and choking, and clawing at the ground right before he stilled and took one last, labored breath. He should have made the fucker suffer even more.
He grabbed a rag that was on the ground, spilled from the trashcan, and cleaned off his blade. This certainly wasn’t the most violent thing he had ever done, but it was the most brutal.
Steel stayed in the corner, his hands tightly fisted at his sides; the anger he felt for a dead man still ringing through his body. It had been days since Eloise had been taken to the hospital, days since he’d taken Hanson out, yet he wanted to kill the man again and again. She’d woken up, but he hadn’t been here the last time, and all he wanted to do was hold her. Her face was so bruised and swollen still, and he hated that she hurt like this. But, the doctor said she was healing nicely, would even be able to go home soon.
“Steel?” Eloise’s voice was so soft and distant and it sounded slightly confused.
He pushed away from the wall and moved toward her. He took the seat by her bed, held his breath, and felt his heart jump to his throat. With her hand in his, he waited to see if she’d woken up, or if she was just talking in her sleep. “I’m here, baby.” He brought their intertwined hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
Her brow furrowed, and she groaned as she shifted on the bed.
“Does it still hurt?” Of course it does, you asshole. He closed his eyes and exhaled. God, he hated seeing her like this.
She opened the eye that wasn’t swollen shut, and although he knew she was badly hurt and probably scared as fuck, she smiled at him. “It feels like I was run over,” she said in a soft voice. Even like this she tried to be strong. “What time is it?”
“It’s late, baby. It’s really late.”
She sighed and nodded. “I feel a little loopy, but the pain isn’t so bad so I can’t complain,” she smiled again.
Steel lightly brushed hair away from her forehead. “The doctor gave you some pain meds, which is why you feel out of it, but he said you’re healing nicely and that you’ll be able to leave soon.”
She nodded, closed her eyes as she shifted, and a wince crossed her face. “I hurt all over, but my face and side hurt the worst.” She shifted again on the bed. “He was going to kill me, Steel, or hell, worse I think, because killing me wouldn’t have been the worst thing that asshole could have done to me.”
He pressed his hand to the top of her head, smoothed her hair away then brought her knuckles to his mouth to kiss them once more. “He won’t hurt you ever again, baby. No one will ever hurt you again.”
She closed her eye, and he watched as a tear slide out of the corner of it.
Steel brushed it away and kept his hand on her cheek.
“I tried to get away, and managed to knee him in the crotch, so at least I did that much.”
“Good, baby. I’m glad you got a good hit in.” He ran his hand over her forehead. “You’re so damn strong and make me so proud. I’m just sorry, and regret it so damn much that I wasn’t there to save you, to protect you.”
She swallowed again. “I know, Steel. But God, I hate being a victim, hate that he had that kind of control over me.” She lifted her hand and brushed her tears away in an angry manner. “What if he comes back?”
Steel shook his head. “I told you, he won’t hurt you ever again.”
She stared at him, and then realization of what he was talking about covered her battered face.
“You…” she didn’t finish.
He nodded once. “And I wish I could do it all over again.” Steel leaned forward and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent and silently promising her that he’d always look after her. He held her for several minutes, and just having her close felt so fucking good. He couldn’t get lost in this experience of being with his woman, because the sight of her mangled, the idea that some other fucker had dared to put their fucking hands on her, had him feeling more homicidal than he had ever felt before.
“I just want to go home Steel,” she looked up at him. “I just want to go home with you.”
He leaned back, but only kept an inch between them. “Let me make sure with the doctor that it’s okay for you to leave tonight, because I want you in my bed tonight, with me holding you close.” He kissed her softly again. “But I don’t want you at that ap
artment anymore, Eloise. I want you with me, at my place, and at my side.”
She didn’t respond right away. “Steel, your place is barely big enough for you, let alone another person,” she looked up at him, but he could see her happiness amidst her hesitation. “Besides, we haven’t been together that long. Don’t you think it’s rushing it?”
He shook his head. “Eloise, I have never felt more sure of anything else in my life than I am of having you by my side. I want to be able to hold you every night, to make sure you’re safe.” He tightened his hold on her hand. “I won’t let you leave my side. I can’t because I’m fucking in love with you.” He brushed his lips along hers. “You’re my old lady. And if my place is too small then I’ll get a bigger place, one where you can be happy, have your space, and where I know you’ll be safe.”
She smiled and lifted her hand to cup his cheek.
“I need you by my side, and I need to have you safe, baby.”
“I know, Steel, and I want to be with you, too.” She was still smiling, and even with the bruising and swelling in her face, he could still see the submissive woman that had opened up something inside of him and changed him for the better.
“I’d like to stay with you, but let’s take it one day at a time, okay?”
Steel kissed her once more and stood. “Okay, baby. I’m going to check to see if you can leave.” He left the room and strode down the hallway to speak with whoever was in charge of getting her out of here. He was taking his woman home, and he’d make sure she was safe, even if it took his last breath to do so.
Chapter 17
One month later
Eloise didn’t know how she got so lucky. Apart from being beaten, almost raped and killed, she’d had a pretty decent month. The bruising was fading fast and her ribs were no longer causing her pain. Her biggest problem was her nose. It still needed to be bandaged up. She hated it, but Steel wouldn’t allow her to remove it, which she didn’t mind.
“I look hideous,” she said, coming out of his bathroom after washing. She couldn’t get her nose wet and so she’d been forced to take hand washes because of all the bandages on her body. She didn’t want to risk using he bath tub.
