by Alison Mello
“Fuck you.” I start to scream at the top of my lungs, hoping someone will hear me.
He backhands me hard, sending more pain shooting through my head. “Oh, I’m going to fuck you, and then I’m going to leave you dead in this closet.” He chuckles. “Then, there’s no one to stop me. I’ll get our son and hit the road—no one will ever find us.”
I start to kick and scream, but he’s too strong. He’s pinning me down, cutting off my airway. “You know…” He licks his lips. “I’ve always hated the name Ryker.” He laughs. “I already have all new paperwork for him. His name is going to be Owen, like I wanted, and then my girl will show him what it’s like to have a real mom.” He’s fighting his way through my pants. My vision is starting to blur from lack of oxygen, but I have to hold on, it’s the only way to save my son. I use all the strength I have to claw at his eyes. He jumps back slightly, but recovers quickly. It gives me just enough time to take some huge gulps of air. I need to regain my composure or I’m done. He punches me in the face and rips at my shirt. He pulls at my bra, tearing it in half. I’m still putting up a fight until he pulls at my nipple hard. It causes me to scream out in pain. He punches me again, nearly knocking me unconscious. With his hands on my throat one more time, I quickly start to fade. I’m not strong enough to hold him off any longer. My eyes start to droop—fuck, I’m going to die, and he’s going to get my boy.
Chapter 22
Mikey
“What do you mean you can’t find him?” I shout to Cooper, while pacing Shelly’s cold, dark hospital room. “I want to know where he is and how the fuck he knew she was going to be at the club.”
Cooper’s brows shoot up in shock. I’m usually a pretty calm guy, but right now I’m freaking the hell out. “Mikey, you need to calm down. I understand wholeheartedly how you’re feeling right now, but yelling at me is only going to piss me the fuck off.”
I’m pulling at my hair when I hear Logan’s voice. “Mikey.” Logan calls out to me from the doorway. I look up at him with nothing but pain in my eyes. My girl is lying in a hospital room beaten and bruised and this asshole is on the loose. “We got him on camera. I have the video right here for Cooper.” Logan holds up a flash drive. He steps further into the room and says, “Get the bastard.”
“What is it?” Cooper questions.
“It’s a video of him grabbing her. He grabbed her from behind and dragged her out toward the back of the club to the closet we found her in. Your guys took a copy for evidence, but I thought you may want one too.”
Cooper snatches the flash drive from his hands. “You have all of that on camera?”
He nods. “There’s also images of him walking out of the club.”
“I have to get out of here. It will take them a while to process the evidence at the precinct, but I can use this to rush a warrant for his arrest.” Cooper squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have more news.” They took some skin samples from Shelly’s nails, but it’s being processed, and until they’re done, there was no proof that it was Eli. Now he has the proof he needs.
“Thanks, man. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“I know. I’ll be back later today.” Cooper leaves after shaking hands with Logan.
Logan then turns to me. “I’m sorry, man. We failed you.” He collapses in the seat next to me.
I shake my head. “Nah, man. You can’t go there. If that’s the case, I failed her too. I should have been there. We can’t do the what if game. It will only make things worse. We have to focus on catching him and making sure that Shelly and Ryker are safe going forward.”
“How are the girls?” I ask, knowing they were all shaking like a leaf and concerned for their friend.
“They’re a mess. They feel so bad that they hit the ladies’ room as a crew.”
I let out a deep breath. I have to keep reminding myself that this is no one’s fault. The only person to blame is Eli, and we can’t find him. He somehow managed to sneak out of the club undetected. “Are they coming by? I want to make sure they’re okay and they need to know this isn’t their fault.”
“Yeah, they’ll be by a little later. I sent them home to get some rest and told them to come back after they had a chance to freshen up.”
Shane and Katie come rushing through the door with a sleeping Taylor in her car seat. “Mikey, we came as soon as we could. How is she?”
I stand to shake hands with my boy and he pulls me in for a man hug, slapping me on the back. “She’ll be okay. She has some bruising in her throat. The doctor said he was choking her. She also has some bruised ribs from trying to fight him off. Her throat will be sore for quite a while, but luckily he didn’t do too much physical damage.”
Shane shakes his head. “How did he get away?”
“We don’t know. We think something scared him, because from the way he left her, it appears he was planning to rape her and then kill her. He never got to raping her, thank god,” Logan explains to Shane.
“Sick fuck tried to rape her?” his eyes go wide.
Logan nods. “It looks that way. Her clothes were torn and her pants were half down her ass, but she put up one hell of a fight.”
I glance over to see Katie by Shelly’s side, running her fingers through her hair. “She’s sedated so she can rest. She had passed out, and when she came to, she was freaking out. It was sending her heart rate through the roof.”
A tear runs down her cheek. “Poor thing. She doesn’t deserve this.” Katie wipes away her tear. “When will she wake? Has anyone told Brea?”
“She should wake shortly, and if she can stay calm, then they’ll leave her be, but if they can’t keep her calm, they’ll consider sedating her or giving her something to calm down. Brea knows. We contacted her immediately and stepped up security at her place because we fear he has help and that he’s going for Ryker next.”
Katie’s brows furrow. “Who would help a sick bastard like this?”
“I don’t know, but there was a ruckus in the club last night. It pulled most of the bouncers away from their stations, and that’s when he attacked. The ruckus could be pure coincidence, but we believe they did it to lure security to the opposite side of the club. The place is pretty big, and with that many people and the loud music, no one would notice.”
Slade comes in next with Miranda. “Hey, man. I got here as soon as we could. I had to convince her to get some sleep.”
“It’s all good. She’s resting too.” I shrug. “We’re all just sitting around waiting for some news.”
“Well, I spoke to the police and told them everything I knew. He had to have been hanging out in hiding last night because up until the brawl in the club, I hadn’t seen one glimpse of him, and trust me, I was watching.”
“I know you were.”
“I told Cooper there’s no doubt in my mind this fight was all him. It was four guys and a girl causing the problems. The girl started flirting with some guys and it caused a fight. They started pushing and shoving, knowing that it was too many men for one or two bouncers to break up. It forced everyone to get involved. He’s a smart bastard.”
I nod. “That he is, but not smart enough, because the cameras I have set up caught everything. I gave pictures and video to both the police and to Cooper, plus Shelly has evidence under her nails that they’re processing.”
“Good, now they just have to find the bastard,” Slade growls. We’re all angry by this, our family is tight knit, and when you fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us. God help this motherfucker if I find him before the police.
“I guarantee you he’s not going into hiding until he gets his hands on Ryker. I’m willing to bet he’s still close by.” I narrow my eyes, staring off at nothing. Thoughts of what I’d like to do to him are running through my head. Chopping his dick off and feeding it to him tops my list for trying to sexually assault her. I’m sure I could come up with some other forms of torture too if I sit here and think about it.
“Whe
re’s Ryker?” I hear Shelly whining in her sleep.
“Ssshhh, baby. He’s fine. He’s with Brea.”
A tear rolls down her cheek. “He’s going for Ryker. He wants to take him from me.”
“We know, baby. Just relax, there’s plenty of security on him, and once you’re a little better I’ll have them brought to the hospital to see you.” I can see her fighting to stay awake. “Sleep, baby.” Her heavy eyelids finally win and she’s back out.
“When will you let Ryker come visit?” Miranda asks and all I manage is a shrug. I haven’t thought that far ahead and I feel like him seeing her like this will only scare him more. “It may help Shelly feel better. Not to mention she may relax a bit if she sees that he’s okay.” I nod, taking in what she’s saying. She has a point, but Ryker already fears his father. If he sees her like this, is it going to cause more damage? You can see her throat is black and blue from his fingers and forearm being pressed down on her throat, not to mention she has a bruised cheek from him backhanding her. I also have to consider what poor Ryker is going through, stuck in that house, worried about his mommy. All he knows was that she was hurt and is being seen by the doctor. I’m not sure if Brea has said anything else, but she knows him better than I do. I grab my phone from the clip and dial her number.
She, of course, answers in a panic. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She woke for about two minutes to ask about Ryker and then fell back to sleep.” I run my fingers through my hair for the millionth time. “Brea, how do you think he would do seeing her?”
She lets out a long deep breath. “I’m not sure. I mean, he’s been asking about her. I told him that someone hurt her and that we had to let her rest before he could see her. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but I think I need to give him more information before we go there. I don’t want him to walk in and be shocked if she’s as messed up as you say she is.”
“He won’t be able to see her bruised body, but her cheek is badly bruised, and so is her neck, but I think it will help her to relax and heal if she can physically see that he’s okay.” I sigh. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t like the idea of him seeing her like this, but I also know that they’re close and she starts to panic every time she wakes.”
“We’ll bring dinner. Don’t worry, I’ll prepare him.” She cuts the call, leaving me with a room of people staring at me, concern etched on their faces as they wait for an update.
I sigh heavily. “They’re bringing dinner. Brea is going to prepare him, and hopefully he will be okay when he sees her.”
“We’ll be here for him,” Miranda offers.
“Thanks, Miranda.” Then I realize that most of the Club Thrive family will probably be here at that point and I don’t want Brea and Eric to front the bill for that many people. It’s expensive to feed us all. I grab my phone and shoot her a text saying that I’ll have pizza ordered and paid for, and told her where to pick it up. She replies with a thumbs up emoji. I’m glad she didn’t try to argue with me. She wouldn’t win.
“Everything okay?” Logan asks, and I fill him in on the plans for dinner. He, on the other hand, doesn’t let me off so easily. He argues that I’m not paying for dinner and that he’ll take care of it. I give him a look like he’s crazy, but he puts his hands up to cut me off before I can say more. He grabs his phone and says, “You told Brea the place up the street, right? Pete’s Pizza Parlor?” I nod my head and he looks up the number, then orders a large amount of pizza to be ready for pickup at six.
“You’re so damn stubborn.” I shake my head.
He flips me off, but Sky’s walking in as he does. “Logan Michaels, I know you didn’t just flip him off.” She steps in, then gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
His eyes go wide with shock. “He’s being a pain in the ass.”
“He has a lot going on. He has a right to be a pain in the ass. You were when it was me stuck in that bed.” Logan rolls his eyes but walks over to his wife.
“I’m sorry, baby. You’re right.” He gives her a kiss and she walks over to the bed and begins chatting with the girls.
I’m fighting the grin spreading across my face and failing. When she becomes engrossed in conversation I mumble, “Pussy whipped.”
“Dude, I’m not saying shit. I’m not getting in trouble for your sorry ass no more.”
We both burst into laughter, causing all eyes to turn on us.
The rest of the afternoon goes by in a blur. Shelly woke again and I told her that Brea and Ryker were coming by so that she could see him. She thanked me and fell back to sleep. I’m not sure if she’s so tired because of the trauma or the medication they gave her, but it’s starting to make me nervous because they’re going to be here any minute and I know she’ll be upset if she sleeps through their visit.
A few minutes later Ryker comes walking through the door with Brea and Eric. Eric is carrying a pile of pizza boxes and Brea is holding Ryker’s hand. He looks incredibly nervous. I approach him and squat down to his size. “Hey, little man.”
“Hi Mikey,” he mumbles and waves.
“Are you nervous?” I ask, and he nods his head. “Mommy is sleeping right now, but she’s going to be fine. Do you want to see her?” He nods again, so I stand up, scoop him up into my arms, and carry him over to the bed. He looks down at his sleeping mom with sad eyes. He stares at her and then looks back at me. “What is it, little man?” At this point everyone has backed away to the far corner of the room to give us some space. We really had no idea how Ryker was going to handle this.
“Did my daddy hurt my mommy?”
I close my eyes, taking a minute to gain control over my emotions. I can’t lie to this kid, but it’s not easy to tell a five year old that his father tried to kill his mother. I look him in the eye and nod. “He did, but I want you to know that we’re not going to let him do anything to you or your mom ever again.
“Why is he so mean?” This poor kid sounds so confused.
“Listen, little man. There are bad people in this world who do bad things, and no one knows or understands why, it’s just who they are. The only thing we can do is keep doing what we have to, to make sure you and Mommy are safe. The police are out there looking for him, and when they find him, they are going to arrest him and send him back to jail for a very, very long time.”
He wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes me tight. “Please don’t let him hurt me, Mikey. I’m scared of him.”
My eyes well with tears as I run my hand up and down his back. “I know, little man, I know.”
Chapter 23
Shelly
My mind keeps drifting between the past and the present. One minute I’m replaying the incident with Eli in the club, and the next I’m dreaming about Ryker and Mikey being by my side. Last night I woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. It started out replaying the attack but then it was so much more. Eli had gotten to my boy and kidnapped him after he beat my sister within an inch of her life. When I jumped up in bed, my ribs were screaming with pain and I had scared my buddy. I took a few deep breaths and when I realized he was all right, my eyes welled with tears of joy. I know it wasn’t the brightest idea, but I grabbed him from Mikey’s arms and squeezed him tight. All I kept saying was thank God you’re okay. He is my world, the air I breathe, without him I would suffocate.
Now I lay here in my bed, unable to sleep, staring out the hospital window. Mikey is passed out cold in the chair beside me. He’s still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, which are actually going on three days old now. He needs to shower and change. I chuckle, knowing he won’t listen to reason. He’ll stay right here by my side until he knows Eli is locked up. I’m thrilled that Ryker and Brea are coming back to visit today. Eric has to get to work for the day, but security will bring them over. I didn’t get to see him too much last night since I was so messed up from the medication they give me, but today I want to visit with my son, so I hope I can stay a little more alert.
I
glance over at the clock to see it’s almost eight-thirty, and that means Cooper will be here any minute. I close my eyes to rest while I think about the statement he needs from me, and he said the sooner the better. I don’t want to relive the events from that awful night, but I have to if I want them to have what they need to put Eli away and Mikey sent him a text last night, letting him know that I was awake. Their conversation was short, but as soon as Mikey gave him the update, he asked if I could give the statement today. I closed my eyes, let out a slow calming breath, and nodded my head.
“Are you okay?” I jump, not realizing that Mikey was awake.
“Yeah, I’m just thinking about my statement to Cooper.”
“What about it?”
Like he doesn’t know. “Reliving it,” I respond with an attitude.
He licks his lips and stands from his chair. “Wanna talk before Cooper gets here?”
I roll my eyes. “And relive it twice? I do enough of that in my sleep, thank you.” I can see from the look on his face that he doesn’t know what to do with me right now. I’m being a bit of a bitch, and I don’t mean to be, but I’m tired and sore, and now I have to tell this wonderful detective what happen to me in front of Mikey. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take this out on you, but you have no idea what it’s like. I was attacked and now I feel damaged…broken.” I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can get over this.” My words come out in a whisper as I fight past the lump in my throat.
“Oh baby, I promise you we will get through this together. You’re not damaged or broken. You’re beautiful and I love you.” He runs the back of his knuckles across my cheek. “Please look at me.” He commands and when I don’t he gently forces me to look into his eyes. “Let me help you through this.” A tear runs down my cheek and I manage a nod.
