by Dawn Doyle
Blaine
Everything hurt. Just trying to move to the side sent a shockwave of pain slicing through me. The tape covering my sides held me tight, stopping most of the movement, but it didn’t dull the stabbing sensations every time I took a damn breath.
“Fuck this shit,” I ground out when the cannula pinched in the back of my hand. I paused my bitching when the door to my room opened, and a dark-haired figure took my breath away. “Robyn.”
“Oh, Blaine,” she breathed out, rushing to my side, her red and puffy eyes filling again, making me feel like a fucking douche for doing that to her. “Baby, are you okay? What did they say?” Her eyes fell to the red tapes and the sticky bandages at the left side of my head. “Oh my god.”
“Hey, come here,” I said, finally managing to lift my aching arms with the help of strong painkillers. “Don’t worry about me, okay? It’s worse than it looks.”
“That’s what Luca said.” Robyn wiped her eyes, then leaned over me, pressing her soft lips to my head.
“She knows what she’s talking about.” I gripped Robyn’s hands, and brought them to my cut lips, placing careful kisses on her knuckles. “I think it was this room Lucian was brought in, and with similar injuries.” I tried to laugh, but it was cut down the second my muscles tensed, making me groan.
“Keep still,” Robyn demanded, her eyes widening. “God, Blaine, you look like—”
“I’ve just gone ten rounds with Lucian? Yeah, I feel like it too.” I rested my head back, but in that position, it made my eyes close up completely, and I couldn’t see Robyn. I lifted up again so I could.
“No, lean back,” she said. “You need to rest.”
“But I can’t see you,’ I argued.
“Here.” Robyn fixed the pillow behind my head, her hands moving gently near the bandage. “Is that better?” she asked, still busy.
“Mm, yeah,” I replied, loving the fact that with her leaning over, her tits were in my face. “Hello, ladies, I’ve missed you.”
“Are you seriously checking me out right now?”
I grinned as much as I could. “Hell yeah. Can you blame me, though? God, they’re magnificent.” I lifted my hands and cupped her tits, giving them a little squeeze. “Soon, girls,” I whispered into her striped shirt. “When I get out of this place, we’re gonna get up close and personal.”
“Blaine,” Robyn scolded, but I could hear in her tone she wasn’t mad at me. She pulled back, and I pouted. “There won’t be any of that until you’re better.”
I opened my arms. “Come here, baby.” When she hesitated, I spoke again. “You won’t hurt me, I promise. I’m high on morphine right now, anyway.”
Robyn sat down and turned to face me before lowering herself to my good side. She rested her head against my shoulder, and as I wrapped my arms around her, a warm droplet hit my skin.
“I won’t ever put you through that again,” I promised. “I’m sorry I had to do that, babe, but it was necessary.”
“I was scared out of my mind,” she whispered. “I was sitting there, waiting to go, it took forever to get the signal to go and get you.”
“Yeah, about that,” I said, thinking just how she’d come to get me. “I recall you were driving my car.”
Robyn’s quite giggle sent warm fuzzy feelings to my chest, a sound I thought I’d never hear again. “You’re not the only one who knows how to use a relay.”
“Seriously?”
She laughed again. “No, Charlie asked your mom for the spare. He told her you dropped it down the drain, and you were staying with your car while he got it for you.” She stroked across the bruises on my chest, her touch barely there. Panic started to sit in my chest, worrying about how my Mom would react seeing me like this. Fuck, she would tear down buildings to find the guys who’d touched her baby boy. “Nate told me not to worry about my probation,” Robyn continued, “but I wasn’t, anyway. All that mattered was getting to you as quickly as I could. Besides, they would’ve had to catch me first.”
“Nate?” I knew something she didn’t, but she obviously knew something I didn’t.
She turned her head, and the second her eyes landed on the tiny slivers that were mine, I fucking melted. She saw right through me and didn’t judge. She was still in my arms after everything I did, and right then, I felt fucking privileged to have her in my life, and that she was willing to sacrifice her freedom to save my ass only made me want to lock the doors and hold her close to me and never let her go.
A knock at the door interrupted us, and as it slowly opened, I waited to see who was gonna get told to get the fuck out, when Lucian stuck his head around the door.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door behind him. His eyes darted back and forth around the room, and I knew he was taking inventory. His jaw clenched, and his scuffed fists balled up by his sides, and that’s when I noticed he was wearing a green top the hospital staff wore.
“Hey,” I replied, and held Robyn tighter when she made a move to get up. “Stay there, babe.” I relaxed when she settled against me again.
He walked over to us and sat down next to the bed, his eyes never leaving my face. “Next time you wanna pull some shit like that, then tell us,” he said, coldly.
“That’s not gonna happen again,” I spat.
“You’re goddamn right it isn’t, Blaine.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Fuck, don’t you have any idea how hard it was listening in when those guys were kicking the shit out of you and not being able to do a fucking thing?” he asked, his voice rising. “Fuck, I wanted to tear them to fucking pieces!”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?” I remembered the cars coming, Robyn with Nate at her side, but since getting to the hospital, details had begun to blur.
“We know everything,” he said, then sat back in the chair, blowing out a long breath before he spoke again. “Nate told us.”
I listened while Lucian told me that Nate said I was in trouble and that he needed us to bail me out. He’d said that Larry and Eddie had forced me to boost for them, and since Larry had gone inside, Eddie had refused to let me go, threatening my friends if I refused. Plans had been leaked that they were going to teach me a lesson in loyalty, and once John had approached them for help taking the fuckers down, they knew I’d made a deal.
“How did Nate know?” I asked. “We haven’t exactly been on good terms, lately.”
Lucian shrugged. “How does Nate know anything that goes on, Blaine? He’s fucking good at what he does”—his eyes flicked to Robyn—“and does whatever’s necessary to get the job done.”
Through my drug filled brain, the rusty cogs began to turn, puzzle pieces falling into place, making one huge intricate as fuck picture.
Nate did all that, pissing me off, forcing Robyn to confess… He knew exactly what he was doing, that sick, sweet, son of a bitch.
Lucian looked over his shoulder when the door opened, the rest of the group coming in and squeezing into the small room. The faces of the people that had come to save me, the ones I thought didn’t give a fuck, stared at me with emotions I hadn’t seen in a while. Concern, shame, and sadness all mixed together flashed across their features.
“Blaine,” Luca said, rushing to my side, her red-rimmed eyes searching my face. “God, we were fucking terrified we’d lost you.” She stroked my hair, then stepped back.
“Who else would be around to annoy the crap out of you?” I replied, trying and failing to smile.
“Hey, dude, how are you holding up?” Brady asked, coming over to me. I raised my hand for a soft fist bump, and I saw the redness across his knuckles. “Jesus, I’m so fucking sorry, man.”
“Not your fault,” I replied, stroking my fingers down Robyn’s arm, her skin prickling as I did. She traced circles on my chest as I looked up at Brady. “Sparring?”
“What?” he asked, looking down at his hands. “Uh, no. Some guys needed to be shown the error of their ways.” The guys shuffled and exchanged glances at ea
ch other. “Five of them, to be exact. They fuck with what’s ours, then we fuck with them, harder.” He shot a knowing glance at Lucian.
“I think they got the message,” Charlie said, grinning.
“I think it’s going to be playing on repeat for a fucking long time,” Nate added. “And I’m glad we got the chance to get to them first.”
A lump formed in my throat and I tried to swallow it down, but the thing wouldn’t budge. The bridge of my nose stung and it wasn’t from the repeated punches to the face. I tried so fucking hard to hold back, but my traitorous eyes fucking leaked down my damn swollen cheeks.
“Baby?” Robyn asked, shifting to face me. I held her close, not giving a shit that pain tore through me as I moved, and I buried my face in her neck as I lost my shit in front of everyone.
Years of holding back ran out of my bloodshot eyes. Sounds came out of my mouth that I hadn’t made since my dad left me waiting at the school gates, only for him never to show up, making me feel like he never loved me as I waited for hours on my own, my mom clueless that he’d just deserted us without saying a fucking word. Then later when my grandpa made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of anybody’s love.
But, what my friends had done for me tonight, risking their lives to save my ass, I knew that they did. They were my friends, they were my family, and they loved me.
My shoulders jumped, and my chest heaved as warm hands touched me, voices telling me to let it out, telling me not to hold back, and I didn’t; I couldn’t if I tried. All of the hurt, the pain, the hiding behind a twisted sense of humor to mask everything I’d locked up, flowed freely.
For the first time in my life, I was glad I’d had it all fucking wrong.
Epilogue.
Robyn
Three weeks later
Satisfaction flowed through me as I held my middle finger in the air, holding it in front of Oscar’s face while telling him to go eat a dick. After Blaine had set up his mission to take down Eddie Sykes and his hold over him for good, I’d spent every day by his side while he recovered. I still thought back to that night, and the hours in the hospital until the staff kicked me out. Nate had left before everybody else, saying there was something he needed to do. With what I knew about him, I knew not to ask questions, because it was almost guaranteed that nobody knew anything about it anyway.
“You’ll never get a job with another firm!” Oscar spat, his greasy hair falling from its slicked position.
“Like I’d want to!” I yelled, then chuckled. “Putting up with your fucking attitude for so long is enough to drive anyone to drink.” As if right on cue, the door to our floor opened, and a large man stood by my side, then leaned in and kissed my temple while snaking his arm around my waist.
“Hey, retweet, are you done?” Blaine asked.
“I think I am,” I replied, turning to glare at Oscar. “This asshat isn’t worth any more of my time.”
“No, he isn’t,” Blaine replied, then glared at Oscar. “Are you?”
“N-no,” Oscar stuttered, holding his hands up. “I’m not.”
“I thought so.” Blaine dropped his arm, took my hand, and followed me out of the building.
I burst out laughing. “He almost pissed his pants!”
“Actually, I think he did,” Blaine said, screwing up his nose. All that remained from his injuries was a slight yellowing around his left cheek where it had fractured. I stroked my fingers along the bruises. “Are you ready to grab some coffee?”
We started walking toward Blaine’s car, and I dug the key out of my pocket. “Oh, yeah,” I drawled, strangely excited for the next phase in operation Clean-up-the shit.
“Can I beat him down?” Blaine asked. “Please? Just a few little taps, I promise.”
I laughed again. “Baby, you know you can’t,” I scolded but grinned when he pouted. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes that we know what he did.”
And oh how we did. Charlie was a world of information, and it took him no time in gathering everything we needed to find out why I’d been arrested that night. Now we just had to face the asshole who sold his soul to fuck us over.
We got in the car, and I closed my eyes when I started the engine, the growl singing to me like a love song, pulling me in and seducing me with the sound.
“Fuck, I can’t wait to get you home,” Blaine said, sliding his hand up my thigh and between my legs. I sucked in a breath when his fingers grazed my pussy. “Jesus, baby.”
“Mm,” I moaned. “We’ve got to stick to the plan, and then I’m all yours.”
“Go!”
I stepped onto the gas, pulling out of the parking lot and sliding easily between the cars already on the busy road. I maneuvered around them as though they weren’t moving and just simple objects in my path. “Fuck, this never gets old,” I said, taking a sharp right.
I don’t know how Blaine did it, but working a deal with John, Luca’s dad, they managed to get all charges dropped against me and my record cleaned. “Did you find out who paid my fine?” I asked. Nobody had owned up, but I was grateful I was able to quit one of my jobs.
“No. I had everything in place to pay it off, but it was already done,” Blaine replied, his eyes fixed on my chest. He hadn’t left me alone since he’d healed enough, and I hadn’t complained at all. When he took me in his arms, he made me feel like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. “Nobody’s seen Nate for a while, but Charlie insists none of them did it.”
“Weird.” My debt to society had been paid in full, the fine used as payment for the ‘accidental’ damage caused to the guy’s car.
I pulled up outside Aunt Joan’s coffee shop, my stomach full of butterflies for what I was about to do. “I got this,” I said to myself as I got out. I spotted Mica behind the counter, chatting happily to my aunt as they began to set up the register and machines for the shop opening. I looked over to the driver of the car already outside, his head dipping in silent communication.
I waited until Aunt Joan unlocked the doors, then walked away before getting out of the car.
Blaine wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissed my cheek, then whispered, “Go fuck shit up.”
Fuck, yeah!
“Robyn!” Joan squealed when we walked in. “Honey, how the hell are you?” She looked between us, then frowned. “A phone call every now and again would be nice, you know. Since… Well, you know, I’ve been worried about you!”
I hadn’t told her about what went down, but she would find out. “I just needed a break,” I lied. “But I’m fine now, ready to come back to work on Monday.”
“That’s great!” Aunt Joan beamed, then gestured to a table. “Sit down, and I’ll get you both some coffee.”
“Actually, we’re not staying.” I glanced at Mica, then back to Joan. “Aunt Joan, you might want to sit down… Or leave for a few minutes.”
She looked between us, then her eyes slowly trailed to where mine were aimed, obviously seeing something there that had her face paling like she was about to hurl. “I need some air,” she said quickly, scurrying past us and out of the door. Blaine locked it behind her and then moved right by my side.
I’d waited weeks for this moment. The second Charlie told us what he’d found out, Blaine was ready to murder him, but I wanted Mica to think we had no idea we knew about his fucked up plan. And by the look on his face right at that moment, a smile spread across mine, basking in the thought that my patience had worked in my favor.
Mica’s face drained of color, his throat working as he swallowed hard, his legs moving as he inched further back, then toward the opening behind the counter, so he wasn’t cornered. But, it was too late.
“Go get him, baby,” Blaine growled into my ear, and in that deep tone if his, I knew if I didn’t move my ass soon, he would, and there wouldn’t be any holding back from him.
“You fucked with the wrong girl,” I spat, then bolted towar
d him, my feet moving so fast I barely felt them hitting the floor.
Mica shrieked when I neared, rushing through the staff door toward the emergency exit out back, but I was faster.
I grabbed his hair, making sure my fingers twisted in the strands so tight that to get free, he would have to rip himself away. I yanked backward, causing him to fall over his own feet, and on his way down, I released him, stepping to the side out of his way as he slammed down on the floor. The sound of his skull hitting the concrete would’ve turned my stomach if I cared, but I gave no fucks if the scheming fucker felt any pain whatsoever.
“Robyn, please!” he begged, raising his hands and I stepped over him, my arm pulling back. “Robyn!”
I threw my fist down into his face, connecting with his nose with a loud crack that mixed with a high-pitched scream. “You set us up!” I yelled, pummeling my fists over and over into his face, his body—anywhere that he couldn’t defend. “You mother fucking asshole!” I continued to wail down on him, growing more and more frustrated as my hits weren’t satisfying the rage I’d built up inside of me.
“I never planned any of it!” he screamed behind his arms.
“You gave her the keys that night at the retirement party. That was weeks before you stole my apron!” I ground out as I continued to hit him. “That sounds like it was fucking planned to me. Only you could have taken it! I’m going to fucking kill you!” I jumped up, pulling my foot back and kicking him as hard as I could, the impact of my foot causing him to curl up. He lay on the floor as I glared down, my hair wild and my breaths fast. Pain shot up my arms from my fists, my knuckles sore and tired. “You seriously thought you would get me off the hook and implicate Blaine?” I shrieked. “Then I’d run into your arms like you were my fucking savior? You’re fucking delirious!”
“Baby, we’re done,” Blaine said from the doorway behind me. “Let them do their job now.” He took my hand, and I let him lead me away.
Aunt Joan stood inside the door, Detective John Marsden by her side, her face ashen and tears falling down her cheeks as he was talking to her. I heard him explaining what had happened the night I was arrested while two uniformed officers headed past us and into the back.
