by A. K. Evans
How are they doing?” I asked.
“Let’s just say I’m thankful Luke and Stone were with us last night. They spent the night here and I think that helped in giving the girls a bit of comfort. It was tough, though, to sit around and wait for news. Everyone is still here, so I’ll let them know she’s up for company and we’ll see you soon.”
“Alright, Wes. See you then. Thanks.”
“Later, Zane.”
I disconnected the call and looked back to the bedroom door. I wanted to go to her. I fucking hated leaving her, but I needed to respect that she may have really needed some time with a woman. On that thought, I decided to give them some privacy and made my way down the stairs.
“You still look like shit,” Cruz said to me as I walked out in to the kitchen finding him and my dad sitting at the barstools while Levi stood at the island.
“Still?” I asked.
“Thought that last night when you walked in to that shithole to get her. You don’t look any better now.”
“Thanks.”
“How is she?” he asked.
“A mess,” I began. “Fuck, I could kill that guy. What happened with him anyway?”
Levi looked toward my dad and back to me before he shook his head and said, “We took care of Miller; don’t worry about him. Focus on Emme.”
“I’m trying. Not sure I’m succeeding at that, though.”
“Why not?” my father asked.
I looked to him and both my brothers before I said, “She’s still fucking scared, not wanting to be left alone. I came down here to get her something to eat a little bit ago and when I went back upstairs she was sitting on the bathroom floor crying her eyes out. And when we got back here earlier this morning after you left, Levi, I tried to get her cleaned up. It was the most difficult fucking thing I’ve ever done. Seeing what he did to her body — it took everything in me to not completely lose my shit. The worst thing, though? She’s so fucking quiet.”
“She’s been through a lot, Zane,” Levi said. “You’ve got to give her time.”
“I know, but a little more than four hours is what he had her and in that time he fucking broke her.”
“Doesn’t matter how long she was gone, Zane,” Cruz began. “It was a traumatic experience for her, to say the least. Doing what we do, we’ve made it part of our job to know where the best services for help can be found. We’ve got access to a lot of places that’ll offer assistance to victims of the type of torture and abuse she went through. She needs or wants it, she’s got it.”
“I’ll do anything right now to help her because, quite frankly, I feel like I’m failing her.”
“Zane?” my father called.
I looked to him.
“You taking care of her? Showing her love?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Sometimes, son, that’s all you can do. She needs time to heal. The physical stuff, that will heal in no time at all. Mentally and emotionally, it might be a longer road for her. You can’t force it or rush it. Trust me, she’ll let you know what she needs and seeing you now knowing how much you love her, I know you’ll step up to the plate and be exactly what she needs you to be. You’ve got to give her time, though.”
I nodded and let out a breath.
We then heard footsteps coming slowly down the stairs. I began to move toward the steps knowing she was trying to come down them when Levi grabbed my arm.
“Let her do it,” he said quietly. “I fucking get it, Zane, I do. But, you can’t make her feel like he took everything from her. You heard what dad said — when she needs you, she’ll let you know.”
I clenched my jaw. Every fucking fiber of my being was pushing me to go to her, but I held it back. I wanted her to heal and if allowing her to realize she was capable of doing things was part of it, then I’d have to learn to pull back a bit.
As Emme came into view I heard my father suck in a sharp breath and mutter under his breath, “Motherfucker.”
She walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of sweats and a V-neck tee, her wrists in bandages, and my mom by her side. She took us all in, looking first to me, letting her eyes linger on me before looking at Levi, my father, and finally, Cruz. Her eyes settled a long time on Cruz, filling with tears as she fought back her emotions. As the first two tears spilled down her cheeks she rasped out, “You.”
Cruz’s brows drew together. I’m sure we were all a bit confused where her mind was, but nobody pressed her. We waited.
“You stopped him,” she said, her voice hoarse. The tears fell faster and she was going to break down. Cruz looked to me, panic in his face. I nodded to him and jerked my head toward Emme. He went to her.
The second he was within arm’s reach she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her good cheek against his chest. He held her as she continued to cry. It took a few minutes for her to settle down and it killed me to see her so devastated.
“If you hadn’t shown up when you did…” she trailed off.
“Shh. You don’t have to say anything. It’s alright, beautiful,” Cruz said, his voice now hoarse.
“I do because you stopped it. You stopped him. A couple more seconds and it would have ended differently for me,” she said, pausing to take in a breath. “You stopped him, Cruz, and I don’t know how to thank you.”
Cruz held on to her a bit while she calmed down and finally said, “You can thank me by getting better and letting your body and your mind heal. You do that and we’re even.”
She nodded, pulled away, and her eyes came to mine. “I’m working on that.”
My face warmed and I gave her a small smile.
“Speaking of which, what’s the verdict on her injuries?” Levi asked.
“She’s going to be ok. Mostly just the few cuts on her face, wrists, and ankles and the bruising on her body. I brought the portable ultrasound machine when you told me what had happened, Levi. I checked for internal bleeding and all is clear.”
“Her kidney is ok?” I pressed.
My mom nodded and said, “Looks beautiful. I do have some prescription pain meds I brought with me. I already told Emme that she can take them every four to six hours only as needed, and she needs to make sure to take them with food. Also, fluids. Lots of fluids. We want to keep that kidney healthy.”
My eyes went to Emme.
“Sweetheart, you know I can’t really cook for shit, but if there’s something you want I’ll do my best.”
She gave me a smile. Fuck. That was the first she smiled at me since I had gotten her back and it felt fan-fucking-tastic.
Chapter 33
Emme
The doorbell rang. I tensed. I had just chilled out when Zane asked me what he could make for me to eat and then the doorbell rang and sent me into freak out mode again. Zane noticed immediately and came to my side.
“Talked to Wes a little bit ago. Thought they’d be coming later, but your girls probably couldn’t wait and made him leave immediately to come here.”
I relaxed into him. That sounded like them.
Cruz moved to the front door. I heard them. My girls. They were going to completely lose it when they saw me, which would obviously result in me completely losing it again.
My back was to the door when I heard them all make their way out into the kitchen. It grew silent. I slowly turned around and was shocked to see not only Wes with Charley, Nikki, and Monroe, but Luke, Stone, and Elle were also with them.
Charley’s hand flew to her mouth, shock taking over her features.
“Oh my God,” Elle said quietly, fear and concern laced through her voice.
Monroe immediately started crying.
Nikki looked to Levi and Cruz and said, “That fucking asshole is lucky it was you guys who found him.”
I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. That was my Nikki, a fierce little warrior. The sad truth is that if she could have she would have found me and done her very best to do worse to Seth than Levi and his boys did.
/> Unfortunately, the mood shifted a bit when I took in the faces of Wes, Luke, and Stone. Their gazes were murderous. If it weren’t for the fact that I knew the looks they had were directed at Seth and what he had done to me and not actually at me, I would have been trembling in fear.
I was trying to lighten the mood and let everyone know that I was alright, so I wasn’t exactly thinking about the ramifications of what I said next.
“Guys, it’s ok. Really. I know my face looks bad, but it’s nothing compared to the rest of me.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Nikki demanded.
Shit.
I looked away.
“Emme?” Monroe called softly.
I looked to her and the concern in her face was overwhelming. I couldn’t hide it now.
I brought my hand to the hem of my shirt and lifted it to just under my breasts.
“Jesus Christ,” Wes muttered under his breath.
Stone’s jaw was clenching and his hands were balled into fists. “Son of a bitch,” he said, his voice lethal.
“Fucking motherfucker,” Luke bit out.
And that was when I lost it. I burst into tears. Zane immediately hauled me up into his arms and carried me into the family room. He lowered himself to the sofa and settled me in his lap. I heard footsteps shuffling in behind us, but I kept my face buried in Zane’s neck.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered into his neck.
“You’re fine, Em,” he said.
“I’m a disaster.”
“You’ve been through hell, sweetheart. It’s expected.”
We sat for several minutes in silence as I tried to get myself under control. When I pulled my face from Zane’s neck I looked around the room and saw everyone, except for Zane’s parents, had followed us into the family room.
“Sorry,” I announced to the room.
“Emme, honey,” Charley started. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“I’m having a little trouble keeping it together,” I said, not looking at anyone in particular.
“It’s ok. You are allowed to feel the way you do. Nobody here is judging you or upset by the fact that you are having a bit of a rough time coping with having been kidnapped and assaulted less than twenty-four hours ago,” she responded.
“We’re all here to support you, Em,” Wes added.
Fuck. Now I was going to cry again for a completely different reason.
“I know you, babe,” Nikki began. “You’re concerned that everyone is now distressed over what happened to you. You don’t want to be the center of everyone’s concern. Unfortunately, that’s not how this works. You’re allowed to feel scared, angry, upset, sad, and every other emotion under the sun because of what happened, but you can’t ask us not to feel the way we do. We love you, Emme; it comes with the territory.”
Luke spoke next. “What Nikki said extends beyond the girls. Stone, Wes, and I are here to help you and Zane in any way that you need. Whatever that is, we’re here for the both of you. And I’m sure the same can be said of Levi and Cruz, as well as Zane’s parents.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“I’m going to cry again,” I warned.
“You can,” Monroe said. “Just know that we’ll be here to dry your tears through it.”
I didn’t have an opportunity to break down into tears because David and Trisha walked in to the room with their hands full.
“Excuse me, boys,” Trisha said as she worked her way through them and came over to set a baking dish on the coffee table. David followed behind her with a stack of plates, utensils, and a bread basket. “Wanted to do something quick and easy. I made up two dishes of baked ziti and some garlic bread at home this morning. I just heated it up and your friends brought some goodies with them as well.”
“Thanks, Mama C,” Stone said.
She smiled at him and the rest of the group before she said, “Well, don’t just stand around. Eat!”
Everyone started moving toward the food.
Zane brought his mouth to my ear. “Can I fix you a plate, please?”
I turned my head toward him and nodded. At that, he shifted me over out of his lap and got up to make me a plate. When he walked back and handed me the plate I looked up at him and asked, “Are we sharing this?”
He shook his head.
“Zane, I can’t eat all of this.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s been too many hours since you’ve eaten. I don’t want you withering away. Eat as much as you can.”
I’d hardly be withering away any time soon, and he knew it. I thought back to the first time he said that to me and felt my body warm. It felt good so I rolled my eyes at him, gave him a smile, and took the plate.
A couple hours later Zane and I had said good-bye to everyone. I appreciated them coming by to check on me, but I was exhausted now.
After everyone ate food earlier, Zane’s mom and dad cleaned up the kitchen. Trisha insisted that we spend time with our friends and that she wanted Zane to be able to focus on taking care of me later and not the dirty dishes. Once they had cleaned everything up, David and Trisha took off. Of course, this was not before she went over instructions for my care with us one more time and insisted that if I needed anything that we should call. After his parents left, Zane wrangled the guys and they took off to play some pool. I think Zane was giving me some time with the girls, which he knew that not only did I need, but the girls did as well. It was also great for Zane because it gave him a break from having to constantly care for me, which I think he deserved. Once the guys were out of earshot I told them everything. They knew about the shackles, the dark basement, the beating, the sexual assault, the live feed, and the rescue. They were, of course, horrified at what I had endured. The conversation turned toward Zane then.
“I can’t imagine what Zane was going through with all of this,” Monroe said.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it yet and I’m a bit scared to bring it up.”
“Why?” Elle asked.
“He had this look at one point this morning that I’ve only ever seen one time before. It’s a look of frustration. The only difference is that this time it was that look mixed with a bit of anger. I’m beginning to wonder if his feelings toward me have changed.”
“Are you crazy?” Nikki asked.
“What? No. Why do you say that?”
“Emme,” she began. “Did you hear the story you just told us about how he’s taken care of you since you were rescued? Not to mention, the way he keeps looking at you now that you’re here and you’re safe.”
“I know, but I think it’s in his nature to be like that. I mean,” I paused taking in a breath. “All of the men in his family —his father and his brothers are all very protective of women. I even had a conversation with his mom about it earlier today. She said they all have very strong feelings about the way a woman should be treated. I’m thinking he just can’t find it in himself to abandon me after what I went through. I’m thinking he’s going to at least wait until I heal a little.”
“I don’t understand, Em,” Charley said, confused. “One look made you think he no longer has feelings for you?”
My eyes welled with tears as a lump formed in my throat. I felt my stomach grow cold as I barely whispered, “Since they got me out of that house, he hasn’t told me he loves me.”
As soon as I got the words out, the tears spilled down my cheeks. Monroe scooted closer to me and pulled me into her arms. “Oh, Emme, I’m sorry he hasn’t given you those words.”
“Honey,” Charley said. “He hasn’t said the words, but Emme, he dried your hair for you because he knows you don’t like going to sleep with wet hair. He may not have said it, but he loves you.”
“Maybe it was too much for him,” I started. “Having to watch what Seth was doing to me. Maybe it turned him off to me.”
“No doubt this has had to be difficult for him, Em, but I really don’t think it’s made him
fall out of love with you,” Nikki added.
“The things I’d do to have someone look at me the way Zane looks at you,” Elle said.
“Right?” Monroe added, clearly agreeing with Elle.
“Hey, I think I know someone who’d like to look at you a little more,” I said, teasing her about Levi.
“Yeah, well, no thanks to my brother for ruining that.”
“I don’t get that,” Nikki said. “Levi is obviously a genuinely good guy. And, he definitely seems like he’s interested. What is Wes worried about?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
The conversation continued moving to other topics like the love lives of the rest of the girls, Nikki and Monroe’s upcoming move, and Charley’s wedding. I was so very thankful for the distraction they provided me. A little while later, the guys rejoined us. I tried to hang, but was beginning to fall asleep on the couch. That’s when everyone decided to call it a night. I thanked them all profusely for coming and spending the day with me. Zane, too, acknowledged their love and support and thanked them.
I literally had zero energy so I waited on the couch while Zane walked everyone to the door. I didn’t like being alone, but I did my best to let him know I’d be fine and that I was simply too tired to walk out. He wasn’t gone long.
When he walked back in to the living room he came over and knelt beside the couch in front of me. I was barely able to keep my eyes open. “You’ve had a long day.”
“Yeah,” I said, sleepily.
“Ready to go up to bed?”
My eyes closed and I shook my head. “I’ll just stay here if that’s ok with you. I’m too tired.”
I felt one of his arms come underneath my legs while the other went behind my back at my shoulder blades. I was hauled up into his arms and held close to his body. He felt so warm and comfortable that I immediately melted into him. Zane started moving and I heard him begin climbing the stairs.
Damn, he was so good to me.
The last thought I had before I was completely out was that I hoped my girls were right and I had been wrong and that Zane’s feelings for me hadn’t changed. I was bruised and banged up, but I’d heal and recover from that soon enough. If Zane left me I knew I would never survive losing his love.
