by Shayla Black
Fucking hell. Hammer reached for anything resembling patience. “So she was here?”
The blonde with the heavy black eyeliner and nose stud jerked her head in his direction, apprehension flashing in her pale eyes. She nodded again.
He’d had enough of her goddamn bobblehead bullshit. “How long ago? What did she buy? What direction did she go when she left? Was she with anyone, girl? Tell me now!”
“Hammer,” Liam growled and shoved him to the side. “As you can tell, it’s rather important we find this woman. Can you tell me anything about her?”
Tonya twirled her finger around a chunk of pink hair streaked through her platinum tresses. After what seemed like an interminable lifetime, the young woman stammered, “She, um, b-bought a bottle of tequila. About twenty minutes ago.”
Hammer looked at his watch. It was almost eleven. Raine was either planning on getting shit-faced drunk or she’d bought the bottle to ply her father with so he wouldn’t put up a fight when she confronted him. Or killed him. Hammer’s blood ran cold. He wished to hell he knew where Raine’s head was at, along with the rest of her hot little body.
“Did you happen to see which direction she left in, lass? Catch a glimpse of a car or taxi cab, perhaps?” Liam urged, turning on his Irish charm.
“I…I don’t know where she went. She wasn’t with anyone, just carrying a suitcase and looking sad.” Tonya cast her eyes toward the floor. “I’m sorry I can’t be more help to you.”
Hammer let out a heavy sigh. Damn it, the girl standing before him screamed “submissive.” He shouldn’t have been so harsh. “You’ve done well.”
Liam reached beneath her chin and tipped her head up, then gave her a warm smile. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful, indeed.”
As they raced outside the drugstore, both men scoured the streets in either direction, looking for Raine—a hotel, a bar, a restaurant, anything that might have snagged her attention. He saw all of the above and more.
“She could be anywhere.” Liam gave voice to his concern.
Hammer pulled out his mobile again. “Raine’s phone is still off.” He pressed a few more buttons. “No activity on her bank account.”
“How much money does she have saved?” Liam asked. “Can’t be much. God knows, she likes her shoes and bags and frilly things well enough.”
“A few hundred bucks,” Hammer said grimly. “She’s got no head for money. I took care of her expenses for the most part. I’ve had a bad habit of indulging her because I knew she did without so much as a child.”
Liam’s blistering glare said he hadn’t known. “We’ll discuss that later.”
Whatever. Hammer didn’t intend to budge. If he wanted to buy Raine something pretty, he would. “Do you think she left in the taxi again?”
“The supervisor said the driver dropped her here and left. Though I suppose she could have called for another one.”
“But how? She hasn’t turned on her phone.”
“And Tonya didn’t say that Raine made any phone calls from the store. I don’t see a payphone.” Liam double-checked with a glance, but shook his head.
“Then let’s go. She wouldn’t stay here. There’s no reason. She’d have a suitcase in her hand. It’s probably heavy. So is the bottle of tequila. She couldn’t carry them for long.”
“Right. And she wouldn’t stay on the street.” Liam frowned and reached for his phone, too. “Is there a bus terminal nearby? Or someplace to stash the suitcase?”
Hammer shook his head. “We’re getting close to suburbia out here. Our best bet is looking for her at a restaurant or motel.”
“She didn’t eat breakfast. Or much dinner last night.” Clearly, that worried Liam. “She’s got to be hungry.”
“We’ll get back in the car and drive around. We can cover more ground that way. We’ll stop at all the restaurants and ask a few questions. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
They cruised up and down the road once, then peeked into fast food joints, a mini-mart, even roamed the inside of a pancake house. Not a damn thing. Minutes slid into an hour. Where the fuck could she have gone on foot?
“Does the city bus come out this far?” Liam asked, obviously wondering the same thing.
“I don’t think so. We haven’t seen one since we’ve been here. Let’s stop and think.” Hammer raked a hand through his hair as he jogged back to his Audi. “She’d want somewhere to set down her suitcase. I’m betting she’s got plans for that bottle of booze.”
“Is there a park nearby?”
“Yes, but she could get arrested for drinking in public. If she’s the one drinking the tequila, she’s going to want to do it in private. But if it’s not for her…”
“Who else would it be for?” Liam prompted, following him.
“Her father. He’s a drunk from way back. If she wanted answers, bribing him with tequila would be one way to get them. Son of a bitch,” Hammer snarled as he pulled the car back onto the main drag. “I hate to say it, but we should pay a visit to dear old dad.”
“Then let’s go.”
Hammer took off, gripping the steering wheel. “I need to prepare you for what you’re about to see.” Raine’s childhood home was the last hellhole he wanted to visit, but if she was there, she needed him… needed them both, to rescue her. “Ol’ Bill is a crafty son of a bitch. If Raine went there, there’s no telling what he’s done to her. And if he’s laid a finger on her again, he’s a dead man. I trust you’ll help me bury the fucking body.”
“That bad?” Liam scowled.
Hammer reached into the glove box and handed Liam the manila envelope he’d retrieved from his safe earlier. “See for yourself.”
Chapter 8
Finally, Raine caught a break. It was Friday. The hospital wasn’t a large one, and Beck practiced in more than one location. But she remembered a passing conversation with him about the fact that he’d begun to office here on Fridays. Granted, he might be in surgery, but a roomful of patients in his waiting room gave her hope otherwise.
After Raine introduced herself and pleaded with his office manager, the woman finally agreed to tell the good doctor that she was here.
Beck came barreling in three minutes later in a long white coat and a dress shirt, looking surprisingly respectable. He didn’t bother with preambles. “What’s wrong?”
The rest of the people in the waiting room stared. Even the office manager didn’t disguise her curiosity. She shouldn’t have barged in on him at work, Raine realized. He was diligent about keeping his professional and private lives separate.
“Sorry. My mistake. You’re busy. Will you just…call Hammer and Liam when you get a break and tell them I’m fine? I’m not in danger, and they don’t need to look for me. That’s it.”
She turned for the door. Beck captured her arm in an unyielding grip, then he jerked her around. His face didn’t change much, but his eyes… That was the glare of a disapproving Dom. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, just let her feel his concern and displeasure.
“Stay here,” he growled.
With a few steps, he marched over to the woman behind the counter. “Cancel the rest of my appointments for the day.”
Raine gasped. “Don’t do that. Please.”
He ignored her. “Call Dr. Martin and tell him I’ve had something come up. See if he’ll take my emergencies. I’m off call.”
“Right away, Dr. Beckman,” the woman said primly, then looked at Raine with unabashed interest.
Her eyes were probably still red. Her nose, too. She didn’t have on a shred of makeup. Her wardrobe was only suited to a couch potato in football season. And she was holding a brown paper bag that couldn’t be mistaken for anything except a bottle of booze. Horrifically embarrassed, Raine looked away.
“What would you like me to do about that consultation with the Mayo Clinic? It’s in less than five minutes,” the manager reminded. “You’ve already rescheduled on them twice.”
Raine could see Beck biting back a cu
rse. Then he stormed back to her. “Listen to me. On the first floor of the adjoining building, there’s a cafeteria. Wait there. Give me fifteen minutes. You came to me because you need something, clearly. I’ll help you.” His stare sharpened as he grabbed her arm again. “Don’t. Leave. Or you’ll be sorry.”
“Don’t call them now,” Raine blurted. She didn’t know why—maybe everything was catching up to her or reality was setting in—but she teared up. “They’ll come, and I’m not ready to see them.”
“I promise. Just do as I say.”
She thought about disobeying, about going back to her hotel room, downing her bottle, and…who knew what then. But she’d already disrupted his day, brought her problems to his office, and prompted him to change all his plans. He’d promised not to call Liam and Hammer in the next few minutes. She owed it to Beck to stay.
“All right. I haven’t eaten all day anyway.”
He nodded and released her. “Get something in your stomach. Fifteen minutes, princess.”
Raine nodded, then left his office, feeling the stares of a dozen patients on her.
It didn’t take long to find the cafeteria. They were nearly ready to shut down breakfast to begin preparing lunch. She must have looked pitiful because one of the workers sent her a glance full of sympathy and let her grab a few prepackaged foods before they locked up the counters, leaving the seating area open, with its silent but animated televisions flashing and the chairs empty.
Ignoring the beginning of a talk show, Raine reached into her wallet for cash. Damn it, she’d spent it all on her bottle. She hesitated. She couldn’t put everything back after the woman had bent the rules for her.
With a sigh, she handed over her credit card. Maybe the guys wouldn’t be tracking her movements. For all she knew, Liam and Hammer didn’t care that she was gone. Despite his pretty speech, Liam had washed his hands of her. And Hammer…who knew? She hadn’t seen much of him since Thanksgiving.
The woman swiped quickly and sent Raine on her way with a receipt. Setting her purse and the bottle on the table, she plopped into the chair with a cola and a breakfast pastry—and stared at them. She could have cooked something more appetizing at Shadows. Normally, she would enjoy feeding Liam something hot and wonderful. She always made extras for Hammer and left it in the oven. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t supposed to, but he’d starve or eat junk otherwise. If she was already in the kitchen, how could it hurt to cook a little extra for someone who needed it? Of course, Liam would have prodded her to eat the something warm and healthy, too. Now?
Raine usually loved sweet things. The Pop-Tarts just depressed her.
What was she doing here? Where was she going? She had no damn clue.
Fighting back more tears, Raine pulled her phone from her bag and gripped it. She fought the urge to turn it on, call Liam, beg him… God, what good would that do? He’d just wanted to know if she loved him, and she’d been too afraid to make herself vulnerable to him.
She had to pick up, move on, grow up, figure it out. And she would. Raine didn’t know where to start yet, but it wouldn’t be with a teary conversation that would make Liam feel guilty enough to take her back only to have the entire cycle repeat again. Until she changed, that’s precisely what would happen.
#
Dread snaked through Liam as he stared at the envelope Hammer had put into his hands. “What’s this?”
“A visual of what daddy dearest is capable of.”
With his guts in knots, Liam ripped into the envelope, yanked out the photographs inside, and got his first glimpse.
Oh god. Oh Raine. My poor wee lass. His chest buckled.
The photo was of Raine—much younger, but it was still his Raine. Her innocent face was swollen, colored in a rainbow of unnatural hues: black, blue, purple with shades of yellow and green. Her eyes were closed and so puffy, Liam wondered if she’d been able to open them. The lips he’d kissed so many times were split and caked with blood.
She’d been beaten savagely by a monster who’d meant to destroy her.
His first thought was that he wished he’d been there to protect her. He hadn’t known her then, but Liam still felt as if he’d failed her somehow.
His second thought was that he would kill the man.
He took seething breaths to bring his rage under control. “Her father did this to her?”
“Keep breathing, man. It’s a shock,” Hammer said in a tone meant to soothe a wild beast. “I know.”
How ironic. It was the first bloody time all day his old pal seemed to find his control.
“Breathe? Like hell! Answer my fucking question.”
“Yes, her father.”
The bloody prick they were headed to see. Liam stared down at the photo. There were more pictures he hadn’t seen yet. He didn’t want to…but he must. If he wanted to understand Raine, this was part of who she’d become. He hoped like hell she hadn’t let it define her.
Hammer sent him an anxious glance. “I took those the night I found her. She wouldn’t let me near her, even to give her first aid. So I called Beck over, and we slipped a sedative in her Coke. Once she drifted off, Beck made sure she didn’t have any injuries that needed immediate attention. The following morning, I took her to a doctor he recommended. She examined Raine. Cracked rib, a couple of stitches, lots of bruising. The rape kit came back negative. She hadn’t been sexually assaulted.”
Thank god for small mercies.
But from this photo alone, the fact that Bill hadn’t raped her might be the only one. Liam wanted to growl at the injustice Raine had endured. He didn’t care if the pictures had been taken six years ago or yesterday. The agony her father had forced on her stabbed him with pure fury.
Dragging in a sharp breath, he shuffled to the next picture. Raine’s arm, black with bruises in the shape of a man’s hand. God, she’d been a skinny little thing. A grown man unleashing all his force on her would have overpowered her quickly. And no one had been there to stop him. How had Raine done it alone?
Another photo revealed a red, angry spot of torn scalp just above her ear, indicating she’d been grabbed and yanked viciously by the hair.
His eyes smarted. She’d been nothing but a scared child, enduring what that bastard had dished out. But by Christ, she’d escaped. No wonder running was ingrained.
The next shot was of her neck and chest. Deep gouges and cuts raked her flesh. More mottled bruises lay beneath the straps of her tank top. Liam could see discoloration around Raine’s throat. Her father had tried to strangle her? Fuck killing the man; Liam wanted to destroy him.
At the lodge, he’d pried the girl open with pickles and chocolate. The memories of Raine’s words that night rang in his ears. I found out that I shouldn’t mess with Dad’s temper… He would never win father-of-the-year awards. A fucking understatement. He said he wouldn’t go to jail for disciplining his stupidest, most willful...
Jail was far too kind for Bill.
The Dom inside him wanted to hold her close and protect her. Eventually, he’d turn her over his knee and give her a few loving swats of his own for so grossly understating her past. He intended to make it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate her lying or blatantly withholding information anymore.
But wasn’t that why he’d uncollared her in the first place?
The enormity of her damage sank in.
All this time, he thought he’d made progress with her at the lodge, convincing himself that he would have dismantled her walls if he’d had more time. He’d blamed Hammer’s “need” for stunting his ability to reach Raine. But now he feared that all the pickles and chocolate on the planet wouldn’t have been enough for her to reveal the depths of her anguish.
Raine’s soul was still torn. She nurtured her pain, using it like a shield to keep anyone from getting too close. He understood that she hid in shame. Her fear of abandonment and difficulty trusting couldn’t be more clear. But these photographs proved that she’d rather outright lie than risk reveal
ing her real self and letting anyone too close.
As soon as he found Raine, he intended to tell her that he grasped the hell she’d survived, but he would no longer let her use it as a reason to hide from him.
His stare fell upon the final photo. Hammer had pulled the sheet aside to reveal her sleek, supple legs. The bruises and scrapes on them infuriated him enough, but the sickening dark contusions staining her inner thighs ignited his blood. He couldn’t contain his wrath.
“Motherfucker!” Liam’s fist connected violently with the glove box.
Hammer cast a startled glance in his direction. “Take another breath. It was a long time ago.”
“Not for me!” Liam roared. “And now this? I thought you said she wasn’t raped?”
“She wasn’t. When the doctor examined Raine, she confirmed that there was no trauma to her vagina. Her hymen was intact. But I think Bill sure tried.”
Raine must have fought like hell.
Liam’s fingers trembled, yet he was unable to look away from the photos. “Why didn’t you show me these sooner?”
If Hammer had, he might have understood Raine better, taken a different tactic with her, been more patient. It might have made a difference.
“What was I supposed to do, Liam? Haul you into my office the night you collared her and whip these pictures out for you? She doesn’t know I have them, and it wasn’t my place to tell you.”
No, it had been Raine’s. But to Liam’s mind, Hammer staying mute on the subject reeked far more of his desire to hoard the girl than to protect her privacy. He would only keep this terrible truth to himself because he believed that he alone should—or could—heal her. How ironic that he’d never even tried.
Liam’s mind wandered back to his first day at Shadows, after arriving from New York. He’d known almost instantly that Hammer had far more feelings for the girl than he’d been willing to admit. In fact, their first conversation about her had been eye-opening.
“Tell me about Raine,” he’d asked that first night.
Hammer had tensed. Anyone who didn’t know the man well might not have noticed, but Liam had. Then, as if Hammer had forced himself to relax, he’d shrugged. “She’s a runaway I took in. She works for me.”
