by A. Hargrove
“Help! Please!” I just resorted to yelling that over and over until my throat burned again and my voice was gone. No one came.
I was doomed. My wrists weren't going to break free by some magical means. Unless I could reach one of those glass shards, I was here until someone found me. If Sam came back, I was a dead woman.
My body collapsed, no longer able to bear my own weight. I crumpled, reminding myself of a piece of paper. That's when I broke. I sobbed for the fact I'd never gotten the chance to tell the people I loved the most what they'd meant to me. I never took the opportunities to tell them just how much I adored them. And I never told any of them goodbye.
Exhaustion overtook me and I slept. I had dreams of my mother telling me to stay strong. To fight harder. Not to give up. I dreamed of my sisters and how they always told me my backbone was forged of steel and not to forget it.
Noises awakened me. It was light now. Unaware of the time, I remembered where I was. Then the door crashed open and I screamed. I didn't stop, hoping someone would hear. It wasn't one set of footsteps this time though. It was dozens. They were shouting as I kept screaming, or at least I thought I was. My voice was completely shot. They told me afterward they never heard me. It took them a few moments to see me since the room was so dim. They never noticed the broken glass.
The team of police had called in an ambulance and I heard the siren coming. Emma and Thornton were there. If they hadn't been, I'm not sure I would've believed it.
“Alessandro.”
“He's on his way.”
“Alessandro.”
“Piper, he knows and he's coming. You're in London.”
“Alessandro.” It was all I mumbled. Over and over. I did my best at squeezing Emma's hand, repeating his name.
The ambulance arrived, and I still wouldn't release her hand, even though my grip was weak.
“Miss, we have to load you up.”
I refused to let her hand go, so she rode with me. When we got to the hospital, they rushed me inside. Emma ran alongside me. They'd already given me an IV and something for pain, but I was afraid I'd fall asleep and never wake up.
Emma was my blessing. “Piper, it's okay. They're good people here to help you.”
She knew the right thing to say at the right time. And she never left my side until I had the X-rays.
I cried throughout them.
“Miss, you have to lie very still, if you can.”
It wasn't easy when you were sobbing. They finally allowed Emma to come behind the partition and talk to me while it was going on. She calmed me down enough for them to get good views.
Then we waited for them to tell me I had multiple injuries, including fractured ribs, a broken wrist, and a possible rotator cuff tear, but they were mostly concerned about one of my kidneys, uterus, and ovary. So I needed an MRI too.
My shoulder and wrist on my left side were where most of the injuries were. That didn't include all the stitches I needed. Emma held my hand while the doctor sewed me up and of course, that's when Alessandro rushed into the room.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Alessandro
When I got to the hospital, they tried to pull the family bullshit on me, so I told them I was Piper's fiancé. I'd explain all that away later. The only thing on my mind was getting to her side. I'd get there any way possible.
My father had driven like some sort of race car driver, scaring even me. He dropped me off with instructions to call immediately. Then took off as I ran inside.
When I finally made it to Piper's side, I choked back a gasp as I saw what that bastard had done to her. Emma shook her head, telling me to curb my reactions. But it was hard to control how ill this made me. I wanted to vomit. He'd carved her up. Her gorgeous creamy skin had been marred by that son of a bitch.
“Piper.” Her name was filled with anguish.
“Alessandro.”
I hardly recognized my name; her voice was so hoarse. I dropped to her side and took the hand Emma had been holding. “Amore mio.” My own voice was clogged with emotion. Her face was bruised, cut, and swollen. Even her lips. I wanted to kiss her but was afraid it would hurt. I gently touched mine to hers anyway. “I am so sorry. So very very sorry. I nearly died with worry for you and Gabriele sends you his love.”
She tightened her grip on mine.
“Excuse me, I'm going to hit the loo,” Emma said.
She left us alone with the doctor.
“How bad is your pain?” Given the way she looked, it had to be terrible.
“I'm okay. They gave me something. I was afraid of it though. I don't want to sleep.”
“Sleep? Why not?”
“I'm so scared.” Tears ran down her cheeks.
The doctor and I shared a glance. Then he said, “That's common. PTSD.”
“Don't be. I'll be here for as long as you're here. I'm not leaving your side.”
“What if he comes back?”
“He's not. They have him.” They'd better have, or I'd find that fucker myself.
Emma came back in. “Did you get him?” I asked and Piper needed to know.
“We did. He's in custody.”
The doctor finished stitching her up and then a female nurse came in carrying a kit of some sort. “This is a sexual assault kit and I'm going to have to get DNA from you, along with samples.”
“He didn't sexually assault me,” Piper rasped.
Emma's head jerked toward her. “Piper, are you absolutely positive?”
“Yeah. He wanted to, but couldn't.”
“What do you mean?” Emma pulled a small notebook out of her pocket.
Piper asked for some water and I handed her the cup and helped her with it. “Do you remember when he came into my home and I grabbed him? You know, his balls?”
Emma grinned slightly. “Yeah. He wanted you arrested for it.”
“I think it affected him somehow. Maybe damaged him. He pulled my pants down but then he couldn't do anything. He was limp.” Piper asked for more water. Thank God she didn't have to go through being raped on top of everything else.
“I'm pretty sure that's why he was still after me. Payback.”
Emma scribbled as Piper spoke. “You mean he wanted revenge?”
“Yeah,” Piper said. “He was really angry. He kept kicking me.”
“How did he find you?” I asked.
“I was headed into town to Christmas shop. He grabbed me from behind and when I woke up, I think I was in the back of a van. I banged my head pretty hard a couple of times too.”
Jesus. What else would this poor woman go through? I ran my hands through my hair.
Emma said to the nurse, “We need a drug tox screen on her to see if we can identify what he used.”
“Sure. I'll tell the doctor to order it.” She left.
Then I asked, “Did they check your head for a concussion?”
Emma said they had. “She has a severe one but nothing more serious than that.”
DCI Thornton came in. “Knock knock.” He walked in and asked how the patient was doing.
“Happy to be here.”
“So are we. Happy indeed.”
“How did you find me?”
“His cell phone. When we had no luck with yours, we tracked his. We had to go through a number of them since he had so many aliases, but we eventually came up with one. The rental van clued us in first. We found the rental company in Cambridge and then followed that lead to the cell phone. Once Scotland Yard brought him in and interrogated him, he caved and gave us your location.”
“I figured I would die in that place.”
“Do you know how long you were gone?”
“No, because he kept me in the dark for most of it.”
I held her hand and told her it was four days.
“Four days? Have you called my family?”
“Not yet, but I think you should.”
“No, Alessandro, I want you to.”
The doctor came in and asked
for privacy. “He can stay,” Piper said, pointing to me.
After Thornton and Emma left, he told us that after the MRI, which they would do later today, they would decide on how long she'd be here.
“We suspect he may have bruised your kidney. And possibly your uterus and ovaries. Also, we want to see what's going on in your shoulder. You need to have a specialist look at your wrist. Once that's done, and he determines whether or not surgery is necessary, then you'll have more solid answers.”
“I'm ruining everyone's Christmas.”
“Piper, you're doing nothing of the sort. Everyone's Christmas would be ruined if you weren't here right now, safe.”
The two police officers came back in and we shared with them what the doctor said. Thornton left after he told us they would let us know anything about the case when it came up. Since he held Piper prisoner here, even though the abduction took place in Cambridge, the trial would take place here. Thornton appeared to be happy about that. Maybe London had better trial outcomes on cases such as this. Who knew?
Not much later, they took Piper in for her MRIs. Emma and I went along with her. They had to give her something for anxiety because being enclosed in the small space for that length of time would freak her out after what she'd just been through.
After we returned to her room, Piper said, “Thank you, Emma. For helping to find me. I didn't think I'd make it out alive.”
“Well, you did and we're all here together.”
“You should probably go home. You have a long drive and I'm fine now that Alessandro's here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. But you don't know how much it meant to have you here. I think I'd be on the crazy train if not for you.”
The two women hugged, and Emma left.
I pulled up a chair next to the bed and held her hand.
“Will you call my family? I don't think I could get the words out.”
So I did. The first call was made to her father, who at first didn't say anything. I had it on speaker so she could hear. Then he burst into tears. “My Piper. She's okay now?”
“Yes, sir, she's going to be fine. The worst was dehydration. And we're waiting on some MRI results, but nothing is life threatening. I assure you.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
Piper's hand reached for the phone. “Daddy, I'm fine. For a while there, I wasn't so sure, but I am fine. And I have Alessandro here to help me too.”
“Oh, baby, I'm so upset over this. You sound awful.”
“I know. It’s the dehydration. They’re giving me a lot of fluids though. My phone was destroyed so I need to get a new one and will as soon as I'm out of the hospital. But you have this number now and you can call it when you want to speak to me. Alessandro doesn't care.”
“Thank him for me.”
“He can hear you but I will.”
“Piper, do you want me to come there?”
“No, Daddy. I'm fine. And we'll all be together soon anyway. I may not be running around like crazy, but I'll be there.”
“Good. Oh, my little girl. I'm so sorry.”
“Me too, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Next I called her sister, Sylvie, and wanted to cry at the emotion shared by those two. They were so close and never having a sibling, it made me envious. Then I thought of my darling angel who Gabriele would never know, and it saddened me even more. Piper's brother-in-law came on the phone and said he'd fly Sylvie's father over in his private jet if she wanted him there.
“Let me see how it is after I'm released. And thank you, Evan. That's very sweet.”
Our final call was to her sister, Reynolds. They both shed tears, and Reynolds said, “How can you expect me to go on with my life now?”
“What?”
“I was going to move to Charleston, remember?”
“Yeah, but I'm not following.”
“I'm afraid to leave the family now.”
“Oh, Reynolds, this was because of some crazy guy. Just be wary of who you get involved with. And remember, I'm going to see you real soon too.”
“Pipe, you sound like hell. Like you have marbles in your mouth.”
“You ought to see my lips. They look like balloons.”
“Oooh, take a pic.”
“I will not. You're a terrible sister.”
“I'm sorry. You know I love you.”
“Yeah, and I love you too. Can't wait to see you.”
I called my father and told them the news and when we were done with family business, Piper asked, “Can you hold me? I need your arms around me.”
I did the best job I could, given the circumstances of her injuries. When I touched her, one thing was real. I never wanted to let her out of my sight again.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Piper
Two days later, the two orthopedists assigned to me couldn't decide what to do with my shoulder. One said it required surgery and the other one said it didn't. It was like watching a tennis match. Alessandro stepped in and made the decision. Since there wasn't any urgency, we decided to wait. I would see someone when I returned to the states. My wrist was fine, other than it was broken in several places, but surgery wasn’t necessary on it. I'd fallen on it and when I tried to get those ties undone and pull my hands out of them, I'd worsened it. The bruises and abrasions on my arms looked like I'd been branded. Even with all the ointment and cream they put on them, I worried about scarring.
“You survived an abduction. Scarring on your wrists is minor,” Alessandro said. He kissed each of them after he said those words.
“It's not the scars I'm so worried about as much as the questions they'll provoke. Every time someone asks me, I'll either have to lie or talk about this, which I won't want to.”
He was playing with a chunk of my hair. It was one of the safe places on me he could touch that didn't have a bruise, although my scalp wasn't free from that fucker's imprint. The way he'd dragged me around by my hair had even made my scalp super sore. It's a miracle I didn't lose a ton of hair.
“Just tell them it's a private matter you'd rather not discuss.”
“Yeah, and that makes people even nosier.”
He frowned. “I suppose you're right.”
The nurse came in and told me I would be discharged that afternoon.
“Yes, the doctor said as much.”
“We need you to sign these forms.”
Turned out my kidney was bruised and I was to watch for blood in my urine. If that happened, I had to report to the hospital immediately. My lower back had also taken quite a beating, but again, miraculously, nothing had been broken. My abdomen was also fine—no internal bleeding. I suffered deep bruising but my uterus and ovaries were okay too, thank God. As much pain as I'd been in, the news came as a surprise, but a welcome one. My orders were for bed rest for the next week, and then to take it easy for two more after that.
Alessandro promised to spoil me, saying I wouldn't have to lift a finger. My brain was only thinking a day at a time right now. Everything in my body hurt, so it wasn't hard to imagine just lying around for a while.
He'd called Antonio after we got the news of my release. He was on the way, with Gabriele, to pick us up.
“I'll have to stop Gabriele from slamming into you for a hug when he gets here.”
“God, yes. As much as I'd love one, it would kill me.”
“Don't worry, amore mio, no one will ever hurt you again.”
His eyes had a strange appearance to them and I got the sense he meant that literally.
“Alessandro?”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
A flat smile spread across his face that didn't reach his eyes. “I'm fine. Why do you ask?”
“You're acting...different.”
He slid the backs of his fingers across my disfigured face.
“It's because I'm upset over your injuries. That's all. I only want you to get w
ell.”
“And you'd tell me if there were other things?”
“Yes, of course.”
He was holding something back and I would get it out of him sooner or later. But the door swung open and Gabriele darted my way.
“Slow down, buddy. You have to go slowly. Look at our Piper and see how injured she is. You can't just hop into her lap and hug her right now.”
“But Papa, I missed her.”
Alessandro held him in the air and hugged him.
“I know, but I'm going to set you down on her bed, and you can tell her. But only hold her hand. And the one without the cast on it. Okay? Promise?”
“I promise.”
He set him down and his huge eyes roamed over me, stopping every now and again to check me over. Then his lips pursed, and he frowned. “Piper, I'm going to give the bad man a black eye for you.”
I held out my good hand and he took it. “I thank you for that offer, but you know what? If you give him a black eye, then you're no better than he is.”
“Why?”
“Because he was angry with me for calling the police and that was why he hurt me. If you were to go out and do something to him, it would be sort of similar to this. And it wouldn't accomplish anything. He’s a bad man and will go to jail. I don't want you to ever be a bad boy. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, maybe. But he was mean to you and I'm mad at him.”
“It's okay to be angry. It's what you do with your anger that counts. It's best to talk about it but violence isn't good.”
“You mean if one of the mean boys at school hits Arthur, I can't punch him in the nose.”
If my lips weren't still swollen, I'd bite them to keep from laughing. I had an image of Gabriele charging in to rescue Arthur.
“That's right. But is Arthur being bullied?”
“What's that?”
Alessandro stepped in. “What Piper’s asking is are boys in school being mean to Arthur?”
“No, why?”
“Because you wanted to know if you could punch them in the nose.”
“That was just in case they were. Arthur's my best friend.”
Alessandro looked at the ceiling, most likely begging for patience. I was begging not to laugh. It hurt too much.
