Malik (Carter Brother Series Book 1)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  “Davis told me to,’’ she tells us on a shout. Her hand immediately covers her mouth, her face in complete shock that she actually ratted him out.

  “Did he tell you why?’’

  “No, but I overheard him telling someone that it was time she learnt a lesson.’’

  “Who’s she?’’ I ask deadly quiet, my heart racing because I know deep down who she is talking about.

  “I don’t know. Just that they needed her bodyguards away from her. He’s got two other girls going after Max and Myles too,’’ she says looking to the ground.

  “Fuck, come on, I left Harlow with Denny at the party on their own.

  We all run back over to the car when Angie calls back to Mason.

  “Are you going to leave me here in the middle of nowhere,’’ she whines, and then throws him his phone.

  “You had me looking for it knowing you had it all this time?’’ Mason asks shocked.

  “I needed to keep you here,’’ she shrugs, not looking like the alarmed scared girl she did two minutes ago.

  “Ring Davis to come and get you,’’ he throws back at her before getting into the car.

  When I’m in the car I get my phone out to call Harlow, but there’s no answer. I try Denny and her phone goes straight to voicemail. I’m starting to panic when the car starts making a jittering noise.

  “Please fuck no!’’ I snap when I look at the dashboard light blinking. “Please tell me you didn’t forget to fill her up?’’

  Kyle looks at me with a sad, wary expression and I wish I could punch him in the jaw, but he didn’t have to bring me.

  “I’m sorry dude,’’ he tells me.

  I nod my head getting out the car, “I’m going to run the rest of the way. It’s not that far if I cut over the field. What you going to do?’’ I ask looking at Mason.

  “Coming with,’’ he tells me looking at me with a ‘duh’ expression.

  I give him a firm head nod as he gets out from the back seat. I wave to Kyle shouting thanks before jumping over the fence.

  Once my feet land on the other side of the fence, I take off in a fast sprint, my whole body pumping.

  “Call Max, I’ll try Myles,’’ I shout through my heavy panting.

  Mason grabs his phone the same time I dial Myles. He answers on the third ring with a grunt. “Something is up with the girls here tonight bro, it’s like Max and I took something and they’re all drawn to us,’’ he says not sounding happy about it. It’s what I love about my brother. Out of all of us he keeps his feelings and girls to himself. He’s not one to brag and he’s definitely not one to sleep around.

  “Bro, listen. Mason and I are coming. Davis is up to something and it’s bad. I haven’t got time to explain, just find Harlow and Denny and make sure they’re okay.’’

  “We haven’t seen them bro. We thought they were with you.’’

  “No,’’ I growl. “Davis set me up. See you in five,’’ I tell him before putting the phone down.

  “Max is in the middle of getting laid,’’ Mason deadpans when he notices I’m off the phone. Now that I’m not surprised at, he doesn’t care where he gets it. He’s going to end up with STD’s with the rate he’s going.

  Ten minutes later we’re running up to the house, Max standing there with a grim expression. That’s when I notice Denny lying down on the floor with her head in Myles lap.

  “Fuck! Where is Harlow?’’ I ask through deep breaths. I feel like I’m going to pass out. Where is she? I look around and don’t notice her through the crowd.

  “We don’t know,’’ Max answers me hesitantly.

  “What do you mean you don’t fucking know,’’ I yell.

  “We found Denny around the side of the house Malik, we didn’t see Harlow.’’

  “Denny? Denny?’’ Mason calls grabbing her from Myles and into his arms. His eyes water as he looks up at me.

  “Has anyone called an ambulance?’’ he shouts to everyone standing around.

  “Yeah.’’

  “Does anyone know where Harlow Evans is or Davis?’’ I shout through the crowd.

  No one answers me and I start to lose my shit trying to think of where he could have taken her. I know he’s got her, I can feel it in my gut. “Fuck!’’ I roar as a group of people walk from the lane that leads to the other side of the fields.

  “Have any of you seen Davis or Harlow Evans?’’ I ask starting to feel more panicked.

  “Shouldn’t she be with you by now?’’ a kid from school I recognise as Graham.

  “What do you mean by that?’’ I snap.

  “Davis had your girl about ten minutes ago. She looked really out of it. It sounded like she was talking to her parents or about them, I don’t know, she wasn’t making any sense. He said she was drunk and was meeting you so you could get her home.’’

  “You know what that pricks reputation is like and you let him take my girlfriend?’’ I ask, my blood boiling. I’m fuming mad. The only thing keeping me from ripping his head off is the fact I need to find Harlow before it’s too late. “Which direction were they going in?’’

  “That way,’’ he points shaking.

  “Fuck!’’ I shout before running off in the direction of the old Gunners house. I can hear Mason shooting orders at Max and Myles before I hear his footsteps running towards me.

  My mind is racing as I run fast towards the old house. I’ve let her down. I promised her nothing would ever happen to her, that I would protect her, and then this happens. I run through the bush that comes to the side of the old Gunners property when I collide with another body. We both fall to the ground, the fall knocking the wind out of my chest.

  A girl makes a hissing sound and what seems to be a sob. At first I think it’s Harlow because I just want her to be okay, but when I turn my head and see her sitting there covered in leaves and dirt I glare.

  Mascara is running down her face, her whole body shaking that it stops me for a minute. She’s in on this. Oh my god.

  “Where is she?’’ I growl grabbing her by the shoulders. Mason catches up standing beside me, looking between me and Hannah.

  “I thought he was just going to play a cruel joke on her. I didn’t… I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know he had this planned,’’ she cries.

  “Had what planned?’’ I ask shaking her.

  “He’s going to…. he’s raping her,’’ she manages to get out before I push her hard to the floor, not caring she’s a girl. I run towards the house, hoping like hell I get to her in time. This can’t be happening.

  The door is wide open when I get outside and I don’t bother to take anything in as I run through it. Mason follows and when I reach the stairs, I hear a moan, the noise sounding more like displeasure than pleasure and my stomach turns. Bile rises in my throat, but it doesn’t stop me from reaching the first room with light and kicking through the locked door. The weak wooden door splinters, cracking wide open.

  When I walk in, the scene in front of me has me completely freezing. My whole body is running off the adrenaline pumping through my body, the anger simmering to the point of explosion.

  The seconds it takes me to unfreeze my mind goes completely blank. All I see is red when I charge at Davis’s half naked form, knocking him off the bed with a loud roar.

  It takes me a few seconds to get my bearings and roll over to my side. Davis does the same, but as we get up I waste no time in charging at him for a second time, slamming his body up the plastered wall, both of us flying through it. I’m sitting astride him when I land the first blow to his face, blood spurting in my face from his nose.

  My anger only increases as I keep slamming my fist into his face. His body has long gone limp, and he’s not fighting me back anymore. My brother must sense I’m not going to stop because the next thing I know he’s pulling me off Davis’s limp body and dragging me away.

  “Harlow needs you bro,’’ he says hoarsely, emotion clogged in his throat.

  “I’m goi
ng to kill him,’’ I roar, tears now streaming down my face. I didn’t even cry when mom left, or when dad or any of his friends hit me. I didn’t even cry when my Nan died, but at this moment, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop. I relax into his arms, my body exhausted as a sob breaks out from my throat. I’m not even scared my brother will think I’m a pussy. When the love of his life is in this position then he can judge. Until then he can fuck off. Not that I think my brother will judge me.

  An arm dangling off the bed catches my eye and I remove myself from Mason’s hold and let out a strangled cry as I rush over to Harlow who is lying lifeless on the bed, Mason’s hoody covering her half naked body. Her dress has been ripped down the middle, her knickers lay cut up on the floor by my feet and it makes me want to go back over to Davis and finish what I started.

  “Harlow baby? Harlow? Wake up baby. Wake up. I love you. I need you to wake up for me babe,’’ I cry wishing she would talk to me, but she’s completely out cold.

  I grab the top half of her body, holding it to me while being mindful that the hoody still keeps her covered. My hands run through her hair as I apologise to her over and over again. Begging and pleading with her to wake up, telling her that I need her. Mason sits on the other side of the bed, looking at both Harlow and I with pain in his eyes.

  Footsteps run up the stairs and my hold on her tightens. She lets out a whimper making my head shoot back to look at her face. Her eyes are still closed, but her eyes are pinched together like she’s in pain. I hold her again to my chest, not wanting to let her go. Not even when the paramedics tell me they need to check her over, or when Maverick turns up and has to physically pry me off her. In a daze he walks me down the stairs and out of the house. Before I know it, we’re in the car following the ambulance to the hospital.

  My heart feels like it’s breaking, the pain slowly but surely suffocating me. I want to cry out, to hit something, but I know being locked up isn’t going to help Harlow.

  “Have you called Joan?’’

  “Yeah,’’ he croaks, looking at me before turning his eyes back to the road. “Granddad is bringing her. Are you okay?’’

  What a fucked up question. Am I okay? I’m far from okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay knowing I didn’t save her.

  “He raped her,’’ I sob out, my chest hurting me as I remember how she looked lying on that bed, Davis on top of her.

  “I’m sorry,’’ he whispers.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Aghhh, why does my head hurt so badly? How much did I drink last night? Did I drink?

  My head is killing me, so I’m not even going to attempt to open my eyes. I listen to the sounds around me and all I can make out is the beeping sound in the distance, and a few whispers. Whispers that make my whole body freeze up.

  Why do I feel scared? Why can’t I remember? I rack my brain trying to remember something, anything that will tell me why I’m shaking with fear. I feel like I’m going to explode.

  Someone’s crying and I try to reach out to comfort them, but my body feels too weak, nothing moves, or even flinches, it’s like I’m not inside my own body.

  I remember my parents. They were here. I think. No, they’re gone, they’re dead, they weren’t here, but why do I remember them talking to me, telling me I wasn’t safe?

  My whole insides cry out in frustration, my mind desperately trying to cling on to a memory of what happened. Nothing comes and I find myself slipping back into exhaustion.

  Waking up my body still feels weak, but stronger than it did before. I remember more clearly now. I can remember my parents were there. Telling me I wasn’t safe.

  That couldn’t be right though because I was with Denny at the party. We were…. I don’t know what we were doing. I remember Malik going to his brother… Denny and I getting fresh air, then…. Why don’t I remember?

  All of a sudden flashes of memories start flickering in my mind. First it’s a smell of stale cigarettes and alcohol. I think, the smell is bitter, strong and unpleasant and I know it’s a hard liquor of some kind.

  A face pops into my mind, the image gone before it even finished coming to me. I’m confused as to why I feel so scared again. My whole body is shaking with fear, wanting to know what the hell is going on.

  I feel sore everywhere, my chest, my legs…. then it hits me.

  My eyes fly open and a strangled sob tears from my throat as I try to catch my breath. I’m panicking, not knowing where I am, just that I know I need to get away.

  “Calm down,’’ a male voice tells me calmly.

  The voice just startles me, making me panic even more. I’m not even really listening to who it’s coming from, instead I start ripping the bed sheet off my body and the tubes he’s put in my arms. Oh my God, he was…. the sound of him telling me what he was going to do to me is a blur, but it’s there on the very edge of my mind. Screaming out, I begin to thrash my body harder, even when a set of hands try to pin me back to the bed.

  “Please don’t do this. Please don’t… please,’’ I beg crying out; begging him although I know it’s no use.

  “Harlow baby,’’ the voice is smooth, not at all like the one I fear and for a second I still, my blurry vision concentrating on him. His features steady out and Malik comes into my line of vision. I cry out rushing into his arms across the bed. I breathe him in, thankful he’s here. Wherever here, is.

  I still don’t know much, but I know without a doubt what was going to happen to me. Or maybe it did. When wetness touches my shoulder I realise he’s crying, his body shaking with tears and I completely tense up.

  It happened.

  No-one came for me. Another voice enters my mind, a girl’s voice, a cruel voice, but then it turns into pleading sobs and I start to lose my temper when I can’t put a name or a face to what I’m hearing or seeing.

  Frantically I pull away from Malik and start tearing at whatever gown they’ve put on me. A pain registers in my left arm, but I don’t take any notice as I claw at myself.

  “Get him off me. Get him off me. I can feel him,’’ I scream feeling sick.

  In the corner of my vision the door flies open. I don’t bother looking over to see who has entered. I just want his hands off me. I can feel them all over my skin, in my hair, on me.

  I shudder, “Please get him off me, he’s everywhere,’’ I scream, Malik’s arms stopping me from pulling off the gown completely.

  Malik’s smooth frantic voice finally reaches my ears along with another soft voice that has me pausing.

  “Baby girl,’’ my Gram’s sobs. “You need to calm down. What do you need?’’

  “Gram’s?’’ I whisper needing to know she’s really here and not another trick on my imagination.

  “It’s me girly,’’ she croaks, her cold hand grasping onto mine.

  “I can feel him,’’ I choke out. “Please get him off me,’’ I cry.

  “Who baby?’’

  “I don’t know,’’ I sob harder, my head falling onto Malik’s chest as my one hand clings to his hard bicep. “I don’t remember. I can’t see him, but he was going to…. I’m going to be sick,’’ I say.

  Malik moves back to give me room just as a nurse who I didn’t see before hands me a tiny bowl. I empty my stomach, going through two bowls before I finally manage to stop.

  The nurse lays me back down on the bed, her voice not really registering to me at all. My eyes stay locked on Malik’s, too scared to look away from him in case he disappears again.

  A sharp prick touches my left hand, causing me to jump a little. I’m waiting for someone to tell me what has happened. I’ve gathered I’m in the hospital, but I don’t know why or how I got here and that’s the scariest thing of all. Not knowing.

  Waking up, I notice it’s light outside. The second thing I notice is the amount of voices in my room.

  My head turns and everyone stops looking at me in surprise.

  “You’re awake,’’ Max says cheerfully making my head w
ince. “Sorry.’’

  I smile weakly at him, before my eyes go straight to Malik, urging him with my eyes to explain things to me. I need to make sense of all these images flying through my mind.

  He walks over to the bed looking tired as hell. His eyes have dark circles around them and he’s still in the clothes I last remember him wearing.

  My Gram’s takes a seat on the other side of my bed and I spare her a quick glance and a small smile before turning my attention to Malik.

  “Please tell me,’’ I whisper.

  “I don’t think you’re ready Babe. You need to rest.’’

  “Please. I’m going insane not knowing. Please, I need to know.’’

  “What is the last thing you remember?’’ he asks surprising me. I honestly thought it would take more begging on my part than that.

  I think about his question and I close my eyes going back to when he left the party. Denny and I went to the toilet upstairs, she was sick then we…., “Denny and I went outside for some fresh air.’’

  I don’t remember going outside, but I remember we were on our way, so that has to be what I did last.

  “Yeah, Denny had felt sick. Someone had drugged your drink with a drug called ketamine and knocked Denny over the back of her head when they saw you outside.’’

  “Who?’’ I bite out.

  He looks at me sadly, his eyes lined with worry and it makes me feel sorry for him, just not enough to tell him I don’t need to know.

  “Davis,’’ he sighs looking more pained than before.

  “Davis,’’ I repeat, not completely in shock. It would explain why I remember being so afraid. “Just tell me please,’’ I beg, tears falling from my eyes.

  Maverick, Max, Myles and Mark all move from the room excusing themselves to give us some privacy. For a second my mind wanders to where Mason is, but Malik’s voice snaps me out of my daydream.

  “He had taken you to the old Gunners house,’’ he starts, his voice laced with so much emotion that I know this must be hard for him to repeat. “One of the kids from school saw him with you and he told them he was bringing you to me, that’s how I knew which direction you’d gone in. Mason and I guessed the Gunners house,’’ he shrugs, tears streaming down both our faces. Malik wipes his away furiously, his hands clenched into tight fists on the edge of the bed. I wait in silence for him to carry on, not wanting to ruin my chances of finding out what happened to me.