Rise (The Phoenix Series Book 1)

by M. K. Cunningham

  “Why would I bring you here and patch you up if I was going to hurt you?” A feeling of sadness came to me.

  Placing my knees on the floor, I put both of my hands on top of my thighs. I wanted to show her that I wasn’t going to touch her without her permission.

  Looking into her eyes, “I’m going to approach you, ok? I promise I will not hurt you.” Sliding my left knee and then my right in her direction, she started to panic and was shaking her head from side to side. I could see the tears forming in her eyes.

  I stopped and placed both of my hands in the air, in front of me, trying to calm her down, “Listen, you need to get back into bed.”

  I was afraid she had torn the stitches I had attempted to sew but, couldn’t tell because she had her hand draping across her stomach. I needed to say anything to get her to calm down. “You took a nasty beating and need to rest so your body can heal. If you don't do it here, I can try to take you to the hospital instead.”

  I extended my right arm out for her to grab my hand. She looked at it for a while and then into my eyes. “Please, don’t hurt me,” was all that came out of her mouth.

  That was the first time she spoke since I found her in the woods. Her voice sounded sweet, soft and low and I could tell she was terrified.

  She had taken her hand that was covering her stomach and extended it out to reach for mine. My eyes spotted the blood all over her hand, and then they dropped down to the blood that was gushing out of her wound. Looking back up at her she looked flushed and fainted.

  I lunged at her, grabbing her head inches before it hit the floor. I picked her up and placed her back into bed. Turning around, I rushed to the bathroom again. She was losing too much blood.

  Grabbing the alcohol, needle, thread, and bandages, I ran back to the spare room. I twisted the cap off the bottle and poured it over the needle and wound. I placed the thread through the needle and proceeded to sew her wound shut. I had a bit of training but, this wasn’t more than I could handle.

  Sitting on the floor, with my head leaning against the dresser, I stared at her. She’s gorgeous. Looks like a natural beauty with a tattoo on her right abdomen. I couldn’t make it out because it was too dark in the room.

  I was afraid she wouldn’t make it through the night.

  ***

  Morning came, and I didn’t get much sleep. I got up and checked on her a handful of times, in the middle of the night, to make sure she was breathing. Rem was laying at the foot of the bed staring at the door across the hall. “Rem, come.”

  She came crawling up to me and licking my face. “You did amazing last night. Good girl.”

  I rubbed the spot just behind her right ear, and her back leg went crazy. I’m so glad I decided to follow Rem into the woods. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened to her if we never showed up.

  After ten minutes of messing with Rem in bed, I decided to get out of bed and get ready for the day. I had the weekend off and didn’t have to be back to work until Monday morning. I needed to get this truck up and running not just for me but for the girl laying in my spare bed.

  Walking out to see my 1969 Ford F100 Ranger sitting in the driveway was depressing. I stared at its olive-green paint job, with a white stripe starting from the front and heading to the rear, with a white cab. This was my first vehicle, and I wasn’t ready to get rid of it, I had too many fond memories

  I made my way to the garage to get my toolbox. I looked back and seen Rem inside, not wanting to leave. I smiled at her and walked away, she was just as worried as I was.

  Noon had approached, and my stomach was yelling at me. As I made my way in the house, I could hear movement upstairs. I took the steps two at a time not knowing what I was going to find. To my surprise, she was up and looked better than last night.

  “Well, good afternoon!” was all I could get to come out of my mouth. You would think I could come up with something much better than that. I was tripping all over my words like I forgot how to speak. She left me feeling nervous and anxious. Like some silly schoolboy.

  Clearing my throat, “I’m Thane. I found you in the woods last night...well it was actually Rem.” She ran into the room after hearing her name and stopped by my legs. “Say hi to the nice lady Rem.”

  Cautious, “Thank you. Um, where are my clothes?” She looked confused for a bit, and I understood why. I would be too if I woke with just my undergarments on.

  “Your shirt has a big tear in it, and everything else is covered in blood. For me to clean and stitch you up, I had to remove them. They are being washed as we speak.” They were already washed but, like a guy, I forgot to put them in the dryer.

  Confused, she began to cover herself with the comforter even more.

  Grabbing a shirt off the dresser, “I have a shirt and sweatpants here, they’ll be a bit big but you should be fine.” I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable, something I think she never experienced.

  “I’ll leave you be now. The bathroom is down the hall to the left. I’ll be downstairs making lunch.”

  ***

  Just as the last grilled cheese was being taken off the griddle, I could hear the steps creaking one by one. She was slowly making her way down, and Rem seemed to be by her side the whole time.

  We both sat at the table and ate in silence. I examined her carefully the entire time, wondering who she was, what happened to her and how she ended up in those woods.

  Staring at the grilled cheese she was eating, “I see you staring, you’re not very good at hiding it.” She looked up with a smirk on her face.

  “Sorry, was just thinking.” Pausing, not knowing how to really ask her, “Who are you?”

  She stared at me for the longest time before responding. “My name is Emily.”

  Something told me she wasn’t telling the truth, but I went with it. “Well, nice to meet you. Sorry, it couldn’t have been under other circumstances. You from around here?”

  “Yes and no. I moved here about three years ago.” That answer seemed more truthful this time.

  Remembering her clothes, I got up and walked into the pantry room to put them in the dryer. As I came back, she was sitting at the table, looking around.

  “Your clothes will be done within the hour. You can stay the night again if you would like to and rest up. My truck is currently out of commission, and I left my phone at the office, so we can’t get ahold of anyone.”

  Pausing because I felt embarrassed that I failed at trying to make her feel at ease. “I’m trying to get it started that way I can take you to a hospital to get you looked at properly.”

  Before I could get another word out of my mouth, “No, thank you. I seem to be doing just fine, a hospital isn’t necessary.” With that, she got up and emptied her plate of crumbs into the garbage and walked out the door.

  Following her out the door, “Emily, where are you going? If you don’t want to go to a hospital that is your call but, you don’t have to leave. You’re safe here. There are no neighbors for miles.”

  She was already across the yard by the time I got to her. Stepping in front of her I could see in her eyes she was in agonizing pain. I lifted her up and made my way across the lawn into the house to put her back to bed to rest. She didn’t need to be out and about in her condition.

  Looking into my eyes with appreciation, “Greer, my name is Greer.” I stopped in my tracks and stared at her. Finally, the truth.

  “Nice to finally meet you, Greer. I got you, ok?”

  I laid her in bed and drew the curtains to make the room dark. Looking back to the bed, I couldn’t help but look at her. Being around her made me feel good. I couldn’t pinpoint it, but every time I’m close to her I felt a connection.

  Walking back to the door and turning to look at her, I could see that she had already fallen asleep. I headed back out to that damn truck. Determined to get the piece-of-shit started.

  “HA HA!” I was stoked. I had my arms in the air and was yelling in excitement. I finally go
t the truck running after five hours of working on it.

  By the time I made my way inside and cleaned up I decided to make dinner. I was going to serve her in bed that way she didn’t have to strain herself by coming down the steps.

  Approaching the bedroom, something didn’t seem right. Opening Greer’s door, Greer was nowhere in sight. The sheets were a mess; the room was dark, and the window was opened. I could hear Rem in the closet, scratching at the door. She had fled.

  Panic struck me. Leaning over the window seal I could see that Greer slid down the drain pipe and from the looks of it, she was bleeding again. Blood stains dripped down the pipe.

  ***

  It’s now Monday morning, two days since Greer left. I’ve been on the search for her since then and nothing. Rem can’t even find her. I made my way into work, checking everywhere to see if she appeared on the streets, in hospitals or in any media, nothing. I feared she was lying in a ditch, dead, with as much blood loss as she has had since Friday night.

  “Williams, any updates?” I was now sitting in my mandatory meeting at work. I seemed to be more focused on her than what I should be at this very moment.

  “No Captain, with no description of what the perp looks like, male or female, and no name it’s hard to know who I’m dealing with.”

  Captain Slater has been my boss for the last two weeks since I transferred here. He played the game differently than my previous precinct. He is an older gentleman, fifties or so, and looks like he hasn’t worked out a single day in his life.

  “Well, seems to be our lucky day gentlemen. Intel has come in, and we now have a suspect in custody who has given up some information.”

  His assistant, Mary, passed manila folders to me and four other men who were attending the meeting. Opening it up, I had a name, gender, and a photo. The location was unknown. This had to be a mistake.

  “This is the perp, Captain? Are we 100% sure that our intel is correct?” Fear crept over me.

  “No Williams but we have to go on the intel that was given to us. What I need from you is to find this person and get close. Not only is she being investigated for an illegal fighting ring, but she’s also wanted for a murder committed three years ago. Be careful, I’d like her alive but if it comes down to it and force must be used, do it. Meeting adjourned.” I took the folder with me and left.

  As I approached my truck and got in, I studied the information given to me once again. I was dumbfounded at what I was looking at.

  Name: Greer Ann Robinson

  D.O.B: February 6th, 1990

  Gender: Female

  Location: Unknown

  Charges: Murder (2015) and Illegal Fighting Ring (Pending)

  CHAPTER THREE

  gREER

  W alking through the front door, I could hear Summer running down the stairs. As I look in her direction, I could see the horror on her face. I had been gone for three days, and I had no way of getting a hold of her to let her know where I was or that I was alive.

  “Oh, my God, Greer! What the hell happened to you?” She was standing in front of me looking at me, afraid to touch me. “Easton and I have been looking all over the place for you. We found your phone in the woods, the screen is cracked to hell.”

  “Summer let’s go sit down, I need to sit.” She slowly walked over to the L shaped couch in the living room and waited for me. “I was in a predicament, and I had no way of getting a hold of you.”

  “Ok, what happened? You look horrible Greer”. She looked like she was on the verge of tears and I hated that. After what Summer and I had been through all our lives, I hated that I had put her in this situation yet again.

  “Summer, the night of the bonfire that Easton and his cousin had put on, I was attacked.” Gulping, “Matt…”

  In a high pitched voice, “ MATT! I talked to him that night and asked if he saw you, that lying son-of-a-bitch!” Fear had turned into anger within seconds.

  “Summer, Matt and two of his bodyguards, or whoever they were, got a hold of me. They messed me up pretty good, but I made it out of there thanks to a man who found me.”

  I didn’t want to tell Summer the exact truth of what they did to me. I wasn’t ashamed of it; I just knew she would try to take matters into her own hands and I can’t help her out of it nor do I want her involved in it.

  “Summer, if it’s alright, I would like to head upstairs and take a hot bath and rest for the day.”

  I was in some excruciating pain but didn’t want to show any of it. After sneaking out in the middle of the night from Thane’s house, I don’t know if I could take making any more movements. From the feel of it, I’m confident I ripped open my stitches again.

  “No, go. You look like you need rest.” Her facial features didn’t seem to ease up as much as I would have liked.

  Heading up the steps one by one I could feel Summer staring at me. Before I knew it, she was at my side leading me up the steps, giving me some support. Once I made it to my room, she had disappeared and let me be. She was probably in the next bedroom calling Easton and updating him. The last thing I wanted was more people here.

  Moments later Summer had returned with some antibiotics and painkillers from the medicine cabinet. This was something Summer had no problem getting her hands on. Her mom was a wealthy man’s wife who accepted her husband’s indiscretions through the use of painkillers and valium. Placing them on my sink, she glances one more time in my direction and then leaves.

  As the bath was filling up, I went over to the body mirror and began to slide my shirt over my head and examined myself for the first time since the encounter with Matt. He and his men did a number on me. It was a lot worse than Thane was letting on. Looking at my abdomen, my suspicions were right, I ripped all the stitches except for a couple. Blood was gushing out of it, and I’m surprised Summer didn’t see the blood forming on my shirt.

  Ripping off the rest of my clothes very slowly and carefully, I sank into the tub. Before I knew it, I passed out.

  ***

  “Rise and shine cookie!” A bucket of ice cold, dirty water was thrown in my face. Not only was I cold but now I was freezing.

  The discomfort in my arms was getting worse as the days went by. He never untied them, and they stayed tied to the ring above my head that was on the wall.

  Looking to him, through the water that was impairing my vision for a bit, he had that fucking cigar in his mouth once again. I didn’t say anything, I just stared at him, imagining how I was going to kill him when I broke free.

  Smirking at me, he pulled a pair of pliers out of his back pocket. “I thought I’d switch it up and we’d have a little bit more fun this time.” He was now laughing.

  My heart started to race, and as I looked from the pliers to his face, he was mumbling something. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, all I could hear was my heart pounding, loud, in my chest. Within seconds, the taller man on the other side of the door came in, he always helped him when needed.

  I still couldn’t hear what he was saying to him but what I did know is that I had to make myself numb again. I didn’t want to feel what was about to come.

  The taller man grabbed both of my ankles and held them tightly to the bed. The man with the pliers bent down and placed them on my pinky toe first. Once the snap sound was heard, he moved to the next.

  “GREER!”

  I woke to the cold and hard tile floor, naked. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was still in my bathroom and Summer and Easton was staring down at me. Confused, “What are you guys doing?”

  “I have been pounding on the door for the last fifteen minutes, and Easton finally busted it open. We found you in the tub, unconscious.” Shit, had I lost that much blood? “Greer, what happened out there in the woods? You look so much worse than what you let on earlier.”

  Not only was Summer’s face etched in concern, but Easton’s was now.

  “I promise you, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I just dozed off for a bit. I swear.” I had a fee
ling that trying to convince them was getting to be harder than I expected by now. “If you don’t mine, I would like to have some privacy.”

  Before I knew it, Summer rushed out of the bathroom without saying a single word. Easton bent down and gave me my robe that was hanging on the back of the door. “Let me stitch you up.” Easton walked to the vanity, pulling out the drawer next to the wall and grabbed a needle and thread. This wasn’t the first time he had to repair my body. Walking to my room, he comes back in with some whiskey in his hand. Leaning down and getting started, the pain is awful but, a little booze and painkillers could help ease anything.

  A bit of quiet went over the room as Easton prepaid to sew. Stopping and looking at me, “Baby girl, she loves you, WE love you. We are just worried about you, and when we couldn’t find ya after the party the other night, Summer was hysterical. She hadn’t slept at all, and she is running on fumes. You can say that you’re fine, which I don’t believe, but Summer isn’t. You’re all she has.” With that, he finished and left.

  ***

  Three days had gone by, and I stayed in my room trying to regain my strength. Summer had only come in a few times to check on me and to help tend my wound. I was feeling much better than I had a week ago. Today, I decided I would get out and get some fresh air.

  Walking down the stairs with my hair in a high ponytail, baggy gray sweatpants and my black “Got Milk?” t-shirt, “Summer, wanna go for a walk? I need some fresh air.” Her eyes lit up at the sound of me getting back into my routine.

  Placing her half-peeled apple and knife on the countertop, “Hell yeah! Let me get my shoes, and I’ll meet you outside.”

  After waiting for what seemed like forever, Summer finally showed up. We began our walk down the paved driveway. Silence fell over us, and I figured I should be the one to break the ice.

  “Summer, I’m sorry for the last couple of days. I know I scared the shit out of you and I realize how worried you were. I promise you, I’m fine.” Deep down, I believed I was now. If you would have asked me three days ago, and I was honest with you, I don’t think my answer would be the same.