While I waited for him to show, I took a warm rag and started washing her face. Dirt was caked everywhere, including inside her ears. If I didn’t know better, I would think that she had been down in that well for weeks instead of two days. Her lips were cracked and bleeding and her cheeks looked sunken in. I supposed that could have been from exhaustion or even the dirt playing tricks on my mind.
“Hey,” Rocco said from the doorway. “How’s she doing?”
“She hasn’t woken up since we put her in the SUV.”
“That’s pretty normal. She’s gonna be out of it for a while. Why don’t you give me some space and I’ll check her over.”
I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone, but Rocco was a good guy and he would take care of her. I decided that I would make a trip over to the club and let Chief know what had happened. But when I pulled into the club’s parking lot, there didn’t seem to be anyone there. The door was open, so I walked in and headed for his office. He appeared to be packing up.
“Chief, what’s going on?”
He looked up at me and then looked around the office. “I’m packing up.”
“I see that, but why?”
“They moved in last night,” he said, staring down at his desk. “The operation is over. I failed.”
“You weren’t able to get them out?”
“They took all the girls. I didn’t stand a chance. One minute, they were dancing on the stage and working the crowd, and the next, they were being hustled out the back door. I couldn’t do shit. I had no backup.”
He scoffed as he plopped down in his chair, pulling a bottle out of his desk drawer along with two shot glasses. Pouring himself a shot, he tossed it back and then offered some to me.
“When you called, I didn’t want to believe you, that this could be a setup. I was so fucking close to getting the guy in charge. I could feel it and it just slipped through my fingers.”
“So, what now?”
“They shut me down, pending an investigation.”
“Are you fucking serious? They asked you for help, and now they’re going to investigate you?”
“Sniper, you know as well as I do that anyone can be turned for the right price. I get why they’re doing it.”
“What are you gonna do now?”
“I don’t know. Travel? Take a fucking vacation?” As if just remembering why I had been in town in the first place, he looked up at me. “Did you get her back?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure how she’s doing yet. We have one of the team medics looking her over.”
“Not that it’s okay what she went through, but she’s probably luckier than the girls that were here last night. Unless by some miracle the ring is tracked, those girls won’t ever see home again.”
I had been pissed before at him for allowing those women to be taken at all, but I could see now how badly he had wanted to stop the trafficking ring. He was doing everything he could and that was more than most people could say.
“Chief, don’t blame yourself. You were trying. You know that assignments go sideways all the time. It sucks, but you did more for those women than most have. I’m sure the intel you gathered helped a lot.”
“But it wasn’t enough, was it? You know, in my entire military career, I never questioned a single assignment. Everything was for the greater good, to protect those that couldn’t protect themselves. I thought that’s what I was doing here. I really thought we would come out on top. You would think I would know better by now that good people die and you can’t save everyone. I just didn’t think it would happen here at home.”
I didn’t know what to say. There were no comforting words when you realized that an assignment you were a part of hurt other people. The guilt tore you to pieces until there was nothing left to feel. I had never seen Chief so broken. Not even in our military days when we lost brothers in battle. That was a different situation though. They signed up for the danger. They knew there was a possibility they would be going home in a wooden box. These women were just trying to make a living for themselves. They hadn’t asked to be sold into sex trafficking and have their bodies used as sick men’s playthings. Being part of that was something you could never get over.
✯✯✯✯✯
I sat by her bed, cursing myself for being such an asshole. Every fucking word I said to her floated through my mind on replay. Why had I treated her so badly, like she was beneath me? We were all just trying to survive in this world and I didn’t know jack shit about her, but I threw money at her like she was just a quick fuck that wasn’t worth anything more than a hundred dollars. I had fucked her against a wall outside her apartment. In fact, the only time I had actually treated her like a person was when I thought she was working to help her niece get the treatments she needed, which had been a total lie.
If only I had asked more questions or tried to be a decent person to her. But I let my baggage from my ex-wife get in the way. I saw women as liars and manipulators. I knew that there were good women out there, I just didn’t want to take the risk that I would run into someone that would use me the way she had.
To everyone else, I said that she hadn’t been able to deal with my life. That being a military wife was just too much. I told them that if I had gotten out sooner, I might have been able to save my marriage. But deep down, I knew that she had been using me. She had already found someone new by the time I got home. Now she had two kids and was married to a man that gave her more than I ever could.
Morgan looked like a ghost with the deep purple circles under her eyes on a face that was way too pale. She looked so tiny lying in this huge bed, like she hadn’t eaten in a month. It had really been about two days, but the elements had been cruel to her. Cuts and scrapes on her hands and feet showed her fight to get out of that well. Her fingers were stained with dirt and her nails were cracked so far down that it had to be painful. And then there were those lips. I hadn’t realized how much I liked kissing her until I pulled her out of that well and saw them cracked and bleeding.
I couldn’t imagine what she had gone through, all in the hopes of finding some piece of information that would help her find her daughter. I didn’t want to think about her sitting at the bottom of the well, thinking she would die down there and no one would be able to save her daughter. I knew deep down that was her only thought. She had been dreaming or hallucinating when I got to her. She had been talking to her daughter, telling her she was too tired to fight.
She had to be the strongest woman I’d ever come across. To lose her daughter and fight so hard to get her back, taking on the scum of the earth to get to her. That was a woman that never gave up. I admired her, but more than that, I felt ashamed that I hadn’t seen it in her from the start.
When she finally stirred, I jumped to my feet and gripped her hand tight, letting her know she wasn’t alone. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around in confusion, almost like she had been expecting to still be in that well. When her eyes found mine, confusion and skepticism lit her face.
“Where am I?” Her voice was scratchy, so I grabbed a bottle of water and held it to her lips. She drank greedily, but I pulled the bottle away so she didn’t get sick.
“You’re at a safe house. We found you at the bottom of a well a day ago.”
Her eyes opened and closed sluggishly as she tried to come out of her sleepy state. “How did you know to look for me?”
“Storm called us as soon as you left with Wes.”
She nodded slightly, her eyes still drooping in exhaustion.
“Are you hungry?”
“A little. I really have to pee.”
“Uh,” I rubbed my neck uncomfortably. “I’ll need to get Rocco to help you out. We’ve had an IV in your arm and…” She stared at me, expecting me to continue my thought when I hoped that she would understand without me explaining. “He had to put in a catheter.”
Her face turned bright red, so I excused myself to go find Rocco. The woman had been through enough. She did
n’t need embarrassment to add on top of all the other shit.
“Rocco, she’s awake,” I said as I approached him on the stairs. He must have been coming up to check on her anyway.
“How does she seem?”
“So far, okay. We didn’t really talk a whole lot. She has to go to the bathroom.”
“Right. I’ll go take care of that. You might want to come with me so she feels more comfortable.”
“I don’t want to see you remove that.” I looked at him like he was crazy. There was a reason I wasn’t a medic and that was mostly because I didn’t do well with bodily fluids and IVs. I wasn’t even the one to give her the IV in the SUV. Everyone knew that I didn’t do needles or anything to do with medical equipment. It just wasn’t my thing. I didn’t even want to see it.
“Chance, you’ve seen her naked multiple times. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s different. She has a tube where I most definitely don’t want to see a tube. It’s weird and gross.”
“You served in the military,” he said in astonishment. “You’ve seen men with limbs blown off and blood spurting from necks. Eyeballs hanging from their sockets and guts spilled across the desert, but you can’t handle a fucking catheter?”
“Look, that’s all very clinical. It’s normal.”
“No, it isn’t, you fuckhead. A catheter in a body is normal. Seeing eyeballs hanging from someone’s face is not.”
“In my world, that’s normal. I can deal with that shit, but this is all very medical and…” I sighed and my shoulders dropped. “I’ve seen her down there. Seeing a tube coming out of her is kind of like seeing her pussy being spread and a head coming out. It’s not right. There’s just some shit you can’t unsee.”
“So, if she was bleeding out, you would do everything you could to save her.”
“I’d slap some gauze on her and hold it down, sure.”
“But you can’t stand in a room to make her feel better while I remove a catheter from her most intimate parts so that she doesn’t freak the fuck out?”
I shrugged. It made sense to me, even if it didn’t to him. He stared at me a moment and then smacked me upside the head.
“Get the fuck in that room and shut up. You don’t have to fucking look.”
I glared at him, but he just glared back and I knew I had lost that battle.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Morgan
WHEN SNIPER CAME back in the room, he was joined by another man who looked like he snapped necks for a living. His arms were thick and his forearms veiny. He had broad shoulders that made him look like a football player and his pants did nothing to hide his tree trunk thighs. I wanted to back away just so that I didn’t have to be near him.
Sniper came to stand by me, his eyes anywhere but on me. It made me nervous that he was acting so distant, like maybe he had bad news or something.
“Is everything okay?” I asked hesitantly, my eyes shooting between the new man and Sniper. The new guy grinned, his face taking on a playful look.
“Everything’s fine. Your boy is just a little squeamish around medical equipment.”
“Shut up, fucker,” Sniper growled from my other side. I had the feeling that I was missing out on something, but I didn’t really have the energy to think about it right now.
“I’m Rocco. I’m the team medic. We didn’t want to take you to the hospital after we found you because of the circumstances. You’re at a safe house and I’ve treated you for dehydration and I’ve cleaned up your cuts. You’ve got a pretty nasty gash on your foot, but that’s about the worst of your injuries.”
“Why do I feel so beat up?”
“That’s just exhaustion. Your body basically went into survival mode and was sort of feeding on itself to provide you with nutrients. You just need some more rest and a few good meals.”
“And a shower,” I added. “I feel disgusting.”
“You might want to wait on the shower just a little bit. I can guarantee when you stand up, your body isn’t going to have the energy to keep you upright very long.”
“I’ll sit on the floor of the shower if it means I can get the stench off me.”
He smiled and pulled out some gloves, snapping them into place. “Let’s go ahead and remove the catheter so you can use the bathroom.”
Glancing at Sniper, I could tell he was really uncomfortable, and despite my need to pee, I couldn’t help but mess with him a little. I gave him my most earnest look and held out my hand. “Would you please watch him.”
“Watch him what?”
I glanced at Rocco like I was nervous, my throat cracking as I spoke, which only helped my ruse. “You know. You’ve seen me down there. I would feel better knowing that you were watching what he was doing.”
Sniper’s eyes grew wide and his body tilted just the smallest bit. “Uh…” He looked to Rocco for support, but Rocco just raised an eyebrow at him, as if to ask if he was going to man up.
Sniper cleared his throat with a tight nod and walked toward the end of the bed. “Alright, let’s…” He gestured toward my core as his eyes danced around the room. “You know. Let’s do it.”
“You need to hold her labia open while I remove the catheter,” Rocco said to Sniper. He tossed a pair of gloves at him and watched as Sniper fumbled with pulling them on. He kept clearing his throat, like a nervous tick and then cracked his neck from side to side. I should have stopped him, but it was just too funny to watch. And I needed a good laugh after what I had just been through.
“Alright, Morgan. I want you to let your legs fall open and put your feet together.” I did as he asked and then he lifted the sheet. I watched Sniper’s face go pale as he took a hesitant step forward.
“So…I just…” He swallowed hard and swayed slightly. He gestured toward my core with a gloved finger. “You just want me to…” He gestured with both hands like he was parting the Red Sea.
“Jesus, would you just put your fucking hands on her. It’s not that hard.”
I bit back my laughter as he slowly approached and assessed the area up close. Licking his lips, he took a few deep, huffing breaths and leaned forward. His eyes rolled back in his head and Rocco pushed him to the side just before he would have collapsed on top of me. He flopped on the bed to the side of me and then rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a thunk.
I peered over the side of the bed at his prone figure on the floor. “Is he gonna be okay?”
“I don’t see any blood. He’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t realize he was that squeamish or I wouldn’t have pushed him to do it.”
“Are you really uncomfortable with me doing this?” Rocco asked in concern.
“Nope. I just wanted to see how he would react.”
“You’re kind of evil. I like it.”
I smiled and relaxed as he pulled the catheter from my body. “Alright, you’re good to go. Do you want some help getting to the bathroom?”
“No, I think I can make it.” I stood slowly and glanced back at Sniper. “Should we move him or something?”
“Nah. He’ll wake up. Eventually.”
✯✯✯✯✯
Rocco was right about the whole shower thing. I was standing for just two minutes when my legs shook so hard that I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. I sank down to the floor of the shower and let the warm water soothe my tired legs. I was starving, but being clean was more important at the moment. I lifted my head to wash my face, but the water stung my cracked lips. I jerked away, covering my mouth as I groaned.
“Problems?” Sniper asked from outside the shower.
“I just got water on my lips. It stung.”
“Do you need some help?”
“I should be asking you that. You’re the one that passed out.”
He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hey, I don’t do needles or tubes or anything that even remotely looks like something medical.”
“Somehow I don’t buy that. I thi
nk if you had to you would.”
I grabbed the washcloth that was hanging on the bar, but then realized that all the soap was higher up, as was the shampoo and conditioner. I sighed, resigned to the fact that I was going to have to stand. I started to push myself up, but the sheer curtain slid open.
“Just stay where you are. I’ll help you out.”
“I can do it. I just need you to grab the stuff and hand it down to me.”
Did he listen? No. He stripped his clothes off and stepped into the tub with me. I swallowed and licked my lips when I saw his semi-hard cock jutting out. No matter how tired I was, the sight of his magnificent body in front of me was enough to make me want things that I shouldn’t even be thinking about right now.
He smirked as he knelt down in front of me with the body wash and bottles of shampoo and conditioner. “Get a good look?”
I rolled my eyes. I knew I had been caught, but what did it matter? We’d already slept together. We both knew how good his body was. “Please, it’s right in front of me and we both know that I liked it. There’s no point in pretending I wasn’t staring.”
His smirk grew bigger as he took the washcloth from me and lathered it up with soap. He took my hand and gently started washing my fingers. I was a little taken aback by him washing me. I hadn’t expected that level of caring. I stared at him like he was an enigma.
His eyes flicked up to mine and he shook his head slightly. “What? I can be a nice guy.”
“But you’re washing me,” I said stupidly, as if he didn’t realize what he was doing. “I can do it myself.”
“I know you can,” he said quietly. He continued to wash the same hand. My fingers were so caked in dirt that he had to really scrub to get it off. “I’m sorry I was such a jackass to you. I shouldn’t have judged you so harshly.”
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