by L A Cotton
I’d seen something in her that afternoon at Sherri’s. She was lost and all alone, hiding underneath her cloak of blond and faded pink hair. She was me. And if someone didn’t step in and save her, show her that life didn’t have to be this way, Arianna would become me.
I couldn’t let that happen.
“Lex,” Dawson yelled not taking his eyes off me.
Lex strolled into the room with a smile on his face, but it soon fell as he felt the tension. “Okaaay, what did I miss?”
“Sherri called. We have a problem.”
Lex glanced at us and frowned. “Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Donnie hurt Arianna, the new girl.” I turned my head to Lex. “She’s only seventeen, Lex. She’s just a child. I have to go to her.”
He ignored and turned back to Dawson. “And I’m guessing this is the problem.”
“She can’t go. He’s obviously trying to draw her out.”
I glared at Dawson, hating him at this moment. He didn’t get it—didn’t understand how afraid and alone Ari would be feeling. How scared. I didn’t know her story, but somehow, she’d ended up at Sherri’s with her fate sealed to live a life of prostitution and drugs. No girl deserved that.
“I’m going.”
“Joy.” This time, it came out more of a growl.
“Everyone, just cool it. Where are they at?” Lex directed his question at me.
“Mercy Hospital. Twenty minutes out of town in El Reno.”
“Lex,” Dawson interjected, but Lex held up his hand and continued thinking.
“We leave in ten.” He strolled back out of the kitchen leaving us gaping after him.
“What the hell just happened?” Dawson said more to himself than me.
“I think Lex just made the decision.” Not that I needed their permission. I was going to El Reno with or without them—I’d just have preferred for it to be with them.
“If anything happens out there, I swear to God, Joy.”
I closed the space between us and pushed my body against Dawson. “Everything will be fine.” My lips covered his as I said a silent prayer.
Everything will be fine. It has to be.
We rode to El Reno in silence. Dawson was pissed at Lex, I was pissed at Dawson, and not surprisingly, Lex was calm. I guessed that was part of his skillset. Always be prepared. But part of me couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to his willingness to help. When I’d first met him, he had made his feelings on the matter of Dawson and me quite clear. He hadn’t really said anything, but he didn’t have to; I could just tell he didn’t agree that Dawson was so ready to sacrifice everything again for me. But when it came down to it, he had his friend’s back.
“There it is,” Lex said pointing to the small building up ahead.
He pulled into the small parking lot and cut the engine. “Dawson, anything?”
“Nothing. No tails.”
Tails?
“Okay. I’ll go inside scope the place out. You two wait here.”
Lex climbed out of the car and zipped up his leather bomber jacket. His hair was pulled back into its usual ponytail at the nape of his neck. Most guys as big as Lex wouldn’t have been able to pull off shoulder-length blond hair, but for him, it worked.
“You think Donnie might have had us followed?” I leaned forward to ask Dawson, who was seated up front.
“Possibly. I didn’t see anything, though.”
“Seriously, who are you guys?” I laughed only half-serious.
He twisted his head around to me. “If it all checks out, we go inside, find Sherri and Ari, and get the hell out of here. Understood?”
I swallowed down the nerves swimming up my throat and nodded.
“I love you so fucking much. If anything happens to you, I swear-”
My finger touched his lips and some of Dawson’s anger melted away. “Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
I had to believe it because the alternative was too terrifying to consider. We would go inside, find Sherri and Ari, and hopefully, leave with them before Donnie even learned we were here. A shiver worked its way down my spine at just the thought of poor Arianna. I’d been at Donnie’s mercy one too many times, but I knew him—and usually, I was too high to feel the pain until the morning after. But Ari? She was just a kid.
Lex ducked out of the building, strode over to us, and opened the door. “Everything looks okay. Let’s go.”
We followed Lex inside where a nurse guided us to a small private room. I didn’t know what information Lex had given her, but she didn’t ask us any questions. Sherri’s head whipped up as we reached the half-opened door.
“I’ll give you some privacy.” The nurse left us alone and I pushed past Dawson and Lex to rush into the room and into Sherri’s open arms.
“He hurt her real bad, Joy. That bastard could’ve killed her.”
Pain sliced through me, but it was nothing compared to what I felt when I twisted my head and saw Ari lying in the bed. Her pink blond hair was barely recognizable, tangled and streaked with blood.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, clutching onto Sherri for strength. “Is she- is she going to be okay?”
“Doctors said she’ll make a full recovery. She has bruised ribs, a pretty nasty cut on her thigh, and her face is a mess, but she’ll live.” Sherri’s voice was thick with anger and regret. It was her job to keep the johns in line—to make sure the girls didn’t get roughed up too badly. And although she’d never said the words, I saw a flash of agony in Sherri’s eyes as she watched Ari that looked a whole lot like a person sharing another’s pain because they’d been there. Sherri had, once upon a time, been Ari … been me.
I hugged my friend tighter and turned away from Ari to glance at Dawson and Lex. Dawson’s face was set in a stone mask as he eyed the bed. His strong jaw ticked with anger. Lex mirrored his partner, but there was something else there. Like Sherri, he looked personally affected by the sight of the young girl beaten and bloody against the crisp white linen. But there was no time to find out his story because the girl in the bed needed us.
She needed me.
Soon after we arrived, Sherri left the hospital to return to Chancing. Troy had remained behind with Donnie but kept Sherri informed of his state of mind. It wasn’t good. He was on a warpath, and we were running out of time. But right now, Ari needed us.
“We can take her home.” Lex peeked his head around the door and slipped into the room.
“How’d you pull that?”
“Flashed my badge, gave them a wink and a nod. The usual.” He grinned at us.
“Do I even want to know?” I glanced back and forth between Dawson and Lex from my chair at the side of Ari’s bed.
Lex laughed and came to the end of the bed. “How is she?”
“She still won’t talk, but she’s okay.” I squeezed Ari’s hand gently in my own and smiled at her. She had woken not long after we arrived, but she hadn’t said a word. Not even to the nurse who came to check her vitals.
“You have us now. He won’t touch you again, I promise.”
A tear slid down Ari’s face as she tried to move her lips. “Thaa- thank you.”
I looked over at Dawson and widened my eyes. She spoke. It was a good sign; it had to be a good sign. He pushed off his spot against the wall and strode over to the bed. “Lex, handle her discharge. The sooner we leave, the better.”
Lex nodded and disappeared again while Dawson scrubbed a hand over his jaw. He didn’t like it, I could tell. But there was no way I was leaving Ari all alone. Her coming with us wasn’t up for discussion.
“I’ll go bring the car around. Don’t leave this room, do you understand?” he barked, and I shot him an irritated look. His face instantly softened a fraction, and he came around to press a kiss to my head. “Please, just stay with her. I’ll be right back.”
When Dawson left the room, I focused my attention on Arianna, gently brushing the matted hair away from her
face. “I’m so sorry he did this to you. It’s all my fault.”
This time, Ari squeezed my hand. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to. It was all right there in her swollen mascara-stained eyes.
Lex reappeared with a wheelchair filled with some papers and a bag of pain meds for Ari. I gulped hard, eyeing the bag of narcotics—a rush of hunger bolted through me, but I shut it down. It didn’t own me. It was my scapegoat, a way to forget, to leave my body. I didn’t need that now that I had Dawson. I had to get control of myself. For Ari.
A nurse followed Lex into the room, all doe-eyed as she reeled off instructions for Ari’s dressings and medication. Obviously dazzled by his rugged good looks and charm, she didn’t seem the least bit concerned about her arrangements, and I wondered if he’d been joking about flashing her a badge. Dawson passed her as she exited the room. “All good to go?”
“I think so. Joy, help me get her situated.”
Between the two of us, we managed to maneuver Ari into a sitting position and then lift her carefully into the chair. The hospital gown clung to her delicate frame, and I shed my jacket to wrap around her shoulders, offering her some modesty. I was surprised when Lex took hold of the handles and started to wheel her out of the room.
Dawson held out his hand for me, and I took it reveling in the feel of his skin against mine. Lex thanked the staff for all of their help and followed him out of the door to where Dawson had pulled up the car. I opened the door while the guys prepared to help Ari into the backseat. She was silent, glancing at me for reassurance. I smiled at her. Everything will be okay.
“Mr. Maverick?” a voice called from somewhere behind us. “We have a bag of Miss Temples’ personal effects inside.”
We all halted and turned to find a nurse with a welcoming smile approaching us. Without thinking, I said, “I can come and get it. You get her into the car,” I instructed Dawson and Lex as I started to follow the nurse inside.
“She might prefer for some of it to be destroyed,” the nurse prattled to herself as we headed for the room Ari had occupied. “But there’s a necklace and a ring that look like they might hold sentimental value.”
“Okay,” I replied eager to get Ari’s stuff and head back to the car.
“The bag was in the cabinet, which is probably why you didn’t see it.”
The plastic bag was now on the bed. Blood stained clothes stuffed inside. On top was a gold chain with a cross and a ring threaded onto it.
The nurse beeped and she retrieved her pager. “Oh shoot, I have to be somewhere, but take what you think Miss Temple needs and leave the rest. We can dispose of it.” She hurried out of the room and I approached the bed, bile somersaulting in my stomach.
There was blood, so much blood, caked on her clothes. I laid the jewelry to one side, and fingered the blouse, holding it up. The buttons were gone, a jagged tear along the hem where someone had ripped it away from her body. Dropping the blouse, I moved my hand to the jewelry. It was …
A hand clamped over my mouth stuffing a handkerchief against my nose. My heart jumped into my throat as I bucked against strong hands locking me against a wall of solid muscle. But the chloroform was too strong. It spread through me like wildfire, killing my responses until I tumbled into the black void.
I pulled into the driveway just as Mikey appeared at the side of the house, the familiar rumble of my Camaro alerting him to our arrival, no doubt. I killed the engine and Lex and I climbed out and helped Ari out. The journey home from the hospital had been tense, to say the least.
“Where’s Joy?” he asked, dipping his head to see if she was still in the truck and missed Lex’s warning shake of the head as he supported Ari. I slammed the driver’s door shut and launched into another tirade.
“They fucking took her.”
Mikey’s mouth dropped open. “At the hospital?”
“Yeah,” I grumbled and stormed past them into the house, not needing to see the looks that passed between them. By the time they followed me inside, I was pacing the small living room with my fists balled at my side, desperate to take my anger out on someone.
“How the fucking hell did this happen?” I raged as I paced back and forth, pushing both hands through my hair in frustration. All three of them watched me warily, keeping their distance. “Dammit, Joy.” I kicked the small side table with enough force to send it ricocheting off the wall.
Ari cowered behind Lex, her face ashen, drained of any color, and her blue eyes wide and fearful. Yeah, I was sure I looked like a deranged crazy person, but they had her. He fucking had her. Fuck, why did Joy have to go back for Ari’s belongings? Why couldn’t she have just stayed with us like we’d discussed?
“Dawson,” Lex barked, and he was in front of me in a shot, his hands gripping my shoulders, holding me back, and preventing me from doing any more damage.
“I won’t fucking tell you again.” He pushed against me, and this time, I admitted defeat. I held both hands up in surrender and he backed off, giving me space. This was the second time he’d had to restrain me after we had realized something had happened to Joy.
“Whoa, wait a minute. Start from the beginning. How the hell did they get to her?” Mikey asked.
I hadn’t thought to call him on the ride home. Mainly because I had been frantically trying to work out how to get her back. But I couldn’t get past the stage where I showed up at the club and beat the shit out of Donnie.
I leaned against the counter and hung my head, pinching the bridge of my nose unable to find my voice. Thankfully, Lex spoke. “We were leaving the hospital with Ari when the nurse stopped us to say she’d forgotten her belongings. Joy went back to get them and was taken.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she never fucking came back,” I roared, and Mikey paled.
“We checked the room and all we found were Ari’s belongings on the bed. And no Joy.”
“How did they get her out?” Mikey asked, obviously confused, but my anger only grew with all his questions.
“She followed the nurse back to the room to collect Ari’s things. They could have taken her out of another entrance.”
“Holy shit.” Mikey breathed out and sunk into the armchair.
Behind Lex, Ari mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
It was only the second time I’d heard her speak since we’d arrived at the hospital with Joy. She sounded exhausted and her voice trembled as if she was on the verge of tears. When she looked up, the guilt and regret, combined with unshed tears in her eyes, made me feel like a total dick. It wasn’t her fault this had happened. Joy went back for her belongings, and in that one instant, they took her. If anything, it was my fault. I was the one who fucked up; I should never have lowered my guard. If anything happened to her …
I shook my head and tried my best not to scowl at the girl. “It’s not your fault, Ari.” Joy wanted to go to her. Why I hadn’t stopped her, I don’t know, but there was no stopping Joy when she had an idea in her head. Her loyalty had been her downfall.
“They would have gotten her somehow.” Lex tried to make me feel better, and as much I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. The longer we stayed here, the more risk of something like this happening. The only way she was ever going to be safe was by getting the hell out of Chancing.
“What will you do?” she asked in a quiet voice, her bottom lip quivering. She looked ready to fall apart at any minute.
“Go to the club and deal with that motherfucker once and for all,” I stated. At the vehemence in my tone, Ari’s mouth popped open and her gaze cut to mine. Whatever she saw made her flinch, and I could only imagine the look in my eyes.
Lex cast me a sideways glance. “Or come up with a plan to rescue her.”
“Another fucking plan,” I muttered. Since we arrived in Chancing, none of our plans had been worth shit. To start with, the plan had been to come here for the funeral and leave, and look how well that turned out. Now, we had to rescue Joy and get the hell out of
dodge before it all went to shit with Donnie.
Ignoring me, Lex turned to Ari. She had dropped her head and her long pinkish hair fell forward, shielding her face. The blood from earlier had dried and was stuck in clumps to her hair. The poor thing looked dead on her feet, still dressed in her hospital gown. The hospital staff had cleaned the cut at the side of her mouth, but it was still red and swollen, and when she lifted her head, red handprints were visible on her slender neck. My stomach clenched in anger and I had to look away because it only made me angrier. This young girl had taken a beating at the hands of Donnie. Just like Joy. Ari had taken Joy’s place when we swooped in and didn’t let her go back. I’d rescued one girl but thrown another one to the wolves. As heartless as it made me, I’d do it again, anything to protect Joy, but now, we were back at the beginning. I had to get to her before he did something I couldn’t fix.
Ari was now standing so close to Lex she was practically curled into his side, beyond scared. It was me; I frightened her, not that I could blame her. Lex leaned down to talk quietly to her. “Go upstairs and take a shower. I’ll get a change of clothes for you and something to eat. Okay?”
She nodded and hurried out the room and up the stairs.
“Jesus, Dawson, you’re scaring the life out of her.”
“Sorry but …” I shoved my hands through my hair again. “Come on, Lex, I can’t stand this. I need to do something. I need to get her back.”
“So much for it not being personal,” he muttered, and my eyes narrowed in his direction. But taking my anger and frustration out on Lex was not the way to go. It would make him even calmer and more calculated.
“Come on, man,” I groaned.
“Dawson’s right.” Mikey spoke up. His brows bunched together as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. Real concern shone in his eyes along with fear.
Lex stared between the both of us. “So what? We go in there and grab her?”
“Yeah, exactly,” I snapped.
“Dawson,” he warned, “it’s just us. He’s got far more men and-”
