Interrupting her, I suggest,
“How about this? I’ll ask Gunner, the man outside the door who’s been watching out for you, to scrounge up some food, and while he does that, we’ll take care of your back. I’m sure Gage won’t mind if I borrow one of his shirts for you to wear so that you have something clean to put on afterward,” I offer, hopeful Lena will agree.
Mulling it over, Lena is quiet for a long time before saying,
“Okay. But just you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
~ Jonas ~
“I don’t get nearly enough credit for managing not to be a violent psychopath.”
- Truth
“How bad is it?” I ask Blaine as soon as she walks out of the back hall.
With Knight finally agreeing to calm down long enough to hear what Blaine has to say when she’s finished with his wife, we let him go, sat his ass in the far corner of the main room, and have been feeding him a constant flow of shots ever since.
“I don’t know if there’s a word to describe what I just saw, honey,” she says, visibly shuddering at the memory.
“Obviously, she showed you, but did she talk to you?” I question next.
Lord was skeptical Lena would open up to Blaine, but I have endless faith in my woman’s ability to do absolutely anything she puts her mind to. Getting Lena to talk would be a feat, but if I know Blaine, she wouldn’t be out here with us unless she had something to tell us.
“Yes,” she nods sadly. “But I only want to say it once, so I think it’s best if I tell everyone at the same time.”
Taking her hand, we make our way over to the sedate group of men keeping a watchful eye on one of my oldest friends. I pull Blaine onto my lap, wrapping both my arms around her belly, pulling her back so that her side is nestled into my chest.
“Tell me,” a well on his way to being drunk, Knight demands.
“She’s not good,” she admits. “But she’s not as bad as she could be, all things considered.”
Tears hit her lower lids, and her lips begin to tremble. I fucking hate that Blaine had to be the one to deal with Lena, but honestly, she was the only viable option. That doesn’t mean I have to fucking like it.
Sarge’s gruff voice sounds from the recliner he’s been babysitting all night, encouraging her to continue.
“Go on, sweetheart.”
Blaine takes a calming breath and trains her eyes on Knight.
“She has bruises all down one side of her face, it’s swollen, and looks painful, but it will heal. There’s a small cut under her eye too. Her wrists are raw, and the skin is torn in places, but aside from a few small scars they just need to be disinfected and bandaged. Her throat and her back are by far the worst. I spent the last hour while cleaning her up trying to convince her to let me take her to the hospital, but she’s having none of it. I think if her bandages are changed twice a day, someone applies the antibiotic cream, she keeps taking the pills the doctor gave her, she should be okay.”
Through clenched teeth, Blaine goes on to explain,
“She told me they kept her tied to the plumbing behind the toilet the entire time, which makes sense when you see her wrists and throat. Making and educated guess, Lena must have been trying the whole time to get the rope free from around her neck because she’s done some significant damage to it.”
Knight growls, sounding more like an animal than a man. The rage rolling off him is suffocating, but for now, he’s keeping his seat. Fuck knows what he’s going to do if it gets worse because I’ve got a feeling whatever Blaine is gearing up to say next will shit all over what came before it.
“Oh, God, her back, though,” Blaine sighs brokenly, tears now steadily dripping down her cheeks. “There’s no skin,” her voice hitches. “Like none.”
Cupping the back of her head, I pull her firmly into my chest. Blaine cries rivers of fucking tears, soaking my shirt in less than a minute. The guys all drop their eyes to their boots, even Knight, respecting us both to give us a moment of privacy.
I press a soft kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the strawberry scent of her shampoo, and begin to rub my hand over her swollen stomach.
“You gonna be okay to keep going, baby?”
Blaine sniffles, roughly wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, answering,
“Yeah.” Turning to my brothers, she mutters, “Sorry about that.”
Sarge winks at her, declaring,
“Nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. You take your time, us boys don’t have anywhere to be.”
Now, that’s not entirely correct.
The four men responsible for the diner shooting and the condition Lord found Lena in still need to be dealt with. Boss wanted to wait until we knew exactly what we were dealing with when it came to Lena before meeting out whatever he has planned. I can’t speak for anyone else, but my hope is that he makes those motherfuckers suffer.
“She didn’t talk much, so I’m only guessing, but all the evidence points to her back being destroyed over multiple days. Some of the outside edges are better healed than others. Are you sure you want to hear this, Knight?” Blaine asks, linking her fingers with mine. At his nod, she gives him a resigned one of her own. “I asked her how it happened, and Lena didn’t go into detail, but she did tell me.The burns came from the muzzles of their guns that they heated with lighters. She said it took time, and they were determined, but she stopped counting after burn number nineteen. They used their belts to whip her, that came after the burns, and if that wasn’t horrifying enough, they used the knives they kept attached to their belts to cut away at the burned skin.”
Fucking hell!
“Apparently, one of the men accidentally cut himself in the process. Lena is worried about diseases because of it, so I assured her we would make sure she got tests ASAP,” Blaine says slowly, looking straight at Boss.
“On it. I’ll call, Doc,” he returns quickly.
“We’ll need supplies too. Bandages, tape, gauze for cleaning, more disinfectant, Neosporin, and she’ll probably need another script for more antibiotics as well,” Blaine orders, ticking the items off on her fingers.
“Script aside, I can get all that shit in town or send one of the prospects to do it,” Cash offers.
Boss tips his head, pointing in the direction of the back hall.
“Send, Gunner. Wait until Sly gets done with Lord, then he can relieve him.”
Blaine twists on my lap, positioning her body forward.
“Knight,” she calls, waiting for him to lift his head. “In a round about way, I told her what you said. She looked distressed and humiliated that you were going to find out all that happened to her, but most of all she looked scared. Not of you, but for you.”
Knight growls again, fisting his hands in his lap.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“She’s scared of what you’ll think, what you’ll see, how you’ll react when you see her,” Blaine returns carefully. Knight starts to say something, but Blaine wasn’t done. “I get Lena is your wife, and every protective instinct you have is probably screaming at you to do something, but you have to let her guide this. It’s not about what you want, it’s about what she needs. She didn’t say no when I asked her if you could come and see her, she said yes. There are conditions, though.”
“Whatever she wants. I’ll do anything,” he stresses.
Nodding thoughtfully, Blaine replies,
“No lights with the exception of the one in the bathroom. You’re not allowed to ask what they did to her. And she doesn’t want you to be the one to help change her dressings.” Seeing the crestfallen look on his face, Blaine murmurs, “Give her time, Knight. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but maybe it’s not a bad thing that you don’t see everything. Trust me, her wrists and throat are bad enough, but she can’t hide those. Time might not heal all wounds, but it sure as hell makes them a lot easier to deal with. I can’t even imagine how she’s coped with i
t all, but the way she has only proved how strong she really is. Lena’s fear for you is a good thing, Knight. It means she’s thinking about how this will affect you. If she’s doing that, then there’s a better than okay chance she wants to let you in eventually. Be patient with her, tell her you love her and wait for her to do the rest.”
*****
Conversation died off not long after that, at after midnight, Blaine was more than ready to go home, and I was more than ready to crawl into bed with her, but that wasn’t going to be the case tonight.
Boss might have made it clear neither Knight or I were going to be part of whatever retribution the club took on the motherfuckers they’re holding somewhere in the Vengeance compound, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to hang around until he confirmed they’d been permanently taken care of.
I walked Blaine to her car, made sure to remind her to call me the minute she got home, and for fucks sake set the alarm. She’s forgotten more often than she remembers since I had the expensive wall ornament installed.
Once given the go ahead, Knight took off to see to his wife, and we haven’t seen him since. Fingers cross that means good things for the two of them, but after watching what Avery and Beth went through, I hope Knight knows he’s in for a long, hard fight to get Lena to a place where she could even remotely be classified as recovering.
Their issues don’t stop with her injuries, though. They’ve got problems that run much fucking deeper than them. Lena not being able to have kids hasn’t miraculously changed in the last six or so months. That’s something they’re going to have to find a way to come to terms with, or I fear it’ll be a bigger obstacle than her physical well-being.
Coming up beside me, Boss claps a large hand on my shoulder, stating,
“Talked to the boys, and it was unanimous. You can sit in, but you’re not getting involved. Take it or leave it, brother,” he warns. “I looked in on Knight, offered him the same deal, but he’s good right where he is. Anyone could see he wanted his shot at the assholes who fucked up his wife, but he made the smart decision and stayed put.”
“He might be good where he is, but those fucks shot at my woman, my pregnant woman, so while I don’t like it because I’d like nothing more than to put a bullet between each of their eyes, I’m in,” I snap.
“Right. I’m rounding up the boys, and then we’ll get it done,” he assures me.
The shed Vengeance calls ‘The Meat Shack’ is dark, smells like rotting flesh, and couldn’t be further from a shack if it tried. Concrete floors front to back with centrally positioned drains located every few feet or so, it looks like the set of a horror movie. One wall is entirely taken up by cells, all of them with steel re-enforced doors, drains of their own, hooks bolted into the ceiling and two on the back wall, and nothing else.
In the middle of the room is a large stainless steel bench with what appears to be a big, ten drawer mechanic style toolbox on wheels. It doesn’t take a genius to work out this isn’t your usual toolbox, though.
Of the men in the room with me, only one makes his way to the ‘Chest of Horrors’ as I’m taking to calling it. Gage. I assume as the clubs SAA it’s his job to take point on this sort of shit, but I never expected the crazy bastard to look excited about it.
Boss clears his throat gaining everyone’s attention, offering,
“Like always, none of you are obligated to be here. No one will think less of you if you want to leave, but if you’re going to, do it now. Once this shit starts, those doors don’t open until we’re done,” he warns tersely.
Waiting patiently, Boss gives everyone a minute or two, but when there aren’t any takers he barks,
“Rules. This isn’t a fucking board game, so nobody’s taking turns. Gage, Diesel, and Dirty are running this show, but I’ll be ending it. Jonas is here by agreement, but his ass stays clean. He gets other ideas, he’s out of here.”
Nods of understanding go up around the room, Diesel adding,
“Once it’s done, Harker’s Ridge. Jump, Maddox, Sly, and Gunner will be on disposal.”
Boss shakes his head in disgust, instructing Dirty to open the cells. The men inside are chained to the walls by their wrists so there’s no concern over them trying to escape, and their mouths are duct taped, so no having to hear them scream.
As they are led out one by one, their chains reattached to identical hooks to the ones in the cells, I notice Gage’s eyes turn cold and malicious. This man is dangerous. He’s nothing like the brother I’ve spent too many nights to count drinking, playing pool, and chasing ass to tap.
Opening the second drawer of the ‘Chest of Horrors’, Gage takes out a selection of items, laying them on the small rolling table he’s pulled up beside the bench.
The first man is unhooked, dragged to the table, and then strapped down using restraints located in all four corners. His head swivels left to right the whole time probably searching for a way to escape, but he won’t find one.
The club met, this time, Knight and my presence was not requested, and they voted on whether or not to try extracting information from these assholes. After an hour discussing it, they agreed it wasn’t worth the trouble. Especially since Lena had explained her involvement, and we already had confirmation they’re the ones who hit the diner.
Not one single fucking time did I feel compassion for any of these animals during what happened next. I don’t know what kind of man that makes me, nor do I fucking care. As far as I’m concerned, Boss could have dragged their punishment out days and I would have been good with that.
Gage’s movements are practiced and fluid as he brings the tire iron down over his head again, and again, and again. Towering over them, he leans in close enough to use pliers to remove two incisors a piece. Fingers are severed with bolt cutters, and their toes are crushed with wire crimpers.
Swinging a sledgehammer with more than enough force to demolish a cinderblock wall, Gage shatters kneecaps, breaks ribs, and dislocates the third man’s shoulder.
Every last one of them garbles screams at each new level of vengeance Gage inflicts, eventually passing out from the pain. That doesn’t deter Gage, though. He wakes them up with the help of whatever chemical he has stored in a bottle resting on top of the ‘Chest of Horrors’, and when they’re conscious, Gage begins again.
While that shit was bad enough, Gage lets loose a new form of torture in the way of a hacksaw. And for the next several minutes, I had to ask myself whether I’d gotten in over my head.
Honestly, the only way to describe it is that the scene playing out in front of me is a fucking massacre. Blood, exposed muscle, broken bones, severed tendons, and dismembered limbs that were thrown onto the floor wasn’t even the half of it.
And by the time, Boss called it, I knew if they weren’t already dead, they wouldn’t last much longer in the state they were anyway.
When I said earlier that I would welcome their retribution lasting days, I was wrong. I’m not going to say they didn’t deserve everything they got because they sure as fuck did, but in the end, they’re still fucking human beings. Animals, but still human. And no human deserves to endure more of what Gage has been dishing out.
Cash drags the last man off the bench, dumping him in a heap beside his three buddies. Gage’s job done, he starts cleaning the tools he’d used by depositing them into an industrial size, steel sink, running hot water until it’s full.
Raising his arm, Boss doesn’t hesitate in drilling a round into each of the men’s heads. That’s when I peer down at the men who shot the woman I’m in love with, and inflicted nothing but pain, cruelty, brutality on, at least, one woman we know of, and smile.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
~ Blaine ~
“Dad, thanks for giving me just enough emotional baggage to be in a creative field but not enough to be a prostitute.”
- Blaine to her Dad, Tank.
Helping Lena over the last few days has been emotionally draining, to say the least. Knight was t
here from the time she woke up until Lena drifted off to sleep. The majority of the time, he sat quietly beside her holding her hand, sometimes he got me things I needed to take care of her injuries, but one constant was his presence.
My initial impression of Knight led me to believe he would be incapable of becoming virtually invisible. Not only is he huge – almost as tall and broad as Jonas – but his personality screams, look at me and do as I say. He wasn’t like that, though. If anything, Knight was more subdued than Lena most days.
Vengeance’s doctor, Dr. Willis, a man they have on retainer for instances such as these, who accepts payment for his services in cash, has come to check in on Lena every day so far. He assessed her injuries, made sure she wasn’t at risk of infection or in need of hospitalization and left her a card for a therapist that specializes in abuse cases.
Lena was opposed to the idea at first, but after a hushed conversation with Knight, she reconsidered, promising to think about it. She hasn’t made a decision yet, but Knight isn’t giving up on her.
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 1: Call Me...Vengeance ~ Fury ~ Jonas Page 84
