by Bree Rivers
Crushing Violet
Bree Rivers
Published by Avalerion Nights, 2019.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
CRUSHING VIOLET
First edition. February 15, 2019.
Copyright © 2019 Bree Rivers.
Written by Bree Rivers.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter 1 - After
Chapter 2 - Before
Chapter 3 - Before
Chapter 4 - After
Chapter 5 - Before
Chapter 6 – After
Chapter 7 – Before
Chapter 6 - After
Chapter 9 - Before
Chapter 10 - After
Chapter 11 - Before
Chapter 12 - After
Chapter 13 - Before
Chapter 14 - After
Chapter 15 – Before
Chapter 16 – After
Chapter 17 – Before
Chapter 18 - After
Chapter 19 - Before
Chapter 20 - After
Chapter 21 - Before
Chapter 22 - After
Chapter 23 - After
Chapter 24 - After
Chapter 25 - Before
Chapter 26 - After
Chapter 27 - Now
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About the Author
Prologue
When they burst through the locked door in the basement, Daisy screamed. She whirled around with her arm extended, holding a wickedly sharp shard of glass. “Get the hell away from me.”
“Daisy,” Shane kept his voice calm while he motioned to the others to spread out.
Everyone obeyed. Gray and West moved to make sure the building was clear. Kane wanted to stay and help the doc, what he would have done, had they been on an op. Kane could hear West speaking urgently to David, Roman, Bear, and Davis on the stairs. Kane felt his gut roil at the sight his friends were about to face. Daisy was covered with blood. She was shaking so hard; he could feel the vibration in the floor. He couldn’t see the girl Daisy was standing in front of, other than a great deal of purple hair and bruised naked limbs.
He hoped Gray and West found these bastards and ripped them to shreds.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” Bear came tearing into the room and froze.
“Bear?”
“I’m here sweetheart.” At the sound of his voice, the other woman crumbled. Bear and Roman caught her before she hit the floor and cradled Daisy between them. Shane moved to get closer to the girl on the bed, while Kane prepared to help Davis, his best friend, deal with what he was about to see. Daisy kept mumbling she was okay to the desperate crooning coming from Roman and Bear.
When Shane touched Violet’s arm, she began to thrash and scream. Daisy threw off Bear and Roman to capture the injured girl’s arms. “Shhh ...It’s okay,” she hiccupped. “I’m here. No one will hurt you.”
Kane moved closer to the bed, his face contorted with pain as his memory flashed images across his brain.
The girl turned to Daisy, who leaned over to her. “I’m here,” she repeated.
“Don’t let them—”
“No one is going to hurt you again,” a sob ripped through Daisy so hard Kane felt it in his soul. “I won’t let them. I swear it.”
West and Gray came in with Davis pinned between them. His jaw was locked with pain as his eyes snapped to the bed. It was a good thing the Stones were there because the sight almost sent the big man to the ground as well. David stepped in front of Davis and spoke softly to him, clearly advising him to keep silent and let Daisy and Shane handle the situation.
“You’re okay,” Daisy swore to Violet. “I’m here.”
“Daisy, let Shane help her,” Kane suggested.
The woman on the bed turned her head slowly to look at Kane. “Gotrocks? What are you doing here? Don’t worry, I can’t die twice.”
As Daisy’s friend confirmed the very thing his memory had been trying to get him to believe by using a secret nickname only one girl had ever had permission to use, he was the one who was hunched over with pain. “Vanity, you are not going to die. Understand me? Now let Shane help you.”
This time, when Shane tried to touch her, Violet began to scream again. Her reaction had barely started before the doctor jumped away.
“Why would she let you touch her after what those men did?”
“How many men, Daisy?” Davis asked his voice hoarse with pain.
“Three that I saw,” she gently stroked Violet’s arm, the one part of her that wasn’t injured. Kane wanted to vomit for days at the idea that the one girl he ever loved, the one he could never forget, had been so brutalized.
“Okay,” Shane tested the syringe, making sure there were no air bubbles. “If she won’t let me help her, you’ll have to do it.” He nodded at Daisy.
“I’m no doctor.”
Shane handed Daisy an alcohol swab. “Rub this on her arm. Right on that spot, you were just touching.” When she had, the doctor gave her a smile. Kane stood helplessly with the rest of the men as they watched Shane talk Daisy through each action. David left with his phone out; he hoped the other man was arranging for an ambulance and some female medical aid. “Now,” Shane handed Daisy the syringe. “You want to stick this right into the muscle of her arm. It’ll take longer to put her out, but it’s the best we can do right now.”
Daisy did what she was told. When she returned the empty hypodermic to Shane, her legs collapsed, and she sat next to Violet, who whimpered, so Daisy took her arm and kept rubbing it. “You’re okay,” she kept repeating. “You’re okay. I’m here.”
“How do you know Violet?”
"I don't." Kane turned his devastated eyes to his best friend as his mouth started moving before he could push the words out of his throat. “That’s Vanity Carmichael.”
“The girl from your Dad’s Virginia estate?”
“One and only.”
“How do you know her?” he asked Davis.
“She’s the club stylist.”
Kane bowed forward until his head was hitting the floor. Davis kept telling him about Violet, but he’d never wanted to hear it. He was too busy lusting after Daisy, waiting for Bear to push things too far until he could step in and rescue her.
Instead, he let the only girl in his heart go unnoticed.
He felt like an asshole.
Daisy looked up at Shane and sighed. “I think it’s working.”
“Of course it is, pretty girl. Would I steer you wrong?”
“Violet was so brave. She got them to let me out of the chains—”
“Why were you in chains?” Bear kicked Roman at his question. Daisy’s eyes continued to stare at Violet’s face, as her hand smoothed her arm.
“I had to do it. I had to get them to leave. I knew the only way was to use their fear of their boss against them. I didn’t think I had it in me. I didn’t think I had the courage to push the glass into my neck, but after she did everything she did ... Violet even ran at them when she saw them hurting me, no matter how much I begged her to escape. I didn’t want them to take her, too.”
“Sweetheart,” Roman took a half step closer to Daisy. “Let Shane take over with Violet now so we can help you. She's finally asleep.”
Her hands braided with Violet’s, the eyes she turned to the men, were glazed with pain. Kane felt his heart lurch at her pale color. He feared a good portion of the blood on her body was her own and not Violet’s. Kane didn’t know if he should hope it was for his girl’s safety or pray it wasn’t, for Daisy’s.
“Those bastards won't
chase her in her dreams, will they?” Daisy said before collapsing forward.
Roman and Bear caught her again. This time it was easy to see even Violet’s screams wouldn’t lift Daisy from her faint. Bear lifted her, while Roman pressed a handkerchief against her bleeding neck. Shane stepped over and checked the wound, replacing Roman’s temporary fix with gauze. “Keep pressure. She was smart, she managed not to hit her artery, but that thing is going to need stitching.”
“Can’t you do it here?”
Kane bit his lip when he wanted to howl at the idea that Vanity would be left for one moment without help.
“Triage, Bear. Violet comes first.”
“Vanity,” Kane softly protested.
“She prefers Violet.” Davis didn’t bother to look at him, and Kane could hardly blame him. He wouldn’t want to look at himself either.
As Bear and Roman held and tended to Daisy, Kane stayed where he was. Helplessly watching Shane work on a girl he’d been told had died when he’d returned from his first tour. He wished now he’d paid more attention in the medic clinic. He wished he dared to try and help. He wished even harder he could forgive himself for not recognizing her sooner.
Shane used gauze to pack Vanity’s vagina. The other men turned away to give the girl some respect. When the doc cleared his throat, they all sensed it was safe to look at the bed again. He’d covered her with the sheet, which Kane noticed had seen better days. And probably hadn’t even been in the same room as a washing machine in years. Pulling himself from the floor, he wrenched his jacket off. He couldn’t help Violet medically, and for fuck’s sake, the last thing she’d want was his spiritual comfort.
But he could fucking put something on her that was clean and smelled good.
He placed the jacket on the part of her legs the ripped sheet didn’t cover. He recognized the nod of thanks from Shane. Davis must have agreed with his actions because he followed suit. Gray, David, and West each contributed a jacket as well, soon covering Violet with a selection of leather and denim, from her pale, bleeding face to her coral pink painted toes. Shane was the only one who didn’t join in, but he was too busy frantically administering to her most critical injuries. Kane’s gut twisted once more as he considered how much the doc needed multiple hands right now because there seemed nothing but severe needs on Violet requiring Shane’s attention.
Kane retreated to a perch in the corner of the room where he could continue to witness as one of his best friends tried to save the love of his life.
And his other best friend stared at him with murder in his eyes.
Chapter 1 - After
Violet stood on the porch and watched the therapist drive away. This cabin had been her refuge since the hospital. Shane, her physician who was more like a Greek God with charm, sent her here when her body healed to give her mind some time to recover from the trauma. The therapist was supposed to be here to work on a paper, but she knew Shane sent her to watch over Violet as she tried to find a way to rebuild a life with a shattered mind and broken spirit.
Maybe it worked? The other woman seemed confident that Violet recovered enough to be left alone for an extended period. She’d return once a week with food and supplies.
The cabin was beautiful. Four bedrooms, three baths, on a lake with miles of pristine forest between her and the rest of the world. Shane had made sure it was fully equipped with furniture, food, and Lord love him, fabric. An entire room filled with all kinds of cloth, two sewing machines, buttons, ribbons, whole crafting heaven. Plus one state-of-the-art dressmaking dummy. She didn’t know how the flirty doctor found her a secluded fashion designer dream house, but he promised it was hers for as long as she needed it no matter what.
From where she stood there was only one other building she could see. The therapist said it belonged to some tech billionaire who was rarely there, and when he was, he preferred his solitude as much as she did.
Returning inside she got ready for bed. Lying down she tossed and turned for a while. When she started to slip into sleep, Violet sent a prayer that this time ... hopefully, this time she’d actually make it through the night. That the terror wouldn’t hit her harder than a ton of bricks and she wouldn’t be back in that dirty warehouse as the three men visited every kind of pain and degradation on her body.
That she wouldn’t end up in hell again.
“HOW’S SHE DOING?”
Kane looked up as Bear came in. “She’s sleeping. Been like that for a few hours. I’m hoping she’ll make it through.”
“Violet still refusing to take the pills?”
“Of course she is.” Kane shook his head. “She’d never give in to that kind of weakness or use a crutch.”
“Need anything?”
“I’m good. You should head back to your club and your family.”
Bear sat down at the security console. “You and Davis can’t keep handling twenty-four surveillance on her without some help, man. We’re family. We help each other.”
“I’m not burdening you with this.”
“And I’m saying it’s not a burden. Gray, West, and Magnus are each taking a shift as well. David and Lara will come out together. Ivy is sending food for you guys. And Daisy is getting her designs out.”
“Why is Daisy doing that? Violet doesn’t need any money.”
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll set her up with whatever she needs, as you already have with this house—”
“Shane said she needed it.”
“I know that, man. But Daisy feels her designs are good, better than good, and she thought being a fellow artist, Violet would appreciate finding out that the world shares her admiration.”
“Still not getting it.”
Bear clasped his shoulder. “My wife feels now you’ve made sure she can have a life, Violet should have something to live for.” He sat down and pushed Kane’s chair away from the console. “Go get some rest. I’ll take over.”
He thought Violet should have their love to live for, but he understood that saying it wouldn’t be wise. Glancing at the monitor, he saw Violet burst out of her bed, skittered across the floor, and go careening into the wall. Her eyes were wide, the terror clear in the tension of her entire body.
Kane didn’t think. He didn’t stop to consider what he was doing. He tore out of the room and went running after her. He caught up to her at the side of the lake. Crouched down, her bare feet in the cold water, she was shaking so hard he could hear her teeth rattle. Her white nightgown did little to hide her body, even in the moonlight. She’d lost weight. He mourned her bountiful curves, but she was so physically perfect now it hurt to look at her. But he knew she’d gained this form from abuse no female should suffer, the toned muscles of her body were built from hours of running by the lake and swimming, all so she could exhaust her body and give her mind some peace.
He wished he could dig up the monsters who did this to her and kill them over and over again.
“Vanity. You’re safe. I swear you’re safe.”
“What are you doing here, Kane?”
He knelt down, not getting too close, just wanting her to know she wasn’t alone. The waves licked at the hem of her gown, as she trailed her hands through the water. “Where else would I be, sweeting? My first love rises from the dead, you really think I’m not going to stay close?”
“First love?” She snorted. “Don’t lie.”
“I’m not, Vanity. I have never lied to you.”
“No. You abandoned me. You left.” She stood up, her long purple hair streaming in the breeze, looking like some perfect new age Aphrodite. “Go away, Kane. The Vanity you knew is dead. Let her rest in peace.”
“You’re not dead, Vanity. You’re right here.”
She looked at him with such contempt he felt burned in the heat of her gaze. “Violet, Kane. Remember? I took the name Violet the first time you destroyed me. I’m not changing my name this time; I’m changing you. Go home. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”
“I
am home. The only home I’ve ever known is with you.” Kane spoke softly knowing she wasn’t ready to hear that level of truth. She disappeared into the trees before he even got the full sentence out. He stayed where he was, trusting Bear to watch over her when she walked back to the house. The cameras embedded in the trees were almost undetectable, same as the pinhole cameras in the house. She was right. He walked away from her last time. He did what he thought was the right thing to do. This time it would take heaven and hell to get him to even flinch in his guarding this woman, and even then, he doubted they’d get him to move an inch.
It didn’t matter if she was called Vanity or Violet. She was his, and he would make sure she knew it, one way or another.
Chapter 2 - Before
Vanity ran through the gardens outside of the estate, around the lake, and to the far side of the property. She was eighteen today, and Kane was back from college. Nothing could be better news. For this day, she was determined to get herself the perfect birthday present.
Kane Long was meant to be hers.
She went skidding to a stop when she cleared the trees. The rear guest house was Kane’s domain and had been since he was sixteen. She only knew he was home because she heard the chef put in a second order to stock up the house with the food Kane loved the most.
“Is that you Vanity?”
Whirling around, she saw him. Standing there with a white Irish cable-knit sweater, faded jeans, and his jet-black hair much longer than he used to have to wear to the military academy where his father made him spend high school. Her mouth got dry, and other parts of her definitely grew damp with one shot of his crystal blue eyes and the quirk of his lips. “One and only, gotrocks—"
"Why did I ever let you use that nickname?"
Vanity glowed with happiness. "Because you know I say it with love. Welcome home, Kane.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” Her eyes closed when he pulled her in for a tight hug. Definitely spending more time on her upper back, he’s feeling my boobs right now she realized. Good. The suspicion she’s had for all these years might be right after all. “How are you?”