“Now, tell me what the fuck’s goin’ on.” Thorn pinned the other man with his most lethal stare. He couldn’t help it. All he wanted to do was to find Mariana and fix whatever had happened. If that meant he killed someone, so be it.
“She just got out of surgery. She’ll be in recovery for a while, and you can’t go in until you calm the fuck down anyway,” Doc said softly. “We’ve got time. How well do you know this girl?”
“Not well. What happened?”
“She was attacked. Lucky she was able to get to her phone at all. EMS said she basically dialed 911 and just whimpered. They found her by her phone’s GPS.”
“Yeah. Ripper said as much. Now, tell me what exactly happened. Ripper told me some, but he’s getting clinical information from the radio reports. I need the actual rundown.”
“Bottom line?” When Thorn nodded, Doc continued. “She’s been beat to shit. Was pregnant, but lost the baby. Miscarried before they got to the hospital. That’s what they’re fixing now. She was pretty torn up inside. They cleaned out her uterus – it’s called a D&C -- to try to control the hemorrhaging. She should recover, but the OB guys don’t know if she’ll be able to have kids in the future. Whoever did this did a number on her.”
“She tell you anything?”
Doc shook his head. “She was in and out of consciousness when she got here.”
“Take me to her.”
Doc nodded and led the way inside. After a phone call, he led Doc upstairs to a hospital room. There, in pristine white of the bed clothes, lay Mariana. Thorn could still see the lovely women he’d bullied into eating at the diner, but…
One side of her face was bruised and swollen, that eye shut. A cut marred the perfection of her lower lip, and blood oozed from a small piece of gauze laid over a cut just under her eye. The other side of her face was relatively unharmed. Probably because she’d been lying on that side. The ground would have protected her unless she’d rolled. One arm was in a cast -- the same side as her battered face. She lay still as death, but was breathing on her own. No ventilator.
“She should be fine, once she rests and heals. Do me a favor and don’t scare the poor child to death. She’s been through enough.” Doc clapped him on the shoulder and turned to go.
“Hey,” Thorn said. “Thanks. Tell the others to make themselves comfortable on hospital grounds. I’ll text when I need them.”
Doc nodded, then left.
Chapter Three
Mariana floated in and out of consciousness. There was pain, but it was muted. She knew that if she tried too hard to wake up the pain would engulf her, so she just let herself drift. In the back of her mind, she knew she needed to see what was going on, but if it kept away the agony she’d experienced before, fuck it. She’d deal with it later.
It wasn’t until she heard the familiar male voice in the background that she had something to focus on. Her mind wouldn’t find that calm, tranquil sedation and go blissfully numb. It latched on to that voice. It was scary, but familiar in a comfortable way. It felt safe. She gravitated to it until there was no choice but to open her eyes.
She turned her head slightly and the movement sent shards of glass stabbing through her brain. She cried out, but that only made the pain worse, so she immediately shut her mouth. Eventually the pain ebbed, and she realized someone was holding her hand, stroking the back of it gently.
“Hey there, honey.” The man continued to rub her hand, his voice low and pleasant. It was hard to read his emotions. His face seemed relaxed, but his eyes were flat. Cold.
“Thorn? What are you doing here?” Her voice was rough and her throat scratchy. “Is there water?”
“I came when I realized you were in trouble.”
“I would have called you,” she said quickly, not wanting him angry with her. “I just couldn’t talk.”
“I know. Doc gave me a rundown of your injuries. Said you’d called 911 and just left the line open. They have to investigate those calls, so they came right to you. Good thinking on your part.”
That shocked her. She’d half expected Thorn to berate her for not doing as he’d told her. Instead, he just seemed happy she’d gotten the help she’d needed. He sat up and poured her a cup of water from the pitcher a nurse had left. He set the straw in the cup and held it to her lips. She took a sip gratefully. Then another. Water had never tasted so good. He must have only poured a small amount because it was gone quickly. When she looked back at the pitcher, he shook his head.
“Give it a second to settle on your stomach. The nurse said you might get sick if you drank too much too fast.”
She sighed, but relaxed against the pillow. “How long have you been here?”
“A while.”
“I appreciate you watching over me, but you don’t have to stay.”
He said nothing, looked at her so long she finally did what she knew she needed to do. She used her free hand to touch her face gingerly. It seemed to be grotesquely swollen on one side. One eye was swollen shut, but she’d known something was wrong there. What else? She remembered a horrible pressure…
“Oh, God,” she whimpered, her hands flying to her belly.
Thorn grabbed her wrists gently, leaning over her and kissing the delicate skin of each wrist. “Shh, shh. I know. Just breathe through it. I’ll help you get through this.”
Mariana tried to do what Thorn instructed, but instead of taking deep, calming breaths, she ended up taking in great gulps of air, hyperventilating instead. “No!” The sob sounded broken, even to herself. I lost the baby.
She remembered, during the attack, realizing the baby was beyond her help. Knowing that and facing the reality were two different things. “I tried to protect the baby,” she sobbed out. “I tried, but he seemed to be targeting my belly as much as my head. When I started gushing fluid, that was when he stopped. Oh, God! Oh, God!”
“Who was it, Ana?” Thorn asked. His voice might have sounded gentle, but there was nothing gentle in his eyes. This was a man out for blood.
There was a long pause while Mariana stared at Thorn. If she gave this man Jason’s name, if she named him as her attacker, Thorn would kill the man. She knew it as well as she knew her own name. It was there in his eyes. “What are you going to do?” Even knowing the answer she had to ask.
“You know what I’m doing. Now tell me who did this.”
She looked at him a long time, trying to decide what to do. Blurting out Jason’s name was what her heart wanted most. Not for herself, but for her baby. It’d never had a chance. One look into Thorn’s eyes and she knew he’d kill Jason and not even bother to dust his hands off.
It was a horrible thing to know you held a person’s life in your hands. Mariana had never expected to have that kind of responsibility. Even though there was a part of her who knew Jason deserved everything this man chose to dish out to him, she wasn’t sure her soul could stand the stain. In her heart, she’d already killed him. If she whispered his name, Thorn would make Jason’s death as brutal as her child’s had been. But she also felt that, by doing so, not only would she condemn her own soul to hell -- which she could take -- but she’d be condemning Thorn to the same fate. That, she couldn’t live with, no matter how much better she thought it would make her feel.
“I’m not telling you, Thorn. Not because I want to protect the miserable bastard, but because you don’t need that. This is my fight. I’ll take care of it.”
He looked at her for a long time. So long Mariana had to look away. They sat in silence then. The pump that delivered her pain medicine at regular intervals had shot her full of whatever was in the thing, and she started to get fuzzy headed. Just as she was about to doze off, Thorn leaned close.
“I’ll get this from you, Ana. Then I’ll do what’s necessary. We both know it was Jason. I’ve only got to get the confirmation from you, and it’s done.”
“No, Thorn.” Her tongue felt thick and unmanageable. Her words slurred despite her best efforts. “I can’
t be responsible for this.”
“You won’t be, honey. Just… let it go. Tell me. Was it Jason?”
As darkness closed in around her, to her complete and utter horror, Mariana heard herself whisper, “Yes…”
* * *
He needed to go. To get this done. But Thorn couldn’t bring himself to leave Mariana’s side. When the police showed up, he was sure they’d try to arrest him, thinking he’d had a hand in beating the young woman senseless, but it turned out the men were two he knew, and they didn’t give him trouble.
“Let us handle this, Mr. McGregor. If you go all Batman on the situation, you’ll only hurt our case against her attacker or end up in jail yourself. We’ll be in touch with Mariana when she’s awake.”
“Then you find the little motherfucker and put his ass in jail before I find him.” He shrugged. “Not so hard, is it?” Thorn meant it, too. The second he saw Jason Harrison’s face would be the second that fucker died. Now, if he could just manage to leave Mariana’s side long enough to take action.
The doctors kept Mariana sedated with pain medicine for the better part of the week, letting her body heal. Thorn hadn’t left for longer than it took for him to shower, and he did that in her hospital room bathroom. There was something in the way she’d told him that said she wasn’t trying to protect her ex, but was trying to protect him. Thorn. What could she possibly mean by that? Thorn had killed more times than he cared to admit. He knew dangerous men. Jason Harrison was only dangerous to people smaller and physically weaker than he was. Even if he came at Thorn armed to the teeth, Jason wouldn’t be a danger to him.
Finally, five-and-a-half days after she’d been beaten so badly, Mariana had stayed awake more than a few minutes at a time. They’d gotten her up and made her walk. Brought her unappetizing meals that she’d refused to eat until Thorn had coaxed her into it. That was when she finally gave him the look he’d been dreading. The one with suspicion and fear in it.
“Say what’s on your mind, girl.”
“Why are you here?”
He shrugged. “Someone’s gotta look out for you.”
“No, they don’t.” Her reply was soft but unmistakable. “I’ve been looking out for myself for a long time.”
“And look where it got you.” He almost wished he could take the words back, but if it bullied her into accepting his help it was worth it to see that crestfallen look on her face. At least, that’s what he told himself. “Until that son of a bitch is out of the picture, you’re stuck with me. Get used to it.”
Her hand slipped up to her belly. She sat up in the bed, the sheet and blanket over her lap. Her eyes misted over, and she blinked rapidly. “Of course. I’m grateful for any help you’re willing to give.”
Thorn let out a long breath. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. It’s partly my fault. I thought I was helping by letting him think you had a strong protector. I should have followed through with my statement. Made you come to the clubhouse with me.”
“I wouldn’t have,” she said softly. “Besides, I never thought he’d do something like this. He’s the one who dumped me. Even had another girlfriend. I never thought he’d react so… violently.”
“Well, we both know now,” Thorn said. Carefully, so he didn’t startle her, he placed his big hand over hers, completely swallowing it. “I’ll help you through this.”
When she looked up at him, those luminous eyes of hers seemed to swallow him, making him drown. She looked lost. If ever there was a female in need of saving it was this one. Not that Thorn blamed her. It seemed she’d lost everything. Her father. Her mother. The father of her child. The baby. She was beaten down, but he knew there was fire in her. She just needed to lick her wounds a little. Regroup.
Tentatively, she picked up her other hand and, looking up at him through those long lashes of hers, placed her hand over his so that his hand was sandwiched between hers. Thorn placed his other hand over the stack and squeezed.
“Together?”
“’Til the very end, little darlin’.”
After that, she’d slept some more. Thorn called to check in with Havoc.
“Any word on that little bastard?”
“He knows he fucked up,” Havoc said. “Found some guys from the garage who led me to the guy’s buddy. Says he’s hidin’ out from the law.” Havoc snorted like that was the height of absurdity. “Unfortunately for him, his buddy thinks he’s just as much a dickwad as we do. He’ll keep an eye out and let us know if he hears anything.”
“You believe him?”
“About ninety percent. If Harrison were to pay him he might keep his mouth shut, but I doubt that happens. Guy says Harrison is with this new girl ’cause her daddy’s loaded. He’s looking to cash in. Apparently he thinks she’ll be his sugar mama. Ain’t smart enough to figure out she don’t control her old man’s money.”
“They’re talkin’ ’bout lettin’ Ana go home tomorrow if she has a good night. I’ll talk to Doc, but I want more for her.”
“You know, we could ask Bones for help. Mama and Pops would be perfect for this.”
Thorn thought for a minute. The couple weren’t exactly a couple, and no one knew their past or even their real names. Except Thorn. He knew them all too well. He might not know exactly what they were to each other or what they’d done in the service, but he knew them. They were good people, and he trusted them to take care of Mariana, but he also knew Mama had never liked him and probably never would. Old wounds always left a scar. But there was no denying the skill and patience either of them had with treating the club members at Bones. While Thorn wasn’t ready to say he trusted the couple, the Bones president, Cain, certainly did. Cain was a close personal friend of Thorn as well as his boss. Salvation’s Bane and Bones were sister clubs as well as home to many of the men and women who worked at Cain’s private contracting company, ExFil. If Cain trusted Mama and Pops, Thorn would reserve judgement. Besides, he needed their help for Ana.
“Do it. Reach out and see if they’re willing to come down for a week or so. We’ll compensate them however they see fit.”
“On it, boss.”
Mariana was, indeed, released the next day. She’d tried to insist on walking to the car Red had brought. Thankfully he’d thought to pick something ordinary. The late-model Taurus was nauseatingly normal, but putting Mariana on the back of his bike back to the clubhouse wasn’t happening. The nurses, however, had insisted she ride in the wheelchair. When she argued, Thorn had simply scooped her up and carried her himself as a nurse escorted them to the car. Thorn was surprised at how his chest swelled when she wrapped those slender arms around him when they stepped into the elevator and sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder. He’d absently kissed her forehead before realizing what he’d done. Red snickered, earning the mechanic a glare, which the big man just shrugged at.
Once they were in the car, Thorn looked over at Ana. “I know you don’t trust me yet. Just give it a few days. If you still have reservations, we’ll talk about them, but I want you to stay at the clubhouse until this is done. No matter what, I swear to you that man will never touch you again.”
“Honestly?” Ana raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for him to respond. When he nodded for her to continue she said, “I do trust you. You’ve given me no reason not to. From the moment I met you, you’ve done nothing but help me.” Then she blushed. “Well, you did take some kisses I didn’t give you permission for, but I won’t hold that against you.”
Thorn smiled when he really wanted to groan, take her in his arms, and repeat the experience. “Good, then. I’ll make sure to ask next time.”
On the way to the clubhouse, he noticed her wince from time to time, holding her ribs. Though the doctors had assured her they weren’t broken -- a miracle in itself -- the bruising would be sore for a few more days. Other than that, the only pain she had was from her abdomen. The pain there, both mental and physical, would be longer in healing. Thorn vowed to himself he’d see to
both injuries.
Once at the clubhouse, they were met by Lucy and Fleur, Beast and Vicious’s ol’ ladies. “We’ve got a place set up for her,” Lucy said. “It’s got the most beautiful view of the ocean in the morning. The sunrise is absolutely gorgeous.”
“No,” Thorn said, gruffly. “Puttin’ her in my room.” He strode up the stairs.
“I’ll be fine by myself,” Mariana said softly. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“Ain’t puttin’ me out. I’m stayin’ with you.”
The girls giggled, and Mariana turned beet red. “I’m not sure that’s appropriate,” she said with a glare.
Thorn went down the hallway straight to his bedroom. “Do I look like I give a fuck about what’s appropriate? This is my fuckin’ club. I’ll do what the fuck I want.” He carried her inside and set her gently on the bed. As he stood, Thorn looked down at the small woman in the middle of his big bed. The sight was at once heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Her face wasn’t as bruised and swollen as it had been, but there were greenish yellow splotches where the bruises were healing. Her eye was still swollen and the white still had blood, but it was in the last stages of healing. Because she’d had such a difficult time eating due to the swelling, she’d lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose, making her cheeks stand out sharply. Dark circles still colored the delicate skin under her eyes as well. Even though the evidence of why she was with him was a stark reminder of her ordeal, he wasn’t sorry she was with him now. He’d keep her safe.
“Honey,” Lucy said. “Take my advice. Don’t argue with them. You’ll rarely win, and they enjoy it.” She smiled warmly at Mariana. “The stuff from your apartment is downstairs. We’ll bring it up tomorrow. For now, just do whatever Thorn tells you to. Welcome to Salvation’s Bane.”
Thorn picked up a couple of fluffy pillows from a nearby chair and propped them up behind her at the head of the bed. “I’ll get you some water,” Thorn said gruffly.
Thorn (Salvation's Bane MC 3): A Bones MC Romance Page 4