“Stop!” he roared as he twisted her around so he could hold her. “Nobody is going to hurt you! Just stop!” She struggled fiercely a moment longer then sagged in his arms. “Toni, you okay?” he asked.
“She’s fucking crazy!” Toni rasped as she got to her feet and coughed as she held her neck.
“Doc?”
“I’m fine.”
The rest of the club was arriving, staring into the room. “Everyone, clear out! All but you, Doc. He spun her back around so she was facing him. “You listen to me,” he snapped. “You’ve got to stop this shit, do you understand me? Nobody here is going to hurt you. You’re safe here. Now Doc is going to examine you, and you’re going to let him, understand? I’ll stay right here with you, if you want, but this is going to happen, or you can leave. It’s your choice, so what’s it going to be?”
She slowly relaxed, her eyes unfocused and looking away from him.
“What do you want her to do?” Arsen asked.
“Have her take her pants off and lay back on the bed.”
He gradually released her hands. “Do it.” She whimpered. “Do it,” he ordered again, his tone brooking no argument. “If he tried to force you, I’d kill him myself. You can trust him.” She stared at him a moment, then as tears ran down her cheeks, she slowly slid out of her shorts and panties, then lay back on the bed.
“Make it fast, Doc,” he said then turned his attention to her. “Relax,” he murmured as she took his hand and squeezed it tight. “He’s not going to hurt you and he’s not going to do anything to you. He just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
Doc snapped on a pair of sterile gloves and quickly, but gently, inspected her vagina and anus. “Tearing,” he said, almost to himself. He clucked his tongue as he inspected something up close. She tensed, but she didn’t lash out. Finally, he looked up at Arsen. “Raped. Multiple times, I think. Vaginally, anally. Whoever this piece of shit was, they weren’t gentle with her.” He stood and stepped back, pulling off his gloves. “You can get dressed now.”
She sat up and pulled her panties, pants, and shirt on, then sat on the bed, her knees tucked into her chest with her arms wrapped around them as she rocked.
“The good news, if there is any, is the tears are small and she’ll heal. Physically. What’s going on inside her head isn’t something I can give her a shot for. She may need professional help.” He turned to his bag and pulled out a prescription pad and scribbled on it a moment. “This is a broad spectrum antibiotic and a pain killer. Get those filled right away and start her on them. I didn’t come prepared to draw blood, so get her into the office tomorrow so we can check her for STDs and pregnancy.”
“We’ll be there first thing when you open, and I’ll have this filled right away. I’m sorry for the commotion.”
He smiled and nodded at the woman, still sitting on the bed with her knees up and rocking gently. “She’s a fighter. That’s a good thing.”
“Speaking of fighter, can you take a look a Berk’s hand while you’re here?”
“What happened to him?”
“She tried to bite his hand off.”
Doc laughed gently. “Damn, girl. You don’t care how big they are, do you? Yeah, I can do that.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
After Doc left, Arsen sat down on the bed beside her. “Can you tell me your name? I’m tired of calling you, ‘Hey you.’” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “I know it’s hard, but I want you to try to trust us. These are all good people here. Nobody is going to hurt you or try to make you do anything you don’t want to do.” He waited a moment, but she continued to rock. He put his arm around her and pulled her into a gentle hug. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you fixed up.” After a moment, her arms went around him and they sat on the bed for a long time.
After a while, he slowly worked his way out of her embrace. “Let’s go see what Doc has to say about Berk.”
When they entered the main room of the clubhouse Berk was sitting in a chair, Doc on the ottoman, patiently sewing up his hand. Toni was sitting beside Berk, in another chair, nursing a beer.
“You two okay?”
“Yeah,” Toni rasped.
“Berk?”
“I’ll be fine. Doc told me what she’s been through.” His gaze fell on her. “I guess I can understand why you bit me. Next time, just tell me to get my hands off you, okay?” he said with a lopsided grin, making the rest of the Blades chuckle.
Toni coughed once, her face twisting in discomfort. “Same here.”
“You appear to be the only one she trusts,” Michelle pointed out.
“Is it the face? Tell me it’s the face,” he said, gesturing to his face with a grin. He wasn’t sure, but he thought a smile flickered around her mouth.
“There you go,” Doc said, kicking the ottoman back, dropped his needle into his sharps container, and peeled off his gloves. “Twenty stitches.” He rummaged in his bag for a moment, then pulled out his prescription pad again. “Get this filled as well,” he said as he ripped the sheet from the pad and handed it to Berk.
“What’s this?”
“Antibiotics. Same thing I prescribed for her.”
Berk nodded.
“Thanks again, Doc.” Arsen said. “Send me the bill.”
Doc rose and shook Arsen’s hand. “I will. And you, miss,” he said with grandfatherly sternness, “need to stop biting.”
“And choking,” Toni rasped before taking another pull on her beer.
“And choking,” Doc agreed.
Chapter 10
The kind man’s name is Arsen, and he’s angry with me. When the woman started taking my pants off, I panicked. I’m sorry for what I did, but I can’t find my words. He orders me to take my pants off. I want to do as he asks, but I’m afraid. He hasn’t lied to me yet, but he’s never asked me to expose myself before.
I begin to cry, unable to hold me tears, my fear washing over me like an ocean. He promises me nobody will hurt me, or try to fuck me, but I’m still afraid. He orders me again, his voice hard and demanding. Though I don’t want to, I take off my pants and open myself to him. He makes no move to take me, and the older man, the one they call Doc Holiday, crouches between my legs. I grip Arsen’s hand with all my strength, summoning my courage, placing all my trust in him.
Doc touches me and I flinch inside, but his touch is gentle. He doesn’t thrust his finger roughly inside of me as so many of the men did, and I wait, the tears running down my face. After a moment, he moves on, spreading my ass, but again, he doesn’t drive anything inside of me.
After a moment he rises and tells me I can dress. I pull my panties, shirt, and shorts back on, but I still feel violated. I draw my legs up, trying to make myself small, and I rock. The rocking, I found in the long nights, provided some small measure of comfort, and I return there, desperately seeking anything to comfort me, something to remove the pain.
Arsen sends Doc to look at Berk. Arsen said I bit him. I don’t remember that, but the guilt is still there.
He sits down on the bed beside me and speaks to me, telling me I can trust the people here with him. I want to trust them, but it’s so hard. Even the kind ones used me over and over for their own pleasure.
He puts his arm around me and pulls me into an embrace. After a moment I release my knees and slide my arms around him, holding him. I allow the tears to come, feeling safe and protected. I weep silently, tears running down my cheeks to soak into his shirt. I would sit there forever if he would hold me, but after too short a time, he slowly pushes me away. I cling to him and he relents, holding me again, but only for a moment more.
We enter the large room with the pool table, bar, and furniture. Doc is stitching up a man’s hand, probably the man I bit, with the woman I attacked sits beside him. Her throat is red and beginning to bruise, and again I feel guilty. I can’t meet her eyes as she glares at me. I want to apologize, to both of them, but I can’t utter the words. I try again, but the sou
nds won’t come.
It scares me that I can’t speak and I lean in close, drawing strength from Arsen.
As the doctor prepares to leave, everyone seems happy. This is a happy place, and I remember being in a place like this, a place where happy people gathered, and I was happy too. But that was a lifetime ago, and I despair of ever being happy again.
Arsen puts me in a chair and I sit, watching the people move about, laughing and talking. A few speak to me, and I try to answer, but can’t, and after a while they move off with a shrug. Arsen sits beside me. I’d used the restroom before I showered, but I needed to go again, all the water catching up with me. I try to ask to go to the restroom, straining with every fiber of my being to speak, but there is no sound. I can feel the tears coming, my frustration overwhelming me. I grip my fists tight, the sting of my palms like an old friend, and I pound on the arms of chair with my fists. He doesn’t try to stop me and I let my rage and frustration pour forth until my hands ache.
Finally, I stop, and I notice everyone is staring at me, and I shrink back in my chair.
“It’s okay,” he whispers softly, taking my hand in his own. He’s big man, towering over me, but he’s so gentle when touching me.
I rise and pull him to his feet, tugging him along to the room where I showered. I stop at the door and wait for permission to go.
“You need to go to the bathroom? Is that it? Go ahead. You don’t have to ask to do that. I’ll wait right here.”
I step inside and close the door. I relieve myself, shivering with the relief. I feel like such a fool. A mute, unable to even go to the bathroom by herself. I clean myself, flush, and meet him at the door. He smiles at me but I can’t meet his eyes and stare at the floor.
He tips my head up, forcing me to look into his eyes. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” he said softly. “You’re not our prisoner, you’re our guest. Help yourself to anything you want. Food, water, a drink.”
When he releases my chin, I look down again and sniff. He pulls me into a hug, softly stroking my head as I hold him.
After a long time, he again pushes me out of his embrace and leads me out of the bedroom. He gives orders that I’m sleeping in the clubhouse tonight. When one of the women, Cyra, offers to stay, I become worried. Arsen said to trust him, but I fret that he’s leaving me.
He takes me to the room where Doc Holiday examined me and tells me I’m sleeping here. I can accept that, the bed is far more comfortable than anything I’ve slept on in weeks, but when he says he’ll see me in the morning, I can feel my panic rising. I grip his arm, holding onto him. He tries to reassure me, but the more he insists I stay, the more the panic takes me.
I try to cry out my fear, to beg him to take me with him, but no words come. I begin to weep, clinging desperately to him, but when he escapes my grip, I retreat to a corner and try to make myself small. He’s leaving me and I can feel the darkness closing in around me again.
Chapter 11
Arsen was getting hungry and he needed to get the chick’s prescriptions filled. Most of the club was dispersing, their day done, and he was ready to call it a day himself. “I’m getting ready to go. Cyra, who’s here who can stay with her tonight?”
“I don’t have any plans, so I can stay.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Nah. We’ll stay in and watch some chick flick on Netflix.”
Answer chuckled. “That’s just what she needs, a movie to make her cry.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said becoming more serious. “I can’t imagine what she’s been through.”
“I can’t either.” He turned his attention to the woman. “I’m going to leave you here with Cyra, okay? She’s not going to hurt you, understand?” She gripped his arm, so he guided her back to her room.
“You need some help?” Cyra asked.
“No, I’ve got it,” he said as he worked to get her hands off him. “It’s going to be okay. Just relax. Cyra is going to take good care of you. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” Her grip tightened down and became more desperate. “You have to stay here.”
She began to keen as he became more and more forceful in removing her hands. “Listen to me!” he snapped. “She’s not going to hurt you. Nobody is going to hurt you. You’re safe here. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
She backed in the corner of the room and settled to the floor, her knees to her chest with her arms around them, rocking as she keened softly, her tears streaming down her face.
He saw Cyra wipe a tear away as she watched the woman. He moved to her and crouched. “You’re safe, understand? Nobody is going to hurt you. You can lock the door if you want.” She didn’t react, pausing in her crying only long enough to draw another breath.
He stood and backed away. “Can you stay here with her?” Cyra asked as she wiped another tear.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, not after what she’s been through. What if she gets scared? What if she thinks I’m going to…?” He let his voice trail off.
“Look at her, Arsen! She’s terrified. You’re reaching her. She understands you’re leaving her and she’s scared shitless of that. She trusts you.” Cyra wiped her eyes again. “Don’t do this to her, please.”
He looked back and forth between Cyra and the shattered woman on the floor. “Fuck. Fine. Come on,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “You can come home with me.” She didn’t move, still rocking as she softly wailed. “Come on, or stay. It’s your choice,” he said softly, his hand still out. Again she didn’t move.
He moved to crouch in front of her. “You’d be safe here,” he said softly. “I thought you would prefer to stay here with Cyra, since she’s another woman, but if you’d rather come with me, that’s okay. I’m trying to do what’s best for you. If coming with me is what’s best, then I want you to come with me.”
He rose and held his hand out to her. After a moment her keens stopped, her rocking a moment later. She reached out to him and he pulled her to her feet. “You realize it’s just going to be me and you alone, in my house, right? I won’t touch you, but if you get scared that I’ll - there won’t be anyone there but me. I don’t want you to be afraid.”
She looked at him a moment then melted into his chest. “Okay. I guess I have my answer.”
“You’re doing a good thing.”
“So long as she doesn’t go ape shit in the middle of the night.”
Cyra giggled, then wiped her eyes and sniffed. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”
“Can you lock up?”
“Yeah. Go.”
Arsen escorted her out, the sun low on the horizon as they mounted his bike. They made a stop at a pharmacy and had her prescriptions filled, then rumbled through town to his house. He turned into his drive, then pirouetted the bike around. When he switched it off, she stepped off. He walked to the garage door and keyed the combination to start the door rumbling up. The bike went inside, parked between the two-year-old Cadillac CTS V and the four-year-old Ford Raptor.
“Come in,” he said, opening the door to his kitchen and slapping the button to close the garage door.
His house wasn’t huge by modern standards, but it was impeccably finished and maintained, inside and out. Like the clubhouse, it was a sand colored adobe with a red tile roof. He’d hired someone to landscaped the yard with rocks, cacti, and hardy desert plants. Zero maintenance combined with a great look. He loved it. Inside, the southwest theme continued with reds and browns, tile floors and large, open rooms. The kitchen was fitted with granite countertops, custom cabinets and top of the line appliances.
“Make yourself at home,” he said as he closed the door behind her. “Let me show you your room.” He led her down the hall, turning into the smallest of the three bedrooms. “The bath is through there. If you need to go, you don’t have to ask my permission, okay? I’ll find you a t-shirt or something for you to sleep in later.” She didn’t respond so he continued.
“You hungry? I’m starving.”
He walked out, leaving her standing there. She could either follow or not, he didn’t care. She was going to have to start doing things on her own sooner or later, and he figured he might as well start forcing her to do that now.
A moment later she appeared in the family room, stopping at the island. “There’s beer and water in the fridge if you want something. Here, take these,” he said, shaking four pills into his hand, two from each bottle.
She took them but paused. “Water in the fridge,” he reminded her.
She opened the refrigerator and pulled a bottle out, grimacing as she twisted it open. She put the pills in her mouth, one at a time, taking a sip of water after each one to wash them down.
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