Razor's Mark: (Marked Book 1)

by Gracie Meadows

  “Shit, someone’s shooting,” someone shouted and then all hell broke loose. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” someone yelled, gunfire was going on all around her, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. The man on her, who she didn’t know, was pinning her, crushing her already battered body.

  “FBI. Don’t fucking move,” a loud voice bellowed. She didn’t know if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if they were really here. However, someone yanked the man on top of her off and pulled her up, making her stand on two legs.

  “Don’t come any closer or I’ll blow the bitch’s brains out.” That’s when she felt the barrel of the gun at her temple. It was Ron who was holding her. That was shocking.

  “Put the gun down and you might be able to make it out of here alive.”

  “Bullshit. You let me leave with the girl, and you can find her in the next town when I get away.”

  “Not happening,” the male voice sounded. He must have been the FBI agent.

  “I’m not going to jail.” And just like that, he dropped her on the ground and she heard one more shot go off. Was she dead? Was she shot? She didn’t care anymore. As she lay on the ground, Faith didn’t move, didn’t care, and didn’t feel. More voices sounded all around her, and sirens wailed like a song.

  “Shit, we need an ambulance here now.” And then something was laid on her, a jacket maybe?

  “Faith, I’m going to get you out of here. We have some people who’ve been looking for you. Can you hear me?” She could, but she just couldn’t seem to answer. Her eyes still closed, she just absorbed everything. Her body was suddenly being lifted and set onto a stretcher.

  “What the hell did they do to her?” someone gasped. Guess she didn’t look good.

  “I don’t know, but they’re all dead now, and we have another three in custody. Let’s get her to the hospital. I’ll let her family know we got her.”

  And before she could register anything else, someone said something about pain meds and darkness swept over her, closing the only window that was still open.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Razor paced the hospital hallway. They had brought Faith in, but they’d said it didn’t look good. But she was alive.

  Casper was sitting in a chair with Sparkle. Merlin was smoking outside with Skull and Doc.

  He owed Sparkle everything. She was the one who’d been able to pick up Ron’s location and send the information to the FBI, and the guy Faith had trusted. It didn’t take them long, and soon they had gotten the call that they had her. Of course, Merlin and the guys already knew that. Razor tried to go, but he was needed at the hospital. Merlin, however, came back looking sick and pissed, so he knew that whatever had happened was bad. Could he save her and make sure she was the same sweet girl he had fallen for? If not, he would still take care of her and watch after her.

  “Where the fuck is the doctor?” he growled as he hit the wall.

  “I don’t know, but they better hurry; this waiting shit sucks,” Merlin said as he came to stand next to him.

  “You know, Razor, we had to bring her here. Doc couldn’t patch her up like he did us. She will need someone to look after her; take care of her. Maybe get her some mental help. I think she should stay with me, at the compound.”

  Razor looked at Merlin like he had grown two heads.

  “I’ll do that. She. Is. Mine,” he said very slowly as if speaking to a child. No one would take her away from him again.

  “She’s my sister.”

  “I don’t fucking care; she’s mine.” He would beat the shit out of Merlin if he had to say it one more time. But the double doors swung open.

  “Faith Hillman’s family?” The doctor looked at them both.

  “Yeah, that’s me,” Razor said, and the doctor looked confused, but Merlin resolved it.

  “He’s her fiancé; I’m her brother.” Well, that just made things easier.

  “Okay. Faith is in bad shape. She has burns and marks covering her entire body. Some will scar, and others will fade in time. She has two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and bruised organs. She’s lucky there was no internal bleeding. Her eyes are swollen shut, but it doesn’t look like there are any orbital issues. We need to run more tests and scans after we get some of the swelling down. She’s breathing on her own, but she is on IV antibiotics and pain medication. Our biggest concern is brain swelling. We will keep her sedated for at least twenty-four hours to monitor it.”

  Razor felt sick, but he was happy she was going to survive. Unfortunately, there was something else he had to know.

  “Do you know if they- did they, you know, use her, sexually?” If it came to that, he would use whatever he could to get her the best help he could afford.

  “Now, that’s hard to say. She does have abrasions in some areas, but as far as we can tell, she wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean anything considering most of her body is covered in marks. We will have to ask when she wakes. We ran a kit just in case.”

  “Can we see her now?” Merlin asked before he could get the words past his lips.

  “You can, but only one of you can stay with her.” They both nodded and then looked to see that everyone had already heard the news. Good; they wouldn’t have to relay what the doctor had just said.

  The doctor led them down two more halls and turned right to a room that was surrounded by machines and glass. He didn’t know what to think when he walked closer.

  “I’ll leave you both with her for now.” The doctor left, and Merlin walked over first. Razor was still rooted to the tile as he looked at her small body covered in machines and tubes and needles.

  “Fuck, baby girl. I’m so sorry.” He saw Merlin bend and kiss his sister on the head. It was shocking to see such a strong person like him crumble for his little sister.

  Razor still couldn’t move; the truth was, he was scared to see her. Scared to see what he’d let happen. If he had been better prepared or had fought harder, she wouldn’t be like this. But he had to see her, touch her, and know that she was still here; still with him.

  As he got closer, he spotted the bruises, burns, and bite marks on her arms. Most of her body was covered in dressings, but her face; her sweet, angelic face was swollen and cut open. She was a mess. It broke him. Faith didn’t even look human; her hair was cut different lengths and tubes hung from her nose. The heart monitor’s beeping let them know she was still there.

  Walking to the other side, he ran a single finger along her swollen jaw. “I’m sorry, kitten,” he whispered. He had forgotten Merlin was in the room, and together they just stood there holding her. Minutes turned to an hour, and soon the nurse told them visiting hours were over, and only one was allowed to stay.

  “I will,” he said before Merlin could speak. It earned him a nasty glare, but he needed to be here with her.

  “I’ll relieve you in the morning. Call me if anything changes.” He left, promising to let the others know what was going on. He wouldn’t need to be relieved; he wasn’t leaving her again.

  Finding a small chair, he pulled it close and held her hand. Her other arm was in a sling, effectively holding her shoulder stable. God, she was a mess. How could one person go through what she had gone through? She was so much stronger than he’d ever thought. He sat, holding what he could. In just the short time he’d known her, she had cemented herself into his life. She made him laugh; made him look at things differently. She was the light to his dark. And now he needed to be that for her.

  He sat and just looked at her as the nurses came in and gave her medications and checked her vitals. They tried to reassure him that she was doing well and that things were checking out better than expected.

  He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, someone touched his shoulder. “Razor, man, go get some coffee.” Merlin was back; it must be morning.

  “I’m good.”

  “Let me sit with her a bit, please. I nee
d to.” He saw the sadness in his eyes, and he nodded realizing that this must be as hard for Merlin as it was for him.

  “Sure, I’ll just go get some coffee and maybe a shower. I’ll be back later.” He bent and kissed her forehead.

  “I’ll be back, kitten.” And then he left, but he wasn’t going to go very far. Taking one last look, he left her room.

  *****

  It had been over twenty-four hours, and she hadn’t woken up. The doctors said the swelling had gone down, but sometimes the mind just needed to deal with everything in time. But he was dying to see her again. She’d make a small sound, or give a small twitch here and there, but other than that, she just laid there, and the damn machine kept beeping. He really needed a drink right now.

  *****

  Three days. Three fucking days and she had yet to wake up. The fucking machine needed to stop. He didn’t want to hear the damn beep beep. He wanted to hear her voice.

  The doctor came in and said everything was looking good, but that sometimes head injuries could take a while. When they’d changed her dressing, he’d gotten a look at how bad she really was. It had made him see red.

  There was now a hole in the wall at the shop after he’d tried explaining to everyone about her injuries. Who the fuck bites someone? And it looked like she’d been used as a damn ashtray. All the cuts and scratches. It was sickening, not to mention all the discolored skin.

  Merlin said he and the rest were working to make sure all the Tomb Riders were taken care of, along with helping the FBI gather all the information Sparkle had found. They also found the mole who’d leaked the information about their whereabouts. It was a wannabe biker chick who happened to overhear a conversation with Sully at the bar. She was currently sitting behind bars; well, at least that was what Merlin had told him.

  “Come on, kitten; wake up for me. I miss you.” He rested his head on her chest, listening to her breathe in slowly. He felt a hand move, and when he looked up, he saw her eyes blinking.

  “Oh God, kitten. You’re awake. Fuck, baby, I was so worried.” But she didn’t say anything, just looked at him. “Come on, kitten; say something. Are you thirsty? Are you hurting?” Yet, she just stared straight ahead. He wasn’t sure what to do so he buzzed the nurse letting them know she was awake.

  The nurse and the doctor walked in. “Well, look who’s awake. Are you able to talk, Faith?” She said nothing; just looked at the wall and blinked. “Faith, do you know where you’re at?” Same response. The doctor checked out her eyes and reflexes, yet she said nothing.

  “Well, it seems she is almost catatonic. I’m not sure what to make of this. Some people go into shock after an event. She may be awake, but she isn’t processing anything right now. She will just need time. We will keep her here for a few more days and see how she responds.” Razor nodded and made a quick call to Merlin letting him know she was awake while the doctor checked her bandages again.

  They left shortly after, leaving him sitting next to her. “Come on, kitten, talk to me.” He ran his hand along her cheek, but she didn’t move, just moved her eyes over to him looking at him for a fraction of a second and then back at the wall.

  She was gone, and he prayed Merlin would be able to help him out with this, because right now, he honestly believed that she had slipped down into her hole, and he wasn’t sure how to bring her back.

  *****

  Faith looked at the light; it was bright, and people talked. Something familiar about a sound made her peek out of her hiding spot, but the second she did the pain came.

  No, she needed to stay hidden; she couldn’t get hurt here. She was safe, but a nagging feeling made her think that maybe she was making a mistake. The problem she was having was that her small window that she could normally crawl out of to go back to reality was shut.

  She tried to move her arms to open it, to speak, to understand what was going on. Someone spoke calling her name and calling her something. Kitten? Were they looking for a cat? That didn’t make sense; if anything she would joke about a white rabbit; not a kitten.

  People. She saw people dance across her window, and more people talked, but they were muffled. Oh, the smell. She knew that smell, it was like Christmas and Spring. It was home, but she couldn’t remember why. Just when she thought she figured out what was going on her window started to turn black again. Giving up, she succumbed to the darkness.

  *****

  Voices sounded again and the darkness lifted. Why did that keep happening?

  Someone was moving her, and her arms shifted. What was going on? Why couldn’t she figured this out? She was smart, yet she felt like a first grader at an assembly waiting for something to happen.

  “Are you sure you want her to go home with you and not to the rehab facility?” Who was that? A new voice? Why was she being moved? Each time she moved pain didn’t follow, so she must be safe, but who was with her, and why was she moving?

  “Yes. I know my apartment isn’t the best, but it’s better than the club. She can rest in peace, and you can come see her. She trusts me; she just needs to wake up, and once she does, I’ll be there.”

  Be where? Where was she going? Oh, this was frustrating. Why wasn’t anyone answering her questions?

  “That’s fine. I have a nurse scheduled to come every other day to help with the bandages. And, Razor, I trust you, and I know you care for her. Don’t let me down.” Wait, she knew that voice too. Damn, wait; did he say Razor? No, that couldn’t be right. She’d seen him get shot; he’d been bleeding. They’d killed him. She’d watched it.

  “You got it.” A soft touch made her body purr. Wow, now that was something new. “Come on, kitten, let's head home.” Home? Was that really Razor? Oh God, he was alive. She wanted to see him, wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but she couldn’t find the way. She wanted out now. Why, why couldn’t she wake up?

  She was moving again. Blurred figures still danced and moved in her window, but it wouldn’t open. She tried, but she wasn’t strong enough to open it. Just when she thought she had it, the damn darkness fell upon her again. She was really getting tired of the darkness.

  Light and darkness played in her mind for what felt like months, but it had only been a matter of days, a week maybe?

  “Thanks for coming, man. Yeah, she’s looking so much better, but she still hasn’t said anything. She opens her eyes, and we managed to get her to drink something, but that’s about it.”

  “She’ll come around. She’s still there, Razor. We just need to get through to her. Once she comes around, she will need you. She’ll need all of us.”

  “I know. Listen, I’m gonna clean her up and then lay down. I’ll let you know more when something happens.”

  “Hang in there, man.” She heard the sound of a door closing and the voices stopped. Razor was talking to her again.

  “Okay, kitten, time to get cleaned up. I’ll go slowly, so I don’t hurt you.” She heard the sound of water and things moving about. He was back, and the scent of strawberries filled her nose. “Found some of that soap you like. Doctor said it was okay on your skin.” Some water was wiped across her legs, and then the rest of her. He was washing her. Taking care of her. The feeling was amazing and heartwarming. She wanted out; she wanted him. She needed to thank him for everything. But he soon finished, and the only light she had was dim, but at least it wasn’t gone. Someone was holding her. It was comforting.

  “Come back to me, baby. I need you. Please, Faith, I know you’re in there. You don’t need to fight anymore. Come back to me, kitten.” It was Razor. He was holding her and gently stroking her hair. “You’re safe; I’ve got you. Come back to me. I love you, damn it, and I need you back to your pain in the ass self. Come on, Faith; you need to snap out of it,” his voice cracked as he said the last few words. He loved her, and suddenly her window started to open. She wanted out, and she wanted him.

  Pushing with everything she had, she flung it open and finally looked
around. She was in Razor’s room.

  “Razor?” she said. Damn, her voice sounded like shit.

  “Oh shit, you’re back.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It had been two months; her sling was finally gone, and the doctor had finally given her a clean bill of health. Razor, for the first month, wouldn’t leave her side, and when he did go to work, it was with her at his side. But that was fine; she loved watching him work, and she’d become close with everyone at the shop, though Tex still gave her the creeps. For someone as sexy as he was, with his sweet southern drawl, his fascination for gore scared her.

  Casper was always the flirt, and Mary Jane had taken her for a makeover. Razor wasn’t happy about it, but with both Sparkle and Mary Jane promising to only take her down the street to fix her crazy hair, he’d agreed. It was cute but annoying. She liked her new haircut. It was a cute, barely to the shoulder, style. She did miss her long hair and the ability to put it in a pony or braid, but for now, this worked.

  As Razor played with his gun getting everything ready for his next appointment, she thought back to how she had had to retell the story to the FBI. Michael somehow had made sure that everyone who needed to hear it was there, so she only had to recap it once. The looks of relief when she’d said she wasn’t raped were short-lived when she continued by explaining the beatings and threats.

  Razor still played with the one major scar she couldn’t avoid. It was the initials of the Tomb Rider that were carved into her side. She was going to talk to Razor about that later tonight. But right now, she couldn’t help but smile at him.

  “You look like you’re up to something, kitten. What are you plotting over there?”

  “Oh nothing, just thinking.”

  “Not too hard I hope,” he joked.

  “No, not too hard.”

  He walked over to her after setting his gun down and kissed her softly. He was still treating her with kid gloves, but she knew it would take time. Her therapist had said that even though she was the one who’d been tortured; Razor would act this way until he realized she wasn’t broken anymore.