by Carnal, MJ
“Shit!” I bent down to pick it up.
“Kat, are you alright?” Timber’s concerned voice reached my ears.
I turned to look at him, avoiding the other eyes that were staring at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. It just slipped, that’s all.” I needed an excuse to get away to collect myself again for the umpteenth time tonight. “I need to use the ladies room. Be right back.”
I didn’t give him time to respond before I shot past him and made my way into the dimly lit hall that housed the restrooms. Darting inside the single toilet room, I stood in front of the mirror to stare at my reflection.
I hardly recognized myself. My face was pale and there was a sheen of sweat across my upper lip. I swiped my fingers under my eyes to collect the dampness that had collected there and then leaned forward to get a better look. It was no wonder Timber was overly concerned. I didn’t look well. For the past hour, I’d been fighting the need to evacuate the contents of my stomach, and it just became a losing battle. The thought of Adam sitting next to Timber right now, and the possibility that he’d tell him, made me retch. Side stepping the sink, I fell to the floor with my hands braced on either side of the toilet and threw up. Each heave of my stomach shook my whole body. I had no idea how I was going to continue to play it up that I was okay, when I so wasn’t. Timber had learned to read me like a book, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide this from him.
He’d have to know the name.
I spewed again violently, coughing until every muscle hurt. My eyes were watering and I was barely holding myself up. When I felt like I had nothing left in me, I stood on shaky legs and went back to hang my head over the sink. I cupped my hands under the lukewarm water and splashed it on my face. I felt disgusting. Timber was no doubt going to come searching for me, but I decided right then that I needed to head up to my apartment and crawl into bed. There was no more pretending or functioning for me tonight. Timber would know everything before the night was through.
My mouth felt gross and I needed a good rinsing. After staring at myself, I bent forward again and swished water around, trying to remove any residual vomit or taste that stayed behind. When I lifted my head again, I was startled by another face looking at me in the mirror. I was just about to scream when I was turned and shoved harshly into the tile wall behind me. Adam covered my mouth with his hand to prevent any sound from escaping me.
“Not one peep. Understand?”
His eyes were nearly black, and I’d never seen someone look so lethal. Nodding my head in understanding, he stepped into me, pressing himself against my body. I whimpered.
“Good girl.”
He looked so smug. “My, my, you’ve been a busy girl, Katherine. I should have known you’d fall for my old best friend. The knight in shining armor. The war hero.” He spat the last part.
My chest was frantically moving up and down. I was breathing through my nostrils while his hand still prevented me from speaking. He leaned forward and ran his nose across the length of my throat and into my hair. “Fuck, you smell good.” I felt his erection grind into my stomach and I heaved. His hostile face shot to mine and he growled at me. “What, don’t I do it for you? That motherfucker out there get inside your pretty little head and tell you everything you wanted to hear, so now you don’t want me anymore?”
Oh, God. Was he delusional?
“Do I need to remind you who you belong to?” Oh, Jesus, no. Not again! I’d never survive it if he forced himself on me again. I barely survived the last time. Flashbacks of his hands wrapping around my neck and choking the life from me slammed into the forefront of my brain.
Fight, Kat! Don’t let him win!
I wanted to live. I refused to let him destroy the last ounce of sanity I had left. I saw it dangling in front of me on a string and I needed to find a way to gain some control.
I squirmed a bit, trying to assess the hold he had on me. There was little to no wiggle room. His hand was still on my mouth and his other was firmly grasping my hip. It was going to leave a bruise, of that I was certain. I felt his hips shift forward as he dug himself into me. He moaned in my ear. He did it a few more times, each time his breath blowing across my face.
Oh my God, he was going to get off on me. I couldn’t let him do this. Using every ounce of strength in my body, I tried to shove at him. I bent my leg up, using my foot as leverage to push against the wall, but it was futile. He was stronger and bigger than I was, and he held me there with little effort.
His deep chuckle resonated in my chest. “Keep fighting, Katherine. I like it when you fight. It makes my dick even harder.” He thrust again. Tears pooled in my eyes at the realization that I was powerless.
“God, your mouth. I want your mouth on my cock. Except… I think you’d probably do something you’d regret if I let you suck me off. You wouldn’t be able to promise not use your teeth, would you?”
I was crying. Tears were streaming down my face. Adam had a fantasy in his head that he was letting me touch him. When his hand released my hip, I felt it travel forward and cup my sex. That was all it took.
My mind snapped and I screamed through his hand as loud as I could. I was sure nobody heard me with the music in the bar being so loud, but I would not be a victim again. My hands came up and I slapped and clawed at his face. I gripped his wrist that was still holding my mouth shut and dug my nails into his skin. Blood trickled out of the scratches. He hissed in pain, but still leveled a threatening smile at me.
“You’re going to pay for that.”
His hand left my mouth so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to register it before I felt a sharp sting peeling across my cheek. The taste of metal oozed into my mouth and I knew he broke the skin on my lip.
“Why do you make me hurt you? You’re too beautiful for bruises, Katherine.” His hateful eyes softened as his fingertips grazed my split lip.
“You’re disgusting. Fuck you!” I shouted, spitting in his face.
It earned me another slap across the other cheek. I was seeing stars, and I could already feel my cheek swelling. “You might hate me, but you are going to learn to love me.” He crashed his mouth down on mine, forcing his tongue between my lips. I gagged, which only made my mouth open further and gave him more access. He groaned as though it was the most pleasurable thing he’d ever tasted.
I started to clamp my mouth shut so I could bite his tongue, but he reached up and wrapped his fingers around my chin. He was holding my jaw open and I couldn’t close my lips any further. He continued to plunder my mouth while he held both of my wrists in his other hand. I was trapped again. My crying was at a hysterical peak and my whole body was shaking with my sobs.
“I love you.” He spoke against my lips. I tried not to gag.
In this moment, I felt like all I’d done was waste my energy fighting something that was inevitable. He was going to take me however he wanted, and I was powerless to stop it. What made it worse was that Timber was sitting out in the bar, only a few yards away, while all of this was happening, and he was clueless.
I cursed myself for not telling him about Adam. Because I’d lived in fear of this man, I’d stupidly kept my mouth shut, and now I found myself in the same position I’d been in six years ago. I was utterly defeated. Sagging into the wall, my whole body went limp.
I had nothing left. My spirit was a tattered shell and I was at the mercy of the devil. When he moved one of my hands into the waistband of his pants to cup his groin, I did the only thing I could do. I searched for the safe place in my head. Blue eyes, a tattooed glorious body, and a smile that made me feel like everything was okay. Adam was using my body to jerk himself off, but I wasn’t there in the bathroom with him any longer.
He was getting closer to his release because his breathing had become more erratic and he’d stopped whispering ‘I love you’ in my ear. The pressure of his hand wrapped around my wrist was painfully tight and I knew I’d also be bruised there. I was being held up by his knees in between my legs while I st
ared straight ahead at the off-white tiles. There was a sudden crashing through the door, and I saw a flurry of fists flying.
I knew I had been up against the wall a second ago, but now I was down on the ground. Commotion was happening all around me. There was shouting that was causing my ears to ring.
“You son of a bitch, it was you!” I heard Timber shout.
Adam laughed. “Don’t fool yourself, man. She wanted it.”
There was another rustle around me. I glanced up and saw that Timber had placed himself between me and my monster. “She wanted it?” Timber’s voice was low and threatening. “She wanted you to steal her virginity and RAPE her? Who the fuck are you?”
“Your best friend, remember?” The casualness in Adam’s tone caught my attention. “And because you’re my best friend, I’ll forgive you for fucking my girl. In fact, I might even let you have a round with her while I take her from behind.”
Timber roared.
He lowered himself and charged, plowing his shoulder into Adam with full force. They slammed into the wall, causing both men to grunt. Adam straightened himself and swung, his fist connecting with Timber’s jaw. I winced as I watched his head slam to the side. He recovered quickly, though, and he didn’t allow any more hits in after that.
Timber’s large hands connected left and right with Adam’s face, causing blood to stream out of his nose and mouth. His body went down to the ground and Timber still didn’t ease up. He straddled him, bringing his hands down around Adam’s neck, and squeezed. From where I was lying, I watched in fascination as the life drained from his hideously bloodied face.
“I’m going to fucking kill you. You are dead. Do you hear me? DEAD!”
If it was even possible, his fingers clenched harder. He was going to kill him and I couldn’t take my eyes away from watching it.
Timber’s body was suddenly hauled off of Adam and thrown back. Beaver was standing over him, pinning him against the wall with his arm across his chest. Timber wasn’t giving up so easily. His eyes were set on the body on the floor, and I knew if they didn’t get Adam out of here soon, Timber would make sure he never breathed again.
“Stop!” Beaver yelled in Timber’s face. “Jesus Christ, would you fucking stop? You’re going to kill him. What the hell is wrong with you?” He got his face right up in Timber’s, forcing him to look at him. “Enough! You’re done. I need you to get your shit together so you can go take care of our girl over there.”
Timber’s ferocious eyes shot to mine and then morphed into panic. Beaver let him go and Timber rushed to my side. He fell to the floor in front of me, gently picking me up and cradling me in his lap. I noticed the tears on his face, but I couldn’t say anything.
“Oh, God, no. Kat, baby? Are you alright? Oh, God, please be alright.” Looking around, he spied Mel in the doorway with her hand over her mouth. She was watching Beaver check Adam’s neck for a pulse.
“Mel, call 911 now!”
She turned and left. Timber continued to hold me to his chest, rocking me back and forth, whispering that I was okay.
“How is she?” Beaver asked, his usual joking mood gone.
“I don’t know. She’s mumbling something over and over, but I don’t understand what she’s saying.” I was speaking? I was barely cognizant of anything other than the drumming of Timber’s heart.
“Well, this piece of shit is still alive. We need to get him to a hospital.”
“Let him die.” The menacing tone in Timber’s voice caused me to stir.
“Shhh, baby.”
“Why on earth were you trying to strangle him to death?” Beaver asked.
“I walked in on him assaulting her.” He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. “He fucking raped her in high school.”
“What?” Now Beaver was angry. “And you brought him to this bar, with her?”
Timber’s reply sounded defeated. “I didn’t know. I knew what she’d been through, but she never told me a name.” He looked at me, resting his forehead against mine. “God damn you Kat, you didn’t tell me a name. I could have saved you.”
Before anything else could be said, our small town police walked in to the already crowded bathroom. They began asking questions, and a stretcher was wheeled in. Adam was placed on it, his body was still limp. They whisked him away and quickly brought in another stretcher that they lifted me onto.
I started screaming Timber’s name because his warmth had disappeared. My darkness was creeping in. He immediately came to my side, and I clung to him. He was my safety. The paramedics made quick work of getting my vitals and attached an IV to my non-bruised arm. One of them said that they were administering a drug that was going to make me tired and I could relax enough so they could complete their exam.
I had no choice now. It was only a matter of seconds before my eyes closed and the darkness came for me anyway.
Chapter Eighteen
Timber
I rode with Kat in the back of the ambulance, never letting go of her hand. I’d earned a few scowls from the paramedic when she tried to remove Kat’s hand from mine so she could place one of those pulse things on her finger, but I refused to let her go. The paramedic would just have to work around me. I was looking down at my resting girl and I was trying to sort out how I’d missed the warning signs.
From the moment Kat had seen Adam, her reaction to him had been intense. She’d had a slight tremble in her small hands that hadn’t dissipated throughout the night. She’d barely spoken a word to me, which I’d chalked up to her being angry with me for not warning her. She’d dropped an entire case of vodka on the floor, but it hadn’t fazed her. All of these things should have been red flags to me. And granted, I admit, it didn’t sit well at the time, but why hadn’t I questioned it more? If I had, we wouldn’t be riding in the back of this rig on the way to the hospital. In fact, I could guarantee we’d be headed to the cemetery so I could bury Adam in a shallow grave.
Just thinking about Adam made my blood boil. I was so angry for what I’d seen when I stormed into the bathroom. Kat against a wall looking like all the spark had drained from her face, and my best friend getting off with her hands down his pants. My first reaction had been ‘what the fuck have I just walked in on’? But it didn’t take very long for the pieces to fall into place.
The way she’d been all night. The blank stare in her hazel eyes. The dried tear streaks on her cheeks and the split lip. I’d finally realized that he was the one. I’d felt like a charging lion after that. He had seen me and the shit eating grin on his face was enough to make me see red. I’d felt absolutely crazy.
I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t make sure that I’d killed him with my bare hands. He’d tried to fight me back, and he’d gotten a good crack in. But it had only served to empower me. The pain was still radiating through my jaw but it didn’t matter.
I was so pissed that Beaver had pulled me off him. Adam’s body had been going limp in my hands. I knew he’d passed out, but that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to hear air dragging into his lungs. He needed to be gone. He was the worst kind of human on the planet. What had helped me snap out of my murderous rage was Beaver reminding me of Kat. She’d been lying in a heap on the floor. Her arms were splayed out by her sides, cheek resting on the cold tile. I’d never seen anybody lay in such an awkward angle. Panic had risen in my throat that Adam had killed her, but when I’d gotten to her, she was still breathing. Relief swept through me and now I had something else to focus my attention on.
Arriving at the hospital, the doctor asked why she was sedated. The paramedic explained that she would need a rape kit done, and she had been hysterical, fighting them when they tried to remove her from me. I think I also heard one of them say that I had been difficult too. I scowled. They could go fuck themselves if they thought I would be anywhere but by her side.
A uniformed police officer approached. He looked at me and said, “Mr. Nelson, I need to have a word with you.”
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��Not right now. Didn’t Beaver tell you everything you needed to know?” Being hostile towards him probably wasn’t in my best interest, but I was beyond being reasoned with.
“As a matter of fact, he didn’t tell us much of anything. He wasn’t in the room during most of your attack on Mr. Hale.” The cop’s tone made it sound like it was an unprovoked thing. “So what I need from you is a statement telling me everything that happened from the time you and Mr. Hale stepped into the bar until the point of you being removed from him.”
I felt the all too familiar simmering in my blood. I didn’t like this cop’s tone with me. I was not about to be blamed for kicking the ass of a guy that was assaulting my girl. I was protecting her, saving her from a lifetime of nightmares. If Adam had succeeded in molesting her, I don’t know where we’d be. She would never come back from that one. Hell, I didn’t know if she was going to come back to me even now.
I started my side of the story from the beginning. I told him how I had gone to dinner with Adam, how he was my longtime friend from high school, and how we’d gone to the bar for a drink. I gave him all of the gory details of walking in on that fucker using her to get off. I had to stop talking after that part and told him that I didn’t remember much of anything else. If I kept talking, I would be held responsible for going and finding him and finishing what I’d started. I’d been running on pure adrenaline when I’d attacked him, and it was still coursing through my veins. I had no shame or remorse when the cop asked if that was all.
He looked up from his notepad, where he’d been scribbling down everything I’d said as quickly as he could. “Is that all you can tell me about tonight?” He looked at me with a raised brow.
“No. I want that bastard gone. I heard one of the nurses say that he is in ICU and he’s expected to make a full recovery. I don’t want him in this hospital. I want him removed.”
“Mr. Nelson, I can’t do that. We don’t have that kind of authority, and even if we did, we’d have to transfer him to Houston. It’s too far for someone in his condition to travel.”