Beast (Salvations Bane 2)

by Marteeka Karlend

  Fleur was about an hour into her drive when her phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she started to ignore it, but something changed her mind.

  “Hello?”

  “This is Miles at JFK Medical Center in Lake Worth. Is this Fleur Durand?” The male voice on the other end of the phone was pleasant and professional.

  “Yes.” What in the world?

  “We have a patient named Debbie Johnson who’s requested we call you for her. Are you able to come to the hospital?”

  “I -- Well, I’m almost in Melbourne. Did she say what was wrong?” Fleur’s heart rate sped up. She wasn’t certain she could face Debbie. Especially knowing the likely reason why she was in the hospital in the first place. Beast hadn’t elaborated on what they’d done to Debbie, but it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

  “She just needs a ride home and someone to stay with her for the next twenty-four hours or so.”

  What did she do? If she told the guy “no,” she came across as a bitch who wouldn’t help out her friend. If she told him Debbie had set her up to be beaten and raped, she had no doubt the cops would be looking for Fleur soon. If she turned around and went to pick her up in Lake Worth, there was no telling what Debbie would have waiting for her.

  “Can I talk to her?” Maybe if she could talk to Debbie directly, she could feel the situation out. Lord knew she couldn’t lie worth a damn so there was no use trying to make up something for the guy who’d called her.

  “I’m afraid not. She’s pretty sedated. One of the reasons she needs someone to stay with her.” Cryptic much? Oh, well. If Debbie hadn’t given them permission to talk about the situation with her, they wouldn’t. This guy’s job was to get her to the hospital. She knew that from experience when her parents had been killed.

  With a heavy sigh, Debbie pulled the car over to the side of the road. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Understand it will be at least an hour and a half. I was on my way to Melbourne.”

  “I’m sure she appreciates it, ma’am. Drive safely. Again, my name is Miles. Once you get here mention her name and mine. We’ll get you back to her.”

  “Miles. Got it.” She hung up the phone.

  Fuck. Double fuck. Oh, well. It was the decent thing to do. She’d take Debbie home, then it would be up to her to find someone to babysit her. Fleur wasn’t staying in the house. Wasn’t even setting foot in the house. Maybe this was for the best. She’d at least get some closure with the woman she’d thought of as a friend.

  It was only a little after nine in the morning when she walked into JFK Medical. Getting back to see Debbie was easy enough. Seeing her… wasn’t. The woman had been beaten to within an inch of her life.

  “We wanted to admit her, but she refused,” the doctor said as he gave Fleur instructions on how to care for Debbie and when to bring her back to the hospital.

  “Then that’s what you should do,” Fleur said. “I can’t care for her. This is beyond anything I’m capable of. She needs professional help.”

  “I agree with you. Unfortunately, we can’t keep a patient against their will. She’s signed out against medical advice.”

  “If she’s sedated, is she even capable of doing that?”

  “She signed the papers before we gave her the second round of pain medicine. She insisted. I insisted on the medicine. Once it wears off, I have a feeling she’ll change her mind about being admitted. If for no other reason than for pain control.”

  “Then why not just tell her there was no one to come get her and let it wear off? She changes her mind, she gets the care she needs, and I don’t freak out thinking I could do something to hurt her worse! I can’t do this! I’m not qualified!”

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you everything but, since she insisted she be released into your care, I’m taking it as permission. You need to know the extent of her injuries in order to care for her.” He took a seat and indicated Fleur do the same. “Other than a slight concussion, most of what you see is purely external damage. Cosmetic. Provided she doesn’t get an infection, she should be fine.” He paused, looking at Debbie before continuing. “We’re not sure what happened. Someone dropped her off at the ER door and took off. Typically, when we see that type of behavior, there are usually drugs involved. Her tox screen came back clean. Do you have any idea if she was in some kind of trouble?”

  This was exactly what Fleur was hoping to avoid. Even that one little “no” she needed to utter would be hard for her.

  “Uh, Debbie and I haven’t had contact for a couple of months. We had a falling out, I guess you could say.” There. That was the strict truth. No lying.

  “I see. And you haven’t had contact with her since then?”

  “No. To be honest, I really don’t want to have contact with her now either. I don’t want her to be defenseless because no one should ever feel that helpless.” Speaking from experience. “But I really think you should just tell her I was unable to take her home. Her parents live in Rockwell, Indiana. I don’t have their phone number, but both of them work for Argent Tech. Should be easy enough to get in touch with them through the company.” She held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I really can’t help her. It would be safer for her to be admitted. If she refuses…” She shrugged. “I imagine you’re better equipped to deal with that situation. I really am sorry.”

  “One more thing. It looks like her injuries have happened over several weeks. She’s been tortured. She could really use a friend now.”

  Fleur winced. She couldn’t help but feel that was on her, but it didn’t change the fact that Debbie had sold her out. Literally.

  “Crap,” she muttered. “What a mess.”

  “More so for her,” the doctor said. Right.

  “I don’t mean to be rude,” Fleur said as calmly as she could. “But you have no idea what happened between Debbie and me. She set me up to be raped and beaten. I’m really sorry this happened to her, but it looks like maybe she got in trouble when she couldn’t deliver.” As lies went, Fleur didn’t think that was too bad. “Much as I hate this for her, this is close to what she had planned for me.” To Fleur’s complete and utter horror, a tear escaped her, trickling down her cheek. “She was supposed to be my friend! My parents had just died, and my future was so uncertain. I wasn’t sure I could still afford to go to college and didn’t even have a place to live. Debbie told me she was my friend. Let me live with her if I’d just move here from Tennessee. I was supposed to tutor her this semester so I could have some income. Then everything just crashed down…”

  Fleur couldn’t help it. She was sobbing now. All that was upsetting, but what really got her was the fact that, faced with evidence of what Beast had ordered to happen, she still believed in him with every fiber of her being. He was the man she wanted beyond all reason. The man she trusted with her life. With everything that she was. And he was gone.

  The floodgates opened and she sobbed.

  Chapter Eight

  When Beast arrived back at his room with his gifts for Fleur, he nearly came unglued when he found that, not only was she not in his bed, but she wasn’t even in the Goddamned compound. A quick check of the security cameras told him when she’d gone and which direction. Having Ripper ping her cell phone had told him her location. He had headed in the direction of Melbourne when he’d gotten a call from Ripper telling him she’d turned around. It had taken another hour for him to figure out she’d gone to the hospital in Lake Worth.

  Fuck. What was she doing there?

  When he’d asked for her at the desk, they’d shown no one listed by her name. How the fuck was he going to find her? He was just about to have Ripper do another ping on her phone when he overheard someone ask if they’d heard of a place called Rockwell, Indiana. That set off alarm bells. He quickly put together what was happening and asked the lady at the desk if there was a Debbie Johnson listed.

  Bingo.

  Surprisingly, they let him back in the ER easier than he’d have thought an
d told him what room she was in. That was where he found Fleur, sobbing her heart out. He was just about to enter when a familiar voice stopped him.

  “Gideon. Hold up.”

  “She your patient, Doc?” Not only was Doc a patched member of Salvation’s Bane, but a real doctor.

  “No. What’s going on? I just found out Fleur was in there with Miss Johnson.”

  “I’m not sure what’s going on, but that girl is the one who set Fleur up at the club. Venus was responsible for taking care of her.”

  “Well, she took care of her, all right. They can’t get anything out of Miss Johnson, but believe me, they’re trying. Can she identify you?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Beast shrugged. “I’m not here for her. I’m here for Fleur. Why is Fleur here to begin with?”

  “The patient refused to be admitted, but they wouldn’t send her home unless someone was with her. She gave Fleur’s name and number as someone to call. I’m assuming that’s how she ended up here.”

  “So why’s Fleur crying?”

  “That I couldn’t tell you, brother. Had I known who that girl was, I’d have made sure they didn’t call Fleur.” Doc looked around, scrubbing the back of his neck as if deciding on what to do next.

  “I’m not here to cause you trouble, Doc. This is my mess. I’ll take care of it.”

  “That’s what fuckin’ bothers me,” Doc bit out angrily. He took a deep breath before continuing, drawing Beast away from the main flow of traffic. “Look. You go wait outside. I’ll get Fleur and meet you there. You guys can leave, and I’ll take care of this.”

  “No. Like I said. This is my responsibility.”

  “Well, I’m not leaving you.” Doc entered the room with Beast. The other doctor looked up. “Dr. Lyons.”

  “Dr. Collins,” the other guy said. “Everything all right?”

  “This is Gideon Leigh. He’s here to help Miss Durand.”

  “Good. Fleur was concerned she would be unable to take care of Ms. Johnson given the severity of her injuries. Perhaps you’d be of assistance?”

  “Afraid I don’t know much about taking care of injuries,” Beast answered. “I was concerned for Fleur. She’s upset.”

  The doctor didn’t question how Beast knew Fleur was upset. Probably thought she’d texted him or something. “Yes.” He glanced at Fleur then back to Beast. “She was telling me how Miss Johnson had put her in a… rather awkward and difficult position the last time they saw each other. You know about that?”

  Beast didn’t flinch. “If you’re asking if I did this to somehow avenge Fleur, I can assure you I didn’t. I’m not in the habit of killing women.” He looked at Debbie. “I won’t pretend to be sorry, though. I know you’re doing your job and part of that includes empathy, but as far as I’m concerned, Debbie deserved what she got. And more.”

  “You know I’ll have to report this. It’s not my job to judge you, but I do have to advocate for my patients.”

  Beast shrugged. “You do what you have to, Doc. I’m not about to hold it against you for doing your job. If Fleur were in this situation, I’d hope you’d do the same for her.”

  “I take it you know Dr. Collins?”

  “I do.”

  “We’ve known each other for several years,” Doc said. “He’s one of my closest friends.”

  Dr. Lyons looked startled. “Oh. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Nothing to apologize for.”

  “Well, if Dr. Collins vouches for you --”

  “No, Doc,” Beast cut off the other doctor. “You’re doing your job. Who I am or that I know your colleague shouldn’t matter. You do what you feel is best for your patient. I’ll not stand in your way.”

  “I appreciate that, Mr. Leigh.” He addressed Fleur, who had gone quiet when Beast had entered. She still sniffled occasionally, but otherwise remained silent. “Are you still uncomfortable taking Miss Johnson home?”

  “I just don’t think it’s appropriate under the circumstances. The best thing for her would be to stay here until her parents can come for her. I’m really sorry.”

  Dr. Lyons stared at her a long time, then finally seemed to come to a decision. “I have to ask, Fleur. You stopped being so upset when Mr. Leigh entered the room. Went almost completely silent, in fact. Are you safe with him? I mean, I was going to call the cops given he knew what happened with you and Miss Johnson. I changed my mind when Dr. Collins was willing to vouch for him, but maybe I need to ask you.”

  “Gideon found me. If it hadn’t been for him…” She shuddered, another little sob breaking free. Tears began to stream down her face again, and her voice shook. “I can’t even imagine what would have happened to me. Understand me, Dr. Lyons. I owe Gideon my life. He’s been nothing but decent to me since the moment I met him.”

  Dr. Lyons nodded. “That’s all I needed to hear. I’ll have our secretary get to work on locating Miss Johnson’s parents.”

  Once he left, Beast squatted down in front of Fleur. “You OK, Sunshine?”

  Once again, she crumbled into tears, throwing herself into his arms. Beast held her tightly while she cried. The hospital was no place for this. He needed her back at the clubhouse where he could fix whatever was going on.

  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Baby, why are you sorry?”

  “For whatever I did to make you want me to leave! I know I’m not that experienced, but I’m trying to learn what you like. I’m trying to fit in with your club.”

  “Sunshine, what are you talking about? You fit in perfectly with my club. As to pleasing me, I’ve never been with a woman who pleases me more.”

  She blinked up at him, those silver-green eyes of hers mesmerizing him. “What?”

  “What made you think I didn’t want you? Didn’t I tell you it wasn’t over until I said it was over?”

  “Well, yes. You said that, but…”

  “And did I tell you it was over?”

  “Not in so many words…”

  “So why would you think you could just up and leave like this?”

  “Because I couldn’t just wait around for you to kick me out! I couldn’t bear it!”

  “Christ,” he bit out. He stood, pulling her to her feet with him. “We’re leaving.”

  “But Debbie --”

  “Isn’t your responsibility. Now, come on.”

  * * *

  Beast put a helmet on Fleur’s head before getting on his bike. “Get on,” he ordered gruffly.

  She’d ridden with him so many times over the last two months. Hell, they’d had sex on the bike more than once. But today, it just seemed like a bitter reminder of everything she was losing. “No, Gideon. I was on my way to Melbourne when the hospital called me. I need to get back on the road.”

  “Not happening, Sunshine. Get on the fuckin’ bike.” He didn’t raise his voice, but Fleur knew he meant business. The only question was, did she do what he said? Roll over and let him have his way, knowing he was breaking her heart? The thought of leaving him and the thought of staying when he wasn’t keeping her was enough to start a fresh flood of tears. Angrily, she batted them away, taking several deep breaths. “Sunshine. Honey.” He gently tilted her face up to him. Fleur tried to resist, but he was insistent. Careful, but insistent. “What’s this about?”

  She huffed, angrier at herself than him. He’d warned her, hadn’t he? “Nothing.” She bit out. Pulling away from him, she straddled his bike and strapped her helmet on. “Let’s just go. Who’s bringing my car?”

  “I’ll send one of the boys after it later.” Now that he had his way, Beast was all business. He climbed on in front of her and started the bike. Then they were off.

  As much as Fleur enjoyed the freedom of riding, as much as she enjoyed riding with Beast, this was all a reminder of what she was losing. Well, she didn’t want to lose it! They were good together, Goddammit! If he couldn’t see that, they why would she even want to waste her time on him? The ride should have
mellowed her. Instead it fueled her anger. By the time they got to the clubhouse, she was fighting mad.

  Beast turned into the driveway, and the second he shut the machine down, she was off. She yanked the helmet off and threw it on the ground next to the bike and stomped into the clubhouse. She had just made it to the middle of the common room when Beast grabbed her arm and spun her around.

  “You wanna tell me what the all-fired fuck is goin’ on?”

  “What’s going on is, I’m leaving. Getting the fuck outta Dodge!”

  “Wanna tell me why?”

  “I was good to you, Beast! Good for you! When we first met, I never thought I’d see you smile or have a real laugh. Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen you mellow. Maybe not much, but when we’re alone I can get you to have tickle fights with me! I never meddle in your business with the club. I never hound you about when you’re coming home. I do every little thing you ask of me, and now you’re ready to get rid of me?”

  Right up until the end, he’d had this mellow look of something like satisfaction on his face, but Fleur had kept going. The second she said that last part, repeating what she’d said at the hospital, he’d frowned. Then he narrowed his eyes, looking around the clubhouse. “You mentioned before you thought I wanted you gone. You tell me what fucker told you that. Was it one of the club girls? Because, let me tell you, if one of them did, she’s gone.”

  At once, every single club girl in the vicinity voiced denial. Loudly.

  “No one had to tell me, Beast. You told me. Last night in the shower.”

  He looked at her like she’d grown two heads. “Huh? What the fuck, Fleur? I did no such thing!”

  “You told me --” Oh, God, the tears were going to come again. “You told me the first time we had sex that, before I left this clubhouse, you were going to fuck me in every hole you could fit your dick into. Well, you claimed the last hole last night!” Fleur practically wailed the last before bursting into a fresh flood of tears. “I let you fuck me in the ass, and now that’s it! We’re over!”