Light fought against him. “Let me fucking go. That’s my woman and my fucking baby.”
Judge silenced everything with the loud boom of his voice, “Light, stop!”
Light stilled, but turned to his president, his face completely infuriated. Skins kept his arms around him—a smart decision. “How can you just stand there and act like you don’t care? She’s your family, too. And she’s out there with those assholes, alone and pregnant. We need to get her back now!”
“And we will. But the only thing you’re gonna do by storming in there is get yourself and possibly all of us killed,” Judge spoke quietly, but his voice was stern and solid. I admired his ability to keep his head straight. Knowing his daughter was carrying their grandbaby and there was nothing he could do for her right then and there, must have been ripping him up inside.
“Sit down and let’s see if we can figure this out… smartly.”
My mom walked over to Light and placed her hand on his cheek, tears streamed down her face but she held herself tall and confident. “We will get her back soon, Light. She’ll come home to us, and so will that little baby inside her.” She seemed so sure of her words, and I wanted to believe them. But the reality was different.
Eventually, Mom persuaded him to sit down, Skins following with a relieved sigh. Skins was tall, but he didn’t have the same kind of muscle that Light carried. I wasn’t sure any of us would have been able to stop him if he’d decided that enough was enough.
We talked about the situation and a possible game plan. But we wouldn’t know anything for sure until Rose came back later that night. Hopefully, with her increased insight we’d be able to know for sure how to approach it.
Eventually we all called it a night. Light already shared a room with Lane, and Skins took the spare bed, feeling like he needed to be close by for Light, given the new developments.
Sleep evaded me as I lay on Mom and Judge’s sofa. They'd offered me a bed but I'd declined.
I’d already given Kev a call, he was watching the house for the night, making sure Rose got back safely. He promised he would give me a call when she was headed home, and I would go around, get on my knees and apologize profusely for what I’d said. I had it all planned out in my head. But it all went out the window when Kev finally called.
My phone buzzed on the table and I jumped off the sofa and grabbed it, not wanting to wake the whole house. “Yo.”
“I’m coming to you, and I’m coming in hot. Is Skins there?” Kev’s voice sounded hurried and I could hear the car in the background accelerating hard.
“What’s going on?” I growled.
“I’ve got Rose. If Skins isn’t there, you need to get him there fast. I’m two minutes out.”
The line went dead.
I raced down the hall, slamming my fist on every door I passed. “Get up! Something’s wrong!” I yelled before running back down the hall and heading for the front door.
I tapped my foot impatiently, searching the dark streets with my eyes.
Footsteps pounded on the floor behind me, Judge, Skins, and Light all appearing looking disheveled and holding guns.
“What’s happening?” Judge asked urgently, his voice still thick with sleep.
“Kev called and said make sure Skins is here waiting because he’s bringing Rose here.” I scrubbed my face, my heart pounding erratically.
Skins ran back into the house and Light groaned, “She got hurt!”
My back straightened like a steel rod. “What?”
Light pulled on the shirt he had tucked into the side of his jeans, hooking his handgun in the waistband.
“Skins has a medical background,” Judge explained.
I wanted to vomit.
What the fuck had happened?
I heard the screech of car tires and headlights heading up the street at full speed. The car bounced as it pulled into the driveway and I ran toward it, leaping down the stairs.
Kev was out of the car, carrying a body in his arms before it had even pulled to a stop.
“What happened?” I roared as he hurried toward me.
“I’ll explain soon. I need to get her inside, Blizzard.” He pushed passed me, Rose hanging limply in his arms. I followed closely behind him as he rushed up into the house.
“Kitchen,” Judge ordered as we passed.
Skins already had a blanket draped over the small kitchen table and a medical kit to the side. Kev placed her down gently, and Skins immediately started checking her over, checking her pulse first. I stepped forward, reaching out to her but a hand gripped my shoulder, stopping me.
“You need to let him do his thing,” Judge said sternly. My first instinct was to tell him to get fucked, but as I looked at her, I knew it wasn’t good, and she needed all the help she could get. I would only get in the way.
“Rose, can you hear me?” Skins gripped her face in his hand, shaking her harshly with his other hand on her arm. When she didn’t respond, I started to panic. He ran his hands down her arms, cursing as he reached the inside of her elbow. “They shot her up with something.”
My blood boiled and fists clenched. “They fucking what?”
“Shit!” he yelled. Rose’s body started shaking. She was jolting and spasms wracked her body. I could only stand and watch as Skins rolled her onto her side and tried to stabilize her as her body bounced and shook. It only lasted less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity, watching her go through the trauma of her life.
“Get a bucket,” Skins ordered. Light instantly digging through the cupboard beneath the sink and pulling out a small bucket, holding it next to her head in case she was sick.
My legs gave way and I slid to the floor, clutching my hands together. She looked so sick, her face pale and her lips slightly tinted gray. She was so vulnerable, so tiny, and broken.
At that moment, I felt broken too.
Kev came to stand beside me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder as we watched Skins continue to check her over.
“Could be an overdose. She’s lucky she managed to make it out of that place before she did, though. She might not have made it through the night otherwise.” He braced his hands on the table and looked up at me. I could see the anger in his eyes, I could feel it filling the room.
This wasn’t just a rescue mission anymore.
Rose was one of ours, and they’d fucked with her in the worst way imaginable.
Skins lifted his chin at me in understanding, as if he could read the thoughts running through my head.
Enough was enough.
We were going to finish this.
I’d spent most of the day before holding her hair back as she vomited, curled up next to the porcelain toilet. She was in so much pain it was almost unbearable.
I’d done this. Because of me and my ability to hold onto the most ridiculous grudge, she had been doped up to the eyeballs. The come down was fucking painful and I was going to be here with her the whole time.
There was a soft knock at the door.
I’d managed to carry Rose’s limp body to the bedroom just after finally getting her in a shower and some food in her stomach. Mom had to help as Rose was alert, but her body was aching and she was weak. I sat back against the headboard with her head in my lap and my fingers threaded gently through her hair.
Skins was in and out, checking on her regularly, and helping me to force some kind of fluid into her body. We’d had a doctor on Judge’s payroll come and look her over just to be safe. Her vitals told us she was fighting back, I expected no less from her.
“Come in,” I offered quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping beauty.
The door creaked softly as it opened and Optimus slipped through the small space before shutting it again.
“How is she?” he asked, staring down at her sleeping form.
I shuddered, just the memory of her writhing on the kitchen table as Skins attempted to hold her still haunted me. “Meth, they doped her up on meth, man.”
Op’s face scrunched up. “How much did they fucking give her?”
“Not much, but she mentioned something about her drink being laced when she finally got consciousness. Doc reckoned it was the combination of both. A fucking toxic cocktail, strong enough to make her so fucking sick that she’s spent almost the last twenty-four hours shaking and crying and that was after she was done puking.” I squeezed my free hand into a fist. I was filled with rage. If it hadn’t been for Judge and his boys having to practically restrain me yesterday, I would have gone over there and shot up the whole damn place. But I had to remember, Lane was still in there, and if they could do something like this to a woman that they liked—what would they be doing to someone they held prisoner?
“Judge called. Let me know what was happening. Thought I should be here to support you.” He took a seat on the edge of the bed, watching me carefully like I could explode at any moment.
“You mean stop me from doing something fucking stupid,” I corrected dryly.
He shrugged. “We all know that despite your protests that you care about her, Blizz. I ain’t ever seen you this wound up over a girl before.”
“I was wrong.” The words fell out, they felt foreign. “She doesn’t deserve this. I was wrong.”
“Marco really pulled a number on her,” he said with a tilt of his head. “We all wanted to hate her for the lies and shit that she pulled, but she was just the puppet. She had no control when he was pulling the strings.”
I twirled her hair delicately in my fingers, the gritty straw-like strands a testament in itself to what this was doing to her body.
“We need a plan B, brother,” I told him, unable to remove my eyes from her face. The second the drugs had begun to wear off and she finally opened her eyes and saw me, she broke down. Her fight was done, and she trusted me to watch over her while she fell apart. And that’s exactly what I was going to do. “Can’t send her back in there.”
Op nodded, but it was her voice that broke the silence. “I have to go back.”
“Bullshit,” I stated clearly. “You could’ve fucking died.”
I’d talked to Skins briefly. He said it was more than likely whatever they had put in her drink that had made her this sick as opposed to the meth. That actually may have saved her life, counteracting the effects of the other and waking her body up long enough for her to get out of the house.
She reached up and rubbed at her head gently. “How long have I been out?”
“It’s been a good thirty-six hours.” I felt her body tighten at my words. “You going to be ready to talk about it soon?”
She nodded her head against my leg. It brushed gently up against my cock and I could feel myself begin to harden. Fucking uncomfortable with my president sitting five feet away. I knew Rose could feel it, though, her body stilling instantly.
“Give me fifteen to wake up properly, and then we can talk,” she muttered.
Op nodded. “I’ll go and make coffee.” He dipped his head at me before leaving with a soft click of the door.
“I would get up, but A) I still don’t have the strength, and B)…” she cleared her throat, “I’m scared to let this moment end.” She still wouldn’t look up at me, opting to stare across the room at the blank wall decorated only with a couple of tears in the worn out wallpaper.
I knew that I should help her up, help her get dressed, and head out to where the others waited for us. But I was being selfish. Not ready just yet to let her go. “I can solve those.” I tucked my hands under her armpits and pulled her almost limp body up. Her hands came to rest on my chest, her head tucked into the crook of my neck as her legs rested on either side of mine. “Moment’s still here and you didn’t have to use any strength at all to move.”
Soft laughter tickled my neck followed by a muffled whimper.
“Rose? Are you okay?” I wrapped my arms around her center, pulling her against my chest.
“I feel like I’ve just done five days’ worth of crunches,” she admitted through gritted teeth.
I snorted humorlessly. “Yeah, vomiting for hours on end can be quite a workout.”
“I was fucked, wasn’t I?” Her lips played against my neck as she spoke, the sensation shooting little electrical bolts straight to my manhood.
My fingers danced across her bare back. Mom had helped to get her into a pair of sleep shorts and a cropped top. I was trying not to let myself get carried away, but her skin felt so soft under my fingertips and I couldn’t help the trance that they left me in as my hands brushed across her skin.
“That feels good,” she murmured.
“How’s the rest of your body feel?” I asked softly, massaging at the base of her spine. I swear I could almost hear her purring like a cat.
“Broken.”
I stilled. I’d done this, I’d let her feel like she needed to prove something, and because I was an asshole she’d almost died.
Moving my hand up her back, I used it to cup the back of her head. My fingers tightened gently in her hair, and I used the pressure to pull her face back so our eyes met. In that moment, it was like I was looking at her for the first time. Even with the dark circles under her eyes and her cracked lips, she was fucking beautiful. Her wide hazel eyes stared at me, she was like a delicate doll, and my hands held her with care.
“I’m sorry,” I choked. “I never wanted this to happen.”
It was true. I never expected things to go this far. I never anticipated what lengths she would go to, to prove to the club and to me that she was more than what we labeled her.
“You don’t have to say you’re sorry.” She licked at her lips.
“I shouldn’t have pushed you to the point where you thought you needed to do what you did. We… I made you feel like you had no other choice,” I admitted. My other hand moved up her thigh and cupped the underside of her perfectly toned ass cheek.
“I’m not that naïve little girl anymore, Blizzard. I’m fully aware of the choices I’m making,” she whispered softly. Her eyes slipped shut and she leaned her head into my palm.
“Sad to say, baby, but this next choice won’t be yours to make.” I squeezed her ass causing her to grind gently down on me. I held back a groan. “You’re not going back there.”
Her bright eyes popped open once again, but this time, I saw something different. Pure determination. “I can get her out. I’ve come this far, you can’t stop me now.”
My fingers tightened in her hair and she let out a delicious gasp. It wasn’t from pain, though, I could see the anticipation in her eyes.
“You can’t stop me.” The words were meant to be strong, they were meant to be defiant, but all I could hear was desire. She was challenging me. Her hands slipped down my chest, searching for the hem of my shirt. They were cold and sent a shiver through me as she slipped them underneath the fabric.
“Watch me,” I told her softly before my mouth crashed down on hers. It was like coming home. Our lips tangled together, melding into one.
I felt her lifting my shirt higher and we broke just for a second as she pulled it over my head and tossed it to the side. Her breathing now was harsh and her skin was flushed in a soft shade of crimson.
I growled, my hands going straight to her hips and pressing her down onto my straining jeans. “Tell me he never got close to this,” I demanded, my voice low as she wiggled her body, searching for some kid of friction. I was scared since she’d been passed out for a while in that house that they had done something to her. I knew she would be able to feel it in her body if they had.
“No,” she gasped. “He never did.”
“Good.” I spun our bodies so she was lying flat on her back, and I was pinning her down. Her legs went around my waist and she hooked her ankles behind me, pulling me closer—like that was even possible. Every inch of us was already touching and the feel of her against me was something I was not going to risk losing. Ever.
I lapped at her neck, my tongue trailing down her collar bone.
“Blizzard,” she moaned softly. “Please, I need you.”
Just as I was about to declare everything—how much I wanted her—there was a harsh knock on the door.
“What?” I snapped, never taking my eyes from my woman.
That’s right. Mine.
“Rose’s phone is blowing up with calls and texts, brother. We need to sort this shit, now.” Optimus’ tone had gone from caring friend to Brothers by Blood President and I knew that this wasn’t a request. This was an order, sort my ass out now before we hit shit creek.
“Yeah, coming,” I called back.
“Now,” was all he said before I heard his footsteps heading back down the hall.
Rose’s body sagged and she let out a disappointed sigh.
“We get this done, then you’re mine.” She nodded, slightly apprehensive.
What I think she didn’t realize was that I wasn’t just talking about today.
I was talking about forever.
Because the burn I felt inside had become more than a simmer, it was a fierce fire and I’d be damned if anyone got in the way now of it burning.
My head was pounding and I felt like the drugs were still soaring through my body.
I felt like I was dreaming—this must be a dream.
Blizzard treated me with such gentle hands, helping me get dressed, holding my pants for me as I steadied myself on his shoulders. His mouth was tight and his hands skimmed up the back of my legs as he pulled up my jeans. My heart was racing, the moments we had shared just a few days and moments ago, still fresh in my mind. I wanted his touch now more than ever.
Hanging out with Edge and his goons had made me feel dirty, like an addict and a whore. The way they leered at me made me want to curl into a ball and hide away in a corner. Not that they weren’t good looking guys—most of them were—but they looked at me like I was a piece of meat and they were ready to rip me to shreds with their teeth.
“You okay?” My daze cleared and Blizzard was now standing in front of me, looking down at me curiously. He towered over me, and at one point I had found that intimidating, but now I didn’t. I felt protected by this huge man who’d spent his time holding me and comforting me as I fell apart.
Blizzard: (The Brotherhood Journals Book One) Page 21