“It happened by the door.” She motioned with her head to the cold, hardwood entryway by the front door. “He was on me so fast. I begged him to stop but he just covered my mouth with his hand. I couldn’t stop him,” she sobbed.
“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Logan whispered as he pulled her against his chest. Her sobs turned to choking gasps and Logan stroked her back until she calmed.
“He told me that if I told you, he wouldn’t help you buy the bar. He said he’d fire you and without a job we couldn’t stay together. He said I was still a minor and they could take me away. I believed him.” Logan held her for a long time and she finally settled, her body appearing drained.
“Honey, why don’t you go upstairs and get cleaned up?” She drew back from her brother and then looked at Shane. Her eyes went back to Logan and Shane could tell by the stubborn tilt of her chin that she wasn’t about to leave them alone again. “Shane and I are good,” Logan said roughly but Shane knew that was far from the truth. Logan looked up at him and then said, “Can you take her upstairs and help her get cleaned up?”
Shane was surprised at the request since Logan had to know what helping Savannah meant. He eyed Logan suspiciously and then struggled to his feet. Savannah tried to help him and he winced as pain spread through his body. He wondered if his friend had managed to crack one of his ribs.
“Sweetheart, can you get me some ice?” Shane asked her and she nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
Logan shot him a hard look and then tried to step past him, but Shane put out his hand. “Don’t.” His friend looked at him murderously and he wondered how much of that was for him and how much was directed at Sam. “I know what you want to do, but if you leave her now it will mess her up even more. Telling you was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do and she needs you now.” Logan stepped back from him, his need for revenge clearly warring with his need to protect his sister. “I’ll go find him as soon as you and she are settled at Gabe’s.” Logan must have been surprised by the deadly conviction in his voice because he looked up and then finally nodded.
“I’ll call Gabe and let him know what happened,” Logan said, his voice hoarse.
Savannah returned and handed him an ice pack. He took it from her and then grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs.
“You’ll be here when I come back down, right Logan?” she said worriedly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” her brother said firmly and smiled at her. She hesitated and then finally allowed Shane to pull her the rest of the way up the stairs.
She was stiff as a board by the time he got her into the bathroom. Her eyes had glazed over and he could tell she was barely hanging on physically and emotionally. He turned the shower on and as steam filled the room, he gently worked the ruined dress off her. The blood had dried and the dress was stiff as he stuffed it into the garbage can. He removed her undergarments and tossed them in the garbage too. Her skin was cold against his hands as he worked and he began to wonder if she might be going into some kind of shock. Worry sifted through him and then he began stripping off his own clothes. She didn’t seem to notice or care and that had him more concerned because he didn’t want her retreating to that dark place that had held her prisoner for so long.
He lifted her over the lip of the tub and pulled her under the spray with him. The impact of the water didn’t seem to have any effect on her. He grabbed the shower gel and dumped a liberal amount in his hand. He cleaned and massaged every inch of her, his fingers gentle but firm as he tried to soothe her tense muscles. Blood ran off her in waves and when he was satisfied it was all gone, he reached for the shampoo.
He felt her relax marginally as he began working her hair into a lather and by the time he was ready to rinse it, she was leaning back against him. Her back brushed his chest over and over as he maneuvered her hair to get it rinsed out completely. When he was satisfied that she was clean, he just held her like that and let the water soothe them both. He wrapped his forearm around her upper chest and used his other hand on her abdomen to pull her back against him so they touched everywhere. His tension eased when she let out a big sigh and her body relaxed completely against his.
It was only when the water started to run cold that he forced himself to move and get her dried off. There was a bathrobe hanging on the back of the bathroom door so he wrapped that around her, then helped her wrap a towel around her head. Within minutes, he had her dressed in the clothes Logan had left for her. She had yet to speak, but he guessed she was saving her energy so she could keep moving for a just a few more minutes. As they headed back downstairs and into the kitchen, he could see that Logan had been busy packing her and himself a bag and Mr. Pickles sat unhappily in a pet carrier, his tail twitching angrily as he let out some creepy mewling sounds that only cats knew how to make.
Shane drove the short distance to Gabe’s apartment and Logan sat in the back with Savannah who had fallen asleep within two minutes. Shane’s phone rang and he looked at the caller ID, then swiped the screen to answer.
“I have a name for you,” Dom said. Shane could hear the distinct clicking of a keyboard in the background.
“Sam Reynolds,” Shane said softly. Logan perked up when he said the name, but Savannah thankfully slept on.
Dom was silent, obviously caught off guard, but he recovered quickly. “Yeah. She gave you his name?”
“Yeah.” Shane quickly told Dom what had happened that night.
He heard Dom curse and then sigh heavily. “He’s a ghost Shane.”
“What do you mean?” Shane asked.
“Sam Reynolds doesn’t exist. His social security number’s fake and the address he uses is an abandoned building on the south side that the city is tearing down in a few weeks.”
“His business-” Shane began, remembering the sports bar Sam owned and that Logan once worked at.
“Smoke and mirrors – elaborate ones. Whoever he is, he’s good at hiding.”
“Shit.”
“What is it?” Logan asked softly. Shane shook his head and Logan tensed.
“Thanks Dom, if you find anything else-” Shane began.
“Don’t bother looking for him at your friend’s bar,” Dom said.
“Why?”
“I stopped by the place an hour ago when his name came up. The place was packed with people, but he was gone. Some drunk moron was behind the bar serving drinks for free. I kicked everyone out and closed the place down, but your friend lost a lot of inventory and the place is trashed. His cash register was emptied too, but that could have been Reynolds.”
“Thanks Dom, I’ll let him know.”
“I’ll keep looking.” With that, Dom disconnected.
“What is it?” Logan asked.
“Let’s talk at Gabe’s. I don’t want her to hear,” he said softly as he looked in the rearview mirror at Savannah who was still out cold, her head leaning on her brother’s shoulder. Logan nodded, tightened his arm around his sister and then stared out the window.
***
Shane stepped carefully over a pile of broken glass as he continued to survey the damage to the bar. It wasn’t as bad as he expected, but he knew the loss of inventory alone would be devastating for Logan. His friend had worked himself to the bone to build this place up from nothing because he saw the potential that no one else did. Shane knew nothing about running a business, but even he could see that the location alone had been a smart move. Tourists littered the street and it was close enough to the stadium that football fans would come in droves celebrating before and after the games.
After reluctantly leaving Savannah with her brother at Gabe’s apartment last night, he’d gone home to try and get some sleep. He had literally run the gamut of emotions yesterday and had been physically and emotionally drained, but the second his head hit the pillow, all he could see was Savannah covered in blood. He knew she was in good hands, but they weren’t his and it made him crazy. When they’d arrived at Gabe and Riley’s, Logan had carri
ed her up to the apartment and into the guest room Riley had readied. Savannah never even stirred, not even when Shane released her cat from the carrier and he immediately scrambled up onto the bed to curl against his mistress. Logan had been hovering behind him so he couldn’t even touch Savannah to reassure himself with her warmth.
Riley had stayed with Savannah in the room in case she woke while he and Logan had filled Gabe in on what had happened at the house. Shane shared Dom’s information with both men and he saw what was left of Logan’s composure shatter. When the man disappeared out onto the balcony to grieve for what had been done to his sister, Gabe followed and Shane took the opportunity to escape.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, he’d realized he was in love with Savannah. And in one day it was gone – he’d lost her as well as his parents and one of his best friends. And then he’d been tormented with visions of Savannah’s lifeless body all night. His body was begging him to seek the relief that he needed, but only the idea of knowing Savannah was still in danger held him back from making that phone call to his dealer. Whoever Sam Reynolds really was, he had Savannah in his sights. There was no doubt that he was the one that had put the blood on her bed. In his conversation with Logan last night, Sam hadn’t seemed to realize Savannah was back in town until the day he’d seen her bringing Logan’s forgotten phone to the bar. It made sense now, why she’d avoided the place all these years.
More guilt had been piled on poor Logan when he remembered his conversation with Sam that day and realized he’d inadvertently told Savannah’s rapist that she was dating someone. They’d contacted the police to let them know about Sam, but all three men knew there was little the cops could do if Sam had decided to disappear. But if he was as obsessed with Savannah as he appeared to be, she was and would be in danger until he was caught. And Shane was helpless to do anything. He couldn’t even be there to keep her safe since he’d destroyed what remaining fragment was left of their relationship yesterday by not telling her the truth about how he felt about her. And if that wasn’t enough, her brother was definitely going to have something to say about any future he may have wanted with her if he could ever manage to get his shit straightened out.
Shane searched the bar until he found the cleaning supplies he was looking for. He began sweeping up the remnants of bottles and glasses and dumped them into a garbage can.
“What are you doing here?”
Shane turned to see Logan standing in the doorframe that led to the back of the space where he had a small office and a closet with supplies and inventory.
“Couldn’t sleep,” was all Shane said.
“How’d you get in?”
“The friend I told you about found a spare key when he locked up last night. I got it from him this morning.”
Logan looked around the bar, pain flashing briefly across his features as he saw what remained of all his hard work.
“I think once we get the glass and trash cleaned up, it’ll look better,” Shane offered as he worked. He waited for Logan to dismiss him but the man said nothing. He finally stepped carefully over the debris and made his way to the bar so he could see what was left. Only a few bottles on the top shelf remained intact.
“Five years,” Logan whispered. “She kept this from me for five years.” He turned and ran his hand over the old wood of the bar. “She thought this place meant more to me than she did.” He slammed his fist down on the top of the bar and then scattered the few remaining glasses that were sitting there. Glass shattered around him, but he didn’t seem to care and then he was turning his attention to the last bottles that had managed to remain untouched. He grabbed one and hurled it across the room. Glass and brown liquid sprayed all over the wall. “I trusted him!” he yelled as he flung the next bottle. “I trusted you!” More glass shattering. “I trusted everyone and you all lied to me!”
Shane realized that Logan must have figured out that Gabe and Riley had been hiding Savannah’s secret as well. Shame went through him as he watched his enraged friend. When there were no bottles left, Logan braced his arms against the bar and struggled to catch his breath.
“She needed to be stronger to tell you Logan.”
“So that’s why you fucked her? To give her strength?” he snarled.
“Tell me what I was supposed to do Logan!”
“You should have come to me! I’m her brother!”
“She needed to be able to choose!” Shane shouted. “That fucker took that from her and she needed it back! Telling you had to be her choice! Allowing a man to touch her again had to be her choice!”
“Always the consummate professional, huh Shane?” Logan laughed coldly and shook his head. “Did you at least give her the friends and family discount?”
Shane was on him in three long strides. One swing and Logan hit the floor, blood spurting from his nose. “Fuck you, Logan,” he said as he shook his hand to relieve the sting. “Fuck you.” He reached into his pocket and tossed the spare key on the floor and then walked away.
***
Savannah picked her way past the headstones and paused to study the unique tree near the entrance to the cemetery. It looked old and dead, its gnarled branches twisted together at odd angles. There was something strangely familiar about the tree and then she realized where she’d seen it before. She looked back over her shoulder to where Gabe was standing near the gates. He smiled at her look. The huge tattoo on his back looked exactly like this tree.
“Ask Riley to tell you the story,” he called to her and then a wistful smile graced his lips. Like he was remembering something fondly. She shrugged it off and made her way down the aisle until she spotted her quarry. He hadn’t noticed her coming, so Gabe’s voice must not have carried when he had shouted at her. She was nearly on top of Shane before he looked up from the bench he was sitting on. He scrambled to his feet.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, clearly stunned to see her.
“You invited me to meet your brother,” she said as she slid her arms around him. It felt good to have his solid body against hers again. He was tense at first, then returned her hug.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked but before she could answer he growled, “Riley.” She smiled against his chest. “Please tell me you didn’t come by yourself,” Shane said.
“I made Gabe bring me. Or rather, Riley made Gabe bring me.” She felt Shane pull back from her and look over her shoulder to where Gabe still hovered. The big man waved and then walked to his car.
“Looks like I’m going to need a ride home,” she said as Gabe’s car disappeared.
Poor Shane looked confused, so she tugged him down to the bench and leaned against him as she studied the big tombstone in front of her. They sat that way for several minutes.
“How have you been?” he finally asked. She hadn’t seen him since the beginning of the week after he’d dropped her and Logan off at Gabe and Riley’s. The last thing she actually remembered was how he’d taken care of her in the shower. She’d been cold all over, but he’d found a way to warm her up and bring her back. She’d slept for more than twelve hours straight and had only awakened long enough to use the bathroom and force down the sandwich Riley had handed her.
It wasn’t until Thursday morning that she managed to feel human again, but the scene she stepped into was a nightmare. The tension between Gabe, Riley and Logan was palpable. When she left the bedroom, they were all sitting at the table eating breakfast in utter silence, Gabe and Riley on one end, Logan on the other. Her brother had looked haggard and bitter. He’d smiled at her when he had finally looked up from his plate, but his greeting felt hollow. Riley had quickly made her a plate of food and inquired how she was feeling, but everything about the scene felt awkward and forced.
“I really messed things up,” she said.
She looked up at him and studied the purple and black bruises along his eye and cheekbone. There was a little bit of green along the edges indicating the injuries were slowly healing, but th
e damage Logan had inflicted was devastating. And knowing she was the cause of it broke her heart. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Logan was sporting a fresh bruise as well and she could only wonder at what terrible things had been said between him and Shane for Shane to finally lash out at her brother. Because the fight she had witnessed on that awful night had been one sided – Shane had only tried to protect his body from Logan’s angry fists.
“It’s not your fault,” Shane began but she shook her head.
“Don’t. Don’t try to protect me from this. This is absolutely my fault.” She leaned her head back against his shoulder. “I destroyed our family because I was a coward.”
“No.”
She ignored his protest. “Logan won’t even talk to Riley and Gabe – he spent the last two nights at the bar.”
“He needs time.”
“I need him,” she said. “I need you.” He was silent and she figured that was his way of confirming she couldn’t have the latter.
Before she could speak again, she heard someone call out Shane’s name.
Savannah turned to look in the direction the high-pitched voice had come from. She felt Shane seize up next to her as they both watched his mother pick her way along the path directly towards them.
***
Shane was amazed not only to see his mother, but by her appearance as well. Not only was she wearing a simple pair of Khakis and a cable knit sweater, but her hair was a windswept mess and she actually had sneakers on. There was not a lick of makeup on her face and her eyes looked red and puffy. She held what looked like a wadded up and very damp tissue in her hand, confirming his suspicion that she’d been crying recently. He stood and felt Savannah rise next to him, her hand automatically closing around his.
“Mom,” he managed to get out before she saw his face.
“Shane, oh my God, what happened?” she said as she closed the distance between them and grabbed his face gently so she could inspect him up close. Although her touch was light, he still flinched as she skimmed her thumb over the sensitive bruises.
Shane's Fall (The Escort Series Book 2) Page 19