“Why are the windows barred up?”
Jagger shrugs, “I have things I don’t want stolen from me.”
Yeah like me.
“She should be in a room with fresh air Jagger, some boyfriend you are.”
“Back off Maggie, I didn’t think of that.”
The woman named Maggie, who I’m fairly sure is Jagger’s Sister, kneels by the bed. She’s very beautiful, with dark black hair and light green eyes.
“Hi Willow, my name’s Maggie and I’m a doctor.”
I nod, it’s the best I can do.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“She’s got fevers, shaking, her throat hurts and she’s been sick about four times.” Jagger says, kneeling beside me too.
Maggie takes my temperature and her face falls. “She’s burning up badly, Johnny, go and get my script book. I’ll write a script. Why didn’t you take her to the doctor sooner?”
“It’s a long way to drive, over two hours. I thought it was just a cold.”
“Well, you’re lucky she didn’t die.”
“You can’t let her die,” Jagger says suddenly. Part of me wonders if it’s because he won’t get his information, or if he actually cares about me.
She spins on him. “Next time your girl gets sick Johnny, take her to a doctor. She needs some fresh air and a shower, she looks awful. I don’t want to know why she looks so bad, but if I find out you’re hurting her, I’ll make you pay.”
Jagger grips her arm, but I open my mouth and croak out, “Jagger is helping me, I was in trouble and only showed up yesterday. We have been seeing each other for a while, but I walked most of the way out here. I had no other way, and my phone was gone. I never got a chance to shower, because I got so sick.”
Maggie looks at me, and Jagger gives me a pained look. I know what he’s thinking. I’m thinking the same thing. Why did I defend him?
“Well, it’s not a wonder you’re sick. Walking that far,” Maggie says, handing Jagger her script book.
He has nothing for that one. He just walks out of the room. A moment later he returns. “Here’s the script pad,” he says thrusting a pad at her.
She fills it out quickly, and then stands. “I’ll go and get this and a drip. You stay here.
She turns and walks towards the door, but stops when she gets to it. She turns and gives Jagger a hard stare. “Get her in the shower, and open the damn window. I know we were raised without parents to teach us these things, but by God Johnny, you treat women better than this!”
He nods and she stares at me once more, then turns and walks out without another word. Jagger sits beside me, and then after a moment he pulls me out of the bed and into the bathroom.
“What’re you doing?” I whisper hoarsely.
“She’s right; you deserve a real shower. Sit here, I’ll be back.”
He leaves the room after putting me on the floor beside the tub. He comes back a moment later with an arm full of soaps, shampoos, conditioners and a new toothbrush and toothpaste. He also gives me a brush and a razor, as well as some fresh clothes. I stare at the items, and it feels like Christmas to me. I force a weak smile and try to get to my feet, but my head swims again and I come crashing back down.
“Can I put you in? Or would you rather wait until Maggie comes back?”
I stare up at him, and close my eyes. It’s a shower where he sees me naked…or nothing. I smell the soap wafting towards me and I nod weakly. I don’t care. What’s the point in caring? I have nothing left to care about. He kneels in front of me and slowly raises the shirt over my head. Then he slides my shorts off. I’m not wearing any panties, but he quickly puts a towel over me. I’m shocked and humbled by his kindness.
He helps me with my bra, and also covers my front with a towel. Most men would try and cop a look or a feel, not him. He stole me and put me in this crazy situation but he’s never been anything but respectful with my body. He helps me to my feet and as I’m lowering into the warm bubble bath, he pulls the towel back and closes his eyes. When I’m in the water and covered, he opens them and stares down at me.
“For what it’s worth,” he says, filling his palm with shampoo. “I’m sorry.”
“Is she your Sister?”
He nods, “Yeah.”
“Thank you.”
I stare at him, but he moves his gaze away and focuses on my hair. I groan as he rubs the shampoo in and washes it. I haven’t washed my hair for weeks. Dirt fills the bath rather quickly and he winces. He does it another two times, then smothers it in conditioner and sits back. My head already feels a touch clearer. When Maggie returns, she spots me in the bath and a weak smile covers her face but quickly vanishes when she notices the gashes on my back.
“Oh my God!”
Jagger looks up at her, then down at my back and winces. “I didn’t do that.”
“What the hell happened?” Maggie cries, dropping to her knees and running her hands over the painful marks.
“My…ex-boyfriend did that.” I lie.
Why am I lying to protect Jagger? I should be babbling everything and telling Maggie that he took me but I can’t bring myself to do it. Jagger is the better out of two situations and right now, I’m safer here then I would be anywhere else.
“Did you report him?”
“Yes.” I lie again.
“Those marks need cream, God, you poor thing.”
“I’m ok,” I whisper.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Ok.”
“You don’t look so flash.”
I smile weakly and Jagger stands, stepping back.
“I thought a bath would help, she’s all yours.”
“Jagger…” I call.
He stops and turns, meeting my gaze. I want to say don’t go, I want to tell him I know he’s not a bad person, but instead I just say, “Thanks.”
He nods and leaves. Maggie sits beside me, and hands me a bunch of pills. I swallow them and wince.
“I’ve divided these into containers. Take them three times a day until they’re all gone.”
“Thank you, I appreciate this.”
“I’m going to put a drip in now, ok? I would usually recommend a hospital, but you’re about two hours away from the nearest hospital. Luckily for us, the town five minutes up the road had a chemist and a small surgery that happened to have a drip.”
Maggie takes my hand and begins prodding my veins. I stare at her, so desperate to ask questions. She prods my hand again and finally she finds a vein. She slides the needle in effortlessly and I don’t whimper. When the drip is connected, she helps me out of the bath and into some fresh clothes.
“Do you know what Jagg…err…Johnny does?”
She nods, frowning. “I know he runs some sort of gang, I’ve known for a long time. I choose to stay out of it as much as possible.”
“Why’d he do it?”
She sighs and sits on the bath ledge. “Johnny and I didn’t have a good child hood. He got abused by our Father and our Mother killed herself when he was only four. I guess the gang thing is his way of having control. He was always running off the rails, and causing problems. Johnny isn’t a bad person at heart, he can be gentle and kind, he’s just got his priorities all wrong.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I know he’s not a bad person.”
“What are you two doing in there?” Jagger calls out.
I turn and Maggie meets my gaze. She stands and opens the door, and Jagger steps in. He looks me over and tilts his head to the side just a touch.
“Wow, you look different.”
“I had a lot of dirt on me from walking here,” I lie.
“Your hair is beautiful.”
I’m surprised, so surprised my mouth drops open. Did he just say that? Maggie smiles and nods in agreement. “She does have beautiful hair.”
“I hate it,” I complain, ruffling it with my fingers.
“Don’t,” Jagger says. “It’s the prettiest color I
’ve ever seen.”
“Most people prefer blondes.”
“I don’t.”
Our eyes meet and our gazes lock for long, long moments. My blood begins pumping rapidly through my veins and I swallow anxiously. I feel hot all over and my skin tingles. Why does Jagger make me feel this way?
He smiles a little, giving me that lopsided smirk that has my heart hammering. He steps forward and takes my arm gently, and helps me out of the room. Maggie follows. I notice he’s changed the sheets and removed the bars from the windows. A fresh breeze fills the room and I breathe it in.
“Ah good, he’s stopped worrying about his possessions and started worrying about his girlfriend,” Maggie smirks.
Oh if only she knew the truth. I slide into the crisp, fresh sheets and I feel exhausted. Maggie wheels the drip beside me and explains to Jagger how to turn it off and pull it out once the bag is empty.
“I’ll come back in the morning to check on her.”
“Thanks Mags,” Jagger says, patting her shoulder.
“Do as I said Johnny and start doing the right thing by her, she’s a nice girl and nice girls won’t stand to be treated like this for long,”
He nods and she smiles at me before leaving. When she’s gone, I close my eyes. Jagger sits on the bed beside me and I know he wants to say something. I just keep my eyes closed.
“Thank you, for what you did.”
“I want to get out of here Jagger; I won’t do anything to jeopardize that. If it meant letting her think we were together, then so be it.”
“About last night…”
“Don’t worry about it,” I croak. “I know you didn’t mean it.”
He stays silent for long, long moments. “No, I guess not.”
“Thanks for today, I’m tired now.”
He shifts and then stands, leaving the room without another word. I cry myself to sleep that night, but I know tomorrow I will wake with a new determination. I refuse to be this pitiful little basket case anymore. Tomorrow; I will find myself again and survive the rest of this so I can go home to my family and friends.
CHAPTER 8
Two days pass before I get better and another two before I can get around like normal again. When I finally leave that bed, it’s raining outside and I’m desperate to get out. I get out of bed early in the morning and the house is quiet. I pull on a coat and some jeans and walk out of the room. Jagger must be sleeping, because no lights are on. The rain is coming down hard and heavy on the roof and I can smell it in the air.
I walk downstairs and out the front, and breathe in the fresh scent. I find an old seat on the patio and curl up onto it, just staring out at the rain. It’s heavy and I can’t see any of the trees through the mist. It’s perfect. An hour later, Jagger rushes out the front door, half-dressed and clutching his keys. He skids to a halt when he sees me curled up on the seat and his shoulders sag in relief.
“Thought I ran away?” I mutter.
He walks over and drops down beside me, “Yeah.”
“Well I didn’t. I made a promise to you, and you made one to me. I won’t break that promise.”
“And I won’t break mine.”
“Then you know I’ll stay here until you sort this out.”
“Right, yeah, I know.”
We stare out at the rain, and I decide to ask the question that has bugged me for so long.
“How did he end up in this mess?”
Jagger turns to stare at me, and his face softens slightly, “Your dad?”
“Yeah,”
He leans back into the chair and starts speaking. “He fucked us over. He went undercover to bust a massive drug ring. He became part of the brotherhood, part of the brotherhood and we trusted him. We nearly lost our lives and he got away with some precious information. We bolted, and he was put into protection. The cops didn’t have enough to bust us, because your dad kept the information. I don’t know what he plans on doing with it, but it’s essential.”
“It was his job,” I whisper. “Surely you can’t hate him for doing his job.”
“It wasn’t just about the job, he was my friend. He and I grew close and I trusted him. I trusted that he was part of this, I thought of him as my Brother. Look, I stay away from the cops, they do what they have to do and I respect that but he took the risk by going undercover and forming bonds with the men and he took an even bigger risk taking that information. The cops don’t even know he has it, so he’s up to something.”
“You guys break the law all the time; it had to catch up on you eventually. I don’t know about my Father, but you have to take your own part in this.”
“You’re right, most gangs do break the law but we’re not what I’d like to consider a gang, more like a dark brotherhood,” he grins and I roll my eyes. “Honestly, there are more murders in everyday life then there are from gangs. It’s a world cops shouldn’t try to involve themselves in, because they’ll never understand it. We don’t hurt people that are innocent; we don’t walk out on streets and blast just anyone. Everyone who we hurt or deal with chooses to be a part of it. They choose to join the brotherhood; they choose to risk their lives. We don’t ask them to and we wouldn’t touch them if they didn’t delve in the wrong places. All the people we hurt or kill are bad people, Willow.”
“What about my dad, he’s not a bad person?”
“Your dad has information; I don’t plan on killing him…”
“But…”
“Look, he was doing his job, and I respect that but he chose to delve into the things he did, he wasn’t forced to. Your Father made his own choices Willow; he has to pay for them.”
“You know he never paid much attention to me, he was always off in other worlds and busy on the job. When he died, I was sad but I was also relieved. I was sick of being nothing to him. I was sick of everything. It shouldn’t be a relief when your Father dies.”
“Your dad was a screwed up man. He was majorly depressed and he wanted to be part of the gang, a part of him really wanted it to be real and clearly it still does, because he’s still playing on the wrong side of the law.”
I nod, biting my lip; tears well in my eyes. I know why my Father was screwed up, and I still blame myself for it.
“He’s screwed up because of me, you know?”
Jagger looks at me, and narrows his eyes, “How so?”
“My Mother got depression when she had me; serious depression. Before that, he said she was a beautiful, radiant person. It really did things to her head, and she tried to…never mind. She was admitted. She had my Sister in the mental ward, it was then my Father found out that my Sister wasn’t his and my Mother had been seeking comfort from another man. He blamed me in a sense, because if my Mother never had me…she wouldn’t have gotten depressed and looked elsewhere…”
Jagger surprises me by taking my hand, “That’s not true; you can’t predict how life goes, Willow. Your Father should take his own blame and deal with it, if he was around more often, your Mom wouldn’t have needed to find comfort with another man. Blaming you is just a weak way out.”
I nod, swallowing. “I just want to go home Jagger…”
“It’ll be over soon, we’ve found his location and we’ll get the information we need. Then you can go and never have to worry about all this ever again.”
“I wish it were that simple.”
“It can be.”
“No Jagger, it can’t.”
We sit staring for long moments, and then a car pulls into the drive way. All the men get out and walk up the steps. Snake gives me a truly foul look, but I match it with my own.
“Lookin’ better,” Angel says, sitting down beside Jagger.
“Thanks, I am.”
“We have issues to discuss boss,” Ace says, nodding at Jagger.
“Right,” Jagger stands and looks down at me. “Are you coming in?”
“No, I’ll stay here.”
“No problems.”
Jagger turns and Snake g
rips his arm. “You can’t leave her out here, she could run.”
“She won’t run Snake, I told you that. Get inside before my patience wears thin.”
They all walk inside, giving me brief nods. I turn and stare back out at the rain for another hour or so, at one point I even drift off. I wake when thunder booms loudly in the sky. I stand and wobble inside; my stomach is grumbling and desperate for food. I walk into the basement to ask if Jagger wants anything, only to find them surrounding a man.
He’s a Chinese man, and he’s bloody all over. How long has he been in that basement while I’ve been here? I feel bile rise in my throat. He’s gagged and bound, and Jagger is holding a bloody knife to his throat. I watch in horror as Jagger barks a question, and the man doesn’t answer. Jagger slides the knife across his throat and blood begins to trickle out. It’s not enough to kill the man, but it’s enough for me. I scream. Jagger spins around and his eyes widen. Angel lunges forward and grips me, yanking me from the room.
“Let me go!” I cry.
“Get outta here, you shouldn’t be in here!”
“I’m going to be sick,” I cry, running towards the bathroom. I fall to my knees and throw up, even though my stomach’s empty.
“What the fuck?” I hear Jagger yell.
“I told you she should be fucking locked up!” Snake snarls.
“She never comes down here!”
“She’s fucking seeing shit she shouldn’t see, fucking lock her up Jagger or I will.”
I hear a loud crack and Snake’s pained bellow.
“If you fuckin’ order me around once more Snake, I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” Jagger roars.
“You’re makin’ a mistake Jagger, letting this girl get inside your heart.” Snake hurls back.
“Back down Snake, she’s not causin’ any harm. “Ace yells.
“You’re all fucked in the head, I’ll fucking finish her myself. She’s nothin’ but a waste of space. I’ll gut her with my bare fuckin’ hands and get her outta the way so we can get on with it.”
A gun fires, I scream and tremble. Suddenly it’s silent in the room and I’m shaking so badly my teeth rattle together. After a moment, I hear voices again.
Dark Passion (The Dark Brother Series Book One) Page 5