“Stop! Stop before I pee my pants!” I holler out through my laughter. We make it to my dorm room before I even realize how much time has passed with our joking and laughter.
“I’ve got practice this evening. Do you wanna pack a bag and come stay with me tonight?”
I dramatically place my finger under my chin in contemplation, “Depends, do I get to use your tub again?”
“Oh, so now you’re using me? And my tub is the best thing I’ve got to offer?”
“Well...I like your body too, so there’s that. And I’m using you only for the good stuff,” I tease him.
“Depends. I’ll negotiate the use of my tub as long as I can get in with you.”
“I’ll agree to those terms,” I lift up on my toes and kiss the underneath of his chin. “You’re good with a bath bomb, right?”
“That’s all I get? It’s gonna be hours before we see each other again, I need your lips, Maysen. And I have no clue what the fuck that is.”
“Well then, we’ll leave it as a surprise.”
“I love your surprises,” he grunts out before his lips slam down onto mine. My man is the best kisser and knows how to make my spine tingle when he caresses his tongue on my lips.
“I love your kisses,” I say when we pull apart.
“Right back atcha,” he winks. Some men can’t pull the wink off, but Maddox doesn't have that issue. It only ends up adding to his sex appeal.
When we finish with our goodbyes, for now, I watch him walk away, my sight trained on his butt and I can’t help but admire his assets. I’ll never get enough of watching his ass, and how tight it is. It makes my mouth water in anticipation. I love to nibble on it sometimes when he isn’t suspecting it, usually after he showers and only has a towel wrapped around his waist. But I have been known to grab a chunk when he’s wearing his tight jeans.
Shaking my head, I walk into my dorm. When I make it to my room my phone buzzes. I pull it out and see a text from Rae.
* * *
Rae: Mom and Dad are driving me crazy and it’s all your fault!
Me: How is it my fault exactly?
Rae: Because I’m the only girl left in the house and they follow me around like lost puppies! I swear, Maysen, if I go prematurely grey I’m blaming you!
Me: Now you’re just being dramatic.
Rae: Am not! Mom came in the bathroom the other day to talk ‘boys’.
Me: Oh no!
Rae: Dad decided that since you’re in a relationship I need to be on birth control!
Me: Doesn’t he know you’re already on birth control?
Rae: Um, no, that’s what the free clinic is for!
Me: Well, at least Mom knows. It’s not like if you take two pills you’re doubly protected…joking!
Rae: Is doubly even a word? I don’t remember it used in the English dictionary.
Me: It is now. And why do you care if I’m being technically correct? We’re texting FFS.
Rae: Because you’re the smart one! If you can’t use the correct terms, what’s going to happen to the rest of us?
Me: You’re a nut.
Rae: Because your parents are driving me crazy!
Me: They’re your parents too.
Rae: Not right now they aren’t. I’m not claiming them at the moment. I give that honor to you.
Me: Why am I always the one who ends up owning the parents? Let’s send them to Talon and Claree.
Rae: Good idea! I’m going to go send them sniffing on their trail. Wish me luck!
Me: Luck! PS. When are you coming to visit?
Rae: ASAP!!! Bitches need to watch out!
Me: I don’t even want to know what you have planned.
Rae: It’s probably for the best. You can claim that you’re innocent that way.
Me: I am innocent!
Rae: Psh, whatever! You’re anything but and you know it.
Me: Just hit me up when you wanna come see me.
Rae: So now you’re ending us? I can feel the sisterly love.
Me: Goodbye, Rae.
Rae: Fine! Be that way. Have a great day, biotch!
* * *
Getting off the phone, I shake my head in amusement. Leave it to my sister to make me forget about everything happening and going on around me. I put my phone away and unlock my door and enter the room. It smells like Maddox and myself combined. I breathe in deeply enjoying the mixture of the two of us. I love him so much and hope that nothing ever changes that feeling.
Since I have to wait until later, I decide to dig into some of my classwork. May as well get ahead so that I can spend what free time Maddox has with him instead of doing homework. Before I get started, I grab my laundry and head to the laundry room. I’ve found that the middle of the day is the best time to get shit done. Once I’ve got the washers loaded, I set a timer to come back and swap the loads then head back up to my dorm room.
I’m so lost in my bookwork that it takes a few minutes to realize that the alarm is going off to go swap my clothes around. Hitting stop on my phone, I stand and stretch and then head on down to the laundry room.
I never see him coming. One minute, I am walking through the door, the next, I am face-planted on the concrete floor and have a heavy weight on my back. “Give me your cash, bitch,” the voice states. For a brief moment, I’m shocked until I remember all the self-defense moves that my dad and uncles have worked on with me and all of the other girls in the MC over the years.
Bracing myself, I ease my hands underneath me and then use my body weight to flip us over. Coming face-to-face with my attacker, I use my hands and fists to try and get away. I don’t know what his endgame is, but there’s no fucking way I plan to become a statistic! A blow to my face momentarily stuns me, but I keep fighting him, despite the pain radiating throughout my body where he’s landed his own blows. I may be down but I’m not out.
“Get off me, motherfucker,” I yell. “You have no motherfucking clue who you’re fucking with and putting your hands on at all.” He’s still intent on his assault and when I chance a glance at him, I realize that he’s higher than a kite. Fuck. Dad and Uncle Chief always told us that anyone who’s using drugs has phenomenal strength. I renew my efforts, uncaring that he’s hitting me everywhere and tearing my clothing.
Biting his hand, I then take my nails and rake them down his face, grinning almost maniacally when he shrieks. Good. He makes the mistake of getting close again and I head-butt him, catching his nose. I laugh when the nervous flutters hit me and I hear the bone crunch although I’m less than thrilled to have blood hitting me from his busted nose.
He appears momentarily stunned and I manage to roll away from him and wobbly stand, before my self-preservation kicks in and I use the roundhouse kick that Uncle Smokey taught me during one of our training sessions. I manage to hit him in the head. When he hits the floor and I realize he’s unconscious, I run, leaving my laundry all but forgotten. Well, running is more of a wish, because he’s managed to fuck me up pretty bad so I’m stumbling more than actually sprinting. If I hadn’t left my phone in my room, I’d call the cops, but it’ll have to wait. Right now, my goal is getting myself to safety.
There’s only one person I need right now.
* * *
Maddox
* * *
I’m staring at my books, willing the information to just jump into my brain when my phone rings. I’m trying to get a bit of studying in before we get together later and since practice ended early, I’m taking advantage of the extra time. Seeing it’s Maysen, I grin, deciding now is as good time to take a break. “Hello?”
“M-m-m-Maddox?” She’s sobbing and stammering so hard, I can barely understand what she’s saying.
“Maisy-Daisy, what’s wrong?” I ask, panic lacing my tone.
“N-n-need help.” Her sobs are breaking my heart and taking years from my life.
“Have you called your parents? Have you called the police?” I’m frantically asking through my freak-out.
“Okay, hold on, I’m on my way,” I tell her, already up and on the move to grab my keys.
“H-h-hurry.”
“I’ll be there as quick as I can, lock your doors, I’ll use my key.” I run down the stairs ignoring my teammates as they holler out my name. The only thing that matters to me is getting there and making sure she’s safe.
During my drive, which I make in half the time, my mind is all over the place. What could have happened to cause her to not want to call her folks? Hell, that’s one huge-ass family, the way they all love one another. I’m getting my degree in construction management so I can work with my dad. Years of working side-by-side with my mom, gramps and stepdad have given me the skills to understand what is what. Jesus, my mind is all over right now. I have no clue why my degree of study is popping in my head, for fuck’s sake! My girl needs me!
Pulling up to her dorm, I scan the area but see nothing out of place. I shut down my bike, which my parents brought down last weekend, and put my helmet in my bag before I head to her door. Unlocking the door, I call out, “Maysen? Where you at, sweetheart?” I can’t hear a response, so I follow the sobbing that seems to resonate. Walking into her room, I see her crumpled against the wall and run over, crouching next to her.
“Maisy-Daisy, we need to get you help,” I whisper, my throat tight with unshed tears. She’s bruised and bloody, and her clothes are torn. Doing my best to look away, I go to her dresser and start searching for something to slip on over her head. There’s no way we’ll be able to keep this from her parents and I’m not even gonna try. But first, I need to get my girl to the hospital.
Maddox
When I get her dressed, I don’t allow her to shower or brush her hair like she wants to do. I want to preserve any evidence that she has on her body or clothes. I notice skin and blood underneath her fingernails. DNA is a big way of catching a perpetrator. “We’ll be there in the next couple of minutes, Maisy-Daisy,” I reassure her.
“I’m...I’m oka...okay, Maddox,” her teeth clatter letting me know that she’s coming down from adrenaline.
“I know you are, baby.” I’m glad I didn’t let her look at herself in a mirror, because if she could see how she looks, she’d lose her shit. I see the big red cross shining ahead of us and let go of the breath I’ve been holding since I saw my girl crouched down in a corner in a protective ball. I grip the steering wheel and feel it crunching beneath my hands. I grabbed her car keys and drove her here in her car since I wasn’t thinking and jumped on my bike.
“Are you sure I need to be seen?” I can see and hear the fear emanating from her.
“Yeah, baby, you need to be seen. Gonna need to call the cops too. Did he...did he get away?”
“No, I knocked him out. Well, he might be gone by now, but I’m not sure. Maddox, my clothes are still down there!” Okay, she’s obviously going into shock and I need to keep her calm.
“Don’t stress the small stuff, sweetheart. I promise you we’ll get your belongings as soon as you’ve been seen.” At the emergency room, I park and then pick her up and carry her in despite her protests. “I need help!” I bellow. A nurse hurriedly comes over and takes us into a room, bypassing the bullshit that they normally do. I’m happy that we don’t have to wait in the waiting room to be triaged in, I doubt my girl would enjoy all of those prying eyes on her. Guess seeing someone carrying a person who’s bloody will do that, huh?
Within minutes, they’ve surrounded Maysen and pushed me into a corner. I hear one of the nurses say that they’ve called the police, so I take that as my cue to say, “Baby, gonna step out and call your folks.”
“No!” she shrieks.
“There’s no way we can keep this from them and I’m not even gonna try,” I tell her. My tone of voice must let her know I’m serious because she slumps back into the bed and tears start coursing down her beautiful face. “Baby, you’re safe here and I’ll be right outside.” Looking at the nurses, I state, “Keep an eye on her.”
Once outside her room, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for a much unprepared phone call that I wish I didn’t have to make. I dial Hatch. Fuck, this is one phone call I’m dreading, he’s going to lose his mind when I tell him what happened to his baby girl. When he answers, I say, “Hatch, before I go further, gonna say now, she’s safe.”
Before I can continue, I hear, “What the fuck? Tell me what’s going on with my girl. Now!”
“She was attacked,” I begin only to be interrupted. A-fuckin-gain!
“What do you mean ‘attacked’?” he roars.
“If you’d let me finish, I could tell you what I know, okay?” I’m trying not to be frustrated, but he won’t let me finish and dammit, if he would, I could get him to understand they need to be here.
I hear a noise, actually a lot of noise, sounds like furniture breaking and a wild animal untamed and then I hear, “Maddox, tell me what’s happened.” Ah, thank God, it’s my uncle.
“Uncle Braxton, she got attacked while doing her laundry. I’ve got her here at the emergency room by the campus, and she said she knocked the guy out. The hospital has called the cops. I don’t know how bad she’s hurt, but from what I can see, she’s got a lot of cuts, scrapes, broken nails and bruises. I wouldn’t let her change because I could see blood underneath her nails so maybe they can find the fucker.”
“You did good, Maddox. Did you call the campus police?”
“No, sir, my first priority was her. Do you think I should do that or will the local police get them involved?” I’m so far out of my element here and need the calm he’s sending me through the phone.
“They’ll get the campus police involved. You stay with our girl, we’re on our way,” he replies, before disconnecting the phone. I know the trip generally takes about two hours, but I expect we’ll be seeing them sooner than that. Needing more strength, I then dial my dad. Once he answers and I’ve filled him in he tells me they’re on their way, so I head back into the room. I may have had to leave her for these calls, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving her again.
When I walk into the room, I see the nurses surrounding the bed and immediately, my senses are on high alert. “What’s going on?” I demand, my tone leaving no question that I require a response.
“She won’t let us get her IV started,” the blonde nurse states. When she steps away from the bed slightly, I see my girl crowded into the corner, eyes wild even though she’s shaking so hard her teeth are chattering.
“Shhh, Maisy-Daisy,” I murmur, moving closer to the bed. I ignore the nurses and climb into bed with her and pull her into my arms. “Baby, they’re only trying to help you,” I whisper as I brush her hair back. “Let them work, okay? You’re safe, I won’t let anything hurt you in here. Promise.”
Her beautiful eyes look at me as tears silently fall. “You promise?”
“I swear, my Maysen, nothing will hurt you, not with me in here. Now, let’s let them do what they have to, okay? I’ve got you and won’t let you go. You’ll stay right here in the safety of my arms.” The nurses finally realize that I’m part of the scenery and get started with what they were trying to do when I got back. One quickly inserts an IV and within minutes, I can feel her relax against me as whatever they put in starts to work. The second nurse is cleaning underneath her nails, taking the stick things and putting them into baggies that they seal and then date for evidence. I guess that’s for the DNA but don’t wanna ask. Once that’s done, the one nurse nods at her shirt and then at me, so I carefully remove the shirt I put on her before the nurse, wearing gloves, takes off the one she was attacked in.
“Do you know...do you know if she was sexually assaulted?”
“She said she wasn’t and it looks like all of her injuries are from the waist up, so I don’t think she was.”
“No, no he didn’t touch me like that,” Maysen murmurs. Her eyes are closed, so I thought she was asleep, but a
pparently, she’s just relaxed. “I kicked that motherfucker and knocked him out,” she says.
Her words have the nurses chuckling and one states, “Good for you, sweetheart. We contacted the police and they’ll be here shortly, are you good to give a statement?”
I feel her stiffen in my arms but my brave girl nods. “Yeah, I’ll give one. Can we wait until my folks get here, though? I mean, I’m old enough but right now, I don’t feel it.”
“Not a problem. Now, can we get you into this hospital gown? We need to get some pictures for your case and bag your clothes. We want to preserve the evidence so that once the person is caught, there’s no chance of them not being prosecuted.”
I help her stand while they get pictures and do my best not to show how horrified I am to see the gashes and bruises that cover her upper body. “You’re doing good, Maysen,” I tell her and she gives me a weak smile. These smiles break my soul because they don’t light up her face like I’m used to. “Let’s let them clean up the gashes then get you into a gown, yeah?”
“I feel so violated,” she states. “I mean, he didn’t rape me, but I think that’s what he was trying to do. Thank God my dad and uncles taught us self-defense.”
“Baby, I think even if they hadn’t taught you anything, you’d have fought like hell,” I advise. I know my girl and she’s a fighter through and through. I just hope this doesn’t break her in other ways.
* * *
Maysen
* * *
The nurses have finally finished with me and someone from the finance department has come in, but I didn’t bring my purse, so they’ll have to wait until my folks arrive to get my insurance. We’re now waiting on the doctor to see what else they want to do with me. I’m fighting a raging headache from where my face hit the concrete before I flipped our positions and I ended up facing my attacker, but I don’t want to worry Maddox so I haven’t said anything. “You okay, baby?” he asks. “You look like you’re in pain.”
Reclaiming Maysen Page 9