Shattered (11 page)

“We are here because we got a call from someone that said you were in trouble.”

They all walk into the apartment at this time. I step back and let them in.

Falls looks at Tyler.

“Seems there was someone here that thought you hurt your wife. But that can’t be right, can it, Tyler? I mean, after all, you are a loving father and husband, right?”

“Yeah, right. That bastard isn’t a loving anything. He isn’t even really a fucking man.” This comes from Man.

Tyler doesn’t like the way that Man talks to him. Man shows him no respect and he isn’t scared to bow back like I am.

“You little shit. You should have died with your brother. You ever talk to me like that again and I’ll show you how a real man will kick his SON’S ass. You ready for that, boy?” Tyler says.

The comments about Jeremiah cut deep, but the guys know he does that to hurt them. The only one he really hurts is me.

Man looks at him, with a smirk on his face. “You don’t scare me, old man. I’m not fifteen anymore, I can fucking take you. I’m not scared of you. I’m not going to let you get away with what you do to my mom every day of her fucking life. She deals with you to keep us all safe. Guess what, dick face, we are all safe now. You will never get at Genesis again. As far as me and my brothers go, you haven’t been able to touch us in a very long time. Mom will be going with us. And if you ever think about coming after her, take a look at what you will have to deal with. No one here is scared of you, Tyler. We feel sorry for you. You are a worthless piece of shit. And a sorry excuse for a man.”

Man holds his hand out to me, begging me with his eyes to take it. I reach for it and Tyler’s voice chills my blood.

“You leave, Rain, and you will fucking regret it.”

“Come on, Mom, we can and will protect you. Just take my hand and let’s get out of here. Please, Mom,” Man says.

I take his hand. He pulls me to him and crushes me to his chest, it causes me to cry out. Between the re-broken ribs and the words carved into my stomach the pain was horrible and I couldn’t hold in the cry of pain Man hugging me caused.

He pulls back from me with his hands still at my shoulders and looks me up and down. My stomach is still bleeding. I was hoping that my shirt would soak up the blood. The cuts are deep and I’ll probably have to get stitches. His stare stops at my thigh. When I look down, I close my eyes and try to think of something fast. But I’m too late. All the guys can now see the blood. Falls has to grab Man because he tries to charge Tyler. Man is yelling at Tyler, telling him he is going to get him, that Falls won’t be around to save his ass forever.

Liam comes up to me. One of his large hands go to my cheek and he rubs his thumb over the bruise and cut on my cheek bone. He keeps his eyes on mine and slowly lifts my shirt. But I don’t want to see what I know I will see when he looks at what Tyler has done.

“Motherfucker,” is yelled throughout the room. Falls can’t hold them all back. The undercover is trying to help but no one can stop Storm.

Storm is across the room and on Tyler in the blink of an eye. Left right, left right. Storm punches Tyler in the face over and over. Yelling at him the whole time.

“One day, you fucking bastard, everything you have done to her, I’m going to fucking do to you. You worthless piece of shit. I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Liam, Falls, and the undercover are trying to pull Storm away. Tyler is just laying there. He isn’t moving. Lord please don’t let Storm have killed him. I think I check out at this point. I start the Lord ’s Prayer in my mind and sink to my knees. It’s too much for me to handle

     The lords prayer

Our father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass

Against us

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom

The power and the glory

Forever and ever

Amen

I don’t know what is happening. I feel myself being lifted but I don’t want to open my eyes. It’s all too much.

Doors close and then Man is in my ear.

“Mom, come on, mom, open your eyes. Don’t break now. You’re free, Mom. Come on.”

I think that’s Man, it sounds like Man.

“Drive the fucking car, Callum.”

That was Malachi.

“Ow, why did you hit me, Liam?”

Callum.

Liam is here. So he is ok. But what about Storm. Where is Storm?

“Don’t talk like that around your mom. This is not news to you. Don’t disrespect your mother,” Liam says.

“But she won’t wake up, Liam.”

“She isn’t dead. Her body just shut down. She couldn’t deal with what was happening. It was just too much for her to handle. When she is ready, she will come back to us.”

I hear them and I want to see them. I open my eyes and look up into the most amazing eyes I have ever seen.

Liam is leaning over me. Half of his body in the front seat and half in the back with me. I could get lost in his grey eyes. Every time that man looks at me I feel like he can see into my soul. He knows me better than anyone.

Tears fall. I have no idea why. They are all here. I look around the car. Callum is behind the wheel. I wonder when he got legal. I need to remember to ask. Malachi is on Man’s left, sitting behind Callum. I haven’t seen Storm yet. But then his face comes over mine like Liam did.

“Storm,” I say.

“Oh my god. You’re ok.”

“Yeah, baby girl, I’m ok. What about you. How do you feel? We are getting you to the hospital as fast as we can.”

“No, I don’t want to go to the hospital. Please don’t make me go back. Not like this. I’m begging you, please don’t make me go, Storm.”

“Rain, you have to go. The cuts on your stomach are too deep to not get checked out. We need to have your ribs checked out, too.”

This comes from Liam. While he says it he brushes my hair from my face with his fingers. I reach my hand up and put it over his.

“Ok. But I don’t want to stay. They can do their x-rays and whatever but after, I’m leaving. Tyler will come for me and that will be the first place he looks.”

Storm growls. “The fucker isn’t coming for you. He was locked up. We will be taking you to the police department as soon as we leave to press charges. And don’t fight us on this. The fucker has to be stopped and the only way to stop him, and we all stay out of jail, is to let Falls handle him.”

“Storm, papers won’t stop him.”

Liam doesn’t let me finish.

“Shh, Rain, you’re safe now. We got you and we aren’t letting you go back no matter what.”

“Oh god, Genesis. Where is Genesis?”

“She is fine. She is on her way out of town with a friend of mine. I have known her since high school. She is a private detective too. She will keep Gen safe. Don’t worry. Everyone is fine.”

Storm says all this in one breath, like he knows I’m on the verge of another break.

“Rita said they will call when they get where they are going. She didn’t tell me where they are going just to be safe. But we will know soon, ok? Everyone is safe, Rain. Just be chill,” Storm says to me.

We pull up to the hospital and all four doors open at once.

I try to move to get out but Man tightens his arms around me.

“Mom, stay still, I got you,” Man tells me.

I feel safe. But still I can walk.

“Man, put me down now. I’m not a broken child. I do know how to walk.”

Man stops on the sidewalk, looks down at me and says, “No, you’re not a broken child, you’re my mother, and my father has beat you and cut you. I will not be letting you down. You are with me and I will keep you safe. Now I love you but hush and deal.”

He kisses me on my forehead and continues to walk into the hospital.

Man heads straight for the desk.

“Hi, this is my mom and she needs to be seen by a doctor like yesterday. Can you help with that, please?”

The lady picks up a clipboard and holds it out. She doesn’t even bother to look up from her magazine.

“Fill this out, bring my pen and clipboard back to me, and then have a set. Someone will get to you as soon as they can.”

“Um, excuse me, ma’am. If you would look up, you would see how important it is to get her seen now,” Callum says. Always trying to be nice.

She looks up then, takes us all in.

“Well, see, I don’t pick and choose. There is a lady in the waiting room with a temp of 102, and a man that dropped a two hundred pound pole on his foot. I think they feel the same as you.”

She picks up the clipboard and passes it to us once again.

“Man, let’s just go. Please, let’s just go home.”

The woman’s eyes meet mine from behind her desk.

“I remember you. You were just released this morning, right?”

Man stands me up but keeps a hold of me and lifts my shirt.

I hear her gasp, I let my head fall down. I don’t want people to see this. Why did they make me come here?

“Is this important enough for you, lady? Does she meet your fucking standards to be seen now? The cuts are still bleeding. Can you get her some fucking help?”

“Man, I don’t care what is going on, you do not talk to a woman like that. Do you understand me, young man?”

Man knows that I hate from men to disrespect women. It doesn’t make you a man. It makes you weak and it makes you a pussy.

“Sorry, Mom, she is just pissing me off.”

He turns back to the nurse at the desk and says, “Ma’am, I’m sorry for being disrespectful. My mother really needs to be seen by a doctor.”

“Thank you, yes, ok.”

She is clicking around on her computer and moving around papers.

“Ok, take her to room 115 down the hall and on the left. It’s a glass room but you can pull the curtains. I’ll have a doctor there in the next few minutes.  Take your clothes off and put on the grown when you get in there. There is also a sheet in there; use it.”

Man picks me back up and the pain causes me to cry out.

“Mom, I’m so sorry,” Man says.

“It’s ok baby, I’m ok. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

We make it to the room. Liam makes everyone stay outside the door, so I can change. A nurse came and told them they couldn’t all be back here but all she got to that was three growls. Her eyes got huge and she said, “Ok, just no problems and you can’t stand in the hall.”

Liam is the only one in the room. I told him I was good and could undress myself.

In response to that, he says, “Yeah, but I can do it in a way that causes you no pain. Stand up, please.”

I stand up from the bed. He walks to me and pulls his pocket knife out. He cuts the top of my tank top at my shoulders, then cuts down one side. The tank falls to the floor but Liam’s eyes haven’t left my stomach. He shakes his head and moves to my shorts. He cuts down one side and then slides them down. I step out and the gown is in front of me to put on. He then lays me on the bed, pulls the sheet over me, and walks to the door, not saying a word.

“Thank you, Liam. For everything. Will you ever get sick of saving me?”

He doesn’t turn to face me. He stays facing the door.

“I know it’s too soon but I love you, Rain. I told you a few weeks ago and I’m telling you again now. I will never get sick of saving you. I never will be. And you never have to thank me. You mean the fucking world to me, Rain.”

He turns around, putting his hands on the bottom of the bed.

“We will be talking, Rain. Not right now, but as soon as you are feeling better, I’m going to be laying everything out for you. But for now, let’s let the boys back in before they blow the door down.”

When Liam opens the door, the doctor is standing there.

The boys follow him in. He turns to look at them.

“Um, I’m going to have to ask you guys to wait outside.”

“Yeah, sorry, Doc,” Storm starts. “But this is our mom, sister, and should be wife. We aren’t going anywhere,” Malachi finishes.

“Ookay, well, Mrs. Childs, what brings you back to us so soon?”

I don’t say anything. Hell, let’s let it speak for itself. I pull the gown up and wait. I know it’s coming.

“Oh dear God, who did this to you?”