Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Once he had the keys, we drove to park outside of the door, and Raff unlocked it, so Vienna could rush inside.
“Go on and get warmed up,” I said, handing her my toiletry bag from the car, then waving toward the bathroom. “Take as long as you need,” I added.
I waited until she was locked inside the bathroom before I followed Raff back outside.
“What, and I can’t stress this enough, the fuck?”
“She was chained by the ankle in the shed on the property,” I told him, cutting to the chase. “I don’t think we need to think too hard to know for what purpose,” I added, stomach turning over just thinking of what she’d endured for what had to be months.
“Christ,” he said, shaking his head, his jaw so tight, the muscle was jumping.
“She’s been starved almost to death,” I added.
“I noticed.”
“It’s worse under that sweater,” I warned him. “And she’s cold all of the time since she has no fat on her. So get her layers. Maybe even a thick blanket. Socks. The whole thing.”
“I’ll go get that going. We passed a big box store two turns ago.”
“Okay. Be quick. Did you get a chance to call Slash?” I asked.
“No. I was too focused on getting to you. I mean, he knew you were missing, but he needs a call. He was half ready to fly over here.”
“Okay. I’ll plug into a charger and call him while you’re gone. Then we need to order food. I haven’t had anything to eat. She’s had honey and some old emergency soup packs.”
“I’ll keep an eye for places to order from,” he said, handing me a charger from the car, then heading off.
Back in the hotel, I sat down on the bed closest to the door, plugging my phone in, and waiting for it to power back up as the water splashed onto the floor of the shower in the other room.
After months of not being able to bathe, I had a feeling she would be in there until the water ran cold, so I had plenty of time to call in.
“Riff!” Slash’s voice met my ear. “Thank fuck. Are you two okay?”
“Yeah. No one is hurt. We are in a motel right now. But there’s… an unexpected development.”
“I’m listening.”
“I went to take shelter in a shed on the property during the shootout, and I found a woman chained to the floor inside. From the looks of things, she’d been there for months.
“Oh, fuck,” he said, voice getting tense. “Is she okay?”
“She’s in really bad shape. I had to take her with me.”
“Yeah, I’m not questioning that. I’m more worried about the ‘what now’.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she’d been kidnapped, held prisoner, and abused by these fucks, she might want to talk to the police about it, press charges. We need to know if that’s what she wants. Because we can’t be involved in that since you weren’t there for legal reasons.”
“Right,” I agreed. “I will ask her as soon as she’s out of the shower. If she wants that…”
“Then you have to drop her at a station.”
“And leave?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, tone firm, even though I knew he understood my reluctance to do that.
“And what if she doesn’t want to go to the cops?” I asked.
“Fuck. I don’t know. She’s got family somewhere looking for her, right?”
“No, actually. She had a grandma, but she’s dead. She’s got no one. And if she’s been in that shed for months, she has no home to come back to, or job, or—“
“Shit. Alright. Well, I mean, you can bring her back here and help her get onto her feet. Morgaine, you know, she might be a lot of help…”
“Yeah,” I agreed, thinking of Crow’s old lady who’d been abused when she was young, then set to making other abusers pay via the poisons she created from her garden. “As soon as I know more, I will call. I honestly have no idea what she’ll want. She’s really fragile.”
“Understandably,” he agreed.
“And what about these fucks?” I asked.
“Right now, I want you back here,” Slash said. “We can come up with a plan later.”
They would have to pay.
For trying to cross us.
For shooting at us.
For stealing our money.
But, on a more personal level, I wanted them to pay for what they’d done to that poor girl even more.
“Glad you’re alright, man,” Slash said. “Get home safe.”
With that, we ended the call, and went to the duffle that Raff had dropped in before he left, picking out a change of clothes. I might have to take a cold shower after she was done, but I was looking forward to cleaning up. I couldn’t imagine how much that feeling was amplified after months of being unclean.
The water was still running when Raff came back with several bags full of soft shit. “Figured she needed a few changes of clothes. Plus, got her a blanket, those squishy animal pillows, socks, shoes, a sweater, girly shit for the bathroom, and a decent first aid kit. Did you see her ankle?” he asked.