Rescuing Jules (Lawless MC Book 1) Page 6

  Her name triggered a memory. I turned in the chair to look at Dom. “They said they had a buyer for Leah. That he wanted better pictures. Is she still in danger?” Fear gripped my chest.

  “Don’t worry, princess. You’re all safe. Let’s go so you can see for yourself.”

  Heading down the hall toward Leah’s room, I noticed there was nobody sitting outside her door. I was about to say something, but as Dom wheeled me in, I saw a man bigger than any I’d ever seen, sitting in a chair by her bed and watching TV as she slept peacefully. At least, I hoped it was a peaceful sleep.

  The man stood and seemed to take up most of the space. His arms were as big around as my head. Muscles everywhere. The big kind that have the veins sticking out, like the ones on those guys on the bodybuilding shows. His hair was a soft, chocolate brown with slight curls hanging to his shoulders. He kind of reminded me of Hercules. Good God, he must have been almost seven feet tall.

  His chuckle brought me out of my thoughts. “Close. I’m 6’9.” He laughed, his smile making him even sexier.

  Oh, fuck. I’d said all that out loud! I looked at Dom as he stared with an arched brow. “What?” My cheeks burned.

  He just laughed and rolled his eyes. “Baby, this is one of my brothers, Viper. Viper, this is my Jules.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jules,” Viper said on another chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?” a voice whispered from behind the giant.

  Viper turned and we all got a glimpse of Leah. She looked around the room, her eyes finally landing on mine. A little smile graced her face. “Jules,” she said in a breathy voice. She winced and a pained look twisted her face as she grabbed her lip.

  Viper jumped up and wiped away the blood that trickled from one of her cuts with his thumb. I couldn’t help but notice how gentle the hulking giant was with her, tending to her split lip with the tenderest of touches.

  Once he’d assured himself she was alright and sat back down, I smiled at her. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. I can’t thank you enough for saving us. I’d be dead by now or worse if it wasn’t for you.” Leah smiled at me, then looked up at Viper. It was almost like she was reassuring herself he was there. Interesting.

  An eerie silence hung in the room, saying more than words ever could. None of them were really ready to talk about the ordeal. Still, it surrounded them all like a black cloud.

  “Can I get you anything?” Viper whispered softly. I blinked as he bent down, talking to Leah with a gentle tone I didn’t expect from such a large man.

  “I’m okay.” She flashed him a timid smile.

  Viper smiled back. “It’s time to take your meds. I’ll let them know you need to eat first.”

  Something in me settled. Leah was well protected. I did my best to smile around my sore jaw. “We’re gonna go check on the other girls. We’ll see you later.”

  Leah nodded and settled back into the bed.

  Viper followed close behind as we made our way back into the hall. “What’s the news, brother?” He whispered low, probably hoping us girls couldn’t hear.

  “Clean up later tonight. I’ll have some of the others come take my place while I take care of the problem.” Dom’s jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth.

  “John?” Viper asked.

  “No. The jackasses that will lead us to him.” Dom said through clenched teeth.

  Viper looked away and when he faced Dom again, his eyes were dark. “I need to be there. They beat her. Planned to sell her. She’s got a busted knee, broken hand, and the doc said they raped her multiple times.” Viper whispered harshly. “I have to help take this fucker down.”

  Dom watched Viper carefully. The pain in Viper’s eyes was easy to see. “All right. I’ll send someone to take your place. Make sure Leah knows that so it doesn’t freak her out.”

  With a nod, Viper walked to the nurses’ station and we headed to Faith’s room.

  Dom shook the hand of the guy guarding the door. “Hey, baby, this is another brother, Mac. Mac, this is Jules.”

  I nodded and then peeked into the room. Faith was sleeping soundly. I shook my head at Dom.

  He turned to Mac. “We’ll come back when she wakes up, okay?”

  Mac nodded. “Yeah, sure. She asked about you, Jules. And you too, Grace. She really wanted to see you guys earlier. She tried to stay awake, but the meds they gave her were just too much.”

  I watched Faith sleep as the guys talked. I hated the bruises on her face and how pale she looked. “How is she?”

  “Doing okay.” Mac fidgeted, keeping his eyes on the bed. “They roughed her up pretty good. But nothing a little time can’t heal.”

  Dom nodded and shook Mac’s hand again, thanking him for watching Faith. As we turned to leave, I heard my name on a small whisper.

  “Jules.”

  I immediately motioned for Dom to wheel me to the bed. “Hi, honey. How are you? We were going to let you rest and go see Storm.”

  At the mention of Storm’s name, Faith looked down and played with her fingers. “I heard she’s in rough shape.” Her face crinkled in shared pain. “I hear her cry from the nightmares through the wall between our rooms.” Faith straightened and gave a fake smile. “But I’m okay.”

  I couldn’t help but admire her strength. “We’ll let you get some sleep for now, but we’ll be back.”

  I patted her hand, then she and Grace exchanged a few words. We headed toward Storm’s room, not knowing what we’d find after everything we’d been told. She was just lying there, watching TV, but stiffened when she saw Ezra and Dom. Her expression softened slightly when her eyes fell on me and Grace.

  I whispered to Dom and he nodded. He jerked his chin at Ezra. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

  Storm relaxed as the door closed behind them.

  I edged a little closer to Storm. “Grace and I went to see the rest, and they seem to be doing the best they can right now. How are you doing, honey? We’ve been worried about you.”

  Storm’s small smile pulled at her split lips. Her left eye was almost swollen shut. “Well, other than the obvious,” she said, running a finger across the gauze wrapped around her hand. “They’re treating me for an infection from when they thought it’d be fun to run razor blades up and down my thighs.” Her lips quivered. She looked at me with fear and resentment in her eyes. “They tortured me and took what they wanted. I was their plaything,” she whispered. She studied the wall. “I’m guessing you know they raped me several times. At least they used condoms. But they’re still testing me for STDs.” Storm wiped tears from her eyes. A shiver shook her hard. “I can still see them every time I close my eyes. Still smell them. I wake up screaming until I remember I’m safe.” Storm glanced at me. “And I have you to thank. I’d be dead right now if your people hadn’t saved me. You gave me hope. You never gave up and always said they’d come.”

  I smiled and opened my mouth to answer when there was a knock at the door. Dom entered the room and I knew my slight smile didn’t reach my eyes. It was hard to smile after hearing what Storm had gone through. Was still going through.

  Dom stood beside my chair. “Hey, princess. I have to go deal with some stuff. Will you be okay for a while without me? I have plenty of brothers here to watch over you.” He looked at Storm. “Can I introduce them so you ladies will know who they are?”

  Storm’s eyes swung to mine with a question. I nodded and smiled, letting her know she could trust them. She gave a single nod and pulled her chin up.

  Dom smiled and waved the guys in. Wow. They were all huge. But they all had kind eyes and nice smiles. “This is James, Pitch, and Smokey. They’ll be taking over for me and Viper with Ezra and Mac.” He motioned to the two who’d walked in with him. “We figured a couple familiar faces would make things a little easier. If you need anything, you call them.”

  Dom bent down to my level, then hesitated. I could tell by the look in his eyes he was judging whether it was too soon to kiss
me or not. I couldn’t help the catch in my throat, or the hint of fear that whispered through my mind. My eyes must’ve told the story. But he didn’t look upset. His gaze softened, as if he completely understood. I hated my reaction and would’ve hated it even more if I’d hurt him. It wasn’t him I was scared of, I just needed a little time.

  He softly kissed my cheek. “I love you. When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”

  He pulled back just as tears ran down my cheeks. Dom was perfect and I loved him so much. He brushed the tears away with his thumbs and kissed my nose. I wished I could say it back, but my throat felt like it was closing, all clogged up with too much emotion.

  “I’ll be back,” he whispered.

  As he turned to the door and talked quietly to the guys, all I could do was nod. He would be back. He’d always be there for me. Dom was the one thing in the world I knew I could always count on.

  12

  Dom

  Tech met me outside Storm’s room. His face was hard, his jaw ticking. “Brother, you aren’t gonna like this. This John bastard is really fuckin’ sick.” He followed me to the elevator and I waved at Viper to join us. I tried to rein in my rage as he talked. “Your girl was right about him watching her. We went to his place and there are pictures everywhere. You have to see this shit, man. Some crazy psycho shit.”

  We climbed in the elevator and I jabbed the button for the lobby, then clenched my fists. I didn’t want to see it, but I had to. “We can stop by on the way. I want everything he has, pictures, anything of hers. Then I’ll go take care of this piece of garbage.”

  The doors opened and the crowd in the lobby parted as we stalked through. No doubt the fact I was out for blood was written all over my face. I didn’t care. All that mattered was punishing the guys who’d hurt Jules and the others. We stalked out the doors and straight to our bikes. If I hadn’t been seeing red, I would’ve smiled that the guys had thought to bring my bike, since I’d ridden here in the ambulance.

  “What time will the cops be here to talk to the girls?” Tech asked.

  “Around three, so I need to be back. I don’t want Jules alone for that.”

  He nodded as we fired up the engines. Leaving the hospital was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Knowing Jules was being protected by my brothers made it a little easier. Still, my heart stayed up there in that room with her. I’d be back as soon as I could.

  As soon as I took care of business.

  We all followed Tech to an apartment that was only three blocks away from Sal’s place. I paused at the door, not really wanting to go in, afraid of what I’d find.

  One of the brothers stationed on the porch, Fitz, motioned to me. “In here, brother.” Walking through the door, he put his hand on my shoulder. “I have a feeling this guy’s gone to ground so deep, we may have a hard time finding him. He’ll know we’ll be out for blood after seeing this.”

  His words dropped a pound of lead in my gut.

  “Fuck!” I yelled the word as I stepped inside the room, taking in the view I was warned about but not prepared for.

  It was nothing but wall to wall photos of Jules, from a young teenager up ‘til last week. Ranging from fully clothed, to ones in her bedroom in her panties. The bastard had photos of her in the shower and us in bed together. Out with her friends, around the house, in the yard. Every place and circumstance of her life.

  “This sick bastard has turned her into his own personal porn gallery,” Fitz mumbled.

  Blood raging, I lunged for a wall and ripped photos down as fast as I could. Nobody should be looking at my princess. I grabbed a couple of photos and stomped back out the door. I couldn’t look at it anymore.

  “Burn every last one of these damn pictures. Now!” It felt like a blow torch had set my blood on fire. “Any clue where he might have gone? A secondary address?” The guys all shook their heads.

  Tech spoke up. “Not yet. But I’ll find it if it exists.”

  I stalked out onto the porch, sucking in air. “I want this place torn apart. I need to know where he could be, who his accomplices are. I want to know every inch of this fucker’s life.” I jumped on my bike before any of the brothers answered. I knew they’d take care of it and find this piece of shit.

  The thought of others seeing Jules looking so vulnerable sickened me. As I rode to Sal’s, I almost had to pull over to puke up the shitty hospital coffee I’d sucked down all night. I shook it off, needing to get to Sal’s and praying he had good news.

  Other than John’s guy, he had stowed away already, that I’d get to take a piece out of.

  Finally pulling up to the main house, I jumped off my bike and practically leapt over the steps up to the porch. Sal’s guys just moved out of my way.

  One of them nodded down the hall. “To the left is a staircase. Take it all the way down and hang a right. They’re waiting for you.” Reaching for my hand, he introduced himself. “I’m Leo, by the way. And thanks for what you’re doing for Jules. She’s like a little sister to most of us, and a daughter to the others.”

  With a nod, I made my way downstairs, hurrying so I could get back to Jules. I imagined what I’d do to this bastard, and hoped the walls were thick enough they wouldn’t hear his screams on the main level. My rage increased with every step, my blood heating past the boiling point. Just the thought of everything John could’ve taken from me had me wanting to kill.

  And I would end him.

  I entered the room to find Sal and one of his men, Stefan, perched on the edge of a table with a series of instruments behind them. There was a single chair bolted to the floor, and the man standing between me and John was cuffed to it. The same piece of shit from the house that I had knocked the fuck out of.

  I walked over to the table, slammed the photos down, then turned and grabbed a fist full of the man’s hair. “I told you what I would do to you if someone touched a hair on her head, didn’t I?” I rammed my knuckles into his face over and over until the crack of bone eased some of my bloodlust.

  Looking at Sal, I saw the pain and anger in his eyes. They were almost black with the same rage I felt. “What the hell are these?” He yelled as he waved the pictures in the air. “Where the fuck did these come from?” he roared.

  I wiped sweat from my brow and let the man’s head drop to his chest. “That sack of shit John has been watching her, Sal. The fucking piece of garbage has been photographing her since she was a kid.” Sal’s eyes widened. “Yeah, you heard me. Your so-called associate is a damn pedophile! Taking pictures of her at twelve and thirteen in her own room!” I let the rage spill into my tone as I circled the chair, staring the bloodied asshole down. “They were all over his place.” I sneered at the man I planned to beat to a pulp.

  His eyes widened in response to what I’d said. Apparently, he hadn’t been aware of just how fucked up his boss was.

  He shook his head, flinging the blood that ran from his nose and forehead. “I didn’t know about any of that. I swear!”

  I shook my head. I didn’t believe a word out of his mouth. “I had every one of them burned except these. I kept them so I could show her father what a disgusting, child molesting piece of shit every one of you are.”

  Sal staggered against the table behind me, looking pale, fire burning in his eyes. Stefan put a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. I had no idea what he said and didn’t care. My only concern was finding John and making sure he couldn’t hurt another girl ever again.

  I walked to the table and pointed to an item. Sal handed me the four-inch switch blade with a sadistic look on his face. I got in the shit stain’s face. “Where would I find John now?”

  “I─I ain’t got a clue.”

  I pressed the blade into the skin above the knuckle on his pinkie finger. I slowly glided the knife across his skin, feeling each layer split open, and stopping the blade just before it got to bone. His eyes bulged and he bit down on his split lip, gushing blood as he tried to keep from screaming.


  “So, you feel like telling me anything now, or should I keep going?” The asshole groaned, refusing to meet my eyes. I grabbed his chin, my hand slipping in blood, and jerked his face back to mine. “Do you know where he is?” I forced the words out between clenched teeth.

  The guy whimpered. Actually whimpered. Pussy. “He could be at the docks. Man, I don’t know. All I know is he came to me with this deal. Big money getting girls for some crew. In return for the girls, he got some special pussy or something. Said it was his President’s daughter or some shit. Fuck, man, I don’t know!” He cried out as I pressed the blade further down his finger, splitting the nail open.

  “Guess what, fucker? That girl’s father is right there.” I point with my other hand. “And I’m her man. You just fucked up big time.”

  I lost all inhibitions that may have existed inside me and pushed the steel through to the bone. He screamed as his finger was severed. I watched it fall to the ground. I dropped the knife and it clattered to the floor behind me. Eying the sick fuck in the chair, tired of his screaming, I placed a gag on him. The whole time he begged. Nothing in me cared.

  I reached behind me, and Sal gave me something. I smiled when I felt the ball-peen hammer fit nicely in my hand. I looked my target right in his only open eye. “Guess what, you dirty motherfucker. You fucked with the wrong girl. I’ll make you regret everything you did to Jules, every thought you had about her. I’ll make you wish you’d never seen her. And when I’m finished, her father is going to start all over.” I gripped his chin when he tried to look away. “I’m going to rip you apart, piece by piece. You like putting your hands on a woman and touching her without consent? I can fix that for you.”

  I brought the hammer down on his hand not once or twice, but three times. The crunching of bone was music to my ears. The guy deserved everything he was getting. I lifted the hammer once more. His scream of agonizing pain around the gag was exactly what I wanted to hear.