Cursed Ecstasy (Cursed Series) (3 page)

He spoke…that voice, it killed my ears. There’s no way that he could’ve found me here. I wished over and over in my head that I were in a nightmare.

The words he spoke, the hatred coursing through his voice…my body went into panic mode; I couldn’t speak or move.

Rick’s voice was demanding as he told Michael to bring me toward him. I was beyond scared; I didn’t know what he was going to do to me. Hell, I was prepared for him to kill me right then and there.

The other guy reached for my arm and pulled me up off the bed. My body was trembling with fear, not knowing what was going to happen. Every time I thought of him finding me, the fear of him killing me plagued my thoughts.  

I stood in front of Rick, my legs feeling too weak for me to stand. His hand swung back and connected with the side of my face. The taste of blood filled my mouth as I stumbled backward.

Rick grabbed for my hair and pulled me out of the room. Shoving me down the stairs with extreme force, I tripped over the last three steps and fell head first into the wall with a loud thump.

Everything started to become foggy; I couldn’t process what was happening.

I saw the gun….I watched as he went back up the stairs...I feared for my life as Linc walked through the front door.

The moment Rick’s eyes landed on Linc, I knew he was enraged. As they struggled to fight one another, Michael held on to me with a death grip. There was nothing I could do; I was trapped.

Linc tried to wrestle the gun out of Rick’s hands, but it was too late…the gun was fired and that was the last thing I could remember before falling to the ground and passing out.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground with a swarm of paramedics standing over me. They blasted questions in my direction, but I was too confused to respond. I was in shock, hurt, and desperate to know where Linc and Jo were.

I tried to sit up but the pain in my head was too excruciating. My arms and legs were beginning to feel numb and the taste of blood sat on my tongue. By the time I was lifted onto a stretcher, the room was filled with cops and other paramedics running around in circles.

The last thing I heard as they wheeled me out of the room was that he was pronounced dead.

My head snaps up and pain radiates down my back. The curtain to my room slides over and a tall man walks in with a wheelchair.

“Gretchen Powers?” he asks, reaching for the tablet at the end of the bed.

“Yes, that’s me.”

He looks back to me with a smile on his face.

“My name is Christian and I’ll be taking you upstairs for your CT scan. Can you make it to the wheelchair or would you like me to assist you?”

He starts to move in my direction, but I shake my head.

“No, I think I’m good.”

I slide myself to the edge of the bed and step down onto the floor. For a brief second, I lose my sight and everything goes black. I reach out for the edge of the bed when a strong arm reaches behind me for support.

“Take it easy, Miss Powers. Let me help you.”

I accept his gesture and allow him to help me to the wheelchair. Slowly, my vision starts to come back, but spots appear. I blink a few times in hopes that I’ll be able to rid myself of the tunnel vision.

Resting my head in my hands, I sit back and let Christian take me to my next destination.

Scared shitless and feeling all alone, I have no clue what’s going on and Dault and Steve have left me.

My heart starts to race and tension begins to form along my temples.

Etty, you’ve really done it this time…way to fuck up a good thing.
It never fails—I’m always the one to bring the drama into a situation and now I’m worried that my past may have hurt someone I truly care about.

Chapter 3

The sickening smell of this place is beginning to make my stomach churn. It’s cold, bleak, and uninviting. The University of Alabama’s emergency room is the
last
place I’d planned on spending my night.

Steve and I have been pacing the ER floor for the past thirty minutes, trying to get answers with no luck. Everyone we ask shuns us off, going back to their business as if we don’t exist.

What the fuck is that shit?

I’m frustrated and want answers…it’s not that much to ask.

Looking to the giant clock on the wall, it’s a little after two in the morning and the buzz I had at the bar has completely diminished. I could really use a drink to take the edge off right about now.

A stinging sensation hits my back. A smack from Steve brings me back to reality for a split second. Turning to face him, he has a smirk of boredom plastered across his face.

“I need a smoke,” he says, gesturing toward the doors.

I shake my head in his direction. What the hell is he thinking? We can’t walk out now. We
need
answers.

“Now isn’t the time, man. We have to find out what’s going on. How is it that we’re in an ER filled with people and no one is willing to give us an answer?”

“Take a good look at us, Dault; we’re probably scaring the shit out of these people.”

I look him over and then glance down at myself.

“So what if we’ve got a few tattoos and we’re dressed in jeans and t-shirts with skulls and crossbones? It’s not like we walked in here with guns blazing.”

A laugh escapes him, “Hell if I know, but I can’t stand around here forever. Let’s go outside for a bit and then come back to try again.”

“These people are pissing me the hell off. Someone’s gotta know
something
.”

Leaning my body up against the wall, I plant my feet firmly on the floor and slide my hands into my pockets.

“Suit yourself, I need some air. These people will be here when we come back in, plus I want to check on Etty.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head at him. The last person I want to see right now is her.

How could she have let this happen? Any comforting thought I had about her is now gone. It’s her fault we’re here and I’m scared shitless that something dreadful has happened to Linc and Jo.

For fuck’s sake, someone is now dead because of her shit storm of a past. I can’t deal with her
or
her pouty little face.

Etty should’ve told me and Linc about her issues; we could have helped her. Now her hell of a past is here and my two best friends are missing, hurt, or…fuck me….god no, I won’t even go there.

Steve is now walking toward the exit doors and I push myself away from the wall.

“Hang on, man, I’m right behind you. I guess I need some air, too.”

Shaking his head at me
again,
he lets out a heavy sigh as I follow him through the large emergency room. Before walking out the doors, he pauses in front of Etty’s room. The curtain is open and her bed is empty.

“Guess they took her up for the scan. We can check on her when we come back in,” he says before pushing the automatic door button on the wall.

Seeing Etty is the last thing I need right now—I’m not sure what will come out of my mouth. I’m more than pissed off that this is all happening to me because of
her
.

I can’t lose Linc or Jo. They’re my family…they’re all I have left to live for.

A nagging ache fills my chest and my hand flies up to touch the fabric resting over my heart. I can’t imagine what I’d do if anything ever happened to those two.

Linc and I have been friends since we were little kids. He’s been there for me through everything. Linc’s not just my best friend, he’s my brother. No matter what curve ball life throws our way, the two of us can get through anything. Between school, sports, and the loss of my family, we’ve always stuck together. There’s nothing we can get through without the other.

Jo…fucking hell. Since the moment I first set my sights on her, I
knew
she was going to be a big part of my life. She’s not like any woman I’ve ever met. My first thoughts of her went straight to my heart, not my dick. Jo has impacted my life more than any other woman since the death of my Mama. She’s one of the most important people in my life—the girl that I’ll love forever and protect with my life. I’ve never been this close to a woman; she’s like family…my little sister.

Running my fingers through my hair, I let out a breath of frustration. God, if only I was there at the house with them, I’d have done anything to keep them safe.

Knowing that something tragic has happened to either one of them sends my thoughts into frenzy.

Death isn’t something I deal with well. I don’t know if I could come back from a misery like that again.

Walking through the automatic doors into the cool breeze, my head begins to spin with thoughts I’d rather not dwell on right now. Taking a seat along the concrete wall, I light up a smoke and release a long puff of air.

My past destroyed me the night my mom was killed in our home by my father.

I shut my eyes as the horrid memories of that night flash behind my closed lids.

The front door slammed shut and a muffled cry began to fill the house. It was a whimper I was all too familiar with—it scared me to death.

A loud sound vibrated through the wall behind the closet followed by a thumping noise.

Linc and I both jumped at the screams coming from outside the room. I could hear Mama’s shriek and the thud of something slamming against a wall.

I was trembling, my teeth chattering, and my chest vibrating from the rapid beats of my aching heart.

Sounds echoed from the other room and more shouts and screams soon followed. I had an idea of what was happening, but the fear rushing through my body left me numb and lifeless.

My body froze as two loud bangs went off. I started to shake and reached my arm out to Linc. We clutched onto one another in the stuffy closet. Tears fell from my eyes and my stomach felt sick. I knew what had just happened, but my mind wouldn’t cooperate—I couldn’t think, let alone move.

I sat completely still, unable to budge; it was as though every nerve ending in my body had shut down.

The front door slammed closed and my cheeks were soaked from my falling tears. My heart was pounding and I could hardly breathe. The more time that passed the more scared I became. A lump formed in my throat and it was almost impossible to swallow. I knew I needed to get up and check on my mom, but there was no way I could. So many thoughts filled my mind; I didn’t want to see what I already knew I’d find when I went out to the living room.

Linc got up from our crouched positions, and no matter what, I knew it was time. If he had the courage to go…I had no other choice but to pick myself up and go with him.

The house was now silent—the cries and screams had stopped. My worst possible fear was brought to life as Linc and I walked down the hallway to see Mama’s lifeless body on the floor in front of us.

Pushing Linc to the side, I ran past him to her. A scream burst through my lungs and out of my mouth as I saw Mama lying there.

She wasn’t moving. I leaned down close to her chest to see if she was breathing, but nothing…nothing was happening. I tried to feel her body to see if there was any life left in her, but she remained completely still.

It all started to feel real—the reality of what my father had done sunk in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to throw up, curl myself up alongside of her, and pray to God that she was still alive.

Falling to the floor next to her body, I tried to shake her, move her and wake her from the sleep I knew she’d never come back from.

As lifted my head off of her body, I saw the blood. Looking around, I noticed there were splatters of her blood everywhere. It was on the walls, the carpet, and now all over my shirt.

I started to shake her harder, but she wouldn’t open her eyes.

“Linc, go call the cops. He’s done it this time; I think he’s really hurt Mama!” I screamed.

He just stood there, frozen, staring down at me and Mama.

“Please, Linc, go call the police. Mama needs our help.”

Flashing lights and a blaring siren pull me from my trance. My chest feels like it’s caving in as my heart is racing. The tension in my head is causing my brows to scrunch together and I will my eyes to shut.

Looking around, Steve is nowhere in sight. I don’t know where the hell he went off to. Lighting up another smoke, I slide down off the concrete wall and start to walk around the parking lot.

I need air, but even now, being outside, I can’t seem to catch my breath.

This is all so unreal—a horrid nightmare that I can only hope I’ll wake up from sooner rather than later.

It took me forever to get over the pain of Mama’s death.
Years,
when all I wanted was to curl up and die with her. She was the only real family that was always there for me. Mama was the one that tried her best to protect me from my father. All the beatings, the screaming, and yelling were shielded by her small body.