Spent - Part Two (Bad Boy Fighter Book 2) (10 page)

Luke finally appears to process what’s going on as he jumps up from his seat and immediately moves to my side. Vince steps out of the way to let Luke be near me. His runs his hand over my hair, accidentally brushing over a sore spot on my head. I wince, causing Luke to pull his hand back. Tears glaze over his beautiful hazel eyes as he stares down into mine. Vince grasps Luke’s hand and places it down onto mine. I do my best attempt at an approving smile at Vince.

“I’m gonna go find your Mom and Cameron, Nat,” Vince whispers as he leans in and plants a kiss on a tuft of my hair, “I’ll be right back.”

Once Vince is out the door, Luke breaks down. Tears flow freely from his beautiful eyes, making them appear greener than ever. I want to reach out and hold him, but I can’t move without pain shooting through every nerve in my body. Instead, I have to accept just being able to brush my thumb across his fingers while I watch the man I care about break down.

“I thought I lost you,” he whispers, “You were so cold.”
 

Luke begins to tremble. Glimpses of memories flash through my mind as I remember Derrick pinning me down to the ground, holding my naked body against his. My sex throbs in pain. Clasping my eyes shut, I try to remember if Derrick finished what he started, but everything grows dark.

“Rape?” My voice comes out so broken and harsh.

Tears begin to stream down my cheeks. I’m not sure if I really want to know if he raped me, but I know I’ll have to face that possible reality sooner or later. I’d rather hear it from Luke than anyone else.

Luke’s big hazel eyes stare at me wide-eyed as he squeezes my hand, “No, baby, no. I found you in time.”
 

Relief permeates through every layer of my being like a healing current. The physical pain I know I can heal from. Healing from the vision of Derrick’s mad eyes staring into mine will take me longer. Not having the extra emotional scars of him actually raping me might make the process a little easier.

“Charges have been filed against Derrick,” Luke adds, “The investigators are supposed to contact us today with news as to whether or not they’ve found him.”

What relief had been running through me drains out of my body. The man who did this to me, who attempted to rape me and probably would have killed me, is still running around loose and free. He could be anywhere, waiting for me. Luke notices my panicked expression.  

“I failed to protect you, Natasha, but that’s never going to happen again. Derrick isn’t going to hurt you. I’ll kill the bastard,” Luke stares off into the distance for a moment, lost in thought.

I stare at his handsome face, admiring the squareness of his jaw as it frames his soft lips. He didn’t fail to protect me. He found me, rescued me, and kept me alive while I drifted away in my dreams. Without him, I wouldn’t have held on while I floated through the haze of my dreamland. He’s the reason why I came back, why I woke up, and he’s why I’ll want to continue to wake up for the rest of my life.

“I love you,” I whisper, tears begin to fill my eyes again.

Luke looks down at me, his eyes soften, then brighten. His expression returns to that of the Luke I remember, young and happy and full of hope.

“I love you, too, Natasha,” he whispers as he leans in, his lips delicately brushing against mine.

The hospital door swings open as my mother and Cameron rush into the room, followed closely by Vince and a police officer. Luke doesn’t rush away from my lips. Instead, he lingers, a gentle smile eased across his beautiful mouth.

“I’ve been wanting to say that for a long time,” he whispers against my ear as he slowly moves away from me, allowing Mom and Cam to gather near.

Cameron has a ridiculous smirk etched across her face that would have me bursting in laughter, if I could actually laugh right now. She glances over at Luke, then turns her attention back to me and winks. My mom has a look of simultaneous joy and panic, which makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“You had us so worried, Tasha,” Mom sobs as she leans in and kisses me on the top of my head.

“Thankfully, Muscles here was there to save ya,” Cameron chimes in, tilting her head in Luke’s direction.

“Can you talk, sweetie?” Vince asks from behind my mom and Cameron.

“A little,” I manage to choke out, suddenly aware that my throat feels as if it’s on fire.

“There’s an investigator here and he needs to speak to you,” Vince adds, “He shouldn’t take too long.”
 

“Can’t he wait?” Mom asks as she glares menacingly at the poor cop standing in the corner of the room, “Its been three days since she’s been awake.”
 

3 days? I’ve been out for 3 days!?!

“I don’t think so, Hailey,” Vince says to my mom.

At that moment I notice Vince’s expression. Something isn’t right. Luke looks at me, then looks at Vince, then back at me. He can tell that something is wrong, but my mom seems completely oblivious.

“Well I’m not leaving the room,” Mom states, “He can talk to her with me in here. And she needs to be evaluated by her doctor first.”

“I’ll go track down the doctor,” Cameron mutters, as she weaves her way through the cluster of people I have built up in my small hospital room.

“That’s fine, ma’am,” the cop finally chimes in, “All of you can stay, if that’s what Miss Hendricks wants.”

I nod my head, bracing myself to hear whatever horrible news the investigator has to tell me about Derrick.  

“All of you, except Mr. Richards. My partner will escort him to the police station.”

“Miss Hendricks, I’m going to ask you a few questions. I’ll try to word them so you can give me simple responses, or merely nod your head in response. If the questions are too much, or if you feel yourself growing tired, just let me know, okay?”
 

I nod my head. My doctor gave me a full work up and said I should be fine to answer a few questions, but the way my body aches says that I’m anything but ready. Despite that, I know Derrick is still running around free somewhere, and that gives me strength enough to sit up and face whatever questions I get asked in the hope that they lead to his capture.

“Did you see Luke Richards the night of your attack?”
 

The question isn’t what I was expecting right off the bat. I shake my head no, as I glance up at Vince. His expression is cold, but I can tell that he’s not happy about whatever the cop told him before they came into the room.

“Do you know where Luke Richards was the night of the attack?”

“What  is this?” I manage to spit out, despite how much my throat burns and my jaw throbs. I don’t like one bit where these questions are going.

“Luke Richards has no alibi, ma’am, and the report he filed isn’t very solid. He also has a less-than-desirable record.”
 

“What do you mean?” My mom barks at the cop, “He was driving over to see her when she was attacked.”

The cop sighs, “Ma’am, the man he claims attacked her, Derrick Baptiste has a pretty solid alibi and multiple witnesses, one of which is his trainer who has provided video footage backing up his alibi.”  

Stewart…

I didn’t know the bastard was involved, but it would make sense that he would back up Derrick if the two of them know each other. Stewart seemed pretty intent on seeing Luke fail. He would also know about Luke’s record and would know how to use it against him.

“Derrick Baptiste did this to me,” I whimper. The lower part of my mouth feels like it’s going to unhinge as I speak, but I’ve got to say all of this.

When the cop had Luke leave, I thought it was just because there were further questions for him to go and answer about how he had found me. Now I’m beginning to piece together that Vince’s sour expression meant that Derrick somehow tried to pin this on Luke.

“Where’s Luke?” Cameron asks the question for me.

“He’s going down to the station for questioning. I’ll take in what you’ve said today, Miss Hendricks, but I would like to ask you more questions when you’re not under the need of pain medication.”
 

If I could have leapt up from my bed and punched the cop, I would have. Thankfully, my mom is who I get every ounce of my attitude from and she was verbally on top of things before the investigator could slink away.

“Are you trying to imply my daughter is lying?”
 

“No ma’am,” the cop stammers, “It’s just that, when you sustain the kinds of injuries she did and you’re on the type of medications she’s on at the moment, it’s hard to keep facts straight."

“Derrick did this to me!” I begin to sob.

I try to sit up, but pain shoots through my back, causing me to collapse against the bed. My parents and Cameron all rush to my side, each trying to ease me back down onto the bed.

“She’s coherent, she knows who did this,” Vince tries to reason, “Isn’t that enough to convict Derrick?”
 

“It will go in my report,” the cop states firmly as he puts away his pen and notepad, “You need to understand we had to hear this from Natasha
without
Mr. Richards in the room, in case she felt threatened or couldn’t speak freely before with him here. This is probably going to be enough to let us release him for now, and look into Baptiste’s alibi more thoroughly. I’ll return in a few days to see if Miss Hendricks is ready for more questions.”

“Luke,” I whisper, before the pain consumes me making it impossible to speak once again.

My world begins to grow dark as the tears and pain consume me. Once again, those dark, mad eyes invade my world, laughing at me as I lie on the ground, cold, and waiting for Luke to save me.

***

“She can’t stay here in Maryland. It’s just not safe for her,” I hear my mom’s voice echo as I slowly begin to wake up.

“We can take her back home with us,” Vince’s voice joins in.

My eyes flutter open, welcomed again by the scene of sterile white walls and vital monitors. I look around, trying to find where the voices are coming from. Pain courses through my body, but not as intensely as it had been before.

“She can live with me,” Luke’s deep voice makes me freeze for a second.

He’s here! He’s back!

“I’ll keep her safe,” the sincerity in his voice eases some of the pain I still feel in my face and throughout my body.

“I vote for that option,” Cameron adds, just as my eyes finally discover where they’re all at.

The four of them are all standing together near the door. Serious and sullen expressions are written across their faces. A tinge of disappointment in myself invades my body. Never in my life would I ever want the four people I love the most gathered together like this, all frantically trying to figure out how to protect me. Silently, I chastise myself for not having hit Derrick better with the knife. Had I just been better with it, he would be locked away right now, or perhaps even… gone, and no one would have to worry about keeping me safe.

“She’s awake,” Cameron practically squeals when her eyes meet mine.

Luke pushes past everyone and is immediately by my side, followed swiftly by the others. It’s flattering to have so many people concerned about your welfare, but at the same time, it’s a little nerve wracking. The medicine is probably making me a bit more jittery than usual, but I kind of enjoy the attention.

“Hi, baby,” Luke whispers, the light dancing a pattern through his copper hair.

He brushes his hand against my forehead, sending a warmth through my body that I haven’t felt since this nightmare began. I close my eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation for the mere seconds that it lasts.  

“You’re back,” I cough out, my throat still feeling as if it were on fire.

Luke hastily reaches for a cup with a straw that is sitting on my side table, “No one's going to keep me away from you. Not even a bunch of cops who are hell bent on using my juvenile record against me.”
 

I smile, as I grip the cup Luke hands to me. My grip is weak, so Luke helps keep the cup steady while I sip. The cold liquid burns as it slides down my throat, making me want to scream. But after a few seconds, the pain subsides, leaving my throat a little less painful and scratchy.

“How ya feeling, honey?” Mom asks as soon as I finish drinking.

“Sore,” I mutter, noticing that the throbbing in my cheekbone has subsided a little and my jaw is moving a little more freely than it had the last time I was awake.

“Your doctors think that you’ll be able to leave here within a day or two,” Vince relays, “Everything appears to be healing like it should.”
 

I trace my fingers along the tender parts of my face, feeling for the first time the damage the Derrick did to me. The swollen edges reveal to me an outline that probably makes me look far from attractive right now.

“Nothing is broken,” Cameron smiles softly, “Just a lot of bruising. You’ll look gorgeous in no time.”
 

“She always looks gorgeous,” Luke murmurs a little defensively, and his hazel eyes stare back into mine.

I try my best to smile, despite the pain that accompanies the action. Luke smiles back, his gentle eyes bringing me comfort. In that moment, I’m lost. Everyone else is gone, but he and I. The words he and I exchanged the last time I was awake still rings through my ears.

He loves me, and I love him.

“Tasha,” Mom’s soft hand touches mine, “We need to talk about where you’re going to stay at when you get discharged.”
 

“I’m going to stay with Luke,” my eyes never stray from his. His lips curve in a half grin over my response.

“Are you sure, honey? You could move back to Missouri with Vince and I.”
 

I turn to look at my mom. Her dark brown eyes glaze over with tears, making me almost feel bad for what I’m about to say.

“I can’t run from the things that scare me. My life is here and the man I love is here. I’m not leaving.”
 

Luke squeezes my hand, his kind eyes shining with excitement. I smile back as best as I can through the pain. I feel no regret over my decision. Even though I know my mom would love for me to be back home, Luke is who I want to be with and nothing is going to change that.