Woods (Aces MC Series Book 5) (4 page)

I didn't know how long I'd sat on the cold floor for but my
cheeks were becoming numb. I didn't want to move from this position and
certainly didn't want to wait outside through fear of the guys finding and
hurting me further or finishing the job completely. I nestled my face back into
my thighs and tried to get my story straight in my head, I needed to be
convincing otherwise Ramsey would start asking questions and I couldn't afford
for that to happen.

I was startled as the door flung open and a cold gust of air
swirled around my body. Conscious of exposing my modesty I immediately made sure
I was covered by lowering my legs.
Ramsey held out his hands, "Let me help you up."
"No I'm okay," I struggled in the confines of the phone box to rise
to my feet while trying to cover my dignity. I scoffed to myself, dignity I
didn't have an ounce of that left. Ramsey saw me struggle and grabbed my arm.
His touch made me panic and I lashed out catching my elbow on his chin.
"What the fuck Lauren."
I struggled from his hold and pressed my back firmly on the glass trying to
gain some distance from him. He looked at me intrigued by my actions and
carefully studied me narrowing his eyes as his eyes swept over my body from my
feet up my legs until he saw the marks on my dress.
He pointed, "Dirt or blood?"
"Well it...like I say..." Ramsey stepped back taking his keys from
his pocket before heading to his van. "Wait stop, what you doing?" I
shouted after him.
"I'm going to the party and killing the motherfucker who laid his hands on
you." I saw the flash of anger in his eyes as he gritted his teeth.
"No Ramsey, it's not like that." I followed him to his van.
"So what is it like?" he asked glaring at me.
"Just a misunderstanding."
Ramsey fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his mobile, "Start giving me
more information or I'm calling Woods."
I held out my hands, "Please Ramsey, I'm begging you." I couldn't
stop the tears that fell from my eyes. "I'm okay, really I'm okay. I've
just made a stupid mistake, I'm a little embarrassed and just want to go
home." I tried to keep the desperation from my voice to play the whole
event down rather than giving him concern to worry.
I didn't believe for one minute he considered my story to be true but he
couldn't prove otherwise. I could see his internal struggle of helping me and
his loyalties towards the club but I also knew he was a good bloke and wouldn't
put any necessary pressure on me.
"I'm trusting you Lauren but don't let me live to regret it." He
raised his brows waiting for me to respond.
"Honestly everything is fine, I just really want to go home." I
gingerly made my way around the van and opened the door wide looking at the
challenge before me. My legs and tummy were aching and I knew that I'd need to
stretch in order to get inside.
I glance across the bench seat to see Ramsey assess me, "What's up
babe?"
I shook my head, "Nothing I'm good." I rested my hand on the seat and
hoist myself into the cab swinging my leg to give myself more leverage. I
grimaced a little doing my best to hide my pain but let out a satisfying sigh
as I lounged in the seat. I reached for my seatbelt, secured it firmly but caught
Ramsey staring as he watched my every move. I shrugged confused as to why he
was looking at me.
"You better be telling me the fucking truth," his eyes flashed with
anger and I noticed how tense his arms were as he held the steering wheel.
"Trust me," I managed to smile hoping to lighten the mood and for him
to drop the conversation. Ramsey nodded slowly and turned the key in the
ignition before pulling away down the eerie road. It was now late which made
the single track look even creepier but I was pleased that I was now safe in
the confines of the van. He quickly understood that I didn't want to talk and
took it easy as he navigated down the winding road.
"There's some baby wipes in the glove box if you want to clean yourself
up." He kept his eyes on the road giving me the space I so desperately
needed.
I leant forward, flipped the catch to open the compartment and grabbed the
packet. I eagerly took one of the wet cloths from the opening and wiped my
skin. I started with my shoulder and worked my way down my arm scrubbing hard. I
discarded the wipe on the seat next to me and grabbed another to perform the
same process. The feeling was great as if I was wiping away all traces of the
group's dirty bodies that had touched me. My adrenaline pumped at the
satisfaction, I grabbed a handful and leaned forward to wipe my legs, I was
conscious of Ramsey looking at me so I turned my body towards the door and
worked my way up to wipe my inner thighs. It stung but the damp cloths were
soothing at the same time. As I moved the wipes from under my dress, I noticed
the dark residue and quickly folded it so it wasn't so visible. I did the same
to the other thigh and then concentrated on my neck and face as I wiped away
this evening's assault. I dropped the remaining wipes on the seat beside me and
returned what was left of the packet to the glove box.
"Do you feel better for that?" Ramsey asked with his eyes still
firmly on the road.
"I do thank you." The relief must have been evident as I washed away
the grime but I quickly snuggled back into the seat and wrapped my arms around
me protectively.

Before long, we pulled up onto my driveway and Ramsey
quickly turned off the engine. I glanced in the direction of the house noticing
there weren't any lights on, Mark was obviously still at the party which filled
me with dread.
"Do you want me to come in?" I turned towards Ramsey seeing the
concern on his sweet face. He was of a similar age and although he liked to
have a laugh and was a terrible flirt, he was grounded and sometimes acted
older than his years.
"Can you just wait for me to go in before you drive off?" I looked at
him hopeful.
He nodded, "Of course I will."
"And thank you for picking me up, I appreciate it more than you
know." I started to gather the wipes but Ramsey swatted my hands away.
"Leave them, I'll deal with that. You just get yourself inside." I
smiled at his kindness and unfastened my seatbelt before turning towards the
door to pull the catch.
"Thanks again," I said quietly and slithered from the seat onto the
pavement.
"You're welcome, like I said anytime."
I gently closed the door and fumbled around in my handbag for my key. Luckily,
I'd secured it inside a compartment with a zip so it hadn't fallen out as I'd
scrambled to leave the room earlier on in the evening. I wiggled the key and
finally got it into the slot relieved that I would soon be safe. I heard the
roar of the engine and glanced in the direction of the van. Giving a wave,
Ramsey flashed his lights and reversed slowly from the driveway as I entered
the house.

I didn't want to be alone but I also didn't want Ramsey
here. I could call numerous people, anyone from the club would come over and
sit with me but then I'd have to explain why and that was something I wasn't
prepared to do. This was my mess, I'd allowed myself to become vulnerable and I
wasn't ever putting myself in a similar situation again.
My phone startled me, indicating that I'd received a message. I removed it from
my bag and swiped the screen to read the text from Brooke.

Hi babe, hope Reece looked after u. Sorry I left,
Malik wanted some alone time lol xx

Her words stung deep inside, I felt as if I couldn't breathe
and held my chest as my heart rate accelerated. Why didn't Brooke ever think
about the bigger picture? She was more concerned about herself having fun
rather than the welfare of other people.
I slowly staggered to the stairs, I needed to get out of these clothes. Holding
onto the rail, I made my way up the staircase and onto the landing being
careful not to stumble on my now wobbly legs. Pushing open the bathroom door, I
rested my hands on either side of the doorframe to steady myself. I needed to
push past this, I knew shock from the event had finally hit me but I needed to
keep it together for a little longer. I wanted to be free of all traces of the
men that had violated me, I just needed the strength to get into the shower to
wash everything away.

I pulled my dress up over my head and threw it onto the
floor, followed by my bra. Taking a few controlled steps I made it to the
shower cubical and was able to reach the dials to control the water without
stretching too much and putting any extra strain on my already aching muscles.
The spray instantly sent reassurance through my body knowing that their stench
would soon be removed. I grabbed the bottle of body wash and squirted it over
my shoulders and torso before rubbing the gel into my body. The bubbles covered
my skin but it wasn't enough, I squirted the liquid again and eagerly rubbed it
in before I emptied the rest of the bottle into my palm and placed my hand
between my thighs. I gently massaged the area careful as to not hurt myself
further, it stung as the body wash touched my skin but I needed to be cleansed.
The water around my feet turned a muddy brown and the sight shocked me, I was
helpless in the fight to hold back my tears. They streamed down my cheeks in
time to the spray from the showerhead, I sunk to my knees as the water
continued to cover my body and I let out an almighty sob. I couldn't help the noises
that burst from my mouth these were emotions that needed to be vented, noises
that I'd kept in for so long. Not only for events that had happened this
evening, this attack had stirred up past emotions and was now allowing me the time
to also cry for the loss of my parents something that I had always struggled to
do.

"Lauren what's going on?"
I turned my head towards the bathroom door, Mark was peering in but not looking
directly at me as he knew I was in the shower. My sobs must've alerted him to
where I was and my desperation. I tried to quickly pull myself together, I
didn't want him seeing me in this state as he'd ask too many questions.
I franticly rubbed my eyes, "Erm...I'm fine, I'm just being silly."
"It doesn't sound like you're being silly, you're obviously upset about
something."
"I just had an argument with Brooke, that's all." I wasn't sure if
he'd fall for that but everyone knew how temperamental she could be.
He let out a sigh, "I don't even know why you tolerate her Lauren. She's a
self centred nasty piece of work."
"I know."
"Do you? Because from where I'm standing Lauren, I can see that she picks
you up and drops you at any given moment. That's not a true friend she's just
out for what she can get."
"I said I know, I don't need you pointing out the fucking obvious," I
shrieked back at him. My outburst took us both by surprise.
Mark sniggered, "Well maybe you've learned one thing from her."
"Sorry I didn't mean to curse," I said apologetically although he was
seeing the funny side of it. I never swore, people with limited vocabularies
swore because they couldn't find the correct words to use that wasn't me I
didn't have a potty mouth.
"Lauren you're nearly eighteen, I'm not going to tell you off for
swearing. Look I'll leave you to your shower, don't get upset about Brooke.
She'll come crawling back like she always does with her tail between her legs
and then you can make a decision as to what to do but you really need to
consider your friendship if she continues to hurt you." Mark closed the
door giving me the space to contemplate. I pulled the cord to the right of the
shower and it immediately cut off the water, I gathered my thoughts and stepped
from the shower to wrap myself tightly in my dressing gown.

My iPhone bleeped indicating I had a message, I gathered my
belongings and headed across the hall to my bedroom. The cold air hit my body
as I walked into the room a total contrast from the heat in the bathroom. I lay
my clothes and handbag on the end of the bed and walked to the window to close
it. As I reached for the handle a sharp pulling sensation ripped through my
body, I quickly rested my hand on the area and let out a breath as the pain
subsided a little.
Something quickly caught my eye, I looked out of the window to see what looked to
be an outline of someone on the edge of the tree's across the road. I cupped my
hands in front of my face and pushed them onto the glass to avoid any
reflections to focus once more. This time I couldn't see anything, my mind must've
been playing tricks on me. All the same my skin was now decorated with
goosebumps, I rubbed my arm trying to get some warmth but noticed the bruising
around my wrists bringing me straight back to reality. I drew the curtains and
was startled by the bleeping of my phone. I held my hand over my chest and
breathed slowly trying to get my heart rate under control, if I was going to
deal with this my way I needed to be a lot tougher than I was currently being.
I was a nervous wreck.

I took my phone from my handbag and snuggled under my bed
covers to read the messages.

I just wanted to make sure you were ok. What people
say and mean can sometimes be two completely different things.

I almost feel responsible, please just message me to
let me know that you're ok

Ramsey's messages surprised me. I wasn't his responsibility,
I knew that I'd dragged him into it by contacting him but he could now forget
about me and as for responsible, responsible for what exactly?

I'm finding it difficult to understand what you may
feel responsible for?

If anything, he had saved me although he didn't know what
from. I saw that he'd read the message straight away and he started to reply.

I should've stopped you from going to the party with
Brooke.

I let out a deep sigh, if only he did.

I appreciate your concern but I'm a big girl now.
Everything that happened this evening is down to my stupidity.

 I saw him typing a response, didn't he have more important
things to do than text me this evening?

Even so, I should've tried harder then you possibly
wouldn't be feeling the way you are right now.