When my vision started to go black, he let me go, and I fell on my back, gasping for air. Reno towered over me, his expression ugly yet bored as he spit on me.
“I own you, Helen. You’re lucky I don’t hit women, baby, or you’d be hurting a lot worse tomorrow.” The two women came forward, one reeling back her leg and connecting to my ribs before I could brace for it. “Jackie and Chantal don’t have anything against hitting other bitches, though.”
He let them loose on me. I got to my hands and knees, only to be kicked back down. My cheek hit the pavement so hard, I saw stars. One of the women kicked me again and again, and I knew if I didn’t get up, they’d kill me. I just knew it.
Wheezing for air, I pushed up, getting my knees under me again. I took a blow to the back of my thigh, another to my hip, but I didn’t fall. My vision dotted when another boot struck me in the ribs, but I was determined to stand. I had to get to my feet, or I’d die. I’d die at a strip club and be another sad headline. I’d be reduced to a dead stripper. Luc would have to remember me that way. Zadie...oh, I couldn’t even think of what would happen to Zadie. I had to get up. I had to get out of here.
I was on my knees, kneeling in front of Reno. I looked up at him, but he wasn’t even paying attention to what was happening to me. He was chatting with his goons like they were out for coffee. I opened my mouth to scream, but it never came.
A pointy-toed boot connected with my jaw, sending me flying back. My vision flashed white, and my brain went hazy. Everything became dull, far away, like I was underwater. The hits stopped, then voices faded. It took me some time to understand it was over. Reno and his crew had left me lying there.
I didn’t know if I could stand, but my hands worked. I took my phone from my pocket, hitting the first contact I recognized. He answered on the second ring.
“Helen?”
“Lock...please, I need help.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Theo
She didn’t call me.
That shouldn’t have been my first thought when Lock told me my girl needed me, but it was. It didn’t come from a place of jealousy, but a realization of how far I needed to climb to get back to her. My tiger had been hurt, left in a parking lot bleeding, and I wasn’t her one phone call.
Lock met me at the door of her suite, placing a hand on my chest to hold me back. “I need you to go in calm.”
My jaw twitched. “Is it bad?”
“Fucking awful, man.” He captured my eyes, ensuring I heard what he said. “But she’s awake and being stubborn, so I think she’ll be okay.”
“Why is she not in the hospital? Where are the cops?”
“Did you not hear the part about her being stubborn? She wouldn’t let me take her. She was in more of a panic to get back here to Zadie. Wouldn’t tell me why, though.”
“Is Zadie okay?”
“She’s fine.”
I pushed against his hand. “Let me in.”
“Are you going to be cool?”
“I’m going to try.”
He shook his head. “This isn’t about you, man. I see you steaming about not being her phone call. You need to let that go. That was her pride on her mind, not her favoring me over you. You feel me?”
“I feel you, but if you don’t move out of my way and let me get to her, I won’t be cool anymore.”
Lock raised his hand and stepped back from the door, and I flew inside, straight to Helen’s room, taking a deep breath before I went in. It would do me no good to barge forward like the feral animal raging under my skin.
I reined it in. Not much, but enough that I could face what I needed to face on the other side of the door.
Helen was sitting up on her bed, bags of peas and a couple ice packs scattered on her bare torso. Zadie was beside her, holding ice to her cheek. Above it, she was bloody and scraped, the skin around her eye already turning black. Her other cheek was bright pink with a cut down the middle. Her throat was shadowed in bruises.
Shit. I wasn’t strong enough for this. How could I be calm when I was caught in a hurricane of fury?
But then Helen’s hand shot out to reach for me, and I came back. She needed me, so I went to her, kneeling on the floor, taking her hand in mine.
“Baby,” I gritted. “What the fuck?”
“Hey. Don’t talk to her like that,” Zadie protested.
“I’m not.” I brought our joined hands to my forehead. “Jesus, Helen. You need to go to the hospital.”
“No. Please, Theo,” she whispered. “I just need to sleep.”
“I had some leftover prescription Tylenol from when I got my wisdom teeth out.” Zadie stroked Helen’s hair. “She took some a little bit ago. It should kick in soon.”
“Thank you.” I kissed Helen’s knuckles. “You should go rest, Z. I’ll take care of her. I’m here now.”
Helen needed soft. It was next to impossible to give it to her with the violence boiling in my blood, but I would. Whether she agreed or not, whether I’d even earned it, Helen was mine. That meant I would take care of her however she needed. Right now, she needed me to leash it all.
Later, when she was feeling better, less vulnerable, I’d unleash the rage in my veins. I had no choice.
After heavy protest, Zadie left me with Helen. Lock poked his head in, said he was leaving but would be back in the morning to check in. Then, it was just the two of us. I stretched out on the bed beside her, afraid to touch her anywhere. I’d already caused her enough pain. I wouldn’t do it again.
Her head lolled to the side. “I guess you’ve been proven right.”
“What?”
She pointed at herself. “Trash. Jumped in a strip club parking lot after I shook my ass for strangers.”
“No. I’m not letting you take that on. I never thought you were trash. I said shit I shouldn’t have based on a past that has nothing to do with you.” I stroked her hair like Zadie had. “Someone hurt you, baby. You don’t get to take the blame. That’s on them. The way I hurt you is on me. It’s not you, Helen. You didn’t deserve any of it.”
She leaned into my hand, her lids at half-mast. “You just think that because your dad and stepmom like me.”
“No. I always knew that. My head got lost for a while, but that was always my problem, never yours.” I leaned over, touching my lips to her forehead. “Quite fucking honestly, my dad liking you is in the minus column.”
“You say that, but I know you wouldn’t stand by me if your dad didn’t approve. I know it, Theo.”
“You’re wrong, baby. It’s up to me to prove that to you.”
She sighed, scooting down slightly. “I think the drugs are kicking in.”
I huffed a quiet laugh. “I think so too.”
“I might sleep.” She grabbed my hand. “Stay, please.”
“Wild horses, baby. They’d have to drag me away, and even then, I’d be back.”
“Mmm...okay, Theo. Don’t make empty promises to the injured, drugged up girl. Not nice.”
“Go to sleep, Helen.”
“’Kay.”