Chapter 8
"Char, what the hell did you see?"
"Hurt, she's hurt and hurt bad El, I didn't see the whole of whatever happened, you know how I pick up emotions sometimes, well, our new little sister had some shit thrown at her."
Char shook her head as we headed for the liquor cabinet, I had a couple hundred people in my backyard where I should be hostessing, but like doc said 'they'll keep'.
"Colton will take care of it, and her, I know my son, he's his father incarnate, though I think Daniel got a little more of the sweet and a little less of the gruff."
"Colton's a good boy, I'm sure he'll do right by our girl...now...GORGEOUS."
We started jumping up and down like two toddlers at Disney On Ice, big grins on our faces.
"What are you two hens cackling about now?"
Daniel sauntered into the room in his chinos and a nice silk tee, his hair was still wet from his shower and he'd splashed on his special after shave.
Dirty dog, he knows what that particular scent does to me, I can see where he expected the day to go.
Thank you citizens of Washington state for making weed legal, other people get hungry, sleepy, or happy, my man gets horny.
"Hey Daniel."
Char gave doc her flirtatious grin, if I was a less confident woman and didn't know how much she was in love with her own husband I would swear my bestie was trying to do my husband for the last thirty years or so.
"Hey Char, what the hell you getting my wife into now?"
"Why do you always blame me, you do know Elena is a shit stirrer right, she basically starts most of the shit we get into."
"What shit Char, how much shit can you get up to in a book club?"I gave her my innocent as a lamb smile.
"Even I know you're full of shit with that one El, now what gives?"
"Nothing Daniel, we're just talking about how to help a new friend."
"Fine, don't tell me, I'll go see to our guests while you do your thing, say, I have an idea, if you and the rest of your posse are going to be dancing around in circles later around the bon fire, why don't we just light some weed instead of wood?"
"Daniel, you'll make everyone high and where pray tell will you be getting all that weed?"
"Look into the backyard El, between Colton's guys, Stacy and Emory's friends and employees and let's not even start on Carol and her teenage crew, I bet we have enough to start ten fires."
He laughed as he headed towards the kitchen and the back door.
"Okay, so what have we decided Char?"
"We've decided that Colton will take care of little Katarina, and we're going to stay out of it."
"F*ck that."
"Why Elena Lyon, such language from a lady."
"Whatever, I know from your reaction and hers that it has something to do with her being attacked right, well you know we don't let that shit slide, especially not when it's family, I'm tired of this violence against women shit, and can you believe those f*cktards in DC let that bill die, bunch of redneck f*cks.
I say since the women of America are no longer recognized by our government that we should go all militia on their asses, we'll make Sherman's march through Georgia look like a walk in the park, since they refuse to protect us, I say we start lopping off dicks."
"Give me the bottle El, the day hasn't even started yet and you're starting your shit, I promised hubby that this year we'll behave." She shook her head as she downed her tequila shot.
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It seemed like we were lying here for a long time, she hadn't moved, hadn't uttered a sound so that's why I almost jumped out of my skin when her soft, scratchy voice started.
"I was spending the night with my friend...I'd told her I couldn't make it, but then I got my stuff done earlier than expected and changed my mind at the last minute.
Donna had met this guy Taylor a week before, I tried cautioning her you know, but she was crushing hard on him and I guess she let her inhibitions down.
I got to her house, her parents were gone for the weekend, it was the first time they'd ever left her alone, it was supposed to be our last sleep over before college.
We spent the night watching all our favorite movies and making plans for our futures and stuffing ourselves with pizza.
I didn't know that she'd told this guy that she would be home alone..."
She stopped talking and I grew tense, I knew that whatever was coming was going to be bad and tried to prepare for it, my natural instinct would be anger and the need for action, she didn't need to see that right now.
I squeezed her to me, a silent message to go on, I wanted it done, wanted her to tell me all of it so I would know what I was dealing with.
"I got really thirsty after we fell asleep, like around three in the morning I think. I went downstairs to raid the refrigerator, I didn't turn on the light, I'd been there so much I pretty much knew the layout of the whole house.
I got my drink and was on the way back when I heard noises at the door, I was gonna go see who was there, I thought maybe her parents had changed their minds and were coming back home.
Something stopped me from doing that,...I saw them come in, four of them, they were high or drunk I'm not sure which, they were grinning and high fiving each other, they didn't see me."
She started to shake and my heart hurt as my stomach lurched. F*ck.
"They went up the stairs and started opening doors, I grabbed the phone off the hook, that's when I heard her scream."
She was full out shaking, so hard the bed moved, I pulled her even closer and wrapped my arms around her, trying to give her some of my warmth, wishing like f*ck that she'd never experienced what she was about to describe.
"They raped her, took turns hurting her and laughing, I can still hear them laughing, I'd dialed 911 without realizing it, the lady on the line kept asking me what was my emergency but I couldn't speak.
Then she screamed for me, Donna, she screamed and screamed and I couldn't do anything, I was frozen in place.
I Think I walked into the wall or something, but I knocked something over and somehow they heard it and one of them ran down the stairs.
He yelled 'fresh meat' up the stairs to the others, they came, they tried...I fought them, I used every trick my dad had ever taught me and I fought, but then they caught me by my hair."
One hand went to her beautiful hair as she gazed off into space, lost in that time, back there where she'd lived her horror.
"They beat me, with their fists...I'd dropped the phone after I banged into the wall, it was still on...by the time they finally got my clothes off the police were there.
When one news reporter asked the operator why she didn't just hang up after I didn't speak, how she knew it wasn't a prank call, she said it was because I'd given her the police code for a rape in progress. I didn't remember doing that.
The phone was still open, she heard everything that was happening to me, that's why the cops got there so fast, I was lucky.
Donna, she, they hurt her so bad, her poor body was broken...she killed herself three days after getting out of the hospital.
Alec was never charged, he was on anti depressants or something like that and they say it made him do things, the other three are awaiting trial."
"You can stop now angel, you don't have to say anymore."
"I'm sorry that happened to you and your friend, sorry you have that in your life, it's going to be okay now."
I held her as my mind raced, what she'd described was beyond horrific, that she would carry that memory for the rest of her life pissed me the f*ck off, but my next concern was how the f*ck to reach into a jail in Arizona and f*ck some shit up.
It was time to reach out to the brotherhood of the bike, my crew is what you might call the gentleman's club of the brotherhood but one hand washes the other, I'll get my feelers out by tomorrow, the three behind bars will have to be dealt with by other hands but Taylor, that little mother f*cker was mine.
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