The Iron Tiara

"Anthony Bear," she managed to force out as the disgusting creature who'd left his spit on her face stopped unbuckling his belt and looked down at her.

His expression instantly switched from one of pure evil to concern. He looked from side to side as if trying to assess if there was any immediate danger. He tugged on his filthy beard as if he wasn't too sure of himself.

Christy watched him as she felt the tears from her cheeks mingle with the blood running down her nose. She swiped it away and noticed when his face changed again. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as he was jerked back roughly by the scruff of his neck.

"Carney, how much money you think I can get if you keep beating on her?" a deep voice asked.

Christy slowly looked up to where the voice had come from and started to shake as she stared into the most mesmerizing green eyes she'd ever seen. The light of the fire cast a perfect glow, and the coldness and brutality she saw in them caused a hopelessness like she'd never felt before. She felt someone grab her by the arm and help her stand. It was the little boy she'd seen sitting by the fire when she first walked up. It took her a split second to realize upon closer inspection that it wasn't a boy who'd run away. It was a woman.

"Ah, I didn't think about that. I was just having some fun," Carney answered, nervously scratching his cheek.

"Moe, take her to your room and calm her down. Get her cleaned up,” said the man who’d interrupted her assault. He looked at Christy's bloody face, torn shirt and the scratch marks on her arm where Carney had grabbed her too roughly. "Give her one of your shirts and bring her to number four."

Christy heard bikes starting and saw her abuser heading toward them.

"Not you, Carney," the man with the penetrating green eyes and long blond hair commanded.

Carney started to shrink, concerned that he might be in trouble, when his leader said, "Hang for a while. I have a special job for you."

"Sure thing," Carney said as he puffed out his chest. Having never been singled out before, he was certain his standing in the gang had just been elevated—if the blonde woman was worth quite a bit of money. He headed to the other side of the fire and took a seat in one of the lawn chairs and watched as Grizz, Moe and the hot looking blonde walked toward the motel.

"Are you Christy Chapman?" the big man asked quietly as they walked away from the pit.

"Yes," she sobbed. "How do you know that?" The instant realization that she might've jumped from the frying pan into the fire caused her chest to tighten. What if he was one of the other sharks that was looking for her? She'd never considered that Van was in trouble with someone on this coast. She was going to tell the huge man that she could and would pay her own ransom when he said, "Don't be afraid."

"You...you're not going to hold me for ransom for Anthony?" she stammered. "Or Van?" she said softly.

He didn’t seem surprised by her unusual question and didn't answer as he looked around. "How'd you get here?"

"My car ran out of gas after I got off the Alley. I've been walking."

He was silent at first. He nodded and continued heading toward unit number four. "You're safe here," he told Christy assuredly.

As soon as Grizz walked through the door, Kit asked, "What was so urgent?" as she moved to a sitting position on the couch. Grizz wasn't going to tell his wife that a woman had almost been raped. Especially after what she'd been through just two weeks ago.

"A woman ran out of gas after getting off the Alley. She started walking, and you know how pitch black it is out there. She tripped and banged up her face. She walked up to the motel with a bloody nose and Moe thought she'd been in an accident. She's helping her get cleaned up. I told Moe to bring her here when she's done. Hope you don't mind, baby. I didn't think you’d want her hanging in the pit with my guys," he said hoping it would cease his wife’s curiosity.

Kit's eyes widened. "Oh, the poor woman. Of course she's welcome to come in here with us. I guess she has someone she can call?"

He wasn't ready to share any details with Kit about Christy Chapman. Anthony had called Grizz the night before and explained how Van Chapman had skipped town and that Anthony and other loan sharks had been hunting him down. He also explained that he was holding Chapman's stepdaughter for ransom. He asked Grizz to put some feelers out to see if anyone knew Chapman's whereabouts and to make sure that Grizz wasn't one of the sharks on Chapman's trail. Grizz assured him that he had no dealings with Chapman. Besides, he was too busy looking for Kit's assailant. When Grizz heard the frightened woman cry Anthony's name, he knew immediately who she was.

He went to his wife's side and gently tucked her blanket around her. Caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, he said, "Yeah, I have a number I'm going to page for her." He then laid a soft kiss on her forehead, and asked her if she needed anything. When Kit asked him to turn down the TV so she could read, Grizz did it. After using the phone, he headed back outside.

Christy couldn't stop shaking. The small black-haired woman called Moe never said a word as she gently helped Christy slip out of her shirt. She silently walked to a dresser and pulled out a black T-shirt and handed it to her. Moe left her alone and headed for the bathroom. Christy used the moment to scan the room. No phone. Moe quickly returned and handed Christy a warm washcloth.

After cleaning herself up, Christy begged, "Can you help me get to a phone? Or maybe you can give me a ride? I can pay you." She then realized that she must've dropped her bag outside. Moe didn't say anything. She took the washcloth from Christy and tossed it in the bathroom. She then motioned for Christy to follow her back outside.

After retrieving Christy's bag from the ground, Grizz leaned up against the wall and waited for the women to come out. He stayed close to his unit in case the phone rang. He chewed on a toothpick as he casually stared at the only man left in the pit. Grizz would let Anthony decide Carney's fate.

He slowly pushed away from the wall when he heard Moe's door open. A shaken Christy Chapman, wearing Moe's black AC/DC T-shirt, approached him cautiously. Moe silently followed behind. Without saying anything, he handed Christy the bag she'd dropped. She thanked him without making eye contact.

"I'm going to bring you inside and introduce you to my wife. She was in an accident two weeks ago," he lied. "You will not say anything that upsets her."

Christy looked up and nodded.

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