Tears spilled from my eyes. I wanted Cole. All I wanted was Cole. The only hope that I had to hold on to was that they would up their game to find us with Katie being missing as well. I couldn’t go through this torture again.
As his fist came in contact with my ribs, I screamed out in pain. The torture had only just begun.
* * *
I blinked,letting my eyes adjust to the soft light in the room. I hurt all over. All I wanted was to just go home. I wanted Cole to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright.
I forced myself into a sitting position, wincing in pain and whimpering as I moved. I was naked, but that wasn’t anything new when I was trapped in this room. “Amelia . . .” I heard Katie whisper, her voice breaking with emotion.
I slowly looked over at her, my face blank. She bit her lip. “Amelia, I’m so sorry for everything I accused you of. I’ve never felt so horrible in my entire life,” she whispered. I just stared at her. “Cole tried to tell all of us that Heather’s death wasn’t your fault and that you were only doing what was best for the club. He was right all along, and yet, none of us believed him.”
“I don’t want your apologies.” I tiredly told her. I just wanted her to shut the hell up so this wouldn’t happen to her, too.
She didn’t say anything further. I didn’t want her to. I didn’t want to hear how sorry she was that she didn’t believe me. I didn’t want to hear all of the bullshit that would come flying out of her mouth after witnessing me being beaten and raped. I had been alongside Katie, Travis, Cole, and my dad when they wanted to get information from someone. What she had just witnessed was ten times worse compared to what we did to those people. I was damn sure it made her sick to her stomach, and I was sure that was the only reason she felt she needed to say something.
The door swung open, crashing against the wall with the force it had been pushed. I hung my head, knowing I was in for it again.
* * *
Three days had passed.Katie still looked relatively decent. She’d only been knocked out a few times due to them not wanting to hear her mouth. For whatever reason,Iwas the one they wanted.
Currently, the president, VP, and Sergeant at Arms were in the room wrapping me up in a sheet. Katie was knocked out, and I was almost to that point. We were both so weak and exhausted that it was a miracle we weren’t out just because our bodies couldn’t take it anymore.
The president had already gotten his last fill of me and was currently lifting me up and carrying me outside behind his Sergeant at Arms, who was carrying Katie. I was too tired to glance at my surroundings as he carried me out to his trunk. I was just slightly surprised the president hadn’t killed one of us.
Before they could put us in the trunk, gunshots went off. The president tossed me to the ground and started firing back instantly. I cried out in pain as my body connected with the pavement, and I curled in on myself. I saw someone running over, but my head was spinning too much to make out who it was. Then suddenly, I was pulled into familiar, strong arms.
Relief flooded my body as tears poured down my face, and I cried against Cole’s chest, soaking his shirt with my tears. “You’re going to be okay, Amelia,” he rasped as he held me as close as possible without hurting me. “I promise that you’re going to be okay.”
He sat on the ground, rocking me in his arms. Blood was getting onto his clothes and hands, but he didn’t seem to care nor notice. “Fuck, baby, I’m so sorry I broke my promise,” he whispered, his voice breaking with the emotions running through his body. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“I want to go home,” I hoarsely cried.
He stood up, cradling me in his arms and holding me tight against his chest. “We found Katie!” I heard someone bellow through the noise of men shouting and guns firing.
Cole ignored whoever had shouted that and strode over to the van. He got into the backseat with me, still holding me close. Travis slid in beside him with a now-conscious Katie. I struggled to push myself into a sitting position on Cole’s lap. Katie reached over and pushed my hair back. I flinched away from her hand. She instantly yanked her hand back. “You’re safe, Amelia,” she whispered.
“Why is that she has been beaten almost to fucking death, and you look perfectly fine except for a few fucking cuts and bruises?” Cole ground out through his clenched teeth, anger practically rolling off of him in waves.
“They didn’t want me.” She looked down at her fingers. “If I could have stopped them . . .” Her voice trailed off as tears streamed down her face. “I’ve never seen something so fucking brutal,” she cried. “Not even on TV. It was enough torture just for me to witness it.”
I pushed my hands to my ears, trying to block her out. I didn’t want to hear it. I was away. I was safe. I didn’t want to relive the pain and suffering I had gone through. It had been worse than all the other times combined.
“Stop!” I heard Cole roar. “That’s enough! Christ, Mom, she’s sitting right here! Do you think she really wants to fucking hear what she felt happening to her?!”
Katie shut her mouth quickly. I leaned my head on Cole’s shoulder. He rubbed the back of my neck gently, knowing I was bruised there, but also knowing it would help calm me down. When we got to the clubhouse, Cole ignored everyone and carried me inside. He wouldn’t even stop long enough to let my parents see me.
When we made it to his room, he untangled the sheet from around me. His jaw clenched in anger as he ran his eyes over my body. So many emotions swirled in his eyes that it was hard to make out just one of them. But he didn’t say anything. He just ran bath water and set me in it. He got undressed and got in behind me and held me to him.
Blood instantly filled the bathtub, turning the once clear water red, and Cole sighed, draining the water. He turned the water on again and turned on the shower head, letting the water spray over us instead. I curled into him.
Tremors took over my body as the shock of my situation began to wear off, and I became fully aware of my surroundings. I felt horrible, dirty, and exhausted. They had hurt me tremendously, and every single part of me ached like a bitch.
Cole held me tightly, cooing to me to keep me calm as my shaking got worse and tears filled my eyes once again. Someone knocked on the bathroom door, and Cole tensed up. “What?” he ground out harshly.
“Cole, where’s my daughter?” I heard my dad demand through the bathroom door.
“She’s in here with me,” Cole sighed, relaxing once again and gently running his fingers through my hair to get rid of some of the dirt and blood.