Page 61 of Throttle Therapy

**Roadkill: Police will want to talk to Lacey tomorrow.I’m not keeping her from them, but they will do it on her terms.They will not traumatize her further.

**Roadkill: We need to figure out who is behind this and put an end to them.The fuckers tormented the girl with what they wanted to do to her.They stripped her, beat her, and told her what someone would eventually do to her after they sold her.They went into detail about what they would have done to my woman in front of her if she’d been there.There’s more but I won’t go into it here.I don’t care how long it takes to get to the end of this.They go down.They crossed the wrong people this time.

He hit send before he thought better of it and set the phone back onto his chest.He stared at the ceiling, Lacey’s words repeating through his brain.

Alighttappingwokehim.Roadkill blinked and glanced around as the tapping sounded again.He realized he was in the new house, the one he would share with Jenna and at some point, he’d fallen asleep.

Getting up, he bit back a groan at how much his whole body ached and went to the door.He checked the window, even though he was 95% sure it was one of his brothers, then opened the door for Cyclone.

“Where are they?”the Sergent at Arms asked, looking around the room.

“Still asleep.Keep it down, they need as much rest as they can get.Come on in, I’ll see if there’s coffee.”Roadkill turned and headed for the kitchen, not waiting for an answer.

He opened cabinets one after another, not holding out much hope, but there was a coffee pot on the counter, so he might get lucky.Sure enough.There was a can of coffee in the cabinet over the machine, along with several mugs.Roadkill yawned then started making coffee.At least he could get some caffeine.

“What happened to Joker after he got back last night?He was supposed to come talk to me.”

Roadkill jerked his head toward the hall.“Second door on the left, it should be open.Don’t wake them.”He’d left it open on purpose last night.He wanted to be able to hear what was going on if either of the girls woke during the night.

Roadkill didn’t need to go.He’d checked on them several times before he’d fallen asleep.Lacey was curled on her side, one hand clinging to Joker who lay facing her.Jenna lay at her sister’s back, an arm around her waist, holding her close while covering her back, in a way much like Roadkill ached to hold her.

If the bed had been big enough, and it wouldn’t have freaked Lacey out, he would have lain at Jenna’s side last night, just to be close to her.

“You’re woman let him stay?”Cyclone kept his voice low as he came back into the kitchen at the same time the coffee pot on the counter let out a puff of steam, indicating it was almost finished.

“Lacey wasn’t letting him go.”Roadkill poured himself a mug of coffee then opened the cabinet over the pot and left the door open as he walked away.He tilted his head toward the pot before carrying his coffee back to the recliner where he’d spent the last several hours and sat.Taking a sip of the coffee, he closed his eyes for a moment and let the familiar taste do as much to wake him up as the caffeine that would take a few minutes to hit his system.

He opened his eyes when Cyclone followed him in with his own coffee and sat on the sofa.

“Tell me,” Cyclone said.

Roadkill filled him in on what happened after they brought Lacey to the house, as someone else, someone with a little perspective, would have filled him in what happened before.

“We’re lucky it wasn’t worse.She wouldn’t even shower without him.”Roadkill shook his head.

Cyclone’s eyes went wide.

“Not like you’re thinking.She left the door open and he sat against the wall next to the door, talking so she could hear him.”Roadkill filled him in on everything Joker and the girl he found himself both admiring and wanting to take care of, had told them a few hours before.“He was going to stay out here, but she insisted he lay beside her.”

“Is that why your woman is in there too?To make sure he doesn’t do anything inappropriate?”

Roadkill shook his head.“Jenna needed to be with her sister.It’s been just the two of them for so long.Nearly losing her has hit Jenna hard.I don’t know how long it will last, but this is what they both need for now.”

Cyclone was quiet.Watching Roadkill as he sipped from his steaming mug.

Roadkill sipped at his coffee until it was cool enough for longer drinks, then he downed the cup.He was about to go refill his cup when his CO finally spoke.

“Hex talked to Rigsby this morning.They arrested the teacher, he says the county attorney wants to press charges.It will depend on a lot of things though.”Cyclone turned, his gaze flicked over the bare walls reminding Roadkill they didn’t even have a tv in the house.

“One of the things they need is evidence.Other than his confession that he gave her to his contacts as revenge, there’s not much and what there is, is mostly circumstantial.”

Roadkill clenched his fist.

“I’ll testify, if I need to,” Lacey’s voice made Roadkill look up.She stood, still in the Joker’s shirt and sweats, in the opening to the hallway.The dark shadows under her eyes told him that either she hadn’t slept much or that she hadn’t slept well.“The men who broke into the trailer did a lot of talking.They said Mr.Coleman owed them and I would go a long way to paying that off.”Her gaze flicked around the room.“Who are you?”She frowned as she looked at Cyclone.

“I’m Cyclone.I’m his CO.”Cyclone jerked a thumb at Roadkill.“You’re Lacey right?”

She nodded.