Sarah
The next week without Adam at the shop felt awkward and boring, but I endured it to the best of my abilities thanks to how my guilt motivated me through every day, punishing me for my rejection of Adam. Even though, at the moment, I had felt that he was no better than any of the other men throughout the compound I now considered home, I felt guilty for having reacted as harshly as I had. In all honesty, he was the only one who treated me like a normal person, and I had betrayed him with my harsh rejection. Now that he was no longer around the shop, I had no way of confronting him and begging for forgiveness, so I punished myself with my guilt.
"Looks like we finished early today," Hank said as he entered the office. I looked up from the contact list I had retrieved and frowned.
"Have we?" I asked, my finger holding my spit on the page where I had located the client's number so I could call them and inform them that their motorcycle was ready for pick up. "I thought we still had three bikes to do." Hank shook his head and waved a hand dismissively as he closed the office door behind him.
"Those can wait until tomorrow," he reassured me, his voice sly and slick as he spoke. "It's about time for dinner anyways, and I feel like we've worked hard enough." A cold chill ran down my spine as I watched him saunter towards me.
"We still have plenty of time," I informed him. "Besides, Chase wants those repairs done as soon as possible." Seeming to ignore my words, he placed both hands on my shoulders and began to rub them, his thumbs pushing into the muscle above my shoulder blades.
"You're so tense," he pointed out as he rubbed away, and my breath grew short and ragged with fear. "You should take a chance to relax and have a little fun." I started to look over my shoulder at him as he leaned down and whispered in my ear. "I know that they offered you other means of paying off your debt. The other women on the compound get two hundred dollars a round when they do other things. I'd be willing to offer you more if you agreed to let me have you." Horror and disgust overwhelmed me as I rose from the chair and hurried across the room, putting as much space between us as I could.
"No, thank you," I replied without hesitation while my voice quivered in fear. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather work my debt off the way I have been." Anger flashed in his eyes as he stormed across the room towards me.
"Don't turn me away," he ordered as he pushed me into the wall, pinning me in place with his body as he towered over me. "I'm the only person keeping you here in the shop. All I have to do is tell Chase that I'm the one doing all the work, and he'll force you to pay off your debts in other ways." Fear settled in, and I shook my head as I tried to pull away.
"Please don't do this," I begged. "I don't want to do this. Just let me go, and I won't tell them what you did." He chuckled as he brushed some loose strands from my face.
"No one would believe you if you did," he told me. "Not after what happened between you and Adam. It's better not to resist. Just let me in, and I can help you pay off your debt faster." He lowered his face towards my neck and nipped at my skin. "Who knows? You might like it." I shook my head and pushed against him, struggling to push him away from me.
"Let go of me," I begged. "I won't do it." Despite my feeble attempts to free myself, I was helpless under his grasp, and he shook his head as he grasped one of my luscious breasts through the thick fabric of my uniform.
"That's too bad," he said as he squeezed me roughly. "It would have been nice to play with you a little before I took you. However, since you won't agree, I suppose I better make it quick. You'll thank me afterwards. I'm told I'm the best around." With that, he threw me to the ground, and I cried out as I hit the ground.
Before I could get over the shock of hitting the ground, Hank was already on top of me, his hands struggling to undo the buttons of my uniform so he could get to me. I struggled to come to my senses, screaming for help when I finally found my voice. Rather than letting me continue my cries, he covered my mouth with one massive hand, and I began to lose all hope until the office door burst open. Adam stood at the doorway, a look of absolute rage on his face.
"Get the fuck off her!" he demanded as he charged at Hank, and he delivered a Swift kick to the ribs for good measure, sending Hank sprawling to the ground temporarily. Outraged, Hank rose to his feet and charged at Adam as I cowered in the corner, watching the two men fight over me.
"She's mine!" Hank shouted as he swung at Adam.
His blow never connected as Adam ducked and threw a punch of his own, connecting with Hank's jawline, making Hank all the angrier. Rather than going for Adam's face, he punched his cast, and Adam hit the ground, howling in pain as he held his injured hand. Seeing that he now had the upper hand, Hank hovered above him, an evil smirk on his face.
"Perfect Adam crippled by a single blow," he spat in disgust. "What made you think you stood a chance?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned to me, and I knew it was over.
Just as Hank started towards me, Chase and two other men came rushing into the office, heading straight for Hank. The two men grabbed him and pinned him against the wall, and Chase started wailing on his, blow after blow cracking bone as he punched him in the ribs. After a minute, blood spurted from Hank's mouth, implying that something had been punctured. It was only at that moment Chase stopped, and the two men released Hank, dropping him like a sack of potatoes onto the ground.
"I warned you what would happen if you tried touching her," Chase hissed, and a cold chill ran up my spine as I sensed his rage. He then looked up at the two men and nodded. "Take him outback and have Russel deal with him. I need a few men to help me get Adam to the hospital." The men nodded, and each took one of Hank's legs, dragging him out of the room. As soon as they were gone, Chase turned to look at me, his gaze softening as he stared me down. "Are you alright?" Suddenly conscious of my rumbled, immodest appearance, I pulled my jumper together, attempting to cover myself before nodding. "Good. Normally, I wouldn't ask this of you, but I'm going to need you to come with us to the hospital. If they ask what happened, just say that he tripped and smacked his cast on the stairs. You're the only one they'll truly believeā¦"
CHAPTER EIGHT
Adam
It was a miracle that I didn't break anything thanks to Hank, and the doctors seemed skeptical of the story Chase, Kyle, Carter and Sarah all told, but, after hearing me confirm it, they stopped asking questions and just returned to work, not asking any further questions regarding the accident. At first, I was even skeptical of the cover up story that Chase had ordered us to tell, but, when he told me on the way what had happened to Hank as a result of the fight over Sarah, I knew better than to question him. At that point, I was more worried about Sarah, who was completely quiet until she was spoken to.
Hank had managed to undo half the buttons of her uniform before I arrived, but, after fixing her appearance before arriving at the hospital, no one could tell that she had been attacked. She was so calm and quiet, seemingly startled by even the smallest noise, and I felt guilty despite the fact that I had saved her from that terrible situation. I was grateful that I had arrived when I did, but I still felt partially responsible, knowing that, if I had paid her debt to Chase even an hour earlier, she never would have been in the situation in the first place. However, she was safe now, and she was free to go. All I had to do was break the news to her.
The doctors insisted on resetting the cast and keeping it on a little longer, which took several hours, but, by dinner time, we were on our way back to the compound. The whole way home, I was rehearsing in my head what I was going to say to Sarah, but nothing I came up with sounded right. I already had the feeling that she was going to offer to pay me back, but, after what had happened, I couldn't think of a single thing that sounded like a decent trade. In the end, I finally decided that it was better to just let her go and live a normal life. Anything the world threw at her now would be better than keeping her at the compound, where the memory of what happened would scar her the rest of her life.
"Sarah, can I talk to you a minute?" I asked once we arrived at the compound, and she paused for a moment before agreeing. Seeming to ignore us, Chase, Kyle, and Carter all went into the house, and I sat down on the front steps with Sarah. As I worked up the courage to tell her, she gave me a sad smile.
"I wanted to thank you for what you did for me today," she began, her voice still a little shaky, which was understandable. "I know that rejecting you the way I did was harsh and rude, and I am sorry for that. Regardless, I truly am grateful for you coming to my rescue." I smiled and shook my head as we watched the sun start to set from the porch steps.
"It was nothing," I retorted, feeling embarrassed by the praise she was giving me. "Any decent person would have done the same. I'm just glad you were okay." She smiled and looked down at the ground.
"I wouldn't blame you if you hated me," she continued, sounding more sad as she spoke. "After all that happened before, you getting hurt was all my fault. I'm so sorry for everything." I frowned as I stared at her.
"But it wasn't," I reassured her. "Hank was wrong for what he did, and you did nothing to deserve that." Realizing that this was the perfect moment to tell her what I had done, I continued. "In fact, you don't deserve any of this. That's why I talked to Chase and repaid your debt for you." Her face went pale as she turned and stared at me in shock.