Page 29 of Lucian

That had to be a good sign. It just had to be.

“Go inside, okay? Thank you,” he told her, trying to smile, but it didn’t feel right. “And make sure you go to school on Monday, even if you have to find someone new to walk you.”

The little girl nodded. Once her apartment door shut, Lucian turned back to Jordyn’s. He called her name through the crack once more and still, nothing and no one answered him. Without thinking about it, he slammed his booted foot into the wood just beside the doorknob. The powerful kick effectively broke the weak chain and allowed the door to swing open with a bang.

The moment he stepped inside the apartment, Lucian was surveying everything.

The doorway led straight into the living room. There was a mess on the floor, like he’d seen from the crack, but it was much worse than he thought. Things had been strewed, like they were kicked around, or possibly messed up in a struggle. A yellow top lay ripped and forgotten on the couch. Vomit, or what he assumed to be vomit, had stained the floor.

There was a bit of blood. Too much, really. Starting to dry, he noted.

A studded belt was also on the floor in the clutter, as were darkened, burned knives.

Panic swelled in Lucian’s chest.

“Jordyn!” Lucian shouted.

Quickly, he moved through the living room, pushing open a door to find a bedroom with sheets and blankets messed up on the mattress. The second door he opened was the bathroom.

It was there that he found her.

“Merda … Jordyn … Sweetheart.”

Lucian took one step into the bathroom and wished he was one day early.

Jordyn was bloodied, and beaten. Lucian didn’t have time to think, let alone consider all of her visible injuries, but his fast paced mind couldn’t help but take note of everything. Several lacerations covered her arms, back, and legs. Crimson stained the tub. Some wounds were swelled so badly, with bruises forming, he knew they were breeding infection, or had to be.

Slightly turned in the bathtub so part of her shoulder and back faced the doorway, he could see the marks left behind there, too. That beautiful cherry blossom tattoo of hers wasn’t entirely ruined, but it took some major damage. On her face was another brutal lash from where she’d been hit, the swelling severe and frightening.

She must have tried to clean herself up after whatever happened. The tub wasn’t wet, but she had set out a first aid kit, some pain killers, and clean towels. Obviously she’d been awake for some time, but eventually she gave up.

Lucian forced the sickness rising in his stomach down.

The slight rise and fall of her shoulders allowed him one sigh of relief.

He wasted no more time.

Lucian had his cell phone dialing as he crossed the small space. Dante hadn’t even finished saying hello before he was shouting orders. “Call Paulie, right now, Dante. Get him on the phone. Tell him we need meds, lots of them. IV’s, morphine, antibiotics. I want him close, and quick.”

“Lucian … what’s wrong?”

“Call Paulie,” Lucian repeated, a tremor rocking his words. He hadn’t realized it until right then, but wetness was slipping down his cheeks. Tears, he realized. It was years since he cried. “You’ll have to call Antony, too, and let him know. She’s hurt. They hurt her so bad, man.”

“Maybe a hospital would—”

“No,” he interrupted fiercely. “That’ll go on record. They can’t find her and they will be looking for her.”

Dante heaved a breath and Lucian heard his car engine turn over. “Do you need help?”

“No. She’s maybe one-hundred-fifteen pounds soaking wet. I’ll bring her down, just get the car ready.”

Not to mention, Jordyn was naked from the waist up. Lucian needed to find something to cover her, and at the same time, be mindful of her injuries.

“Oh, bella mia,” he whispered, leaning down into the tub to brush the hair from her face. Jordyn’s eyes were open, but they weren’t focusing. Lucian wasn’t sure she could even hear him. “It’s okay, sweetheart. This isn’t going to happen again. Ever. He won’t ever touch you again.”

“Jesus,” Dante muttered. “Get her down here. I’m calling Paulie.”

Lucian hung up his phone and dropped it into his pocket. Using the clean towels Jordyn had sat out, he covered her chest and back loosely, making sure not to wrap the fluffy fabric to her skin too tightly. Cradling her lower back and slipping his arm under her bent knees, he pulled her from the bathtub like she weighed nothing at all.