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Kick shot them all a murderous glare while pointing towards the bar. “Get in there now and I want at least two tables between each of you!”
A couple of the bitches looked panicked and tears were silently rolling down their faces. Duke could see the cracks in their facades crumbling under Prez’s stare as they moved to leave. And so could Helen. Her smugness was replaced with panic as she scanned the faces of her friends.
Turning his ferocious glare solely on Helen he hissed, “When and where did you lock up Nicole?”
Helen dropped her gaze and mumbled, “Last night, after the fight we locked her in the second outhouse.”
Duke fucking snapped. Screaming at Helen, “You left her in there all night?”
At her nod, with strength he didn’t know he had, he pushed off Razor and Hollywood and stormed for the outhouse. The brothers followed close behind. His breath grew choppy as he imagined her huddled in the corner of the empty stone outhouse, cold and frightened. He charged the outhouse door, splintering it. He didn’t have patience to find the fucking key. Another swift kick and the door collapsed.
His eyes focused on the figure on the floor. All the breath left his body and his legs weakened and shook underneath him. Now he wished his vision from seconds before was true….the reality was far worse. Nicole was unrecognisable. Every inch of exposed skin that he could see was either coated in blood or heavily bruised. He fell to his knees beside her, ignoring the vomit and blood that was soaking into his jeans.
He could hear his brother and Hollywood shouting but could only focus on Nicole. His hand shook as he gently moved the hair off her face. Most wouldn’t move having dried to her skin with blood. His beautiful girl had been battered. There was no other word for it. If he couldn’t have heard her raspy breaths he would have thought she was dead. One side of her face was covered in bruises and so swollen the skin looked ready to burst. Both her eyes were tight shut. He gently tried to roll her head away from the pool of filth it lay in. She moaned in obvious pain and her eyelids started twitching. He desperately needed to gaze into those green orbs. She needed to see that he was there to save her. Her skin was ice cold to touch. Everything he saw was causing his fury to build to an unmanageable level. Sweat beaded on his skin with the effort he was making to stay calm for Nicole. Those bitches would pay for this. If he could bring himself to leave Nicole he would slit their throats right now.
Keeping a gentle hold on her head, he leaned down closer. “Baby, can you hear me? Baby, please try and open those beautiful eyes for me.”
She moaned again and was trying to move but he could tell the pain was too much. “Baby…. Baby….. Nicole stay with me, help is coming. I’m staying right here.”
Her mouth twitched. Her dried, cracked lips parted slightly and a small sound came out. “Ook…. Ook.” Relief slammed into him that she was responsive. He was terrified that she was going to slip away.
Razor was over his shoulder. “I think she’s trying to say Duke.”
He reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. “I’m here baby, I’m here.” She barely squeezed back.
He lost a few stray tears down his cheeks. This was his woman, his life and he hadn’t protected her. He’d broken his promise. His heart was beating out of his chest as rage and devastating sorrow fought inside him, each threatening to take him over. He was never leaving without her again. Guilt and shame weighed heavily on him and swamped his system as he took in even more of her damaged body. He desperately wanted to sweep up her and clutch her to him.
Movement started to swirl around them. Slam knelt down on the other side of Nicole. Hollywood ran in with a yellow plastic stretcher. The outhouse wasn’t very large inside. He could see a crowd of his brothers outside the door trying to find out how Nicole was and what the fuck had gone on.
“Nicole, it’s Slam. If you can hear me darlin’ I’m gonna give you something to take the pain away so we can move you. You’ll go back to sleep but I promise you’ll feel better when you wake up.” He could hear a tremor in Slam’s voice.
Her hand squeezed Duke’s hand tighter as the needle went into her arm. Putting his mouth right next to her ear he whispered “Don’t worry, baby, I’m staying with you. I’ll be right here with you the whole time, I promise.” Slowly, her hand went limp in his.
“Duke, brother, I need you to step back so we can get her outta here.” Slam was the club medic. “I’m gonna need your help to clean her up. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
He managed to stay steady as he stood and watched as Hollywood and Bones held the stretcher steady as Slam gently rolled her onto it. He positioned her body so she was secure to be moved. Razor had kept his hand on his shoulder the whole time. Duke tried to draw strength from it, he was going to need it. Slam turned to him, he looked almost as devastated as he felt. Hollywood and Bones lifted the stretcher and carried it out. He followed close behind with Slam who was trying to monitor her breathing. He felt he should be carrying her but he wasn’t capable of anything right now. His body was shaking with everything he was feeling trying to burst out at the same time. He heard gasps and curses as all the brothers who had gathered saw the state of his Nicole in the harsh light of day.
Shel and Jewel were openly weeping and clinging to each other. He met their eyes, “Come with me. I don’t want the brothers seeing her bare.”
