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He needed to get the blood off her skin. His Nicole was beautiful and the blood was hiding it from him. Prez clapped his hand on his other shoulder and kept it there all the way to his apartment.
“Duke I’m gonna get to the bottom of this. Those bitches are gonna pay.” All he could do was nod.
Just ahead of him Razor was telling Slam what Helen had accused Nicole of. “That’s utter bullshit.” Slam yelled, pure anger evidenced in his tone. “She felt like shit yesterday morning, missing Duke, so I stayed with her and we watched a movie in the apartment. She didn’t even go downstairs until after two. I know because I walked down with her but left straight after.”
Duke felt the atmosphere change immediately. He never had any doubt that Helen’s story was pure fabricated bullshit but some of the brothers would have been undecided until now. When Slam confirmed that the story from Helen was just that – a story – anger showed on every face present. Hollywood and Bones pulled the stretcher from under Nicole as soon as they settled her on his bed. Slam set about checking and treating her injuries as Duke, Shel and Jewel cut her clothes off and gently cleaned her up best they could. The blood was thick and heavily dried on. They had to soak most of it off with warm water.
Apart from her face, her front looked untouched, bar from a few fingertip bruises and a slight swelling of her abdomen. Her back didn’t have an inch of skin that wasn’t spilt or bruised. Heels had punctured her skin where those fucking soon-to-be-dead cunts stamped on her body. Black and purple bruises from punches and kicks covered the rest of her. He ran his hands tenderly and oh so lightly over her back and legs. He wanted to kiss every inch of her and cry his soul out for the pain she must have been in. Duke gathered all his pillows and helped to prop her up so her back wasn’t taking any of her weight.
He climbed on the bed next to her and got as close as he dared. He hated that the pillows created a wall between them. He spoke to her softly, giving reassurance and telling her how he’d never let anything like this happen again as Slam stitched and bandaged her injuries. He had to rise when Slam said her nose was out of joint, not broken and that he had to reset it. The snap it made when it was forced into joint made Duke’s muscles tense and he had to remind himself that Slam was helping. He wanted nothing more than to throw him away from Nicole.
Finally finished treating her Slam moved away and he took up his place on the bed again. Slam couldn’t stop shaking his head as he listed her injuries for them. He’d given her fifteen stitches in total to close the wounds on her back and side of her head. Duke knew that Slam already thought of Nicole as his sister and would be wanting to get a few licks in on the club sluts too. He would have to get in line.
Jewel tried to lighten the mood, joking about how she was jealous of Nicole’s bow tattoo and whether we thought Nicole would mind if she got one too. Duke’s mouth didn’t so much as twitch. He didn’t know how to deal with what he was feeling. Anger, pure love and devastation raged and battled in his mind. He wanted to stab, gut and light those bitches on fire. He was positive that Nicole would want to be the one to throw the match that lit them up.
Everyone left after Slam assured them that there was nothing else to do but monitor her pain and let her sleep and heal. Prez had appeared briefly for an update and to tell them that the sluts had been put in separate outhouses until Duke was ready to go with him to start asking questions. Prez knew he would not want to miss it but was giving him time with Nicole first. Slam promised to be back in a few hours to check on her.
As the door closed behind them, Duke stripped down to his boxers and lay on the bed facing Nicole. He carefully shifted the pillows separating them and gently lifted her so she was draped across his chest so that the undamaged side of her face rested on his shoulder. Feeling skin on skin with her helped his chest to loosen. He buried his nose in her hair and drew her scent into his lungs. Holding her hand that he had placed to rest on his chest, he closed his eyes and thanked God over and over that he hadn’t taken her away from him. Duke had never had a weakness, he had one now….. Nicole.
Chapter eight
Nicole
Nicole woke up feeling drowsy but so comfy and warm. She snuggled her face into the heat below her and took a slow, deep breath in through her nose. Duke. His unique scent filled her lungs, she felt at home. She tried to open her eyes, she needed to see his face, make sure all this was real. Her left eye began to open, the right didn’t move at all. It was too difficult and too much effort to keep trying. Weariness and sorrow flowed through her as the aches and pains of her her body started making themselves known. Flashes of the attack spun through her brain. Every punch, kick and vile word played on fast forward in her mind. She started to panic and couldn’t stop. Her lungs were seizing, her head was banging and the memories wouldn’t leave her alone. She tried to shift but pain so sharp flashed over her entire body and she started to sob.
“Nicole! Baby, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. I’m right here. You’re safe now. You’re safe.”
She clung on to Duke’s words whispered gruffly into her ear as he smoothed his hand down her arm and gently stroked her hair. Her panic started to ease as he kept repeating those words to her over and over until the strangling sensation untangled itself from around her throat. She was trying to force her brain to recognise that was no danger but it was hard. Every one of her senses recognised that she was safe now but her rapidly beating heart wasn’t paying attention. She wanted to be wrapped up tight in Duke’s embrace and never let go. She fought to open her eyes again. The left opened leaving her a slit to look through. It felt far to heavy to open fully.
