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“He’s right, Dec. Right now, all we can do is take care of Blake and make sure she’s protected. That’s what she needs from us,” Tom added.
“Keeping her safe is all that matters,” Grey said as he slid his hand out from beneath Blake’s and soothingly stroked down her arm when she jerked a little.
“How can we do that though, when we don’t know who is after her?” I raged, struggling to keep my cool. I was so sick of sitting back and allowing others to deal with this bullshit. Blake was ours. We needed to do everything we could to protect her and we weren’t doing that.
“He’s right. We need to be more proactive. We need to be searching for the fucker who hurt her,” Declan hissed and I knew he was even more pissed than I was with this fucked up situation.
“I know you two are out for blood, but you need to keep your heads. Blake doesn’t need you losing your shit right now,” Grey snapped, and I knew he was right, but it didn’t make me any less pissed.
“Fine,” Declan sighed defeatedly. “But no promises on what happens when we find out who the fuck is behind all of this.”
“I’m with Dec on that,” I agreed. “This fucker almost killed Blake, Simon, and Trent. They deserve to suffer.”
“Let’s just curb the blood lust around Blake though, okay guys?” Tom suggested and I nodded. I’d have my bloody revenge on this fucker, or fuckers, whoever they were, but it would be kept far away from Blake. That side of me would always protect her, even though I would make damned sure she never saw it.
BLAKE
It’s pitch dark, except for a small hole in the blanket over my head, which allows in one small, dull ray of light from the dim bulb in my room.
I was awoken by the sound of a knock on the door of our flat. It was never good when someone knocked on the door this late. As soon as I had heard it, I had sat up and looked to the bare window, curtains having never been hung there since we moved in six months before. It was dark outside, the traffic on the road in the distance non-existent.
As soon as I heard the muffled conversation of a deal being struck, I had pulled my blanket over my head, praying over and over to God that he would just make me disappear.
My new school was religious. ‘Church of England’ it said on the sign beside the gates, and they made us pray each morning in assembly. When I had asked my teacher why we did that, she had told me it was to thank the Lord for all he did to take care of us. I wasn’t so sure about that, since he really didn’t seem to have done much to save me in the ten years I had been alive, but I didn’t tell my teacher that. I knew better than that.
So I prayed now, as I cowered under the blanket, praying that God, who surely must have overlooked me somehow, could find it in him to help me in that moment.
Then heavy footsteps came through the tiny flat and towards the door of my room, the sound of my mum’s fake laugh, which all men seemed to be bewitched by, carrying through the thin walls.
“Please God, please help me. I can’t do it again. It hurts so much and I…I can’t….” I whimpered, my whispers so small they were barely a sound. “I’ll be better…please, just help me…please take me away from here and I promise I’ll be good. I pr…”
The door to my room is thrown open, crashing hard against the wall behind it and startling me into silence. I freeze, not daring to breathe or move a muscle, just hoping more than anything that I will simply vanish from the face of the earth.
“Blake! Get the fuck out ‘ere and meet my mate,” Mum hisses, clearly mad that I’m hiding, but still I dare not move. I know what she wants me to do – what she will force me to do. This is the third time in the last two weeks – the bruises and cuts from last time still all over my skinny body.
“No,” I whisper as tears run down my cheeks and my whole body shakes even harder.
But it’s no good. I know I can’t win. I’m too small, so no matter how hard I fight I can’t get away.
I feel a hand slide underneath the blanket I am clutching over my head and then it wraps around my ankle. I scream as I am ripped from the precarious safety of my bed and my body smashes to the worn and faded, patterned carpet.
“Yeah, that’ll do,” A deep voice growls, and as I blink past the lights shining right over my face, I see a hulking man standing over me. He’s old and he’s got a scruffy, long beard. His belly hangs over the top of his jeans, which are covered with stains. Some of his hairy belly is visible at the bottom of his too small t-shirt and I can smell how sweaty he is from the floor beneath him. “Fuck off Carrie, and shut the door,” he barks.
“NO!” I scream as I reach a hand towards my mum. “MUM! Don’t leave me! Please don…” she doesn’t even turn to look at me though as she leaves the room, the sound of her slamming the door closed behind her, cutting off my pleas.
“Now, time for some fun,” he sneers as he grabs me under my arms and throws me to the bed so hard my teeth gnash together and I bite my tongue.
I gasped as I jumped awake, taking in a huge breath, and looking around me, trying to recall where I am. Seeing Declan above me, sat up against the headboard, fast asleep with his head leant back, calmed me some and I focused on him as I fought to take calming breaths, and chase away the images of that nightmare.
Then I realised it wasn’t just Declan who was with me, when I felt a hand around my waist move slightly. I looked either side of me and found all four of my guys asleep on the bed; Liam, and Grey either side and Tom behind Liam. They stayed with me. It was a wonderful realisation and made me feel so safe and cherished. And hot. Having them all around me was like laying in a furnace!
Needing the bathroom and possibly some water, I carefully extracted myself from where they each had a hand on me, then slowly and silently slid between them to the foot of the bed. It was a relief to escape all of the heat and get to my feet.
I tiptoed over to the chest of drawers, where I could see my mobile phone sat in the light from the small lamp. Picking it up, I checked the time – just after three in the morning. I had slept for hours.
I smiled when I saw my pills laid out beside where my phone had been, along with a part open bottle of water. Checking my meds log beside them, I saw Trent’s handwriting logging the pills and knew he’d been the one to lay them out for me. He really was the best brother, I thought, as I took all of the pills.
Even though I was busting to use the bathroom, I took a moment to find the camera on my mobile, and snapped a quick picture of all four of my guys snuggled up together in my bed. It was too cute to resist. I would have taken several more, but my bladder was becoming extremely inpatient, so instead I dumped my phone back down and hurried for the bathroom.
