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Caleb appeared at my side, cradling Witch in his arms. "Matty, Witch is bleeding, but we found her guarding Bailey. Can you help us fix her up?"
"Yeah," Matty says, returning to the kitchen with Caleb. I'd have to thank Caleb later for thinking of that. Matty needed something to focus on while we took care of Bailey.
Ethan takes a step into the room to check on Bailey for himself. His fists clench, and he turns red when he sees her. "I'm going to fucking kill him with my bare hands," he growls. Bailey whimpers and pain flashes across his face, knowing it was because of him.
"Why don't you go help with Witch," I suggested softly. He nodded and left. We needed calm in the room, and he was too close to losing it.
When I turn back to Bailey, I'm relieved that Pike and Gray have gotten her to let them close enough to look at her. Gray rushes from the room and returns seconds later with Bailey's medical kit.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Pike asks as I climb onto the bed and lift Bailey's head into my lap. I gently stroke her hair with shaking hands. Why the fuck did we leave her alone?
"I read the books," Gray replied. "I'm not as good as Bailey, though, which is why she will help me, right?"
Bailey nods slowly. Her help mainly was nodding or shaking her head as Gray fixed her. She didn't even flinch when he stitched the cut on her abdomen. She was probably in so much pain she couldn't process more of it.
"Do you want a shower?" I asked her once Gray was done dressing her wounds. She nods, so I gently lift her into my arms. "Get rid of the bed and broken door," I order as I carry her into the bathroom. “Get the spare mattress out"
I shift her carefully into one arm as I get the shower running. Once the water warms, I climb in fully clothed and sit on the tub's edge with Bailey in my lap. I hold her under the water, and she slowly starts to relax. But as she settles, she begins to panic anew as a manic need to be clean takes over.
"I can still feel him on me," she said, struggling against me. "Get it off! Get him off me! Please, wash him off me, Boone, please. I can't stand it. Make the water hotter. Burn him off me."
I struggle to keep her from hurting herself. "I'll get you cleaned up, Bailey. I've got you. I promise. Pike!"
Bailey tenses and then collapses against me as she breaks down completely, sobbing into my neck.
Pike comes into the bathroom. "What can I do?"
"Help me clean her."
He steps into the shower and helps support her between us. I grab a washcloth and soap and gently clean her, turning the water in the bottom of the tub red as the blood is washed away.
"Harder," Bailey begs. "Scrub me until my skin is raw. I don't want a single skin cell that he might have touched on me."
I comply as best I can without hurting her more. I drop to my knees to clean between her legs, and my hands shake with barely contained rage as I see the full scope of her assault. Death is too good for him. Once Bailey feels clean, we lift her out of the shower and wrap her in a towel. We dry her with soft touches, taking our time to soothe her as we go. Gray put an oversized shirt over her head when I set her back on the new bed. We get her settled into bed and leave Gray to redress her wounds while me and Pike change into dry clothes.
"I need someone to get me medicine from under the bathroom sink," Bailey whispers. "It's called Plan B. It will... it will make sure that I don't conceive." Even though she is on birth control, I understand she wasn't willing to take that chance. Pike went back into the bathroom and came back with the pill and a glass of water.
"Can Matty come in now, Honey Bee?" I ask. She nods, and I leave the room to let him know. Witch is still on the table when I enter the kitchen, but she has a bandage on now.
"She was shot, but it was a through and through and appears to have missed vital organs," Matty said. "She should make a full recovery. Can I see my sister now?"
"You sure can." The words are barely out of my mouth before he rushes past me. Ethan lifts Witch into his arms, and I follow him and Caleb back to the bedroom. I reach the room in time to see Matty crumble as he climbs onto the bed next to his sister. Ethan sets Witch down next to Bailey, and for the first time since we left Henry's farm, I feel myself relax. Our family might be a little broken now, but we would be ok. I was going to make sure of it.
Chapter twenty-five
Itrytoholdit together for Matty's sake. I wrap my arms around his shaking body as he sobs, trying to soothe him. I can't hold back the tears falling as we cry together, but I assure him I'm ok. I remember Scott's threat against Matty and start to panic. "Matty, you have to be careful. Scott said he was coming for you next."
This time, it's his turn to assure me. "It's ok. We have him locked up. He came to the farm, and I recognized him. That's how we knew you were in trouble. He's never going to hurt you or anyone else ever again."
"Really?" I asked in disbelief. Was it really over? I looked at the guys who were still hovering over me for confirmation. They nodded, and a part of me that had never truly relaxed, even before today, finally did.
"If you want, I can kill him when I get back to the farm," Matty offered.
"No. I want to be there when he dies. I want him to see with his own eyes that he didn't win," I replied with conviction. His death belonged to me and me alone.
"I think that's a great idea," Matty replied.
He hung around for a little longer, but finally, I had to tell him to go home before it got dark.
