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She was asking a lot of me with that, so I just smiled at her, not saying a word. No promises could be made if I didn’t speak.
* * *
Joey cleared his throat,looking like he was ready to dunk his face into his cup of coffee. Honestly, I still wasn’t feeling much better than he was. I just wanted to go the fuck back to sleep.
“I need everyone in this room to be on their best behavior for the next few weeks,” Joey said. “Go about your normal day-to-day, but do not draw any attention to yourself until all of this shit blows over.”
I yawned and lifted my mug to my lips, taking a sip of coffee. “Alejandro is working on cleaning up our mess at the moment.” Fuck, that man made our lives so much simpler. I wasn’t too sure about bringing him on board all those years ago—Elaina’s baby daddy or not—but he’d turned out to be a valuable asset and a decent man, all things considered. “But until Alejandro can be absolutely sure that we’re not going to wind up with cops up our asses and down our throats, we keep our heads down and mouths shut. Clear?”
“Clear,” I grunted with everyone else.
Joey slammed his gavel on the table. “Church adjourned. I’m going the fuck back to bed. Nobody better disturb me unless this clubhouse is on fire and it can’t be contained to one room, or someone is lying on their death bed.”
I snickered as I stood up from the table. Ink grunted as he rolled his shoulders. I followed out behind him before heading up the stairs to my room, sleep and Cannon the only things on my mind.
I nodded once at the club girl when I stepped into my apartment, and she quickly got off the bed, leaving the room. I shut the door behind me and toed my boots off before yanking my shirt over my head. My jeans and socks went next. I could feel Cannon’s eyes on me, but I wasn’t sure if I was capable of a more coherent thought, much less speaking.
Cannon carded her fingers through my hair when I laid down on my stomach, my arms buried under my pillow. I groaned, my eyes easily sliding shut. Fuck, that felt so good. I hoped she never stopped.
“Get some rest,” she whispered. “I’ll wake you if I need you.”
“‘Kay,” I mumbled, sleep already tugging at me. With the gentle, rhythmic movement of her fingers in my hair, it didn’t take me long at all to fall into a deep sleep.
14
Cannon
Paul loomed over me, a leer on his face as he unfastened his belt. My head was throbbing, my cheek already swelling from him punching me across the face. My lip was busted, and I could taste blood on the inside of my mouth. Scarlet liquid dripped out of my nostrils and onto my swollen cheek.
Everything hurt, and the world was blurring in and out of focus. It was taking everything in me to stay awake. To not succumb to the darkness threatening to pull me under.
“I saw the way you were looking at my brother, you fucking whore,” Paul sneered as he shoved my shorts and panties down my thighs. I groaned and willed my hands to move, to push him away, but I felt so damn heavy. I couldn’t move. It was like thousand-pound weights were holding my limbs down. Like there was a disconnect between my brain and my arms. “Guess I got to remind you who you belong to,” he sneered as he rolled me to my back. “You’re mine, you bitch.”
He shoved my thighs apart, and my vision began darkening at the edges.
Just move!I screamed at myself, but I couldn’t even get a finger to twitch.
“You’ll learn not to cross me one day,” Paul sneered.
Everything faded to black, and the last thing I was aware of was him ripping inside of me.
I jerked awake,screaming at the top of my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. My head was pounding. My body ached so badly, I wanted to throw up. My entire body began trembling, my teeth chattering, and it just made the pain so much worse.
The apartment door flew open, and then Whiler was there, his arms wrapping around me. A tear slipped from the corner of my eye, and when I drew in a ragged breath, the dam fully broke, and I fell apart in his arms, sobs wracking my chest with painful, constricting force.
With aching fingers, I clenched his cut in my fists and sobbed my heart out, open-mouthed gasps ripping from my lips as I tried to regulate my breathing. My ears were ringing, preventing me from hearing anything. But I could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my face, and it was soothing. Gave me something to focus on.
My fiancé rocked me side to side, his fingers running through my red hair, his other arm banded tightly around me. God, his hold hurt, but Ineededthe pain he inflicted right now. It was the only other thing calming me down.
The ringing in my ears slowly faded, and my breathing began to slow, my tears slowly drying up. “I’m here, baby. It’s going to be okay. Just let it out,” Whiler said, still rocking me. Had he been whispering that to me the entire time?
I hiccupped. “Whiler?” I croaked.
His rocking came to a stop, and the hand that had been running through my hair cupped my cheek, turning my face to his. Worry etched lines into his forehead, and concern flooded his dark eyes. “I’m here, baby.”
I sniffled. “I want a shower.” Fuck, after that flashback, Ineededa shower. I wanted to scrub my fucking skin off.
“Anything, Cannon,” he said immediately. He slid off the mattress and shrugged his cut off, toeing his boots off at the same time. Then, he gently lifted me from the bed. “Will a bath be okay? You shouldn’t be on your legs, and your cast can’t get wet,” he told me.
