Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“Just the hits you can see,” she said. “He kicked my thigh and my leg’s still kind of numb. I don’t think I can stand on it.” Then, the last of her composure cracked. Her shoulders began to shake, tears spilling down her cheeks and cutting tracks through the dust and blood. I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her as tightly as I dared without hurting her. Her fingers clutched at my cut, holding on like she might float away if she let go.
“I got you,” I whispered into her hair. “I got you now.”
Her body trembled violently against mine as weeks of tension and hours of terror finally found release. I picked her up, carrying her to the cage Tiny’d brought, and sat in the back seat. I held her through her storm, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other wrapped around her. I just held her to me, kissing the top of her head. She clung to me and I tightened my hold on her, needing to comfort and protect her as much as she needed reassurance she was safe.
She cried until we got to the compound, which thankfully took less than ten minutes. Tiny opened the door and I slid out, still cradling Ada against my chest like something precious. Because she was. The most precious thing in my fucked-up world.
“I’m taking you home,” I promised, my lips brushing against her forehead. “Never gonna let anything happen to you again.”
“Not your fault,” she mumbled against my neck. “Shoulda left the damned cookies.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I replied, tightening my grip slightly. “No one touches what’s mine. Not ever again.”
I took her through the compound straight to our rooms. Pain followed. Thank God, too, because I couldn’t take her anywhere else but my safe space. Nowhere else. We might not officially be living in the same space, but I’d been there since the beginning. This was where I needed her. Safe. In my space. With me.
As I approached her apartment, Pain stepped ahead of me and swiped the door open. I hadn’t known the man was that near and I started back, cradling Ada closer to me as I bared my teeth and growled.
“Hey,” Pain raised his hands in defense and stepped back. “We’re here to help your girl. Not hurt either of you.” Pain gave me a steady look, like he knew I rode the edge of sanity pretty close.
“I’m here with him.” Pain’s woman, Nadine, slipped closer but still stayed behind Pain. “Knight is right behind us.” She gave me a tentative smile. “I thought Ada might need a woman’s help. Hannah is on her way too.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath. This wasn’t prison. I didn’t need to get her in my cell to be safe after a fight. We were all safe. One breath after another. Rub my chin over Ada’s hair for comfort. Breathe in her sweet scent.
“I think he’s back with us,” Pain said, never taking his gaze from me. “He knows we’re here to help. Not hurt.”
I took a breath. Then another. Ada still clung to me but she was silent. She’d also buried her fingers in my hair at the base of my neck and squeezed the tense muscles. The relief was almost instantaneous.
“It’s okay, Jag,” Ada said against my neck. “We’re both okay.”
My knees gave out. I managed to back against the wall before sliding down it with Ada still held tightly in my arms. Sweat immediately erupted over my skin and my body shuddered around Ada’s as I still held her close.
“Back up, guys. They’re fine.” Pain’s voice sounded like it came from a well or something. The roaring in my ears drowned out everything but mine and Ada’s breathing. Her little whispers that she was okay, that I was okay, anchored me to the here and now. “Give ‘em both a minute here.”
After a while, Ada threaded her fingers through my beard, touching my face with her fingertips. “Jag?”
“Yeah,” I managed, my breathing evening out, my heart rate slowly returning to normal.
“Can we go inside? I’d really like a shower.”
I grunted. Neither of us made a move to get up.
“Uh, well, I suppose I could carry you both.” I jerked my gaze upward to see Tiny standing over me, scratching his head as he squinted down at us. Like he was trying to work out how best to go about his task with the least amount of effort. The implication he’d pick both of us up and carry us inside -- like a kid who’d fallen asleep on the floor with his or her favorite doll -- broke the haze over my mind better than a bucket of ice water to the dick.
“NO!” I got my legs under me and stood, Ada still in my arms. And yeah, I wasn’t graceful with the move. “We’re good.”