The Hunt for Summer (NSC Industries) (15 page)

I hissed as I sunk
further down into the water to wash the blood out of my hair, the thick scabs
turned the water red and a tear slipped free as the colour reminded me of Lucas’s
nickname for me.

My whole body
stiffened when I heard the room door open and close and I hastily climbed out
of the bath, knowing if I wasn’t ready for him, I would pay the price.

I frowned when Carl,
one of Diablo’s minions, stood in the doorway with a malevolent smirk on his
face as his eyes scanned my already broken body.

“Get on the bed
bitch!” he ordered and I stared in confusion at him.

“Where’s Diablo?”

He took a step
closer to me and grabbed a handful of my hair.

Fuck me, why the
hair all the time?

“He’s had to go see
to some business, so it’s just you and me sweetheart” he told me as he dragged
me across the bedroom and flung me on the bed.

“He’ll kill you when
he finds out what you’re doing!” I told him, hoping the warning would halt what
he was about to do.

“But he won’t find
out will he” he forewarned me and I glared and pushed at him as he clambered
over the top of me, “Get off me Carl.”

He grabbed a handful
of my breast as he unzipped himself with his other hand and I desperately tried
to shove him away. “Please don’t Carl, I’m too sore” I begged but he released
my hair and grabbed one of my thighs and pulled my leg up.

His face was epic,
as was mine, when the door flew open and Mason and Sam burst in.

The roar that
erupted from Mason when he caught sight of me made my bones crack and Carl
urgently tried to scramble away but Mason grabbed hold of him, cast me a quick
glance and then dragged him into the bathroom, closely followed by Sam and now
Greg, who had just entered with Lucas.

Carl’s screams
filtered through the room as Lucas just stood and gazed at me, his eyes
examining every piece of my bruised and battered skin as his chest heaved with
each of his extreme breaths.

I couldn’t breathe
as relief coursed through every single inch of my body. My lungs screamed at me
and I clutched at my chest in desperation.

Lucas swiftly took
the gap between us with his long legs before he crouched in front of me and
instructed me to breathe. “Come on Red, you can do it. In… out…” he coached gently
as I followed his lead. The sob that was choking me burst free and I inhaled a
huge lungful of much needed oxygen.

“Good girl.”

He scanned around
the room and went into the wardrobe and exited with a white silk robe and
wrapped it around me, wincing when he caught sight of my back.

His jaw clenched so
tight I heard his teeth crack but he gently fastened the belt and scooped me
gently into his arms and carried me through the house.

I noticed at least
three big guy’s stood on guard as Lucas transported me through the large house
and out to his car. He never uttered a word, just placed a tender kiss on my
forehead as he gently settled me into the passenger seat and I fought the tears
at his affectionate display, knowing that if I let them fall, they wouldn’t
stop.

Chapter 16

Lucas

I knew if I spoke to
her I wouldn’t be able to hold the emotion back that was threatening to consume
me, so I just silently drove us back to my place.

I flicked on the
Bluetooth on the dash and dialled Mason’s number. “I have Red with me and I’m
taking her back to mine” I informed him when he answered.

“Yeah, we’re gonna
see what we can find here before we come back. I’ll inform Ava and Sara to meet
at yours” he replied and I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me.

“It’s fine, I’ll
take care of her.”

“Lucas. After what
she’s been through, she’ll need a female friend not an emotional bastard” Mason
growled out and I bit back the retort.

“Fine!” I relented
as I ended the call.

I stole a quick
glance at Red but she was staring out of the window, her whole body stiff and
vibrating with the tension.

“Why did you go with
him?” I asked her quietly.

She was silent for
so long I didn’t think she was going to answer me but eventually she turned to
me, her eyes bright with unshed tears and I grimaced at the bruise on her
cheekbone and the split in her bottom lip.

“He’s my Master and
he ordered me” she said simply and I growled out a curse, but she didn’t
display any emotion as she stared back.

“Do you even know
what he’ll do to you for doing this Lucas?” she said soullessly and I knew her
soul was still somewhere on the floor of Diablo’s house.

“It doesn’t matter
what he does to me Red, it’s what he’s done to you for running that makes me
fucking…”

She barked out a
bitter laugh and I cast her a puzzled look. “He didn’t do this to me for
running. He did this because I wouldn’t tell him who you were” she divulged.

My eyebrows lifted
and I slammed on the brakes so I could look at her “What the fuck?”

She gazed at me, the
pain and despair displayed vividly in her eyes as a single, solitary tear tracked
her pale face “He hadn’t even begun to punish me for leaving.”

Jesus Christ. If
this had been her punishment for being secretive I dread to think what he would
have done to her for escaping.

“He did this because
of me? Why the hell didn’t you just tell him, Red?”

She didn’t answer my
question, just continued to stare at me unresponsively and I frowned at her
cold manner. Surely she should be crying, screaming? Hell, she should be having
a fucking break down but she just remained impassive and docile as I pulled
away again.

The thought of what
he had put her through because of me made my stomach ache and my heart burst in
equal measures.

I was falling in
love with her.

Effortlessly.

***

As I lay Red on the
bed, a knock came at the door and I placed a kiss on her forehead as I brushed
away a stray strand of hair “I’ll just go answer the door.”

Her hand shot out
and her fingers wrapped around my wrist, “Just… be careful” she warned and I gave
her a soft smile and nodded before I quietly closed the door behind me.

I took her advice
and peeked through the peephole in the door before I opened it to Ava and Sara.
“Where is she?” Ava asked and I gestured to the bedroom.

She nodded and Sara
followed her into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

I swallowed the bile
in my throat as I heard Red’s screams and cries as her friends took care of
her.
“Fuck!”
I hissed as I blinked back the tears at the sound of her
despair.

What the hell,
Lucas?

I poured myself a
large measure of whisky and downed it in one before proceeding to pour another.

I closed my eyes to
the visions of Red’s broken and bruised body as I had entered that room.

The bastard that had
been at her was hopefully dead by now, he deserved a slow and painful fucking
death and I knew Mason would deliver it, and deliver it with relish.

I frowned at the
friendship between Red and Mason. Knowing they’d had a relationship didn’t help
but they genuinely seemed to be just friends now, and I was actually glad that
Mason seemed to care for her deeply.

His determination to
get to her had honoured me and I knew I’d never be able to thank him enough.

I was aware he’d had
some problems with some dude’s that had stalked Ava, and Ava had returned the
favour by just loving him; their relationship was one to be humble of, and any
person would be content to experience just a portion of that love.

I thought I’d had it
once but…

Another knock came
on the door and I sighed wearily when I knew I wouldn’t get a minute alone with
Red as I let Mason, Greg and Sam into my apartment.

“Where is she?”
Mason demanded bluntly and I pointed to the bedroom as I walked slowly back
into the living area.

I just wanted her to
myself; I wanted to be the one to comfort and care for her. I wanted to be the
one she blinked at before her tears fell. I wanted to be the person that wiped
them away and held her until she mended.

I lifted the whisky
bottle at Greg and Sam as they plonked onto my sofa and they both nodded.

I drizzled them each
a measure and handed the glasses to them both “The guy who was at her?” I
asked.

Greg gave me a
sinister smile and I nodded in reply to his silent answer.

That was one less
thing to worry about.

I noticed Ava walk
along the hallway towards me and she tilted her chin towards the liquor bottle
and I poured her a dreg before she downed it in one and held it out again.
“She’s a mess, not just emotionally and Mason has called his mother to come
over.”

I frowned at her,
not quite understanding how Mason’s mother was going to help.

“She’s a doctor” Ava
explained as if she read my thoughts.

My stomach dropped
at the thought of Red being so physically hurt that she needed medical help. My
fist clenched so much that the glass I was holding shattered under my grip.
“Shit” I cursed as the blood flowed freely and Ava grabbed my hand and pulled
me over to the sink, turning on the tap as she held my hand under the flow.

“She said he…” she
couldn’t finish her sentence, just shook her head and shuddered.

I gulped and bit my
bottom lip severely at the pain on Ava’s face as Mason approached us, his hands
raking through his hair in despair as he helped himself to the alcohol.

I was glad I’d had
the foresight to purchase another bottle only yesterday, knowing I would need
the whole bottle before the night was out.

“Don’t leave her in
the dark Lucas, she doesn’t like the dark. She spent six fucking days in
nothing but blackness” Mason grumbled and I gazed in bewilderment at him.

“You answered the
door to Ava and Sara and left her in the dark.”

I shook my head in
confusion and Ava sighed at me. “That’s why she was screaming. She couldn’t
breathe until me and Sare opened the door” she divulged and my eyes widened.

“I thought she was
letting loose because of what she’s been through.”

Ava shook her head
“No, that’ll take her a while but be warned, when it comes be prepared” she
disclosed and I nodded in acknowledgement.

“I mean it Lucas.
She will beat the shit out of you, bite you, scream at you, and then the tears
will come.”

I swallowed roughly
at the first-hand knowledge that Ava was explaining and Mason wrapped his arm
around her waist and kissed her head tenderly.

“You need to be
there for her, Lucas. I wasn’t there for Ava and it still kills me every time I
accept how I let her down” Mason divulged honestly. Ava leant up and kissed his
cheek before she went to answer my door, obviously knowing it was Mason’s
mother.

“Is Ava okay?” I
asked Mason quietly as I watched Ava lead a tall woman into the bedroom.

He regarded me for a
while then sighed heavily “She went through some deep shit. Worse than Lay has
and… well, I was so hung up on fucking heroin at the time I let her down. Don’t
be that guy for Layla; otherwise you’ll have me to deal with.”

I exhaled deeply but
nodded at him as Ava came back into the kitchen area. “You’re mum will fix her.”
She said to Mason as she picked up my kettle and started to fill it before she
turned back to me “She’ll take a look at your hand when she’s seen to Lay.”

I nodded and
approached a cupboard and pulled out a sachet of chocolate before I filled a
mug with milk and made Red a hot chocolate.

Ava gazed at me, her
eyes soft and warm as a small smile lifted her lips and I turned away from her.

I didn’t want her to
see how I felt about Red. I didn’t want to see it, but I knew it was there,
underneath the surface, just waiting for the moment I would let it free.