Page 25 of The Book of Wrath

“Mr. Carter, if you must be here, you need to understand the delicacy of this matter. I don’t need you going and fighting the person responsible,” he warns me.

“She’s already dead. I put a bullet in her while she was aiming the gun at Megan’s head. I saved her life and will do so again and again to keep her safe. So, you don’t have to worry about me doing something drastic,” I say flatly. My gaze turning to stone. Let him read the warning there.

“I was unaware the suspect was deceased. Miss. Monroe was assaulted sexually. There is no DNA, but with you saying the assailant was a female, that would make sense. We just don’t know what was used,” he says. Ally gasps and falls back into her seat. Sandra is fucking lucky she is already dead. If she wasn’t I couldn’t guarantee her safety.

“It’s all in your report correct?” I question him, which seems to insult him. “I am going to need a copy seeing as my partner and I were the first on the scene. The lead investigator will appreciate your cooperation.” My blunt words bristle him a little. He seems agitated as I open the door, letting the guys back into the room.

“When will she be awake?” Ally asks, ignoring Arthur scoffing at me some more. Dude is such a fucking prick.

“She will be in and out of consciousness for at least the rest of today. You can visit her two at a time,” he says reluctantly to her. Roark moves up to my side and stares down at the Doctor.

“I assume that you aren’t going to imply anything more against Officer Carter,” Roark growled. What the fuck was he talking about?

“I wasn’t implying anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Arthur backed up against another brick wall of a man, Tony.

“You sure about that doc? You weren’t thinking that he assaulted her. We could read the distaste all over your face the moment you walked in here and saw him sitting there. Are you sure you didn’t make a phone call the moment he walked in?” Tony rattled off question after question, not giving the man a moment to speak.

“I did no such thing! I can have you removed from here,” Arthur threatens, Tony and Roark just smile at him. It was Andy, however, who spoke next.

“I’d like to report an assault from an officer onto one of my patients. He just walked in; he was here last time she was in with injuries from suspected abuse. Her name: Megan Monroe. The officers name is Max Carter. He wouldn’t leave her room last time she was here. He’s currently in the patient waiting room with three other officers. Yes ma’am. Please hurry, I worry for her safety. There are signs of sexual assault and Miss. Monroe isn’t conscious enough for me to ask her what happened,” Andy spews out a one-sided conversation. “You’re accusing an officer of sexually assaulting and beating his new girlfriend. You’re accusing the officer who saved her life, of trying to kill her.”

I stared at this man, how fucking dare he. Before I could speak up, Roark was on the offense, “Did Ally Strom give you consent to check her friend for trauma? Why did you, a male doctor, preform the exam instead of a female doctor? She was unconscious and couldn’t object to your violation.”

“Unfortunately for you, there was someone on the other side of Megan’s room, separated only by a thin curtain. I guess you didn’t know that light casts a shadow. The patient saw the whole thing and recorded it for Megan’s safety. The woman was in the middle of making a report to a nurse when you sent us out. Lucky you, or should I say unlucky you,” Tony says, smirking at Arthur. “You fucked up, doc.”

“What the fuck is he talking about?!” Ally begins to yell at Arthur, but the words are landing like fists to my gut.

“He fucked her while she was unconscious,” I whisper. Red and black flash across my vision. Before I know what I am doing I charge him, landing several blows to his face. I feel the crunching of his bones under my knuckles, his nose, his jaw and his eyes. This fucker raped my girl, like fucking hell I was letting him live.

Rough hands grab me, pulling my attention back to the room. Tony has Ally covered in his arms so she can’t witness my absolute blow up, Roark has the doors locked and is already on the phone with Rick, and Andy is pulling me off. Arthur is laid out on the floor, blood pouring out of his mouth and nose.

Before I could move, Ally shoves past Tony and charges Arthur, slicing his jugular before any of us know what’s happening. Holy. Fuck.

“What the fuck?!” Andy shouts, Ally heavily panting over the doctors limp body. Ally drops a knife pen by the doctors hand and begins wiping it clean of her prints, placing it in the doctors hands.

“He committed suicide, he didn’t want to face possible jail time. Understood?” She was talking like she was commanding a small little army to do as she says.

“Get away from the body,” Tony grabs her arm and pulls her away from the doctor and into himself. Tony didn’t think twice about sitting her down. “Roark, you heard her. Report it as a suicide, Andy check to see if the camera’s are active and if they actually caught anything.”

I was just sitting there like an idiot in shock. Megan’s best friend is a fucking lethal assassin, and I don’t know if I should be worried for her safety or concerned for my own. She looked at me and smiled, “You’re not the only one who has an extracurricular activity, Max.”

We all stopped and looked at her. Did she fucking know about our operation?

Chapter 21

Megan

I felt as if I was adrift out at sea under a starless sky. No waves, no sound, no light. Just pure darkness. I felt completely calm and at peace. It was an odd feeling since my life has been nothing but chaos and bullshit. The pain I felt before faded to nothing, not even a dull throbbing left. I wonder if everyone felt this peace when they died. Do they meet Charon, the ferryman? What about their God or Gods? Those we pray to for safe keeping in our lives. I guess I should just trust in Hades to watch over me here too.

I try to sit up to see around me with no luck. I try a few more times, struggling against an unseen restraint. I still feel no pain. The sky above me slowly flashes with blues and purples. No clouds to be seen, no noise to be heard. A sudden pain shoots through me but stops as fast as it starts. The only feeling I have that makes me think my body is still trying to fight to stay alive. Letting me know I am here. I guess Hades doesn’t want my death to come just yet.

The sky above me flashes again, this time pinks and greens. More signs that I am still alive, why I am still alone in the darkness. Small noises begin to flutter in around me. Humming and crying. Whispers from the unknown. Why is it so hard to just let me go?

All the thoughts I had before try flooding to the forefront of my mind, but I shove them down. I don’t want the reminder of a past life. I don’t want the reminder of the pain and anguish that I suffered. The loss. The heartbreak. I don’t want to feel any of it anymore.

The more I try to push the memories aside, the harder others try to flood in place. A small bark, little laughs, my name being called by a woman, a man lifting me up above his shoulders as I watch lights flash up in the nighttime sky. Tears begin to fall down my cheeks as the memories continue. A blonde girl and me hiding under the bleachers at our school with a bottle of captain trying not to get caught, giggling when we thought we were alone. A boy with chestnut brown hair and emerald, green eyes smiling at me as we have our first kiss. His voice speaking a vow of love and promise. The tears streamed faster down my cheeks as the memories keep pounding in. All good, none are bad.

The final memory of a blonde male with dark sapphire eyes, ravaging me in a dark room flood my mind and stay there. His face, a beacon in the darkness. His voice as he calls me his. The utter claiming of me, body, mind and soul. He is waiting for me.

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