Page 105 of His Old Lady

Chapter 37

Curley

Curley went to hisknees, wrapping his arms around Faye, holding her tight against his chest, not letting her hurt herself. He couldn't tell if all the blood belonged to Cal or came from her.

"I'm here." He pressed his lips against her temple. "I've got you."

Wearing herself out, her struggles slowed, but the muffled cries continued. He looked over his shoulder at Priest. "Cut the damn tape off her mouth. She needs to breathe."

Priest stepped around them and leaned over Faye, brandishing a knife. Faye's struggles increased, and Curley lifted a hand to her forehead, holding her still.

"Careful." He closed his eyes, unable to watch the sharp blade against her soft skin.

"It's going to hurt like a son of a bitch, pulling the tape out of her hair," said Whip behind Curley.

He opened his eyes at the scream that erupted from Faye.

"She's okay." Priest glanced at him. "Hold her another minute. Let me get the Duct tape off her cheeks."

He held her tighter. "Shh. You're going to be okay. I'll make sure of that, Faye. I'm not going to ever let you out of my sight again. I'm going to take you home where you're safe. Just you and me, Faye. Nobody but me will ever touch you again."

"Done. We can cut the tape from the back of her hair once she realizes what's going on." Priest shielded the knife and stepped back. "Take her to the other room and away from the body."

"I'll get some water for her." Whip stepped in front of Curley and picked up a pistol beside Faye. "Nice piece."

"Make sure you take that with you," said Priest.

Letting go of Faye's head, Curley got his feet underneath him and lifted her up. She put up no fight, and her screams had stopped. He'd seen enough men go into shock, he knew now wasn't the time to do anything but assure her she wasn't alone and wait for reality to hit.

Hell, he'd suffered through each of his crimes, and the fact was, he hadn't remembered the devastating feelings overwhelming him at the time. His mind had protected him, numbed him until business was finished.

It was living with what he'd done that tormented him daily.

He wouldn't wish that level of torment on Faye and would do everything possible to protect her from ever experiencing that pain.

Approaching a booth in the middle of the lounge, he kicked the table to one side and sat down with her, holding her on his lap. She leaned against his chest, despondent.

Whip arrived with a glass of water and squatted in front of her. "Hey, brat. Drink some water."

Faye reached for the glass. Whip glanced at him and nodded in understanding. She was starting to listen, if not understanding what was going on around her. He needed to act fast.

"Priest?" he asked.

"Using the satellite phone to call for cleanup." Whip patted Faye's knee. "The lounge is usually open. It's to our advantage that no one is here."

"He closed for the day," mumbled Faye. "He told me Stephanie's mom and son were hurt in an accident. She needed me, but it wasn't true. It wasn't true."

Priest came in the room, sought out Curley, and stood behind him, whispering in his ear. "A crew is coming. We'll need to get her out of here. Frank is going to hotwire her car and bring it over. You can take her home, and Frank will ride your Harley back."

"Yeah, that'll work." He smoothed Faye's hair back from her face, being careful of the tape tangled in the strands.

"He believed I was Celia," whispered Faye. "He put her dress on me. He was going to..."

"Shh." Until then, he hadn't paid attention to what Faye was wearing. His concern was on her safety. He pulled up the sleeve, covering her bared breast.

"I'll get you home soon, and you can change." He pressed his lips to her temple.

"Curley?" Faye's head landed on his chest. "He was mental."

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