Page 24 of Tarnished

“Ash, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my heart breaking for him. I cupped his face in my hands, stroking my fingertips along the top of his stubble. “Fifteen years?” I’d only been trapped in that hell for a few months. I wouldn’t have managed years.

He nodded. “Yeah, little one. Fifteen years.”

My lips trembled, tears burning in my eyes. “Ash—” I croaked.

He shook his head before turning to press a kiss to my palm. I drew in a shaky breath when he let his eyes meet mine again. “We’re not doing that, little one. No tears for me, you hear me? I’m okay. I’ve healed, and for me, it was a long time ago.” Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to mine in a soft, chaste kiss. “I need to make all of us something to eat. Will you be okay?”

I nodded. “I’ll be okay,” I promised him. “I’m going to take a shower with Beck.” Standing from his lap, I blew out a soft breath. “I think he needs someone.”

Tank reached out to gently squeeze my hip before he stood to his feet. “You both do, little one.” He pressed a kiss to my temple before heading into the kitchen. I headed for our bedroom and quickly stripped out of my clothes before padding naked into the bathroom.

Beck had his hands pressed to the shower wall and was leaning forward, his head hanging between his arms as the water beat down on his skin. I quietly slipped in before wrapping my arms around his waist. When I pressed my cheek to his back, he dropped a hand from the wall and pressed it over mine, a shuddered breath ripping from his lungs.

“I can’t believe—” his words broke off, pain in his voice. “God, Clarke…” He turned in my arms before holding my face between his palms, so much pain for me—for everything we’d gone through—in his eyes. “I love you, baby, and I’m so fucking sorry they hurt you like that.”

I leaned forward and rested my head on his chest. He dropped his hands to wrap his arms around me, squeezing me to him.

“I’m numb to it right now,” I warned him, “but Ash said that’s okay, and that it’s normal.” I lifted my head, tilting it back to look up at him. “But when I inevitably fall apart over this?—”

“I’ll be right there to hold every piece of you in my hands,” he promised, his voice raspy. I swallowed thickly when he pressed his forehead to mine, our eyes locked together. “I swear to you, I will, Clarke.”

That was all I needed. So long as I had him—and Ash—I would be okay. Always.

18

Clarke

A hand slammed over my mouth, and my eyes snapped open, fear churning in my gut. The bitter taste of leather erupted over my tastebuds when I opened my mouth to scream, even though I knew it’d be muted and more than likely a waste of my breath. But I wasn’t even able to get the full sound out before the back of my attacker’s hand smacked against my face so hard, black spots danced across my vision, momentarily stunning me.

Stunned me long enough that by the time I had my wits about me again, I was off the bed, a gag in my mouth, and my wrists were bound behind my back, and another man was busy finishing up the restraints around my ankles.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I tried yelling, but with the gag in my mouth, it was only a bunch of muffled gibberish. Tears slid down my cheeks. Where were my mom and stepdad? And oh, God, Beck was going to be destroyed when he learned of my kidnapping.

A smack landed across my face again, only this time, it wasn’t as hard. Still, my face swung to the side, and blood welled in my mouth from my teeth cutting into the inside of my cheek. I sobbed, my chest threatening to cave in. How the fuck was I, living in a goddamn multi-million dollar house with top-of-the-line security, getting kidnapped?

“P-please,” I tried again, only to get hit even harder. I fell to the floor with a hard thump. I prayed it would make my parents wake up, but instead, I was just yanked to my feet and dragged out of the room. I fought, twisting my body and doing everything I could, but eventually, my attackers got fed up, and the other one grabbed my ankles so they could carry me down the steps.

A black SUV was waiting on the circular drive, and I tried screaming again, though I knew no one would hear me. They’d just carried me out of the house without caring they might get spotted, which meant I was the only one home. I had to be. There was no other explanation as to how they just took me out of my own home so easily.

There was no one here to save me. No one to rescue me.

I screamed, lurching up in bed. Snot and tears ran down my face unchecked, and I gasped for air right before vomit spewed from my lips, landing on the comforters. Beck hurriedly pulled the blankets off of me just as Tank barged into the room.

“I—they—it—” I couldn’t speak. What the hell was I even trying to say anyway? I wailed, gut-wrenching sobs ripping themselves from my aching chest. Tank lifted me from the bed, and I twined my arms and legs around him, my nails biting into his skin as I clung to the back of his neck.

“My room. Now,” Tank ordered before striding out of the bedroom, heading for his. As soon as we were on his bed, Beck crawled in behind me, and they sandwiched me between them, both of them holding me so tightly, I couldn’t tell where my body ended and theirs began.

Neither of them said anything; they just held me for what felt like hours as I willed my body to calm down and for my tears to stop flowing. My eyes were puffy and sore from crying, and eventually, a yawn slipped past my lips.

“That’s my girl,” Tank murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “Such a good girl, little one.”

I sniffled. “I need to clean my face and brush my teeth,” I croaked.

Beck slid off the bed before helping me up, and he led me to the bathroom in the hall right outside Tank’s room. After wetting a washcloth, he began cleaning my face as I rinsed my mouth out with Tank’s mouthwash, not the least bit bothered by the snot. After, he dropped it into the sink to deal with later, his eyes roaming over my face.

“You okay now?” he softly asked.

In answer, I just wrapped my arms around his midsection, pressing my body to his. He folded his arms around me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. We stood there like that for a good minute before he pressed another kiss to my hair. “Come on. Let’s get back to bed.”

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