Page 24 of Hell Bent

“You would have been.” Closing her eyes, she tried stemming the tears as her face burned from being touched.

“All done,” Razor said.

“Thank you.” Sway listened as the guy told her to come to the clinic for him to keep an eye on the wound, and she agreed.

The four men who had come to her rescue shocked her. They were nothing like she imagined hardened bikers would be. They were well-mannered and seemed to be well-educated.So much for stereotypes, she thought.

More than once, she had seen Vicious scanning her bookshelves. He even inquired about a few of the collectibles she had. She’d downplayed them until he told her what they were valued at. When she heard the amount, Sway almost asked if he wanted to buy one of them. Selling a few of the books could keep her afloat for at least a year.

Her grandmother had been an avid reader. When Sway’s parents dropped them off for weeks at a time, her grandmother would drag Sway with her to every bookstore on Saturdays, searching for old books. Sway had managed to hold on to four books that her grandmother coveted. They had become some of Sway’s favourites. Even the old cookbook she loved thumbing through on rainy Sundays.

“Would anyone like coffee or tea? Maybe a whisky? God, I think I need a drink.” Sway went to touch her face but dropped her hand at the last second.

“I think alcohol can wait,” Razor told her as he handed her a small envelope of white tablets. “These are oxycodone. I would rather you not mix the two.”

Taking the pills, Sway wasn’t sure she’d take them, still she thanked Razor. “I can’t thank you gentlemen enough for coming to my rescue, especially in this weather.”

“It’s what we do.”

Sway snickered at the comment from the guy named Player. “Really?”

Player laughed. “Sometimes.”

“I appreciate that you came for me,” she said to Player, but her eyes were locked on Vicious. Suddenly tired, Sway covered her mouth as she yawned. “Wow, now the adrenaline is gone, I’m suddenly exhausted.

“We’ll get out of your way. Make sure to come see me at the clinic,” Razor told her.

“I promise.”

After the men left, Sway cleaned up the kitchen table then went through the house, making sure everything was in order. Now standing in the bathroom, Sway looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like something out of aFrankensteinmovie. The wound would heal, and she’d learn to live with the scar, but the man who had hurt her, she would never forget.

Walking into the bedroom, she sat down on the bed. Patting her pockets, she tugged her phone out and dialled her brother. She listened to it ring and counted them down until it went to voicemail.

“This is Tesh. Sorry I missed your call. Leave a message and I’ll call you back.”

She waited for the beep and left her message. “Those men came to collect the protection money. They hurt me, Tesh. I’m so mad at you. I’m afraid, Tesh. Theshop doesn’t make enough money to give it to those thugs.” Hanging up, she dropped the phone onto the bed.

“Do you call him every day?”

Sway screamed at hearing the male voice coming from the doorway. Through the hysterical outburst, she saw Vicious moving across the room toward her. “Shhh, it’s okay. It’s just me,” he said, trying to soothe her.

“I didn’t know you were still here.”

“I was outside smoking.” Vicious gave Sabine a minute to compose herself. Once she calmed down, he reminded her that he said he was staying there.

Sway forgot Vicious had not only said he was staying, he had declared it in a way that it didn’t matter what she said. If Sway was honest with herself, she was relieved he was staying. “Let me get you a pillow and linens for the sofa.”

Vicious tried to tell Sabine that he didn’t need a pillow or linens because he wouldn’t be sleeping. Still, she rushed out the room and then back in with everything he needed to make up the sofa. “Thank you,” he told her, taking the stack from her hands. “Go get some sleep.”

“Thank you so much for answering the phone tonight.” Sway leaned in and kissed Vicious on the cheek before heading to the bedroom. What she didn’t see was Vicious placing a hand over the spot where her lips had touched his face.

Chapter Sixteen

Sunday morning had come again with rays of sunshine bouncing off rooftops covered in blankets of snow. Moving around the bedroom, Sway picked up the room, tidying it up. Dropping down onto the bed, she grabbed her phone and dialled Tesh. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sound of his voice.

“Hey, Tesh, it’s just me, your baby sister. What I wouldn’t give to have a two-way conversation with you. I’m digging into your death. Yes, I know you don’t want me to, but the more I look at the information Dawson Franks gave me, the more I wonder about the guy. Lottie trusts him, but I think he’s more dangerous than she realizes. Anyway, I just needed to tell someone that. Love you, bro. I’ll call tomorrow.”

Hanging up the phone, Sway stared at the cell phone and sighed. She still paid her brother’s cell phone bill so she could call and hear his voice. She still left him daily messages about her day and how things were. She hoped one day it would help her process the grief. So far, it hadn’thelped her. Tesh wasn’t coming home. Every morning, she got up and found a way to get through the day.

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