Page 6 of Battling Aries

“Soon as you know something, we’ll meet and discuss it,” Viper remarks, looking at me. “Hate doing it to you, brother, but we all gotta know what we’re dealing with. Don’t need another situation like what Rosemary had.”

“I get it, Prez, and fully understand. Believe me, I don’t want to bring another situation to the club like that,” I tell him, shake my head, and continue. “But I got a gut feelin’ that it might just be one, if not close to it.”

“Yeah, me too.” Viper grunts and rolls his eyes to the ceiling.

“I’ll get right on finding everything we can,” Vulture states just before we hear a high-pitched scream. One filled with total terror.

Jumping to my feet, I rush out of the room, my brothers on my heels.

CHAPTER 3

RORY

The scream seems to be locked in my throat, and I can’t stop. I woke up in a strange place, my body rioting with pain, and a man I’d never seen before was standing close, wearing surgical gloves.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, stepping back from me, hands up at his sides. “You need to calm down. You’re safe.”

I don’t listen to him. I don’t know him. For that matter, I don’t know where I am. I don’t even think I could even stop screaming. I feel completely paralyzed in the moment and unable to control anything.

I jerk, nearly falling to the ground as the door crashes open.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, woman, chill with the screams,” Aries snarls, fury filling his gaze. His expression hard. I hadn’t seen him in so many years. He’d been lost to me, and now, seeing him again, seeing how much he’s changed.

“Aries,” I choke out and fall back against the hospital bed. “Where am I?” Speaking, asking that simple question hurts. In more than one way. The last thing I remember is being out withCordelia. We’d gone to see a movie and were on the way back to her place when . . .

Oh no.

No. No. No.

“Cordy,” I whisper, shaking my head gently. Movement of any kind hurts.

“She’s fine,” Aries grunts and gives me a dismissive look that shoots pain straight to my chest. Granted, I shouldn’t have expected anything less. “What the fuck happened here, Mace?” he demands, speaking to the guy wearing the surgical gloves.

“Brother, the moment she woke up, she started screaming like a goddamn banshee,” Mace states. “Tried to calm her down, but she wouldn’t stop screaming.”

“I . . . I’m sorry,” I utter instantly. I might never have been this beaten before, but Roger always had his own way of me regretting something and in turn, ending up apologizing.

Five months ago, though, I’d finally managed to escape my life. The first chance I had, I took it. I found the one person I knew who could help me, Cordelia. She was my best friend. No matter the fact I’d been with her brother, the two of us always spent time together. Upon seeing me again, she didn’t want anything to do with me. She said I was a total bitch for how I treated her brother and that I needed to get out of her face.

It took me a bit of time to get her to listen to me. I begged for her to give me a chance to explain. Once I did, I gave her everything I was able to share. I kept the darkest parts of it out. She didn’t need to know all the ugly parts of my life as they’ve been for so long.

Finally, she hugged me and swore to keep it to herself. She promised that she wouldn’t tell anyone she saw me. I stayed with her as the two of us made plans. Evidently, she’d been ready to get out of the city herself.

The night we went out, we’d decided to see a movie in order to relax after having loaded the trunk of Cordelia’s car with all her stuff. She didn’t take any of the furniture. She packed all the clothes she owned into space-saver bags. It’s wonder how much you can pile in those things. The rest of the stuff she decided to bring was all crammed in there. I didn’t have but a few things. I hadn’t been able to gather much of anything, granted there wasn’t much for me to take. What I grabbed all fit into a small purse-style backpack.

“She okay?”

The question draws me out of my thoughts.

“Couple of broken ribs, broken wrists, cheek fracture,” Mace states and continues listing my injuries. “She’s lucky not to have any internal bleeding, but I’ll keep an eye on to make sure I’m right. I don’t have the equipment here to confirm right now. She’d need to be in the hospital. And because of the fact she’d been passed out for over seventeen hours, I know she’s got one hell of a concussion.”

“Seventeen hours,” I breathe.

Mace looks at me and nods before turning back to the others in the room. “I called Ma and Pops, and asked them to come down. They’d be able to do an even better assessment.”

“I don’t need any further assessment.” I didn’t want anyone else touching me. I dealt with enough people touching and controlling me. “Where am I?” The question leaves my lips as I manage to fight back the fear that’s threatening to choke me.

“Mississippi,” Aries answers, taking a step closer. His eyes narrow as he speaks further. “If Mace thinks you need further assessment, then you fuckin’ will listen and get one.”

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