Page 11 of Patching Over

“So, my parents owed him money they didn’t have. They gave me to him to pay their debt.” When he goes to reply, I hold up my hand to stop him. “My home life wasn’t great either, Brick. How Enoch treated me was nothing new at all. My parents may not have gone to the extremes that he did, but I’m no stranger to their brand of love and affection.”

I have no clue why I feel so darned comfortable around him that I’m spewing responses out which are somewhat sassy. This is so not me, but I can’t stop.

“Bruises, broken bones, cuts and gashes, those were my everyday experiences,” I mutter, shame engulfing me once again at how pitiful I must sound to this huge man. “Little to no food, locked in my room whenever they’d leave, sometimes for days at a time. That’s what I’m used to, Brick.”

“Not anymore, Rayleigh.” His voice vibrates, sounding close to an animalistic growl, low and husky, and I can see his fists clenched at his sides as he physically reacts at my words. “You willneverbe hurt like that ever again. We’re going to find this fucker and end his life, then we’re going after your parents. People like them don’t deserve to breathe air. Now, I’m going to meet with my brothers so we can work out a plan. You need anything before I go?”

I shake my head, sleep calling me after filling my belly. “I may want to take a bath later, but I’m not sure what I can change into.”

“I’ll find you something you can wear if you’d like.”

A thought I had earlier comes back to me, so I ask, “Who cleaned me up after I was found?”

“I did.”

CHAPTER

SIX

Brick

The look on her face has me biting back my laughter. She looks equal parts horrified and intrigued. I opt to ease her worries and say, “I promise I did my best not to look at you, Sprite. But you were covered in blood, dirt, and grime. We needed to make sure we hadn’t missed any potentially perilous injuries. Plus, the last thing you needed was for any infections to set in.” She looks slightly mollified, but she still appears concerned that I saw her at her absolute worst.

“You still haven’t explained how I was healed,” she reminds me. I love seeing glimpses of her sass. I can tell from what she has shared that she was most likely punished whenever she spoke out or protested, so she learned to keep quiet. The fact she feels comfortable enough with me to do it adds to the feelings I’m studiously trying to ignore.

“One of the men in the club has the ability to heal people. I don’t fully understand how it works or if what he does fully heals or not. I just know that he held you while we drove back and didhis hocus-pocus thing. I see you’ve got some faint bruises and such, but I was told he fixed whatever he was able to do.”

She looks down at her arm which was definitely broken, and I see her wiggling her fingers while moving her wrist back and forth. “How amazing yet strange,” she whispers to herself.

“Many of the club brothers from other chapters have unique qualities,” I reply. “I’m just glad he was able to help you.”

“I’m thankful y’all saved me, Brick,” she quietly states. “I know my life has been what some would call tragic, but maybe now I’ll be able to choose how I’ll live my life.”

“We’re going to help you do that, Rayleigh.” I repeat almost verbatim what I said earlier because I don’t believe she fully understands what it means to be under the protection of the Royal Bastards.

“What do you mean?” she asks. The look on her face of complete innocence and naivete has my cock twitching. Fucking bastard! Now is not the time for me to go down that road, if ever, to be honest. I still have no clue if she was ever violated in any way. Although I wouldn’t give that first fuck if she was because I’ve got my own past.

“Well, I’m about to call Church with my brothers to give them the information you told me about Enoch. The only reason I’m opening up and telling you this much is due to the fact that it involves you, Sprite. The majority of the time, club business is just that, club business, and the less you know, the better since you won’t be able to provide information you were never privy to. We’ll figure out a job you can do for the club, as well as living arrangements for you. You’re under our protection, now, Rayleigh, which means we’ll watch over you while you settle into your new life.”

I watch her curl into herself a little then realize it’s her defense mechanism when she gets overwhelmed. “Step by step, sweetheart. You’ll stay here where it’s safe until we deal withthat piece of shit. Then, we’re going after your parents.” I realize I don’t have their names so ask, “Who are they? Do they live in Roanoke?”

“Laura and Dave Matthews. Um, we lived in Radford off of Interstate 81,” she informs me. I file the information away to give to Hawg so he can do his thing.

“Okay, you rest now. I’ll be back as soon as possible. You’re welcome to move around in the common area, just be aware we have club girls walking around who might give you some shit.”

Her eyes widen almost comically before she replies, “I think I’ll just stay in here if that’s okay with you.”

Even though I used my soap and shampoo on her when I bathed her, she has a unique scent all her own which is captivating. The thought of her permeating my space has me nodding in agreement. “That’s fine, Rayleigh. Can you make a list of things you need so I can get stuff ordered for you? I can either do it online or send one of the brothers out for it.”

“Okay, but I don’t really need anything, Brick.”

“Sprite, I know women like certain feminine scents of body wash and shampoo.”

“Whatever’s cheapest is fine, Brick,” she states. “Trust me, anything you get for me will be an improvement of what’s been supplied to me in the past.”

“Then I’ll take on the task of ordering for you,” I retort. “Do you know your clothing and shoe sizes? Jot those down as well.”

“I-I-I don’t know those,” she admits, her face flushing in mortification. “My parents usually bought me things from the community thrift store. If it was too big, I had to hem it so it would fit. So, I have no clue at all.”

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