Page 3 of Riggs
Chapter Two
Luna
The world around me is silent. I hear nothing but can feel everything. And right now, my body is on fire. My body screams in pain as I'm jolted around by the jerking movements of the car I'm currently in.
The trunk to be more specific.
Several minutes pass before I feel the car come to a stop. The vehicle vibrates as the door is opened and slammed shut. A moment later, the cold night air hits my face. My body goes weightless as someone lifts me from the trunk of the car and carries my limp body off somewhere.
I count ten steps — 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The person carrying me tosses my body like a rag doll; followed by what feels like thousands of tiny needles stabbing me all over my body as I hit the cold damp ground. It's a struggle to breathe, and I am so weak I can't seem to open my eyes. I let out a groan, and though I can't hear it, I know the noise that just escaped my mouth has drawn attention to me. I crack my eyes open to slits to find my boyfriend's brother Pike staring down at me and I read his lips.
"Shit, man. She's still alive."
I cut my eyes over to the car to see Rex climb out of the passenger seat and stride in my direction. His advance and the look on his face causes my heart to jump into my throat. I watch his lips as he speaks.
"Not for long." His face carries an expression I have not seen before. He's looking at me as though I am a bug that needs to be squashed. He is not the same man who has been sweet and tender with me for the past few months — the man who has doted on me and made me feel special. "You should have minded your own business, Luna. Such a fuckin' shame," Rex sneers crouching down close to my face; making sure I can understand what he's saying. Then without hesitation, he stands to his full height, and the next thing I feel is the heavy weight of his boot coming down on my head. Fiery pain explodes through my skull, sending me into darkness.
I feel as though I'm trapped in a dark tunnel with no way out. With a considerable amount of strength and determination, I opened my eyes. The light that surrounds me is so bright I squeeze them shut then open them once again; this time, my vision clears. I notice an IV bag hanging above my head to my right, and I'm reasonably sure I am in a moving vehicle. Suddenly, a man appears in my line of sight, hovering over my body. I focus on his face as he speaks to me. "Ma'am, can you tell me your name?" he asks. My hands feel like dead weight. I don't have the strength to lift them, and I don't get the chance to answer the stranger. With the excruciating pain that has consumed my entire being, I welcome the darkness that claims me once again.
I don't know how much time has passed when I jolt awake. I'm greeted by that damn blinding white light again. I struggle to move as I'm taken over with panic. I don't think there is a part of my body that doesn't hurt. A pair of strong hands press against my shoulders, holding me down. The person restraining me is unaware I am deaf and need my hands to sign because they grab hold of my arms in another attempt to calm me. "Miss, you're at the hospital. Everything is going to be okay." I focus on the man's mouth. Blinking my eyes several times, the blurry figure in front of me becomes clearer as I try to clear the fog from my brain to make sense of what is happening.
The man in front of me is wearing a white coat, and I have concluded that I am at a hospital. Standing next to him is a nurse with a gray bob wearing blue scrubs. I relax my body a bit, and the doctor releases his hold. A wave of nausea suddenly washes over me, and I begin to vomit. The nurse swiftly rolls my body sideways, where I proceed to lose the contents of my stomach all over the floor. The strain of vomiting causes my head to feel like it's about to burst. I have never felt pain like this in my life. My vision starts to blur once again as I'm thrust back into the dark tunnel and the world around me slowly fades away.
My eyes flutter open, and for a moment, I'm confused as to where I am. I look around the hospital room I'm currently in, and my memory quickly returns.
I wake in the middle of the night to an empty bed. Sitting, my eyes adjust to the darkness, and I find myself alone. Pulling the blanket back, I climb out of bed, grab my sleep shorts from the floor beside me and tug them on followed by a shirt. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stroll toward the bedroom door. Opening it, I peer down the hallway and see nothing. The parties here can last well into the early morning hours, but right now it appears everyone has turned in. When I walk into the common room, I see a few of the club members asleep in various spots. One on the sofa, one on the pool table and a couple of men and women are passed out on the floor. Bypassing them, I make my way past the bar and down the hall toward the kitchen. Just as I am about to enter the kitchen, I spot the light on at the end of the hall where Rex's office is. With a smile on my face, I head in that direction. When I reach his office, I notice the door is cracked open and what I see wipes the smile from my face. I cannot hear the words spoken, but I see a man dressed in a suit, on his knees in front of my boyfriend with his hands tied behind his back.
I notice the man's lips moving, but from this angle, I can't make out what he is saying. All while my boyfriend has a gun aimed at his head. Without warning, Rex smiles and pulls the trigger. I have never in my life seen so much blood. Oh my God! My boyfriend just killed a man. I cover my mouth with my hand, but it must not stifle the sob I so desperately try to choke back. Rex cuts his eyes over to the door to see me standing there. I'm temporarily stunned, but when Rex goes to advance in my direction, I turn and run. My effort to escape is fruitless. I don't make it ten feet before my hair is grabbed from behind and I am thrown to the floor. He then continues to kick me several times in my stomach and ribs. Turning my face up to meet Rex, I'm met by my boyfriends enraged face as he brings his fist down on my cheek. Rex begins to land blow after blow until I finally pass out.
I'm brought back to the present when a nurse walks into my room. The woman looks to be in her thirties with brown hair and a kind smile. I study her as she begins to talk. "It's good to see you awake." I read her lips.
Lifting my hands, I begin to sign. She looks shocked for a moment. I then make a gesture for a paper and pen. The nurse quickly walks over to the table next to the bed, opens the drawer, and produces a notepad with the hospital logo, and gives me a pen. I scribble on the paper.I am deaf but can read lips.I turn the notebook over for the nurse to read. She scans the paper and smiles.
"We happen to have an interpreter on staff. How about I page her. I know the doctor would like to go over your injuries with you as well," she finishes, and I nod in agreement.
About ten minutes later, the nurse returns with the doctor who is an older gentleman with gray hair, and with him is a short woman with red hair who I am assuming is the interpreter. She immediately begins to sign. "Hello. My name is Marie, and I'll be your interpreter while you are here."
"Thank you, Marie. My name is Luna Novak," I tell her.
"Okay, Luna. If it's alright with you, Dr. Cates would like to go over your injuries. Also, a detective is waiting outside your room, and she would like for you to answer some questions."
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. Do I want to talk to the police? Deciding Rex does not deserve to get away with killing that man or what he has done to me, I open my eyes and nod.
Over the next fifteen minutes, Dr. Cates recaps what has happened in the last twenty-four hours. I was brought in by ambulance. Lucky for me a passerby spotted my lifeless body on the side of the road, and he called 911. I have a concussion, a black eye, busted lip, and bruised ribs. I am thankful, and a little surprised nothing else is broken. "I'd like to keep you here for at least another day for observation, Miss Novak," Dr. Cates informs.
I sign, "okay." At this point, I don't have the energy to argue. Maybe being here is what is best, at least until Rex is caught.
Once the nurse checks my vitals, she, and the doctor leave. After they are gone, a woman dressed in a pantsuit with a badge clipped to her belt steps into the room, she motions to the chair sitting beside the bed, and I nod. She takes a seat and begins to speak. She acknowledges the interpreter then introduces herself to me. "Hi, Miss Novak. I'm Detective Brooks. Are you feeling well enough for me to ask you some questions?"
"Yes," I sign.
"Can you tell me how you ended up on the side of the road. Do you remember who hurt you?"
I take a deep breath. "It was my boyfriend."
"What's his name?"
