Page 16 of Vengeful Union

She hangs limply in my arms as I move out of the room and toward the stairs. “How long have you been locked up?” I don’t watch my tone. Even though she’s weak, she’s still the enemy.

She feebly shrugs. “My last count was ninety days. I don’t even remember when I was first brought here.” Her voice is hoarse and low. It sounds painful.

“Fuck,” I say through clenched teeth. “Was your father always like this?”

“I don’t know,” she says, her voice growing weaker. “He was either very good at hiding it, or he’s lost his damn mind over the past few years.”

“Few years?” I repeat, knowing that if she wasn’t close to being unconscious, there’s no way she’d be answering my questions so readily.

She presses closer to my chest as I walk out of the house and toward my car, the bright headlights and fresh air hitting us. “My father was always determined to become this dominant power. He thought he hit it, but Georgina’s shit made him realize he was nowhere near the badass he thought he was. James Carter thrives on lording his riches over people. Had he achieved the power he craved, it would have meant he would have been insufferable, and in his eyes, untouchable.”

“None of that happened,” I tell her. We made sure of it, since finding out he put the hit out on Holly. That’s exactly what it was meant to be. A fucking hit. They were supposed to kill her. But instead, they all died, except for James. His time is coming.

“No,” she tells me, her words slurring. “Instead, he went on a rampage, taking out anyone who dared question him. He tried to move up in the world by taking over the Croatians’ patch.”

“Their patch?” I ask, wondering if she’ll tell me exactly what she knows.

“The whore houses. My father had hoped that taking over their territory would bring in enough money to pay you off and for him to rebuild.”

Jesus, had he managed to do it, he’d have gained a huge stable, along with soldiers.

“What’s his plan next?” I ask her when we reach my car. I’m expecting retaliation, but I’ll be ready for it.

She doesn’t reply. Looking down at her, I see she’s passed out.

* * *

“Mr. Gallagher,”the doctor says as he steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. “How long has this girl been held captive?”

I raise a brow at his tone, and he immediately flushes.

“She told me the last she could remember, it had been ninety days.”

He nods thoughtfully. “I’d say that’s about right. Miss. Carter is extremely malnourished and dehydrated. She’s come very close to her body shutting down. Whoever held her knew what they were doing. Only giving her enough food and drink to keep her alive, prolonging the pain and suffering.”

Fucking Carter. The bastard is just begging for death now.

“She needs rest and plenty of fluids. I have her connected to an IV antibiotic to ward off any infection she may get from the wounds on her wrists. They’re cleaned and bandaged.”

I nod in thanks. “I’ll call you if she takes a turn.” I turn to Jacob, who’s waiting in the wings. “Have someone see the doctor out.”

Bannon moves forward, and the doctor follows him out of the house. Bannon’s young and green, and something about him doesn’t sit right. It’s why I’m keeping him close to me.

“You’ve been tight-lipped since bringing her here,” Jacob says. “What’s the plan?”

Every fucking plan I had went out the window when I saw just how thin and frail she was. At that moment, I was stunned. Angry and pissed that James would do this to his own daughter.

“I don’t know. I went to Carter’s hell-bent on taking Destiny, but the fucker sold her to me, Jay. Didn’t even hesitate in offering her up to pay for his debt.”

Jacob’s eyes narrow into slits. “What a fucking piece of shit.”

“There’s something the bastard said that didn’t sit right,” I tell him. “When I forewarned him that taking her didn’t make us even, he told me that if I didn’t want her, that’s fine. I’d have my money by the end of the week.”

His jaw ticks. “Which means he has someone lined up to buy her.”

Exactly my thoughts.

“Find out who,” I instruct him. “Anyone who wants her could attack. We need to be on alert.”

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