Rock Me Deeper (Licks of Leather #5) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,9
she ordered all the men out.
“I’ll wait for you on the sidewalk,” Syd assured before easing me off his lap and onto the empty seat Darren had vacated. As he stepped out, he looked down at Mia. “Her name is Caris. She’s a friend of mine.”
“From which tour?” Mia quipped sarcastically.
Syd bristled. “She’s not a groupie. We grew up together. She’s…special.”
Mia’s judgmental expression melted away. With a sober nod, she cautiously eased onto the seat beside me.
“Hi,” she said cautiously as if expecting me to bolt out the other door of the vehicle. “My name is—”
“I know who you are. I’m a huge fan.”
“I’m honored, but heartbroken you had to cross paths with Zattman.” She glanced at my wrist and sucked in a hiss. “That fucking bastard is—”
“Pure evil.”
“He is. I’m just glad you made it out of there alive.”
“Me, too.” I glanced down at the blood-stained sheet, desperately trying to shove down the memories of his maniacal torture. When I looked up again, Mia’s eyes were brimmed in tears.
“He got ahold of me, too,” she softly confessed as she lifted a black T-shirt off her lap. “But that information isn’t for public consumption. At least not yet.”
Before dropping the sheet, I nervously glanced around to see if anyone was watching. To my surprise, the guys were standing with their backs around the vehicle, blocking all the windows with their wide shoulders.
“They can be rude and obnoxious at times, but when it really matters, they’re gentlemen.” Mia winked.
Obviously.
When I unwrapped the sheet from my chest, Mia gasped. A tear slid down her cheek “Oh, honey. That motherfucker really worked you over, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re safe now,” she assured as she gently slid the T-shirt over my head. “The bastard has gotten shitloads more vicious. Taking him down will be the best day of my life. I’ll make sure he pays for what he did to you, to me, and all the other women he’s abused.”
The strength and conviction in Mia’s voice stoked the fire of my own determination.
“Is that why the guys broke into his house? To help you find a way to take him down?”
Mia arched a brow. “Did they tell you they broke in?”
“Well, no, but…when they found me, they were all wearing ski masks. I’m not a rocket scientist or anything but…”
The rock diva threw her head back and laughed. “Good point. Yeah, they were there to retrieve some…evidence.”
“He took pictures of you, too?”
Mia nodded and gently slid a pair of baggy sweatpants over my torn and bleeding ankles before easing them up my bruised and cut-up legs. “We need to get a doctor to check you over, sugar.”
“I’ll be fine. After I fly home, I’ll make an appoint—”
“Oh, my god,” Mia drawled dramatically. “I’ve finally found a soul sister!”
“What do you mean?”
“Girl, you’re as hardheaded as I am. Poor Syd, he’s toast. But I can’t wait to see him squirm when you get all up in his face.” She laughed again.
I simply smiled. I didn’t want to burst her bubble and tell her I wouldn’t be around long enough to get up in his face or make him squirm.
As Mia bent and slid a pair of tennis shoes on my feet, I bit back a howl of pain and slid the pants over my hips. Nerve endings pulsing in pain, I closed my eyes and sucked in several deep breaths. Though the clothing she’d brought was light and cottony soft, every nerve ending in my body throbbed from the weight of the fabric.
“Are you ready?” she asked long minutes later. I lifted my chin and nodded. Mia tenderly wrapped her arms around me and gave me a gentle hug. “You’re a survivor, sugar. We both are. But don’t be so headstrong that you don’t get professional help to deal with the mental aftermath. You might not think you need it, but you will. Trust me on this.”
Her kindness drove a wedge of gratitude blocking my throat. Nodding, I swallowed tightly. “I will.”
Jack Daniels was a great shrink. He’d gotten me through every other trauma in my life. There was no doubt he’d see me through this one, as well.
“Good. Let’s get you upstairs. I’ve got some clean pajamas you can wear when you’ve finished a long, hot shower. While you’re doing that, I’ll make sure Syd orders you some food. How’s that sound?”
“Heavenly. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Getting away from that sack of shit is easy compared to the tricks your mind will play on you