“May I please finish my bath and then I promise I will tell you everything you want to know?” she says.
“Including how you got those scars on your back?” I ask her.
She gives me a small nod, and I stand up and leave to give her some privacy. My brother is now in the kitchen drinking my beer. He must see something on my face because his body gets tense.
“What happened?” he asks.
Sighing, I grab the beer out of his hand and drink the rest down.
“She has scars, brother. Dozens of them on her back. Most of them are old and healed over but a handful are fresh. Hours fresh,” I tell him.
Gone is my kind-faced brother and in his place is a man who could scare away the bravest of men. Don't let his friendly personality fool you. Sometimes I think Hawk is more dangerous than me.
“I know,” I tell him. “I'm going to get answers. But, for now, I need to go at it alone. Rose is too fragile for a group meeting. Head home and get some sleep. Then go check the clubhouse. I want those bugs found and sent to Slim yesterday.”
Hawk grabs his keys off the table and starts for the door. Halfway there he stops and turns to look at me.
“Rose? I thought she didn't have a name?” he says.
“She does now.”
“Be careful, Bear. You're getting awfully close to this woman in just a matter of hours. We don't know who she is or what trouble she may bring,” he tells me.
Had it been any other person, I would be pissed. Hawk and I have a strong connection. Ma always said it was because we were twins and it was bound to happen. Whatever the reason, he knows me in ways I don't even know myself.
Walking over to him I grab his left shoulder while he grabs my right and I lay my forehead against his.
“I understand what you're saying, and I'm being cautious. I just can't explain what's happening in here,” I say as I point to my head. “I don't understand it myself. But I do know that this woman is meant to be here. She is meant to be under my protection. The protection of the Infernal Sons. And yes, I know what you're thinking. It is strange that she shows up at the same moment we find out we have a rat. Hopefully, I can get some answers to put our minds at ease.”
“I trust you brother. We all do. I'll head over to the clubhouse now and start my search. Let me know if you need me before church tomorrow. Your bikes key is by the door.” Hawk says and then walks out the door and to his truck.
Hearing Rose's soft footsteps coming down the hall I turn just as she walks into the kitchen.
Fuck, her soup.
I reach in the fridge and pull out the vegetable soup Ma brought over this morning. I empty the container into a pot and shove it on the stove to warm up. Turning back around I see Rose is standing by the table.
“Have a seat sweetheart. I'll have your soup ready in a few minutes,” I tell her with a smile.
I watch her as she slowly sits at the table. Once she's seated, she places her hands in her lap and looks down. I don't like that one bit, but I hold my tongue. With her soup hot, I bowl it and place it in front of her.
“What would you like to drink, Rose?” I ask her, using her name on purpose. “We have orange juice, milk, water or beer.”
“Water, please.” She says quietly.
Grabbing a bottle of water, I sit it beside her bowl and take a seat across from her. Her head is still down, and her hands are still on her lap.
“You should eat,” I tell her. “It will help warm you up.”
Still, she doesn't move.
“Baby,” I say, “please eat.”
“Are you not hungry?”
“I’ve already had my dinner,” I tell her. “Eat your food. Ma’s homemade vegetable soup is amazing.”
As soon as she was finished eating, I walked her to the couch to relax while I cleaned up.
“I have your room ready for you if you want to get some rest,” I say as I sit down beside her. “We can talk tomorrow.”
She nods.
“First, I want to put some cream on those cuts. A few look like they could be infected.” She gives me a nod again, and I walk her to her room.
“Hop in bed and get under the blankets,” I tell her. “Lay on your stomach and raise your shirt.”
I walk to the bathroom to grab the first-aid kit I keep under the sink. By the time I get back to her room, she is in bed on her stomach with the blanket covering her from her hips down. She has her shirt raised above her shoulders, and my anger returns in full force.
Her entire back is covered in scars. More than I first thought when I saw it in the bathroom. There isn't much untouched skin. I grab the healing and pain cream from my kit and apply it to the few new marks as gently as I can. I can feel her small jerks and her choppy breathing, but she isn’t making a sound.
I'm hurting her.
“I'm so sorry baby,” I tell her. “I know it hurts but this will help.”
I feel the backs of my eyes sting. The thought of this woman in so much pain breaks my heart.
Finally finished with the last cut I tape gauze over each one and lower her shirt. I grab all the extra pillows and place them beside her while gently helping her roll over on her side with her back resting against the pillows.
“Try not to sleep on your back,” I tell her. “My room is right beside this one. You're safe here. Get some rest, and we will figure everything else out tomorrow, okay?”
“Thank you, Bear,” she says softly.
I give her a smile, lean in and kiss her forehead. “You're welcome, beautiful.”
After making sure everything is locked up, I head to my room. Usually, I sleep naked, but I wear shorts to bed tonight. The second my head hits the pillow, I'm out.
That is until the most terrifying screams I've ever heard wake me.
Chapter Five
Rose
I'm stuck in my past. I know I'm having a nightmare but no matter how hard I pinch myself I can't wake up. Not until the very end. I never wake until the very end. It's like fate wants me to relive my painful existence over and over again. Every night it's a different moment from my life. It's never in any kind of order, and I always know it's a dream. I know because the fear my dream self fears isn't anywhere near as frightened as I actually was. The pain my dream self feels isn't close to the real pain I felt. But, I'm still afraid and I still hurt. Tonight's nightmare is about the day before. Hours before I finally made my escape.
I hear my father’s voice outside my locked door. He isn't speaking loud enough for me to understand what he's saying but he does sound excited. After he's finished speaking, I hear a new voice. Father has brought very few people to this part of his home. He never wanted my face to be well known. He never said why, and I knew better than to ask.
Hearing the key slide into the lock I quickly walk over and sit on the chair by my window. Head down, hands in my lap. I don't want to make my father upset, today. I'm still healing from my previous mistake.
“Girl, make yourself presentable and come to my office. You have three minutes and not a second more,” my father informs me. “Wear the blue dress.”
Hearing the door shut I jump up and run to my closet. Tearing off my clothes as fast as I can as I yank the desired dress from the hanger and slide it on. After making sure everything was on correctly, I run to the small bathroom attached to my room and brush my hair.