Page 84 of My Lord
Ambulances were called to take away the guards, although the police didn’t tell us why, and all the time, I held Gabriella. I wasn’t letting her go. She cried, as did Veronica who recounted what happened to the police and us.
Between the women, they managed to tell us what had happened.
“I was in my office; we had no guests booked in for last night so I wasn’t expecting anyone. I gave a couple of the guys the night off,” she said, glancing at Mackenzie who had his mouth open in annoyance and shock. “Stanton came in, I didn’t see him at first. He sprayed some kind of gas into the guards’ room, I don’t know if they’re alive or dead,” she said, crying harder at the thought.
“He followed me home, I’d popped back to grab a coat. I don’t remember much other than he held a cloth over my face, and I was so woozy,” Gabriella said.
He’d used some kind of chemical to incapacitate the guards, and on Gabriella before bringing her to the club. He’d held a knife to her throat to scare Veronica enough to open a playroom door and then lock it behind her. What he hadn’t anticipated was her fight instinct. He, stupidly, thought he could overpower them both, he told them he wanted to leave them stripped for us to find. When I heard that, it took four policemen to hold me back from chasing after the ambulance that had taken him away.
Veronica had fought well and between the women they had overpowered him.
“I don’t think I’ll ask where you got this police issue taser,” Detective Burrows said with a cringe.
Knowing there were some high-ranking members of the police force that frequented the club, I wasn’t sure what her response would be.
“Some of my clients like the thrill,” she said, then shrugged her shoulders as if being tasered as part of your sexual activities was perfectly normal.
Gabriella and Veronica were taken to the local hospital to be checked over. Both were advised to stay in, both refused although they stayed long enough for their wounds to be photographed and nails scraped. We headed back to mine while the police dealt with the aftermath of the club. Veronica had called in the lads’ off duty to manage things.
“I need to shower,” Gabriella said. I nodded and helped her into the bedroom.
She cried gently while I undressed her, and my anger intensified when I saw bruises to her side.
“What did he do to you?” I asked quietly while gently removing the band from her ponytail.
“He hit me, mostly. He tried to… He didn’t, though. Veronica was like a demon, Alex. She protected me, she fought him like a man would and I couldn’t do anything to help.”
She cried harder as I led her to the shower. I waited until the water had soaked her body then I stepped in, fully dressed, behind her. I poured gel on a sponge and I cleaned her body. She shook, she sobbed, she closed her eyes, and she winced in pain. I was as gentle as I could be, and I blessed the water cascading from the showerhead for concealing my tears.
I dried her as she stood there, limp with her head bowed. I cupped her chin and raised her face.
“I’m so tired, Alex.”
I nodded and then kissed her lips gently so as not to hurt her. “I want to take all the pain away, Gabriella. I love you so much,” I said. She simply nodded before I carried her to bed.
Whether she actually fell asleep as quickly as it appeared, or whether she’d closed her eyes to lead me to believe she had, I let her be alone for a while. I was sure she’d need company at some point, maybe therapy to get over what had happened to her. I walked back into the bathroom to strip out of my wet clothes. Leaving them in a pile, I put on a clean t-shirt and jeans then walked into the living room.
Mackenzie was sitting on the sofa, he swirled whisky in a glass, and I decided, despite it being morning, to have one myself. It was our way to control our anger and emotions.
“How is she?” he asked. His eyes were as red as I suspected mine were.
“He didn’t rape her; I think she was telling me that he tried but Veronica stopped him. That’s why, I believe, she took most of his beating.” Bile rose to my throat and Mackenzie nodded.
“Veronica said the same. Jesus, Alex, I…I don’t know what to say or how to feel other than I want to murder that bastard.” He spat the words, such was his anger.
“Where’s Veronica?” I asked without answering him because we both felt the same.
“Sleeping. I guess that’s their way, sleep off trauma, shut down until they’re able to cope with it all. Burrows called, Stanton has a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken nose, and cheek bone. He’s underprotective custodyin the hospital.”
“He fucking ought to be because if I could get in there, I’d finish him off,” I said. I felt sick to my stomach, useless, and still scared. I wasn’t letting Gabriella out of my sight for the foreseeable future.
“I’m going to take her back to America, Mackenzie, just for a while. I’ll do all the consolidation work out there,” I said.
He nodded. “Good, I’m pleased you’ve made that decision. I want her out of this place as well. Now, if I could only persuade your cousin to do the same.”
I chuckled even knowing the situation was dire. “She sure beat his arse, didn’t she?”
“I don’t think I’d like to upset her,” he replied.
