Page 92 of The Lies That Shatter

Silence fills the room as we all look at each other. Evan is frozen in place, his face still a mask of indifference, yet the pain in his eyes is clear to see.

Shane and Kian both look confused, and you can tell by the way Shane’s hair is sticking up at all angles that he’s been running his fingers through it, no doubt in frustration. Whereas Kian continues to assess the room. He may not know what the hell is going on, but he can pick up on the tension.

While Liam hides his emotions better, it’s clear he’s incredibly pissed. Bree has got murder in her eyes, and her hands are balled into fists, like she’s still considering killing Whitlock.

Evan looks devastated. When he finally moves, he begins pacing over in the corner like a wild animal, his body vibrating with nervous energy similar to my own. Whilst his body language looks murderous, there’s a pain in his green eyes that I’ve never seen before. He looks broken.

“If you kill me, she will die. However, if you agree to let me go, I will exchange my life for hers,” Mortimer adds, making the terms of his arrangement clear for anyone who hadn’t already worked out what his end goal is.

“How do I know you even have her?” Evan grinds out through gritted teeth.

“When your dad died, he had debts that were owed to me. One of the clubs he bought using my investment, and several of the women he owned transferred over to me when he died. Although he made it clear that he wanted her to pass to you after his death, along with a few other of his best girls, I ensured that wouldn’t happen. She was one of the debts that became mine.

“At first I thought she was just another pussy, until it became clear Desmond had been protecting her. I just didn’t know why. That’s when I did some digging and found out who she was to you. I kept her around in case a situation just like this arose. She’s the perfect bargaining chip,” he practically sings, his smile widening as Kian swears under his breath in frustration.

“That’s all just words. I need proof,” Evan snaps.

Mortimer nods slowly before pointing over at me and McKenna. She trembles at his attention, and I hold her closer, giving her as much of my strength as I can. “Ask her. She saw her earlier today.”

All eyes turn to McKenna, who’s eyes widen. “What… I did…what?”

Evan moves closer to Mac, but I fix him with a hard stare that freezes him in place. I can see the desperation dripping from him, but I won’t let him take advantage of her vulnerable state.

“McKenna, do you remember Teigan from school?” he asks calmly, sounding more gently than expected.

“I mean, I think so, but it was a long time ago. She was a beautiful brunette with a—” Before McKenna can finish her sentence, she gasps as her hand flies to her mouth, her gaze flicking over to the door and back. She turns to address Whitlock. “Was she the brunette who came in here to see me before Mel?”

Whitlock just grins maniacally and nods his head.

A loud roar rips through the room as Evan punches his fist into the nearby wall. Liam pounces on him in an instant, pulling him back so he can’t hurt himself further.

The loud noise startles McKenna, and she sobs loudly, like this is her fault—which it fucking isn’t—so I pull her into my arms while I cover her ears as best I can. Bree takes a step towards Whitlock, and one look at the fierce expression on her face has his smile faltering.

“I agree to keep you alive, for now. We will exchange your life for Teigan. But I can promise you this… There is only one end for you. The Doughtys have you marked for death, and it is a promise we will fulfil.”

Even though it’s clear Mortimer is scared, he juts his chin out in defiance. “Even if you kill me, you will never win. The Aristocracy is a secret society that runs deep. Their reach knows no bounds, and you will never be able to beat them. You can take down one leader, but two more will pop up.”

“Be that as it may, I will still have a fucking good time trying,” Red laughs, as she indicates for Shane to tie up Whitlock.

Kellan breaks through the tension by letting us know that the ambulance is outside. I don’t hesitate. I scoop McKenna into my arms and get her the hell out of here.

After just a couple of nights in the hospital, the doctors agreed to let me go home. My injuries were all superficial, though most of them did need either sutures or glue. They gave me two blood transfusions—as I suspected I needed—to combat the amount of blood I lost, and they treated me with antibiotics, to prevent any possible infections that may have been caused by the dirty knife that was used.

Finn was with me the whole time, but I couldn’t look at him. I held onto him like he was my lifeline, but I couldn’t be honest with the staff in front of him. The kind nurses asked me to tell them everything that was done to me, and I gave them a brief rundown. When they asked if they could perform a rape kit, Ifroze. Finn was beside me, and I didn’t want him to know, so I declined.

Bree came in not long after and told Finn to wait outside—he hesitated, but did as he was told in the end. She took my hand in hers, and spoke to me about what happened when she was kidnapped. She told me about the abuse she had sustained, and the baby she lost as a result. My heart broke for her, and when she asked me if Whitlock hurt me in that same way, I couldn’t lie to her.

She held my hand tight while they performed the rape examination, and the last of the dignity I had left flew out the window. Even though we didn’t really need it, as we knew Whitlock would never face a jury, we wanted to make it look like I was cooperating with the police.

I also needed to be sure he hadn’t done any permanent damage. I retreated to a small place inside my own head, the place I created when I was a kid and I wanted to forget that nobody wanted me. I would hide here and block out the world, so nobody could ever hurt me.

I remember the doctor and nurse being kind, telling me I sustained no major physical damage. There were small tears, but they would heal on their own. The physical wounds would heal long before the psychological and emotional ones ever will.

I declined the pregnancy test, and the STD tests that they offered, explaining that the way he assaulted me didn’t warrant these. They gave me small smiles as they tried but failed to understand.

Bree held my hand while I told Finn. I didn’t want to, but the counsellor and Bree said I would need his support. I was already convinced that he would leave as soon as he saw my scars, so telling him this would only help him leave faster. I should have known Finn would want to stay with me out of whatever sick sense of loyalty he feels.

I broke as I told Finn everything I endured. I tried to reassure him constantly that I fought as hard as I could. I know it wasn’t enough, but I needed him to know that I tried. I lost count of how many times I apologised to him, and how often he told me to stop apologising.

---