“Don’t you dare, Jax. Did you offer the same reprieve to Sully, or any of the guards in The House? This man shot me, tortured my boy for a year, kidnapped Livvy and probably raped and tortured her for days. DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION ON FAIRNESS OR RIGHTS NOW!” My voice echoes through the mountain. “He was hostile, he shot at Case and almost took him out. These are a few more reasons why he needed to die. Now help me find Livvy.”
I remember the rustling I heard on the way up the mountain and move back down the mountain in that direction. Turning on my infrared, I sweep back and forth searching for anything to light up. If she is bleeding or injured, there could be any number of predators sniffing around. Fifteen minutes later I am about ready to crawl out of my skin when I spot a faint heat signature to my left. Crouching low, I crawl slow whispering, “Livvy, it’s Troy, shit, Alex. Livvy can you hear me?” Nothing. I scramble over to a small mound only to find her body buried in leaves and twigs, but she doesn’t move as I remove the debris. “Livvy.” Shit! Ripping off my glove to touch her face, I realize her body temp is low, and she has blood caked in her hair. “CASE, I NEED A THERMAL BLANKET. A HUNDRED YARDS DOWN FROM THE CABIN.” Within minutes, all the guys come sliding down the mountain to stop by my side. I have wrapped my body around hers and I’m reluctant to release her even for a second, so I roll with her and bring her on top. Case proceeds to wrap the blanket around her as I stand and we make our way to the SUV. As Case and I carry Livvy down the mountain, Jax moves ahead and starts barking orders to get everyone in place.
“Boomer, radio Jim and have him turn the heater on high and be ready to roll. We have about thirty minutes to Tuscaloosa and then a forty-five-minute flight to Atlanta. Case, you sit in the middle with Sav to check her head injury and vitals then let us know where to go from there. We might have to find a clinic that’s closer if she’s in bad shape.”
Derek climbs in the front seat but doesn’t say a word. Is he remembering his own nightmare of seeing Ren in the arms of a madman? After hearing Jerry’s ranting’s, I am sure that he has raped Livvy, and I want to hike back up that mountain and kill him again. I have seen and heard horror stories of women who suffered the same fate and it takes extensive therapy to recover from that kind of violation, if they recover at all. Even if she had sex with him in the last year that they were together, I’m sure that what probably happened in that cabin was not consensual.
The drive to Tuscaloosa and the flight to Atlanta was pure hell. Even though her body temperature returned to normal and she had a steady, even pulse, she never regained consciousness. The gash on her head required twelve stitches and they had to bandage several cuts all over her body. She had two cracked ribs, but they weren’t displaced, and a sprained ankle. The dead bastard had literally beat the hell out of her for days. I gave permission for a rape kit, hoping she doesn’t consider that another violation. We will need this evidence to help compile evidence against Jerry Stanford.
I filed my reports with the FBI and they have sent out an investigation team to the mountains just south of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My boss says I am on leave for an undisclosed amount of time. That’s just fine by me. I didn’t plan on leaving Livvy or my son for a while. We decided that we would not bring Alex into the hospital just yet. He is too young to understand why his mommy won’t respond.
After twenty-four hours of being cooped up in this hospital again, the news they give us is not very helpful.
“We have found no physical evidence that would keep her unconscious. This may be her way of recuperating and it could take a little while. We suggest extensive therapy along with a lot of downtime, no stress or responsibilities when she finally wakes up.”
Chapter Fourteen
Solace:
*comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness.
~Olivia~
I am no longer on the cold ground, but I’m back in a bed. I feel frantically for anything familiar, but even the clothes I wear don’t feel the same. Finding the edge of the bed, I realize I’m on a smaller one than Jerry’s. Where the hell am I? Calloused hands grip mine and I whimper and pull back.
“Sssshhhh, it’s okay Livvy. You are safe.”
“Am I dead?” Alexander’s voice is one I will never forget and I watched him die, so is that where I am too? “I still can’t see?” His strong, calloused hands that I have dreamed of for years touch mine.
“Livvy, calm down for a minute. I will buzz the nurse. You have been unconscious for a day and a half, and we are in a hospital in Atlanta. You are safe.”
The wait for the nurse takes an eternity. I have many questions for this man, but I can’t seem to utter a word. How is he here? I watched him die. As Jerry carried me out of my room, he stepped over Alexander and I could not see him breathing. How did I get to the hospital? How did they find me on that mountain?
“Welcome back, Olivia. How are you feeling today?” This must be the nurse although I can’t see her.
“Where is my son.........I can’t see? My vision went black when I hit my head, but it hasn’t come back. Is it permanent? Please, where
