Lincoln quickly grabbed my hair and held it away from my face as I continued to dry heave, rubbing my back in small circles to try and soothe me.
“Please don’t make me go out there,” I sobbed, holding on to the vanity for strength.
“It’ll be okay. I promise.” His tone was calm and filled with compassion, pity even. The sentiment didn’t offend me, because if someone pitied me, then maybe they wouldn’t be inclined to hurt me.
Groaning, I clutched my lower belly, the discomfort I’d been experiencing recently only getting worse. And throwing up didn’t help my overall situation.
“I have to pee,” I said when I straightened up, Lincoln’s arms falling to his sides.
“Uh… okay. You take care of what you need to, and I’m gonna go see if Marek will come back here instead. Would that make you feel more comfortable?” I nodded, relieved I didn’t have to leave the confines of the room.
Once he left, I closed the bathroom door and sat down on the toilet, an odd sensation erupting before a small trickle of urine finally came out, the stinging pain making me scrunch my face until I finished. It felt like my bladder was full, but it wasn’t, the urge to go to the bathroom plaguing me more than was normal.
I was one step back into the bedroom when the door opened, two guys walking in behind Lincoln.
“Maddie, this is our club president, Marek,” Lincoln announced, pointing toward the man directly behind him, “and this is Stone. He’s the club VP and my father.”
Both men looked to be in their late forties, if I guessed at their ages correctly. Marek had short dark hair with a bit of gray on the sides and the most brilliant blue eyes I’d ever seen. For an older man, he was handsome, his trimmed beard adding to his ruggedness. At first glance, he appeared to be serious, a hard man, but when he stepped closer, closer than was comfortable for me, I watched his eyes soften, his expression relaxing while he captured me with his stare.
Surprisingly, I didn’t fear Marek like I thought I would. He oozed strength but compassion toward me, for now at least. Or was this his ploy? Would he play the sheep until the wolf decided it was time to emerge?
Marek motioned for me to sit on the bed. Once I rested on the edge, I counted every breath that left my body. Lowering my head, I didn’t dare look at any of the men standing so close for fear of what I’d see. I waited in silence with my hands clasped in my lap, my muscles becoming sore with the anticipation they’d shove me back on the bed and have their way with me.
“Maddie.” A tear trailed down my cheek at hearing my name, and I couldn’t pinpoint if it was because I heard a trace of compassion in Marek’s voice or because I still feared what may happen. “Look at me,” he said, his tone firmer than seconds before.
I lifted my head but closed my eyes, my bottom lip trembling because I didn’t want to see their expressions, especially Lincoln’s. Had he handed me over to his president and VP? Would he get special treatment for bringing in a woman they could do with as they saw fit? Even though Lincoln told me no such things would happen, I didn’t believe it. Not fully. Not yet.
The bed dipped beside me, and my lids opened. Lincoln’s hand covered both of mine, and he whispered, “It’s okay.”
“Fuck,” Marek shouted, making me flinch. “What did they do to her?”
“Unfortunately, this looks all too familiar,” Stone added, a statement I thankfully didn’t understand, and didn’t want to. When I glanced over at the club’s VP, I saw the resemblance between father and son, although Lincoln’s hair was much darker than Stone’s dirty-blond strands. They had the same shape eyes, nose, and mouth, and while Lincoln was clean-shaven, his dad wore a long beard, giving him an edgier, more hardened appearance.
Stone stood off to the side while Marek moved until he stood directly in front of me and extended his hand. “Let me get a look at ya.”
“It’s okay,” Lincoln murmured next to me when I hesitated to stand. How many times did the guy have to assure me no harm would come to me before I believed him?
Looking into his soft brown eyes, I gave him a curt nod before slowly rising from the bed, standing in front of the president of his club like the frightened girl I was.
I trembled like I’d been standing in the cold for too long, my teeth chattering while my muscles twitched.
“I need to inspect you, okay?”
“Why?” Lincoln asked, and I had to admit I was curious as well. Did he need to inspect me to prove I was worthy enough to be in their company? What kinds of things would meet his approval? I didn’t understand anything that was happening, and while I tried to mentally escape my surroundings, every time I glanced over at Lincoln, he brought me right back.
“Because he needs to see what he’s dealing with,” his father answered, leaning casually against the door like this was an everyday occurrence, and for all I knew, it could be.
Marek placed both his hands on my upper arms and pulled me closer, looking into my eyes for what felt like forever. I wasn’t sure what he expected to find behind my stare, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to ask.
“How are you feelin’?” he asked, moving my hair over my shoulders so he could look at my neck.
“Fine.”
“Are you injured?”
Only my
