Forge laughed.
Romy dropped her hand and Beth saw the frown cross her face as she looked at Blade. Whatever Forge had done had made the other woman nervous.
“Let me put this in a way you understand, give me my woman, and you may be able to save some of your money,” Forge said.
“Nice bluff.”
Forge cleared his throat. “You’re so predictable, Blade. While we’re having this nice little chat, I’ve got a kid on my team—he likes to play with fire—and well, we took out the women and men counting your cash, and he set fire to the room.”
The scent of smoke wafted toward them, and within the next second, Blade had thrown her to the ground and started to march back into his clubhouse.
Beth screamed as gunshots rang out. She was snatched from the ground. More shots rang out as she was pulled in a different direction.
“Hold me,” Forge said.
With his men guarding him, shooting at Blade’s men, Forge had captured her and now she was back on his bike.
Wrapping her arms around him, she pressed her cheek against his back, counting to ten in an effort to calm herself down. She wasn’t dead. She was very much alive, but right now, she felt shallow, broken, shattered.
All her fantasies and daydreams were gone. She was nothing.
They rode all the way back to the clubhouse. She didn’t admire the scenery or allow herself to feel happy.
No one really wanted her. She was useless. A fat waste of space.
They entered Forge’s clubhouse and she climbed off the bike. She watched, amazed as with the last bike came in, the gates were locked, and she noticed the men guarding the gates.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand.
She walked with him, not fighting, even as her body protested.
One of the men had also taken Romy. Her hands were bound and she fought against the men.
“Let me go. Tell them, Beth. Tell them how I stopped them from hurting you.”
Beth couldn’t believe her ears.
Forge walked up to Romy and Beth gasped as he backhanded her. Romy fell to the floor, cupping her face as best she could with her bound hands. “You won’t even look at her. You don’t get to fucking speak to my woman.” He walked back toward her. “Come on.”
This was all too much for her to handle right now. Beth didn’t know how she was able to keep on walking but she did. She walked all the way up to Forge’s bedroom. He pulled her into his arms.
“I’m going to get a doctor, okay? I want you to stay here.”
She nodded. There was no need for words. She pressed her lips together and he reached out, putting a finger beneath her chin.
“Don’t be scared. I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to you again.”
“You can’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Believe me, Beth, I will keep this one.”
She didn’t want to anger him.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she put her hands on her knees. They were dirty. All of her was dirty.
“Did they touch you?” Forge asked.
“No, not like that. They wouldn’t touch a person like me. I’m too fat.” She stared at the door, waiting. She hadn’t felt this way since she’d before she’d been with Forge.
No matter what, her father had always been right, and she was always going to leave Forge wanting.
****
It didn’t take a genius to know Blade and Romy had fucked with Beth’s mind. The doctor had given her the all-clear. Checked her nose, which wasn’t broken, and there weren’t any other signs of problems.
Nothing.
Beth had stayed in her room. She didn’t eat. She didn’t talk. She didn’t even read, or lay on the bed, daydreaming.
He often found her near the window, looking out, doing absolutely nothing. When he got to bed, she’d be curled so far against the edge, he knew it was uncomfortable. He always waited for her to fall asleep before pulling her into his arms.
He’d saved her three days ago. The clubhouse was still on lockdown. Any of the boys with family had brought them to keep them safe. It was a stupid plan, to let Blade live, but he needed to get him away from Beth. When the time was right, he’d kill Blade and mount his head on the fucking wall for safekeeping. Until then, he had to keep his shit together and his club safe. The only way to do that was to have them all in one place.
He watched as Dog brought down yet another full plate of food. She’d drank the juice and some water, but ate no food.
“Did she say anything to you?” he asked.
“Nothing. She stood still at the window. You sure they didn’t rape her?”
“Yes, she would have told me. Romy even said they didn’t touch her.” Forge ran a hand down his face, trying to clear the fog from his mind. This was all fucking shit. Bigger than shit.
“She’s hurting, Forge.”
“I can see that.”
“We’ve got Romy chained up, and the boys are watching the perimeter. You’re not needed here, but any more of this, she’s going to die. Starving herself is not the answer. Go and talk to her,” Dog said.
“Since when have you been the voice of fucking reason?”
“Look, I don’t get why she has this hold on you, I don’t. I don’t think any pussy is worth risking the club, but she’s under your skin, whether you like it or not.” Dog shrugged. “If something happens to her, I know you won’t be able to stand it. Now rather than us fight and shoot the shit, go and talk to her. Find out what’s wrong because I know the
