Skin Walkers: Gauge (7 page)

Ella lifted her chin defiantly, a fire igniting in her dove-gray eyes.  “She’s mine.”  She watched as Gauge’s nostrils flared and knew he scented the lie when his lips thinned and the muscle at the side of his jaw worked.  He was lying to her and she was lying to him and they were both doing it because they
both had something to protect.

His eyes glinted dangerously and she knew
then that he was aware of her calling him out.  If he expected the truth from her, then he’d better be willing to reciprocate.  She fought a smile, knowing he couldn’t reveal his secret any more than she could reveal her own.

“Fine,” he gritted out, watching her drink her glass of wine with an air of self-satisfaction.  “Have it your way, Ms. Garret.”  He stood and held out his hand, indicating the end of their meeting. 

YES!
  Mentally, Ella fist punched the air in victory.  That’d teach him to corner a desperate woman!

Exiting the Crow’s Nest, she pulled her cell from her purse.

“What are you doing?” he ground out angrily.

“
Making a call,” she didn’t get to finish her explanation as Stoney picked up.

“What up, El?”

“Hey, I’m just getting ready to leave StoneCrow.  Would you mind keeping Alysa for me until the morning?  I know you said you had an appointment in town early.  Can you just bring her home when you come in?”

“Uhh, sure!  Why?”  The bored tone of Stoney’s voice turned giddy, “
Oh
please
tell me you sex-sirened it up and are about to get proper fucked.”

Ella’s cheeks flamed.  She knew with his Walker hearing that he’d heard Stoney’s words.”

“No,” Ella rushed on in a quieter tone.  “Can you keep her or not?  She’s with Conn and Aries Drago.  You’ll need to go pick her up.”

“Absolutely,” Stoney was still smiling.  “Enjoy your night”
she teased.

Ella quickly hung up and peeked up at Gauge.  He was frowning as they waited for the elevator.

“I thought you couldn’t leave her with strangers,” he ground out accusatorily.

“Stoney’s not a stranger.  She’s like my sister, Alysa’s aunt.  Besides, I would never drink and drive with her.”

That caught Gauge’s attention.  He turned to study her.  “Are you drunk?”

“No, but I won’t take the chance with Alysa.”

Concern knitted his brows, “Maybe you should stay.”

Unsure if it was her delight at having won their battle of wills or the amount of wine she’d consumed, but Ella couldn’t stop the, “Is that an invitation?” 

The second the words were out, she covered her mouth with a hand and shook her head as she cringed inwardly.  
What is wrong with me!

Gauge wasn’t entertained.  “You could stay in one of the suites.  I can have it arranged.”

She was thankful he’d chosen to ignore her words, even if his obvious rejection did sting a little. 

“No.  Thank you,” she tacked on quickly.  “I’m fine.  Alysa will be safe with Stoney and I’m good to drive.”

The statement didn’t keep Gauge from shifting and ghosting her car back to the city to ensure her safe arrival.

Chapter 11

Sitting behind his desk, Gauge frowned at the clock that hung on the wall.  Ella was late.  It was a first, and it had him wondering if it wasn’t a direct result of their conversation the previous night.  Silently cursing himself, he swallowed down the fear that she’d quit.  He shook his head.  Ella was anything but a coward, she wouldn’t simply quit.

He felt the familiar mental nudge indicating that a fellow Walker was attempting to contact him through the mist.  He permitted the connection.

“Gauge, its Aries Drago.  You need to come to Ella’s
motel immediately!”

The fear in the woman’s tone had him springing from his chair even as he queried,
“What is it?  Is she alright?”

He didn’t bother snatching his suit coat.  Striding quickly to the French doors that led out to a balcony that overlooked the estate, he shoved the doors open and vaulted himself over the rail, shifting to
falcon form as he fell.  Aries’ response hit him with the updraft that sent him soaring toward the town of Great Falls.

“No!  She’s not alright.  Get her
e fast!”

***

Gauge stormed into Ella’s motel room with Conn Drago following close behind.  The Commander had joined him mid-flight, no doubt sensing his own angel’s distress. 

They entered the
room without knocking, their senses on high alert.  As soon as Gauge took one step into the room, he scented Ella’s pain.  It was overwhelming in its strength, and had his adrenaline racing.  Something, someone had hurt her, and he needed to get to her. 

It was easy to follow the scent to the back
of the room where Aries exited a room and met them in the hall.  Angry tears filled the woman’s eyes as they by-passed Gauge and locked on her mate.  “Stoney was supposed to bring Alysa home, but asked if I’d do it for her because she was heading back home for some sort of family emergency.”  She abruptly ended her explanation, “Someone hurt her!”  She rushed to crush herself in her mate’s embrace. “She won’t talk in front of the child.  She wanted me to leave; she asked me to take Alysa and
hide
her!”

Gauge didn’t slow, he hear
d Aries’ words as he entered the bedroom to find little Alysa sitting on the bed next to her mother quietly brushing her doll’s golden hair.  As Gauge’s gaze slid to Ella he barely caught the sharp tinge of embarrassment that was overwhelmed by the thick cloud of pain that suffused the room.  It was suffocating.  Whatever was wrong with Ella, it was serious.

“Hey
, Alysa,” Conn spoke gently to the child from somewhere behind Gauge.  Alysa lifted her eyes to the two large men and excitement filled her eyes, “Gauge!”  She dropped her doll and held her arms up. 

Gauge crossed quickly to pick her up, “Hey,
pretty girl,” he addressed her but kept his eyes pinned on Ella.  He pecked a kiss on Alysa’s forehead. 

“Do you wanna come
and play with Wynter?” Aries asked behind Gauge.  When Alysa squealed with delight, Gauge turned and handed the child off. 

***

Ella kept her eyes on Gauge as he turned and stared down at her intently.  She could see him trying to read her expression.  She licked her parched lips before shifting her eyes to Alysa.  Gauge noted that Ella moved her eyes only, not her head, and for the first time since he’d known her she didn’t reach for the child when she spoke to her.

“Baby, you
go play with Wynter okay?  Be good.”

“Do you wanna kiss your mom good-bye?” 
Aries came close and was bending with the child when Ella made to sit up.  It was a mistake. 

She
winced and inhaled sharply against the pain that stole through her before she fell back against the pillow and attempted unsuccessfully to restrain a whimper.  Her eyes slammed shut as she fought to suck back the tears that sprang forth.  She didn’t want to scare Alysa. 

Conn stepped forward and pulled Aries back
.  “Get her out of here,” he ordered quietly. 

“Hey
, baby,” Aries spoke excitedly as he turned and left the room, “let’s go play.  Would you like that?  Then later we can have hot chocolate.”

Alone with Gauge
and Conn, Ella kept her eyes shut.  She was fighting for control and didn’t want to face the confrontation she knew was coming until she had regained some semblance of composure.  Several slow, deep, breaths helped to ease the pain that radiated through her body.

Gauge stared down at her slight frame as i
t trembled under the blanket.  He watched as she fought the quiver in her full pink lips.  Her hair was fanned out around her shoulders.  The deep chestnut waves made her seem younger, more fragile. 

“Get up!”
he ground out.  “We’re going to the infirmary.”

Ella’s eyes eased open and she lay staring straight up at the ceiling.  “I can’t.”

“You can, and you will,” Gauge bit out angrily as he grabbed the blanket that covered her and yanked it down, stilling at the sight that met him.

Ella didn’t need to look at his face to know his expression would be on
e of horror.  The white lace panties and matching camisole she wore exposed the trauma that she’d hoped to keep hidden.  Her left ankle was swollen and the purple bruising that encircled the soft ball sized sprain, didn’t just stop at her ankle.  All the way up the length of her slender calf, over her thigh, and up to the round of her left hip her skin was severely bruised.  It wasn’t blue, it wasn’t purple.  Her delicate creamy skin was marred by the stark black declaration of trauma.  The hem of her camisole was hiked up enough to reveal that the bruise carried up her ribs before it disappeared under the white satin.  Ella’s shoulder too was black all the way down to her elbow and onto her swollen wrist that lay limply across her abdomen, previously hidden from view under the blanket that had covered her.

At first Gauge didn’t speak
.  After several moments, Ella shifted her gray eyes from the ceiling to his face.  His complexion was ashen and for the first time since she’d met him, Gauge Alexander was speechless.

She watched his throat convulse as he swallowed
hard. 

Gauge
knew now that Ella wasn’t refusing to get up, she simply couldn’t.  He drew in a deep breath trying to control the rage that slowly enveloped him as he ground out in a nearly unrecognizable growl.  “Who did this?”

“I fell.”

His eyes slashed to hers.  He couldn’t smell the lie over the scent of her pain as it engulfed the room, but he didn’t need to.  No fall could have done this. 

“
Who
in the fuck did this?” His growl was even deeper now.

Ella swallowed as her throat thickened with emotion.  “I
-I fell, Mr. Alexander.”

She watched as he shoved an
angry hand into his short blond hair and cursed under his breath. 

“You’re going to the infirmary.”  He bent and slid his hands under her
and tried to lift her.  He didn’t get far. 

As he moved to stand and Ella’s body bent, she sucked in a sharp breath. 
“Gauge, STOP!”

It was the first time she’d ever called him by his first name, and the sound of
it on her tongue sent an involuntary shudder through him even as his nostrils flared and he took in the scent of her escalated pain.  Hell, he didn’t think it was possible for her to hurt more than she already did, and had no idea how she kept from crying out.

Gauge eased her back onto the bed and growled to
ward the wall, “Get here now!”

Ella knew he was communicating through the Walker
mist. 

Behind Gauge, Conn stepped forward.  “I’ve already contacted Jenny
; she’s on her way and bringing a team.”

The room fell into a tense silence and it felt like hours passed before Conn turned and rushed out of the room, “They’re here!”

Gauge didn’t stop his pacing when Jenny rushed into the bedroom.  Shock clouded her expression as she stared, immobile, down at Ella’s battered body. 

“Jenny!” Gauge prodded impatiently.

Jenny clamped her mouth closed and crossed to the bed before dropping to a knee next to the bed and placing her fingers gently on Ella’s throat.  With one hand on the steady rhythm she found there, her eyes dropped to her upraised wrist watch. Jenny didn’t even address Ella before she pulled her hand back and rolled up the hem of Ella’s camisole, her eyes flitting over Ella’s body in a quick scan before she placed a hand on Ella’s rib cage. 

Ella sucked in a harsh breath and
whimpered, “
Don’t!
”

Jenny’s lips pursed in displeasure and she stood
to eye Gauge.  “We need a gurney, she can’t be carried in this condition and she certainly isn’t walking.” 

Jenny fell silent
and her stare went through Gauge.  She was summoning what they needed.  Finally she blinked and pulled Gauge further from the bed as they waited for help, but Ella could still hear her words.  “I’m guessing she’s got broken ribs and God only knows what other internal damage we’re dealing with.”  Jenny’s eyes skipped to Ella’s ankle then back to Gauge.  “That ankle looks broken, and I’m pretty sure her wrist is too.”  Jenny shook her head, “What in the hell happened to her Gauge?  Who did this?”

Gauge sneered in Ella’s direction before growling, “She claims to have fallen.”

Jenny’s eyes rounded, “Off what?  The Empire State Building!  Those wounds didn’t come from a fall.  Someone did this to her and whoever it was, they weren’t pulling their punches.”

Ella winced at the sound of Gauge’s teeth grinding.

“Where’s the child?”  Jenny was scanning the room.

“
Aries has taken her back to StoneCrow.”

Their conversation was interrupted when
Legion and King entered, “Monroe sent us behind you,” King offered by way of explanation. “We’ve got a transport vehicle.  He held a long bright orange spine board in one hand. 

“
Legion, help me roll her,” Jenny ordered, “Once we get her on her side King, just slide the board underneath.”

“I’ll do it
,” Gauge barked.

Before he got a chance to take the spine board from
King, Jenny turned and shoved him hard in the chest.  “You just stay back.  You’re too damn angry, and she can’t afford any mistakes here.”

Gauge gritted his teeth and ground out, “I wouldn’t fucking hurt her!”

“Wrong,” Jenny countered, “you wouldn’t
mean
to hurt her.”  Then Jenny turned her back on him and continued barking orders to Legion and King.

Seconds before they had Ella rolled onto to the board Gauge could’ve sworn that Jenny, Legion, and King all tensed for the briefest of moments. 
When he scented their combined rage he knew that something more was wrong.

“What is it?” h
e bit out. 

Jenny ignored him as she finished strapping Ella to the
board.  Legion held the foot of the spine board, while King held the head. 

“Jenny,” Ella whispered, “I don’t want to be seen like this.”

“Hand me that blanket.”  Jenny snapped her fingers at Gauge and pointed at the blanket he’d yanked from Ella earlier and tossed carelessly onto a chair. 

The fact
that Jenny was ignoring him didn’t go unnoticed and after he retrieved the blanket he held it out to her but refused to let go when she yanked on it.  “What’s wrong?”

“Not know
, Gauge.”  This time when she yanked on the blanket, he let it go.

As Ella was carried from her
room, Gauge could scent her utter mortification.  She was humiliated by the display she was creating.  He’d always known she was a deeply private person, but he’d had no idea the extent of her unassuming demeanor until now.  Even enduring the most excruciating pain he’d ever scented on a female, she was more embarrassed than anything else.  The revelation simultaneously enraged him and endeared her to him.