Tempted (19 page)

I stare ahead of me, numbness taking over.
The pain she must have felt. The fear. And I wasn’t
there.

“She has a dislocated shoulder. They think
that happened from her fighting against the restraints. There are a
few shallow cuts on her body, but those are the least of her
injuries.”

“Can I see her?”

“I’ll try to get you in once they’re done
with her.”

“Thanks. Make sure they put her in a private
room.”

He nods. “Already taken care of.”

I walk back to the others in a daze. Toni and
Chrissy run to me, staring up at me hopefully.

“She’s going to be fine.”

They breathe sighs of relief.

“What happened?” Chrissy asks.

“She was…” I can’t even bring myself to say
it. If I do then it’s like it becomes real. Then again, I need it
to feel that way. I need it to fuel my anger. “She was raped.”

They gasp and hold each other as fresh tears
roll down their cheeks. The boys try to console them, but it’s no
use. I know exactly how they feel.

It’s well after midnight when the doctor
emerges.

“Are you a family member?” He asks me.

“I can’t find her sister. She’s the only
family Raven’s got. Until we do, I’m her family.”

He nods and shoves his hands in his
pockets.

“Without going into specifics, she’ll be
fine. She’ll need time to heal, but there’s no serious, permanent
damage. She’s resting right now.”

“Can I see her?”

He glances around at all our faces and
nods.

“Just for a minute.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

I let the others go in first because I don’t
know how I’ll react when I see her. When they leave, I step into
the room and lose it. Whatever I was holding on to before, to keep
from breaking down, snaps. Seeing her lying there, not moving, her
shoulder bandaged, rips me apart. The sheets hide her other
injuries, but they’re the most prominent ones in my mind. The
tightness in my chest spreads through my entire body. I drop down
into the chair next to her bed and take her hand in mine, bringing
her fingers up to my lips. It’s my fault she’s in this hospital
bed. I just know it. It’s a message. As soon as I find out who sent
it, I’m sending them to Hell. Someone walks into the room, but I
don’t even glance in their direction.

“Sir? Excuse me, but you have to leave
now.”

“I’m not leaving,” I tell the nurse
calmly.

“Sir –”

“I don’t care what you have to do or who you
need to talk to, but I’m not leaving.”

“Sir, please, don’t make me call
security.”

“I’m not leaving.” I repeat.

I don’t care what anyone says. There’s no way
they’re getting me out of this room.

E’s voice comes from the doorway. “It’s okay,
Cindy. I’ll take care of it.”

He places a firm hand on my shoulder. “I’m
not going anywhere, E.”

“Don’t worry. You can stay, but she’ll be out
for the rest of the night. You should get some sleep.”

“I wasn’t there.”

“You can’t blame yourself for this,
brother.”

“Why not? Are you telling me this isn’t some
kind of payback? That someone’s not using her to get to me?”

“We don’t know that.”

“I wasn’t there. That’s not happening again.
Ever.”

Jesus. I feel like I’ve been run over by a
steam roller. Every inch of my body hurts. Even my vagina. What the
hell happened at that party last night? More importantly, why don’t
I remember?

“Babe?”

Ah
…
his
voice
. So
soothing. I open my eyes and come face to face with the most
beautiful man I’ve ever seen. His features are marred by a worried
frown. What’s wrong? He’s still in his suit, which I assume is from
last night, but he’s disheveled. His shirt is crumpled and his tie
is untied and lying around his neck.
Why have I not woken up
naked in his arms?
I look around the room and realize I’m in a
hospital.
What the fuck happened last night?
The ache
between my legs gives me an idea, but he couldn’t possibly have
done that much damage, could he? Before I can ask what happened,
someone enters the room.

“Hunter,” the newcomer says.

Gage clenches his jaw, straightens, and turns
toward the door.

“Renley,” he says through clenched teeth.

“Here we are again,” the sheriff replies.

“Fuck off, Renley. I don’t need your shit
right now.”

“Well, you’re going to get it. I need you to
come with me. We’re taking you in for questioning.”

Questioning? For what?

“What the fuck for? You think
I
did
this?”

Renley approaches my bed and looks down at me
sympathetically.

“Miss Alvarez…do you remember what happened
last night?”

I glance between the two men in confusion. I
think Renley mistakes it for fear.

“I can protect you. Just tell me who did
this.”

Okay. Now I’m even more confused. I need
an explanation.
“Gage?” My voice is barely a whisper. I clear
my throat. Renley looks like he just hit the jackpot. Another man
comes up behind Gage and starts to read him his rights. Panic takes
over. “Gage?”

“She’s crying out for me, you idiots!” He
shouts.

“Stop…please,” I beg.

No one is listening to me. Gage is in
handcuffs. I’m in a hospital bed feeling like shit, and I’m drawing
a complete blank on yesterday’s details. It was yesterday, right? I
mean…I don’t know how long I’ve been in here. No, it was. Renley
said it was last night. I want to scream out that Gage didn’t do
anything wrong, but the look in the sheriff’s eyes stops me. I also
realize that parts of my body are bandaged. This is about more than
just sex. That’s not how I landed in this bed.

“You’re not getting away this time, Hunter.
I’ve got a witness. I got you, motherfucker,” Renley says with a
cocky grin.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I watch them
drag Gage away. My heart tells me that there’s no way he hurt me,
but my mind battles with the word “witness”. Someone saw something.
My heart shatters into a million tiny shards. I trusted him.

How could he do this to me?

To be continued....

***Claimed, book 3, coming
soon!***

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please take
a moment to leave a review at your favorite retailer. Thank
you!

~~~~Alana~~~
~

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Tempted

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Music and writing are my
two great loves. I always thought I'd be doing one or the other.
Alas, I cannot sing or play an instrument so I'm relegated to
listening to music (and eating copious amounts of chocolate) while
I write. Hoping you’ll enjoy my characters as much as I
do!