Spent - Part Two (Bad Boy Fighter Book 2) by Elise Holland Page B

hit me and why?  
    My fingertips touch my jaw. It burns and feels swollen against my touch. The taste of blood fills my mouth. He hurt me and left me bleeding. His dark, crazy eyes stared into mine as he ripped at my clothes, intended on having his way with me.
    Who was he?  
    I try to remember. All I see is those crazy eyes staring back at me. They’re not Luke’s beautiful hazel eyes. These are darker, filled with rage and mania. I know these eyes, but it’s so hard to remember. My head begins to throb even more. Slowly, I begin to feel other pain throughout my body. Pain floods through me as eyes lit aflame with insanity stare at me, laughing at my pain. I try to scream, but my jaw doesn’t move.
    As I stare at the eyes, his image becomes clearer. His bald head glistens against the dim lighting of my dream world. A large, muscular frame comes into shape through the haze. I see him and I know him. My body becomes consumed with pain, but I know who he is. I try to scream his name so the whole world knows who did this to me, but no sound comes out. All I do is stare at him as he stares back, laughing at me as I lie on the ground in pain.
    Derrick…
    ***
    My eyes slowly open. They hurt so bad, that I can barely see, but I can vaguely make out the sterile white room that I’m lying in. All I feel is pain, everywhere. I try to open my mouth, but the pain is too much that I nearly doze off again. I force myself to stay awake. There’s no way I’m going back to that place with Derrick laughing at me.
    I fight my own body to stay away. The pain tries to overwhelm me, but I fight it. I need to know where I’m at. Noises beep behind me. I try to turn around to see what the noises are, but a pain shoots through my back. A moan slips past my dry throat. My jaw hurts, but I can finally move it some. Regardless of how small the success, moving my jaw gives me the fuel I need to try to move my head to the other side to see what’s behind me.
    Slowly, I tilt my head. It feels like I haven’t moved in a week. My neck is so stiff that my head feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. Still, I have to move. I need to know where Derrick has taken me. I need to know where I’m at. I need to know if Luke is okay.
    Hospital monitors fill my hazy vision as my head slowly shifts to the other side. The monitors are attached to me, reading my vitals. I have no idea what they say, but it would appear that I’m alive and not in some kind of hell. Copper hair catches my eye.
    Luke and Vince are sitting beside one another on a couch, both slouched over. Fear fills me for a second as the thought that maybe Derrick hurt them invades my senses. When I see Luke’s chest rise up and down, I let out a ragged breath of relief. They both appear to be asleep.
    I try to open my mouth, but nothing happens. My jaw doesn’t seem to know how to work anymore. Even though I’m trying to fight it, I’m feeling tired again. I try to focus on Luke to stay awake.
    He looks like he did the day I saw him at the arena. He’s thin again and looks ragged. It looks like he hasn’t slept in days, despite the fact that he’s sleeping now. When I get my voice, I’m going to chew him out for not eating properly. Even though he looks weary and broken, he’s still the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. I try once again to open my mouth and speak, but only a moan comes out.
    Vince stirs in his seat. His eyes lazily open. Excitement shoots through my limbs. I try to say something to him, but only another unintelligible sound   comes out. Vince stares at me for a moment, as if he too doesn’t know where he’s at. Suddenly, his eyes widen in astonishment as he leaps up and rushes to my side.
    “Natasha,” he whispers, his large hand gently touching my hand as he kneels down beside me, “Can you hear me, baby girl?”  
    I slowly nod my head as tears fill my eyes. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would be this happy over seeing my stepdad. He and