Saylor Chapter 7

Tonight had gone from great to okay to terrible. The only thing to make it change to only okay was Player and his arrival with the club bunny. Even after they left, I couldn't fully get back into the groove. I kept thinking about him and imagining what the two of them were doing together. All I kept seeing were visions of him in bed with a beautiful, sexy woman. A woman who looked nothing like me. My enjoyment waned, but I worked not to let the ladies see it. I laughed, danced, and even drank a couple of drinks. I had fun, just not as much as if he'd been there without her.

When they said they were ready to go, I was relieved and jumped at the chance to leave. Joc, Devyn, and Tarin drove me home. They insisted since they brought me that they had to be good dates and return me to my door. We laughed all the way to the car on that one. The only difference for the return trip was we had an escort. Demon, Outlaw, and Ace followed us on their bikes. They stayed back and allowed the women to walk me to the door and hug me goodnight. They did yell goodbyes, though. After saying it back and waving, I'd gone inside with a smile on my face. That's when it turned terrible. Thinking about it made me shiver.

"Are you okay, Saylor?" Zara asked.

She had finished up her examination of my naked body. My clothes had been removed. She was nice enough to wash off the majority of the blood and cover me in a hospital gown. I appreciated everything she was doing for me. It was strange to have someone to rely on other than Freya and myself, but it was weird in a wonderful way.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about tonight. Not the way I expected it to end."

"That's for damn sure. I didn't find anything more than an array of bruises. You're going to be sore and in pain for a while. Those two wounds, keep them covered. I'll change them daily to be sure they're healing. When you want a shower, I can give you waterproof dressings to cover them with. I'm going to prescribe you a course of antibiotics, too. Knife wounds are notorious for being dirty and causing infections. Are you allergic to any meds?"

"Just penicillin."

"I'll give you a cephalosporin then. For this type of wound, let's make it Keflex. Five hundred milligrams three times a day for five days. I'll watch you after the first dose, just in case you react to it."

"I've had it before, and I had no problems."

"Good. Then I feel better giving it to you. Also, I'll give you a few days' worth of pain meds. I'll give you Norco. It's five milligrams of hydrocodone with three hundred twenty-five milligrams of Tylenol. You can take it every four to six hours. Tell me if you find it doesn't help the pain, and I'll change it."

"I'm sure it will, but if I can, I'd prefer to stick to Tylenol and Motrin, if that's alright. I find narcotics aren't something I want to take. I had more than enough of those when I was blown up and shot."

"Ah, I get it. Well, you can take Tylenol. Just make sure you don't take more than three thousand milligrams every twenty-four hours. As for Motrin, no more than twenty-four hundred milligrams total. You can alternate them or even take them together. Here, take a dose of them right now. I'll get someone to run and get your antibiotic filled as soon as the pharmacy opens."

She placed the pills in one hand and in my other a glass of water. I swallowed them quickly, then drank the rest of the water. I was so thirsty. Seeing me inhale it, she refilled the cup for me. As I was drinking the second one, she sighed.

"You know what's next. They're out there in the hall chomping at the bit to question you so they can find who did this. Are you ready for that? If not, I'll tell them you're too hurt right now to do it."

Her offer was tempting, but ultimately, I decided to get it over with. I didn't know what they thought they could do to find him or what they planned to do if they did, but I was too tired to care.

"Let them in. I want to get this out before I forget something. However, I have no idea what they can do. We should've called the police and let them take care of this. Maybe there are fingerprints on the knife, and he's in the system. If he served in the military or has been in jail, he'll come up."

"I'll say this, and then the rest is up to the guys to tell you if they choose. This club takes care of people. You know about the Haven. They don't sit back and let people get hurt if they can help. In your case, you're our friend. They will doubly make sure it doesn't happen again. Whatever it takes to make that happen, they'll do. Now, enough talk about that. I'm about to let them in. Brace yourself," she said with a chuckle.

I heard the door open and then the thunder of booted feet. I was sitting up on the exam table. A sheet covered my flimsy hospital gown. At least it gave me a better sense of modesty. I felt them surround the bed. I could make out a wall of dark, blurred shapes due to the bright lighting. I had no idea how many or who was here. I waited.

"Saylor, we hate to do this to you, but we need you to walk us through tonight. What happened when you went home? I swear, we'll let you rest as soon as you do. You're safe here," Bull said kindly.

"I know we need to do it now and that I'm safe. I want to get it over with. Okay, here goes. After the girls saw me inside, I locked the door and went to find Freya. She didn't come when I called, but I wasn't concerned. She had been pouting when I left."

"Pouting?" Tank asked.

"Yeah, she was upset that I left her at home. She doesn't like it, and when it happens, which isn't often, she'll pout and ignore me for a while. I figured she was still doing it. I checked her usual spots in the living room and kitchen. She wasn't in either, so I knew she had to be in my bedroom, so I went there. I barely entered the room when I heard her whimper. I was headed toward where I heard her when I was grabbed from behind. A man started almost berating me. She was barking, but it was weak. I knew something was wrong. Otherwise, she'd be eating him alive." I paused to take a breath as I recalled it.

"Take your time. If you need to stop and take a break, then do," Bull offered.

"I'm okay. It's just hitting me what happened."

"You said he was berating you. Tell us what he said, but before you do, did you recognize his voice or anything that might tell us who he is?" Demon asked.

"No, I didn't recognize him. His voice was raspy. I don't know if it normally is or if he was trying to disguise it. He smelled of sweat and motor oil, of all things. You know what you smell like after you change the oil in your car and you get some on you. He smelled like that. From the way he held me, I'd say he was approximately six-foot to six-foot-one. He was stockily built. I have no idea his ethnicity, hair, or eye color, of course, but I do know he had a mustache, and his hair was longer, to the top of his shoulders, and it was greasy."

I knew they were probably surprised at the details I was giving them, but when you lost one sense, you learned to use the remaining ones better. It might not help identify him, but it would help rule out guys.

"What did he say?" Vex asked.

"That's what was weird. He talked like he wasn't there for personal reasons. He said things that made me think he was there for someone else."

"You mean like someone sent him," Player said.

"Yes. He said that it was all my fault for causing trouble in the first place. I should've minded my own business. That he, the one who sent him, wanted me to pay. I kept fighting to get away from him while he rambled on. He was strong. No matter how I tried to get away, he prevented it. Eventually, he dragged me to the bed and got me down with my face buried in the mattress, pushing my face into it so I couldn't breathe. He was on top of me when I noticed—" I stopped cold. This next part made me ill just to think about it.

"Babe, I know this is hard for you. You're doing so good. I'm proud of you. Look at all that you told us about him. You can do this."

That voice and those words bolstered me to go on. The most shocking part of it was that it was Player who said them. My hand was picked up, held, and squeezed. I knew by the touch it was him. It was crazy that I felt such a connection to him when we'd barely spent time together, and when we did, much of it was at odds with each other. Bringing my Marine self closer to the forefront, I dove into the rest. All I had to do was pretend it was someone else who lived it, not me.

"I noticed that the fighting must've been exciting him. He was hard. He began pressing himself into me and laughing. Then he got darker with his talk and went into more detail." I paused again, but this time, it wasn't due to me. It was the guys. Rumbles of anger came out of them when I told them he got excited. The worst sounded like it came from Player. When they quieted, I continued. Now that I got going, I needed to pour it out. Purge the poison, so to speak.

"He told me that he was there to kill me, but the boss hadn't told him he couldn't have fun while he did it. He started rubbing himself all over the back of me. I was close to fainting because of how he kept pushing my face into the mattress. I couldn't get enough air. He told me in detail all the things he was going to do to me before he killed me. And then he told me what he was looking forward to doing to me after he killed me. This guy was sick. If he does what he said he would, he's into necrophilia." The thought made me gag. The Warriors were swearing and muttering at this sick revelation.

"Jesus Christ!" Vex swore.

"Sick motherfucker," Player snarled. There were more remarks, but I had to keep going.

"How in the hell did you get away from him?" Payne asked.

I knew from their muttering that I had Vex, Player, Payne, Tank, Bull, and Demon in my room. I should've felt uncomfortable with all of them, but I wasn't. Even if Zara wasn't in the room, I knew I wouldn't be uneasy. I trusted them.

"He discounted Freya. He thought he'd hurt her enough she wouldn't be a problem. He was wrong. She dragged herself to the bed and lunged up on it somehow. She latched onto him. I have no idea where she got him. He screamed and was striking out at her. In the struggle, he moved off me, and I was able to move. I heard her yip in pain.

"I was almost off the bed and to my nightstand when I felt the first stab. He got me with a knife in my hip. He followed up immediately with the one to my thigh. God, they burned like fire. I think they might hurt worse than being shot. Freya distracted him again. While he was, I got my hand down the back of my jeans and got out my knife. I thrust it out to where I thought he was. I got lucky and scored. Again, I have no idea where I got him. He was screaming curses at me and vowing to kill me right then."

"Then why did he leave without doing it? Did something spook him?" Bull asked.

I had to laugh, even though it wasn't a laughing matter. "I guess you could say that. After I stabbed him, I got to my nightstand and my gun. The way he shouted, I'm pretty damn sure I scored a hit with it too. Right after I fired my gun, I heard him stumbling around, and then bam, he was gone. I was terrified he was still in the house, trying to trick me. I crawled on the bed and found Freya. That's when I called Vex, and I stayed there holding onto my gun in case he returned, trying to staunch her bleeding until you came."

"You stabbed and shot him! Goddamn, you're a Warrior woman for sure. That's it. I have your nickname," Player said out of nowhere.

"Oh really, what?" I asked, thinking he was trying to lighten the mood.

"You're Juno. She was a goddess and queen of heaven. You might better know her as Hera, wife of Zeus. She was seen as a warrior and protectress. Damn, you're incredible," he explained.

I was shocked. Not only that he'd think of such a thing, but he'd hit on one of my favorite literary genres. I loved reading about all the different mythologies around the world. It was no insult to be compared to Juno. I spouted out another fact he might not know. "She's also the goddess of birth, women, marriage, and light according to mythology."

"I think I remember reading that. Christ, I hate you went through all that, but I would've paid to see him getting his ass handed to him by you and Freya," Player said as he chuckled.

The others were all muttering about us being book nuts, but I ignored them. I was stunned to find out Player, of all people, liked to read. However, this wasn't the time to talk about it. I smiled but didn't say anything. Vex jumped in.

"You didn't have a gun when we got there."

"I shoved it between the mattress and headboard when I heard you coming into the house. You yelled out that it was you, remember? I didn't want to make anyone nervous by finding themselves on the wrong end of a gun in the hands of a blind woman. Not the way to greet your saviors. At least I know all that blood you saw isn't all ours. It would be too much luck to find he crawled off and died somewhere. He deserves to die in agony," I muttered angrily.

"We need to do a search, just in case he did. Also, Zara can speak to some of her friends at the hospital to see if a man who was shot, bit, and stabbed came in. It's unlikely he'd go there because they're required to report GSWs—gunshot wounds—but we should cover all bases. If it's a bust at the hospital, then we'll check with anyone local who might give him medical attention, including vets like Dr. Wolf. If none of those pan out, I'm not sure where to go next. Unless you have an idea who he was referring to when he mentioned his boss," Tank blurted out.

There was a pregnant pause when he finished. I could feel all of their eyes drilling into me. Instantly, a name came to mind, but there was no way it could be him. He was where he couldn't hurt anyone ever again. No, it had to be someone else, or the guy was deranged, and the "he" and boss he kept talking about was himself. Grasping that idea, I ran with it.

"I think he was talking about himself. In his crazy head, he was referring to himself in the third person. I mean, seriously, if the man likes to have sex with dead bodies, he isn't sane. Has there been any reports around the area of something like that happening? I bet if it did, the cops would keep it quiet. Imagine the panic it would cause."

They were so quiet I almost pretended they left. Finally, Bull spoke up. "Saylor, is there anyone in your past, an old boyfriend or lover, who might be upset with you? You know, because you dumped him, and he wasn't happy about it. Anyone like that?"

I was shaking my head even before he finished. "There hasn't been anyone for a while in my life, and the last one, believe me, he was the dumper, not the dumped. He has no reason to do something like this."

"Just to be sure, though, we need to know his name. That would be a good idea for anyone else you've gone on a date with or slept with. I'm not trying to pry. No one will judge you either. If you want, you can tell me in private. The only ones who'll know are Outlaw and me. He has to since he'll be the one doing the background check and digging into them," Bull said cautiously.

Now, I could wait and tell him this in private. It would prevent me from being embarrassed, but for a whole different reason than he would think. A part of my female pride told me to do it that way, but on the other hand, it wasn't my failing, or at least I didn't believe it was.

"How far back do you want to go?" I asked, delaying.

"How about the past five years?" Tank chimed in.

"Five years. Hmm, you got something to write with?"

"I do," Bull stated.

"Jonas Haggard. The last I knew, he was living in Virginia, but I have no idea if he still is."

"Is there anything else you can tell us? His age, maybe?" Demon asked.

"Sure, he's thirty-three, and if you want, I can give you his birthdate and social security number."

"You know all that?" Bull asked, sounding surprised.

"I don't know about you guys, but it's hard to forget someone you lived with for four years and who you were married to."

"You were married?" Player exclaimed.

"I was. Although I highly doubt Jonas did this. He was so happy when the divorce happened that he could hardly contain himself."

"Why the fuck would he divorce you?" Player growled.

"Not a lot of men want to be saddled with a disabled partner. I was no longer the woman he married. However, I don't know why he was making such a big deal out of it. After all, even when I could see, he didn't care enough to keep it in his pants and not cheat on me. Unfortunately, I had that part confirmed after I went blind. He just beat me to filing for the divorce," I admitted.

Recalling all of that not only hurt but also angered me. While I was off fighting for our country, trying not to get killed, he was back in the States, sticking his cock in anyone and everyone while lying to me, saying he loved me every time we spoke or were together.

"That fucking bastard," Player snarled.

"He served you with divorce papers while you were in the hospital recovering, didn't he?" Vex asked gruffly.

I forgot he might know some of the story from when I trained with Freya the second time. "Yes, he did. It was actually the highlight of my stay. My only regret was he beat me to it. I so wanted to file first. Oh well, that's life. Anything else?"

"Um, yeah, who else since him?" Bull asked.

"I've had a few dinner dates, but that's all. I highly doubt any of them would do this, and they were a while ago. I don't believe I can tell you their names. A blind woman isn't high on the dating preference list unless you're one of those guys with a fetish. Met a few of those. No, thank you."

"Fetish? Do you honestly think the only men who would be interested in you must have a fetish?" Payne asked.

"I didn't say every man, but the vast majority I've had asking me out, yes. The things they said made it obvious. Now, I'm tired. Do you think it would be possible for me to get some sleep? I need to rest and then tackle my to-do list. Oh, if you would, please make sure if Dr. Wolf calls that you'll tell me right away," I demanded of Player.

"He will. Yeah, you should get some rest. Don't worry about a thing. We'll be here if you need anything. Fellas, let's leave her to sleep. We've got stuff to talk about," Bull ordered them.

They each told me goodbye. The last two were Vex and Player. I fooled myself into thinking that Player was reluctant to leave by the way he held onto my hand. It was Bull saying his name that got him to drop it. As soon as they left, I slumped on the bed.

"You poor thing. Having them probing into your life after telling them about that awful man. Go to sleep. One of the prospects will be stationed outside the door if you need something. Just yell for them. If it's not one of them, it'll be one of us. Try to get some rest," Zara told me. She patted my hand.

I was too tired to thank her, so I gave her a weak smile and nodded. I heard the door click shut as she left. I let my eyelids droop as I worked to push all the terrible stuff of the past several hours out of my head. I needed to get back on my feet as soon as possible so I could take care of Freya and get my house situated. I'd need more security and a cleaning crew to fix it up so it was livable.