Chapter Eight

Raptor

GETTING DEVIL'S CALL about Genesis being missing brought my heart to an immediate stop before it started beating painfully hard and fast in my chest. Vault and Ghost went with me to take care of the dealers that hang around outside of Genesis' apartment. We beat the hell out of them when they told us they weren't going to go anywhere and that they plan on fucking Genesis and making her one of their whores. It will never happen. I might have lost my shit and went into a rage fueled haze where I didn't realize I had beaten a guy almost to death. Vault and Ghost had to pull me back before I did something I couldn't come back from. Anyway, they were right at my side when I got the call and quickly told them what was going on. We rushed to Enchantment as quickly as possible without even a second of hesitation. Genesis is more than an employee of the club and the guys are coming to realize it the same time as Devil and I are.

Pulling up to the strip club, I barely put my kickstand down before jumping off my bike and rushing inside to find out whatever Deegan and Devil have learned so far. Deegan is right inside the door as I almost run right into him. He steps back quickly and makes sure I'm steady before leading me to the back of the club, followed by Vault and Ghost. Going out the back door, I hear Devil calling for Genesis, desperation and fear filling his voice as he walks back around the corner again.

"Where have you looked?" I ask him, making him jump before he turns his attention to the four of us standing just outside the door.

Devil doesn't scare easily. He is constantly paying attention to his surroundings and watching everyone around him. For him to jump tonight, I know he's truly lost in his head and only focused on finding Genesis. We wouldn't have scared him if that weren't the case.

"I've fuckin' looked everywhere. Her car is still here with the doors locked, she's not by the garbage cans, on either side of the buildin', out front, or anywhere. It's like she just fuckin' disappeared and I don't know where else to look," Devil informs us, his voice a rough growl. "I've even gone through each row of fuckin' cars back here and she's not hidin' or layin' between them."

"Okay. I'll go in the woods and see if she wandered in there and got lost," I state, taking off toward the woods.

As I step forward, the moonlight catches on something just behind Devil. The parking lot is kept clean and there shouldn't be any trash littering it. Our Prospects show up every morning and clean the parking lots of each business we own. Walking over behind Devil, I bend down and pick up the bottle of water that's been left behind. The lid is half off of it and most of the water has spilled on the ground where it was laying.

"Did she leave with a bottle of water, Devil?" Ghost questions him, stepping up next to me as he searches the ground around us for any other sign of Genesis or what happened to her.

"Yeah. Kat gave her one before she left the floor to come out here," my best friend answers, his voice almost distant as he starts searching the ground.

"Everyone fuckin' fan out and search for her. This is the only bottle of water out here and I'm gonna guess that means someone got to her. Did you make the customer leave after you dealt with him, Devil?" Vault asks, stepping up next to us as he looks around the dark parking lot.

"Yeah. Deegan followed the group of men out after they paid their bill. You stayed outside until they left, yeah?" Devil questions our Prospect as he stands with us instead of waiting inside in case something happens.

"Yeah. If we kick someone out of the club, I never go back inside until they leave the parkin' lot. I remained inside the door until you told me to go out front and search for Genesis. Those guys left and I heard them talkin' about goin' back to the hotel and gettin' the stupid fuck you beat to bed before he caused any more problems. Thinkin' they're tired of him gettin' wasted and causin' problems for them," Deegan answers as I leave the group and head for the woods.

I don't know what's going on, but I'm getting a feeling deep in my gut that this is where I need to look for Genesis. That someone hurt her and they didn't want anyone to witness what was going on. The forest would be the perfect place to do some damage to someone and leave them so no one could find the body or give them help they might need. Pulling out my phone, I turn on my flashlight and slowly make my way into the trees.

It doesn't take me long to find a path that's been disturbed on the forest floor. Someone was dragged based on the way the debris is flattened and pushed away. I've seen this shit before and I know the person who was dragged didn't put up a fight. They either couldn't fight against their attacker, or they were knocked out and didn't realize they were being dragged somewhere else. If I thought my heart was beating out of my chest before, it's nothing compared to now. It's beating so fast, that's all I can hear and I'm sure if anyone is close to me they can hear it as well.

"Raptor, we gotta find her," Devil says, alerting me to his presence at my side as we make our way through the trees.

"We will, Devil," I tell him, leaving off that I'm not sure what condition we'll find her in.

Swinging my flashlight out in front of us, the light lands on something and I quickly bring back the beam of light so it's hitting something on the ground in front of us. Devil and I rush over to find Genesis knocked out on the ground as we both collapse next to her. Her short blonde and pink hair is covered in red streaks from the blood flowing from somewhere. As I shine my flashlight on her body, I take in all the bruises, cuts, scrapes, and other marks telling us someone beat the absolute fuck out of her. Her one arm is hanging at an odd angle and I know it's been dislocated. I've had a dislocated shoulder before and recognize the way her arm is hanging there. I hand my phone over to Devil when I realize her shirt has been shredded and is showing everything off. Removing my cut and tee-shirt, I cover her body with my shirt. I don't pull it over her head or anything because I don't want to hurt her, but I do lay it on top of her body so no one else sees her body on display.

"Fuck!" Devil yells out, his voice echoing off the trees around us as I hear the steps of Vault, Ghost, and Deegan rushing to our side.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? Who the fuck would do this to Genesis?" Vault questions, kneeling down with us and checking out her injuries the way I just did. "I'm not sure if Doc is gonna be able to handle her injuries, but I want him to check her out first. I'm callin' in Valor and King to come get her in one of the vans. Bell can get a room ready for her to stay in while Doc checks her out. I'll make sure the floor of the van is covered with somethin' so she's not layin' on a hard as fuck floor. Who's ridin' back with her?"

"I am," Devil and I announce at the same time as we look at one another.

"She's not goin' in some random fuckin' room either. Genesis will be in my room. It's clean and Doc can treat her in there and she'll be comfortable. If she's in a blank room that's sterile, I'm not sure she'll like that. Genesis won't want to be at the compound at all because she's never been there and only knows Morgan and Kat," I state, my voice breaking as Vault stands up again and moves off a few steps to call his brother and King.

Ghost pulls out his phone and I hear him talking to Doc. The only reason I know it's Doc is because he's listing the injuries we can see on Genesis. No one else would need to know that information. Devil reaches out and brushes a few strands of hair off of her forehead. It sticks to her skin from the blood coating the strands. My heart breaks for her with the thought of someone hurting her like this. At the same time, rage like I've never felt before fills my veins because of the person who thought they could put their hands on her in a way that's caused her immense pain.

"I'm gonna figure out who did this to her and fuckin' gut them where they stand," Devil growls, his hands trembling as he looks up at me. "Don't give a fuck what anyone thinks or has to say about it either. You can either help or stand out of my way."

"I'm not gonna miss out on gettin' my hands on this fucker. King needs to pull the footage and see what he can find on the footage. Give us some kind of lead on who we're lookin' for," I say as Genesis moves her fingers the slightest bit and it causes her to moan in pain.

Her voice is barely heard and I can hear how broken it is. She must have been screaming loud to have a moan sound the way it is right now.

"Don't move, Sweetness," Devil says, his voice as soothing and gentle as he can make it as he leans closer to Genesis.

"I'm headin' to her apartment to get Morgan and the baby. I'll make sure Morgan packs them both a bag so they can stay at the clubhouse until Genesis heals. Jinx, Chrome, and Court will help me escort them back to the compound," Ghost steps up to inform us as he looks down at Genesis. "Doc is gonna meet you guys there. He knows she'll be brought up to your room, Raptor."

I nod my head in response without taking my eyes off of Genesis. Devil and I remain at Genesis' side and we don't move her until we absolutely need to when King and Valor get here along with Red and Crab. My best friend and I each lift her carefully in our arms as the rest of the guys surround us in case we stumble while walking through the woods. Lifting Genesis, her moans of pain fill the silent air around us and it breaks me because we're now the ones putting her in pain. I keep her head as steady as possible in case there's been any kind of injury to her neck. When it comes to medical shit, I don't know much but I do know that neck injuries need to be kept steady and not moved around because it will cause more damage to be done.

"Slow and steady guys. I know you want to rush because it's hurtin' her. If you three go down or get tripped up, it's gonna hurt her worse than what she's currently feelin'," Vault says, his voice strong and steady as we carefully make our way through the woods and toward the van that's waiting for us to get her back to the compound. "King, the doors are already open on the van?"

"Yeah. Wasn't sure what condition we were gonna find her in so we didn't want to waste time with havin' to open them and shit," he answers as Devil and I keep pace with one another and Genesis continues to moan as the pain fills her.

"King and Deegan, you'll be in back with the three of them. I'm closin' the club right now and will have a Prospect bring a flatbed to pick up the bikes and get them back to the compound. Make sure Genesis doesn't move around too much and keep her steady. We have no clue what her injuries are and I refuse to have anythin' make them worse. It's bad enough they picked her up," Vault orders, rushing ahead as the rest of the guys surround us in a tighter circle.

We make our way back to the van and it feels like forever goes by. Genesis doesn't wake up, but she moans and groans with every step we take. Devil and I look at one another, pain filling us because we're hurting her and it's the last thing either one of us want to do. When we lay her down on the thick pile of blankets they stacked in the back of the van, Genesis lets out a pain-filled whimper and tries to move her body away from our touch.

"Don't move, Angel. You need to lay still so you don't hurt more than you already are," I whisper, leaning down over her body and trying not to touch her and cause her more pain.

The four of us surround Genesis as Valor gets in the driver's seat of the van. He starts the engine and pulls away going as fast as he can without jarring us in the back. I don't pay attention to anything around me as Devil and I try to get Genesis to stop moving. At this point, I'm not even sure if she can hear us talking to her and trying to assure her that we're here with her and are getting her the help she needs.

We've gotten Genesis back to the clubhouse and Doc rushed behind us as we made our way up to my room. Before we got out of the van, I pulled out my keys and handed them off to King. He ran ahead of us and opened my door so we don't have to wait and I don't have to fumble with trying to hold onto Genesis and unlocking my door at the same time. King pulls back the sheets and blankets on my bed so they're not in Doc's way when he examines Genesis. We don't want anything bunched up under her body either.

"Everyone get the hell out. I don't want her to wake up and find a bunch of men in this room with her while I have to examine her to find out what her injuries are. I want one of the women here she trusts in the room with me. If she wakes up, I don't want to be the only one here with her. Plus, she'll need to be cleaned up from all the blood covering her body," Doc states, his voice almost hard as he looks around the room at us all.

"I'm not leavin' her side. Don't give a fuck what anyone says, I'm here with her so she knows more than Morgan or Kat. We don't know how she's gonna wake up, Doc," I state, leaving no room in my tone for Doc or anyone else to argue with me.

"I'm not goin' anywhere either. King, when Morgan gets here, bring her up so she can help clean Genesis up. Let everyone else know we're not to be disturbed and everyone is to stay away from Raptor's room. I don't want anyone comin' here and listenin' in when it's not their business," Devil states, looking at the guys as they leave Raptor's room and head down to do as Devil asks of King.

Everything else can wait until we know what's going on with Genesis. I don't know if Vault will want to have church. I guess it depends on what we find out from Genesis when she wakes up.

My eyes are locked on Genesis as Doc starts getting everything out he'll need to perform the exam. Devil stands next to me and I can feel the fear and rage coiling through him at the sight in front of us. I'm not doing much better than he is, but I guess I'm a little better at hiding what I'm feeling. All I know is right now, Genesis is more important than how either one of us feels. We need to be here for her and make sure she knows she's not alone and that she can trust us with her secrets. Neither one of us have given her any reason to trust us up to this point, but moving forward things are going to change. I've fought myself every day since seeing the curvy blonde and I'm done fighting against the pull I feel toward her.

Morgan rushes in the room with the baby in her arms. She hands him to me before moving to Genesis' side. While Doc goes through his exam, Morgan sits and holds Genesis' hand in her own, trying to hold back her tears with every new injury exposed. Doc works as fast as he can, checking every inch of her body as we all wait for what's going on. Finally, he stands up and steps away from the bed, rage filling his eyes as he looks at us.

"This woman is very lucky you found her when you did. Her shoulder is dislocated and I'm gonna have to pop it back in place before puttin' her in a sling. None of the cuts on her body need stitches, but they are open wounds and I'm gonna need to give her an antibiotic to make sure no infection sets in. The bruisin' on her body is significant and will bother her until they fully heal. Her ribs are cracked and her legs have been scraped to hell from bein' dragged. I don't believe she has any internal bleedin' at this point, but I want to keep an eye on her. She's been hit more than once in her head as well. Morgan, I need you to get her cleaned up and make sure all the dirt and other grime is washed from the cuts on her body. Can you do that before I pop her shoulder back in place? I don't want her moved or jostled once I do that," Doc states, his voice almost robotic as he looks between the three of us.

"Fuck!" I growl out, my voice almost loud enough to startle Genesis even though she's not conscious. "Devil and I will go check in with everyone else. Morgan, get one of us if she wakes up. Doc, we'll be back before you put her shoulder back in place."

"Why the fuck are we leavin' her here?" Devil questions me, his voice hard and cold as he turns angry eyes on me.

"We've already seen more of her body than we should have at this point. While Morgan cleans her up, we need to give her space and not invade Genesis' privacy more than we have already. We'll leave for ten or fifteen minutes so Morgan can take care of her and return once she's covered up again," I answer my best friend before walking to my dresser and pulling out a pair of sweatpants and one of my tee-shirts. "Put her in this once you're done, Morgan. I want her dressed in more than the uniform that's been damaged."

"Okay. You got the baby?" she returns, her voice soft and gentle as she looks up at me.

"Of course. I won't let anythin' happen to him. We'll be back," I promise her as Devil and I leave the room and head for the common room.

We talk to Vault for a minute. He lets us know King is already hard at work to try and find out what happened to Genesis and who did this to her. We want as much information as possible before she wakes up so we don't have to interrogate her about the events that led to her being dragged into the forest. The entire time, I hold the little baby boy in my arms and don't let anyone get close to him. If I thought I felt protective over Genesis, it's nothing compared to what I feel for the little guy in my arms. He's so little and innocent and doesn't deserve to be hurt in any way. Genesis doesn't either and I'll do everything in my power to make sure this never happens to her again. Both of them will be as safe as they can be and I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that happens.