Cursed Ecstasy (Cursed Series) (5 page)

At first, the cops just look me over as if I’m some sort of punk that’s grown two heads.

Rather than standing here while they pass
more
judgment, I explain to them exactly who
I
am and that I live in the other side of the house. Once they realize I’m an essential piece to their investigation puzzle, they become a bit more accommodating to my presence.

Their blank stares turn into glaring eyes of curiosity and fury. In the snap of a finger, it’s as if I’m standing in front of a firing squad. Questions of my whereabouts come flying at me first and then the inquisition as to why I wasn’t in the home during the intrusion.

Why the hell do I feel like the suspect here?

I know I’ve done nothing wrong, yet feelings of guilt and anger rage through me. These guys are making it seem as though I’m to blame for someone breaking into Etty’s side of the house.

What the fuck? I wasn’t even there.

It’s bad enough that I feel sick over not being there to protect Jo and Linc; I sure as hell don’t need these clowns making me feel even worse.

The more pissed off I become, the more questions they ask. I’m beginning to feel like the suspect of their investigation.

Once they’ve gotten all they can from me, they turn back to the triage nurse and request to see Etty. Looking around the waiting area, I see Steve parked in a chair by the far wall near the windows. Rather than just standing here feeling useless, I make my way over to him and take a seat.

Resting my head in my hands, I try to focus, to think…about what, I haven’t got a goddamn clue. This night is getting worse by the minute and I still have no clue where the fuck Linc and Jo are in this place.

The details of tonight are sparse and still leave me wondering what the hell is going on; I hate not having control over the situation.

I begin to analyze what I’ve gathered so far. All I know is that Rick, Michael, our old tenant, Jo, Linc, and Etty were all there.

I’m no genius, but Etty is obviously alive and in the ER. Where the hell is everyone else? I need answers and I want them
now
.

So many questions filter through my mind, I feel as though my head is about to explode.

Why was this Rick dick there? Did Etty tell him to come here? How is he connected to Michael and why the hell were they in our house?

I’m going to beat the living shit out of that punk ass motherfucker…that is, if he’s still alive. Michael caused Linc and me enough grief living in the house; so coming back here was
not
a good decision on his part.

The little fucker better hope that we don’t run into one another in a dark alley; he’ll be pulled out in a body bag for sure.

Steve’s hand falls on my shoulder and I snap out of my delusional haze. My head flips up, my eyes landing on one of the cops. He walks out of the waiting area and toward the automatic doors leading into the emergency room. Steve and I quickly move from our seats and follow close behind as he walks through the doors and toward the nurses’ station. The officer introduces himself to the short blonde nurse at the circular desk and asks where Etty’s room is located. Even though Steve and I both know where to go, we wait patiently as we are guided to the far corner of the emergency ward.

As we approach, I can see the pale green curtain is drawn shut. The officer pulls it slowly to the side and walks through. Steve and I stand completely still, waiting for direction that we can enter.

My chest is pounding with anxiety, anticipation, and anger for the woman on the other side of that curtain. Sweat is beginning to form along the back of my neck and my fists are back along my side, clinching to form white knuckles.

To think that a little over twenty-four hours ago I was buried deep inside of her, making her scream my name. Now…now I don’t even want to look her in the eye. It’s insane how quickly feelings of lust and desire can change to hurt and hatred.

The officer walks back out of the room, looking toward me and Steve, a scowl spread across his face. With a nod, he signals for us to follow.

I watch as Steve walks ahead of me and my feet remain cemented to the floor. I really don’t want to go in…but I have to find the answers to the questions that have been driving me crazy since I got here.

As I walk into the room, I can feel a rock hard lump forming in my throat. I can barely swallow and it’s becoming more difficult to breathe. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that I was having an anxiety attack.

I haven’t had one of these in years. I’ve pushed my emotions down just far enough that an attack hasn’t been possible.

She’s doing this to me.

She’s causing all the pain of my past to come full circle.

She’s the one that will destroy me like no other woman ever has.

I have to find a way to pull her from my thoughts, a way to forget the desire I’ve felt toward her and suffocate it with loss, regret and loathing. I have to remind myself that we’re not here for her; I’m here to find an answer…that’s all.  

Steve clears his throat and my attention is drawn to the room. As I move forward, the three of us crowd into the small space.

A small hospital bed is set up directly in the middle where a small blue-haired
bitch
now lays. Her eyes are closed and her petite body fills a small section of the bed. Looking her over from head to toe, bruises are beginning to turn from bright red marks to a deep shade of crimson and blue.

I pause for a moment as an emotion of sadness fills my chest.
No…no, I won’t feel sorry for her
. She did this to herself; I can’t empathize the pain she’s going through. The pain she’s causing me is far too great to even give a damn about her and her wellbeing. But it’s still there—the need and want to make things okay for her.

My eyes shift to a man who stands along the side of her bed. His icy gaze scans the room between the officer, Steve and me. He looks confused, but stands tall as though he’s being protective of Etty.

Who the fuck does this guy think he is? He doesn’t even know her.

The officer walks to the side of Etty’s bed and extends his hand to the stranger. He’s wearing a set of dark blue scrubs and has an ID badge clipped to a pocket near the left side of his chest.

“I’m Officer Donovan,” the cop says, pulling his arm back to his side.

“I’m Christian. I was the orderly that took Gretchen for her CT scan. She may have a concussion, so I’ve chosen to sit with her and make sure she’s awake for the next few hours.”

He begins to scan the room, his eyes landing on mine.

“Well, wasn’t
that
kind of you?” I mumble under my breath.

Christian looks to Steve and then back to me, his brown eyes fighting back with a fierce look of hatred.

“Yeah, well she doesn’t have any friends to be by her side. Right now she needs anyone that’s willing to stay with her and keep her company.”

Steve moves closer to the bed, standing tall as if he’s about to attack this guy.

“She has friends right here, there’s no need for you to stay as her watch dog. We’ve got it from here,” he barks to the orderly.

“You guys could’ve fooled me. Some friends she’s got if no one has been here the whole time I have.”

Christian’s eyes focus on Steve and then me. His intense stare is digging a hole through my head—it’s as if he knows the confusion I feel for her.

Steve lets out a grunt of frustration and his hands clinch to fists behind his back. I rest my hand on his shoulder in hope that I’ll be able to calm him down. The last thing we need is a fight right here in the emergency room.

He turns his back to the rest of the room and glares at me with his dark eyes.

He’s not just mad, he’s fucking pissed.

My eyes roam from Steve to Etty as she begins to stir in her bed. When her eyes open, I follow her every move. She looks around the room at the four men standing over her. My eyes lock with hers and tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

A part of me wants to tell her everything will be okay—that I’ll be there for her and this isn’t her fault—but the anger raging inside of me changes everything. I’m not about to feel sorry for the pity party she’s created. We’re not here for her. I’m only here to find out where the fuck Linc and Jo are in this goddamn hospital.

I turn my body away from the bed and to the officer.

“When can we start to get the details of the others that were brought in here?” I ask.

He looks to me with disappointment flashing across his face.

“I need to ask Miss Powers a few questions. Would you two mind stepping out of the room for a few minutes?”

“Hell yes I mind,” I spit back at him.

“You want answers, Mr. Rinnich, and I need to do my job. Now, see yourself out of the room and let me talk to Miss Powers in private.”

He scans the room, looking at Steve and the
tool
.

“That goes for everyone,” he says, gesturing for the three of us to exit the room.

Steve walks toward me, bumping his arm into mine.

“Come on, man, let’s wait outside.”

I stare at him, releasing the deepest death glare I can muster, and walk out of the room…once again, with no answers.

Chapter 6

My heart races while my fists clutch the thin, white sheet covering my body. With tired eyes, I watch the man walk out of the room, his back turned to me as if I never existed. The look in his eyes, the expression on his face is something I’ve never seen from him before. I’ll never forget it. His gorgeous blue eyes filled with pure disappointment, anger, and hatred.

He hasn’t given me a chance to explain.

What happened tonight was a complete cluster fuck. I can’t even begin to imagine how Dault is feeling, but he has to take into account what I’m going through, too.

He’s blaming me for everything that’s happened.

How the hell was I supposed to know Rick would find me here, let alone come barging into the house?  Yes, I agree it’s my fault Rick came there tonight, but I had no clue that he’d hurt one of them.  Seeing him again was like a knife to my chest. My biggest fear was brought to life when I heard his voice. In my worst nightmares I saw him kill me with his bare hands and I swore it was really going to happen tonight. 

I have no fucking clue why he was there
or
his connection to Michael. It baffles my mind, but there wasn’t enough time to piece the puzzle together. They obviously know one another, but how?

So many things are a cluster fuck right now. Linc and Jo are somewhere in this hospital, Dault hates me, and Michael and Rick are MIA. I can only hope that the answers to all these questions come… soon.

Resting my head back against the pillow, I feel a tender pain behind my head. I carefully try to refrain from putting too much pressure against the pillow as I glance across the room.

Christian is intensely speaking to the police officer, his body standing tall and alert. He slowly turns his head, those dark brown eyes staring directly into mine. A small smile forms across his lips and he turns his attention back to the officer.

My eyes feel heavy and I so badly want them to close so I can rest. A million thoughts plague my mind, knowing very well that sleep won’t come any time soon.

I want to make this right, erase the last few hours and have our lives go back to normal. Well, at least as normal and they
can
be for the time being.

Knowing what I do now, I realize I should have told Dault and Linc about my past. I don’t know what good it would have done, but at least I’d have peace of mind and a clear conscience. There’s no use regretting my choices, hell has already consumed my life here and now. I have to pay the consequences.

The way Dault looked at me made me want to curl up under this uncomfortable bed and never come out again. Things were awkward before, but now I don’t know how the hell I’ll be able to deal with him once we’re all out of this place.

As much as it’s going to hurt, I know what I need to do. I’ll have no other choice but to pack up, move from the house, and leave town once again.

I’ve become a runner, a woman that is unable to handle any form of commitment or relationship with another person. Anything and everything I touch is turning into a disaster and it’s all because of me and my poor choices.

If I wouldn’t have gone home with Rick that night three years ago, none of this would be happening. Linc and Dault would be living their lives and I’d be somewhere…anywhere…just not here.

Rick blinded me from the moment I laid eyes on him. He took every ounce of willpower and self-worth I had and turned me into the person I am today. I was young, stupid, and in need of attention. The way he looked at me made me feel as if I was the only person in the whole world. He was caring, devoted, and bought me the world.

The first few weeks we were together seemed like a dream. The attention and love he showed me were like nothing I’d ever had before. He made me believe that I was his whole world; I’d finally found the man that would make me happy forever. Little did I know, that once he had me under his spell, I’d be doomed for life.