Fighting Back (Mercy's Angels) Read Online Free PDF Page A

throat tight, my own tears threatening to fall.
    “I don’t like hospitals,” she murmured.
    I suppressed the urge to smile at the childish defiance in her voice. “I’m not a big fan either, but you really need to be checked out.”
    She shook her head vehemently. “I can’t, Charlie. The first time I went to a hospital my granddad died; the next time was when my mom and dad died; and then ten years later, the last time I visited the hospital, my grandma died. I don’t want to go, I’m not ready to die.”
    Shit! I backed away from her so I could get a better look at her injuries. “You’re not going to die, Betty Boop.” She shook her head again and began to sob harder. “Okay, okay, I’m not going to force you to go, but that means I’m going to check you over.” I gently lifted her head, forcing her gaze back to mine. “If you don’t want me to, there are paramedics outside who can do it.”
    She seemed to take a few deep breaths to compose herself. Her nod was barely noticeable and hesitant. “You,” she whispered.
    I was moving before the word left her lips. I found wash cloths under the sink and I wet one with lukewarm water. Going back to kneel in front of her, I used my finger to raise her chin and began gently wiping away the blood. The cut above her eye looked deep and would probably need a stitch or two, but the one on her lip would be fine. She more than likely had a concussion and I would have felt a whole lot better if I could get her to go to the hospital.
    “Are you hurt anywhere else?” I asked, wiping away the last of the blood from her swollen cheek.
    Her hand moved to her ribs. “It hurts here. If I take a deep breath, it’s pretty painful.”
    “Your ribs could be broken. Will you let me take a look?” She looked scared as hell, but my eyes were set on hers with fixed determination. “Or we can go to the hospital?” She shook her head in defeat and carefully lifted her shirt. A slight discoloration suggested definite bruising, she could easily have a fracture. I gently felt around her ribs and pulled away when she winced. “Rebecca, if your ribs are broken, you could end up with a punctured lung or something. You really do need to go to the hospital.” A tear escaped her eye and I was quick to brush it away, unable to stand seeing her pain.
    “He tried to rape me.” Her words hit me like a fucking truck. “He touched me, Charlie, I tried so hard to fight him off, but he touched me anyway.”
    The wail from her lips was enough to crush the strongest of hearts. I collapsed down beside her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She leaned in to me and cried like her soul had been ripped to shreds, and in that moment, I was pretty sure mine had, too.

Chapter 3
    Rebecca
    I sat on the bathroom floor and felt myself break into a million pieces. The horror of what had happened to me bled deep in my soul and I cried so hard, I thought I was going to be sick. Then, much to my embarrassment, I was. I scrambled from the floor to the toilet bowl and threw up what little food I had in me, while Charlie held my hair back. When I was finished he painstakingly wiped my face with a warm washcloth, whispering words that I couldn’t hear over my own fucking sobs. He wrapped his arms around me and held me so close and tight it actually hurt, but I didn’t care. I felt safe and protected in these strong arms. Whatever history Charlie and I had, whatever lay beyond this moment, I could care less about. All that mattered was his strength alone was keeping the soul eating fears at bay.
    “Shhhh, take a deep breath, Betty Boop. Nice long deep breaths, come on, breathe with me.”
    I found the hypnotic quality of his voice lull me into some resemblance of calm again.
    “You’re going to go to the hospital,” he gently ordered me.
    I knew it was an order, even though his voice was tender. I knew he was worried as hell and wasn’t going to take no for an answer this time. I was terrified of