Blade (RBMC: Dallas, TX #4)

Chapter Sixteen

“MyGirl”—BlacktopMojo

W hen I got back to her room, she was gone.

Immediately, I could feel my self-control unraveling. Where was she?

Just as I was about to burst out of the room in search of her, I saw a piece of paper on the pillow.

It took several deep breaths to get my heart to slow down as I picked it up.

My shoulders dropped in relief.

Blade—

I ran over to Sage’s to meet Shea. Raptor’s parents brought her back and Sage swung in to get me while she was waiting for them.

E.

After shoving the noted into my pocket, I hurried to Raptor and Sage’s to get my girl.

“Unco Blade!” the hellion of a girl shouted when I walked in the door. I had about two seconds warning before she bolted across the room and barreled into my legs. After squeezing me tight, she looked up. “I missed you so much!”

Awkwardly, I patted her on the back. Kids made me nervous. They were vulnerable and guilt always hit me when I thought of Ricardo all those years ago. I’d put him in danger, and though I’d taken his punishment, he should’ve never been traumatized like he’d been by what Luis was going to do to him.

Despite that, I did have a soft spot for the wild little girl.

“I was at the ranch! I rode horsey’s and gwampa said I’m gonna be a pro one day!” Her gaze was bright with excitement, and I couldn’t help the way the corner of my mouth tugged up.

“That’s really awesome, kiddo. But I need to talk to Miss Eliska really quick but I’ll see you at dinner. Okay?”

“Yay!” she shouted making me wince at the insane decibel she was capable of.

Immediately, I scanned the room looking for the golden wheat waves that I’d held in my fist earlier. Her thundercloud eyes locked with mine.

“We can come back,” I promised.

I gave a wave and a nod to Raptor’s parents who returned them—his mother gave me a huge, warm smile.

When Eliska joined me at the door, I gently took the crook of her arm in my hold and guided her to my cabin.

“What happened earlier?” I didn’t beat around the bush. I knew I’d need to develop more tact with her, but I was gonna be a work in progress and I knew it.

“I—” she started but then sealed her lips shut.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“You gotta talk to me. Did you or did you not come down here with your sights set on making me see you?”

The little tic by her eye, followed by the way she swallowed hard as if she had a baseball in her throat, didn’t escape my notice. I was aware of everything about her.

As patiently as I could, I waited.

She stood there as if she was frozen to the floor. Finally, she began to pace. Every so often she shot me a worried glance.

The static under my skin began to zap.

“The man that bought me… he used to wake me up like that. He would pretend to be loving but then he…” her voice cracked, and tears shimmered in her pretty eyes. “I was groggy when I woke up and for a moment… I was back there. I’m so sorry.”

Without thought, I rushed to her.

Her eyes widened and she scuttled backward. I immediately stopped.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“Stop saying you’re sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for.” I tried to keep my voice calm and soothing despite the fury swirling with the static within me.

Eliska stood in the corner with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her eyes were wide and frightened as my thumbs raced over my screen. Then I sent the text and set my phone to the side.

“Come with me,” I instructed as I entered my small bedroom area.

I chanced a glance at her as I made my way to my closet. She hadn’t moved. After opening the door, I crouched down and unlocked the chest within. Methodically, I gathered what I would need.

“Wh-Wh-What are you doing?” she stuttered as I laid everything out on the bed. But I remained silent—I wasn’t ready to answer her yet. Then I went to the end of the bed and hooked the restraints to the loops on the tall, thick posts. Once they were secure, I fastened the ones at the bottom.

“N-N-N-No,” she whispered, and my head quickly swiveled to look at her. She’d gone white as a sheet, and I realized my error. Fuck, I sucked at this.

Regret ate at me as I approached her. “Eliska… that’s not for you,” I softly explained. Another reason why she needed to stay as far away from me as humanly possible, but it was too late for that now.

She blinked rapidly and her brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“You will. Just know that I won’t hurt you. Ever. Not like that. Okay?”

It took a few moments for her to process before she nodded.

There was a knock on the front door of the cabin, and I went to answer it, though I knew who it was.

Sage stood on my small front porch, looking at me with a worried frown. “Blade… what are you doing?” she vehemently whispered.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Hopefully, giving her some release and maybe some closure.” I shrugged, suddenly second-guessing my decision. This would either work or epically backfire.

Sage sighed heavily, then stepped inside. She followed me into the bedroom area. When we reached the foot of the bed, I held Eliska’s gaze. Then I tugged my T-shirt over my head. Her eyes darted from me to Sage, then returned to me.

Sage shook her head, but she waited for me to get into position. What a lot of people thought was simply a rustic headboard and foot board, were actually modified St. Andrew’s crosses. When I turned, Eliska gasped, and I clenched my jaw. Sage gently took the restraints and placed them around the wrists of my upraised arms. She repeated the process with my spread ankles.

“I hope you know this is crazy,” Sage whispered as she shook her head and stepped back. Without another word, she quietly left. I heard the click of the lock before she closed the door.

“Blade… I—” Eliska began but then paused.

“Eliska? Pick up the whip.” I looked over my shoulder as I spoke.

“What? No—”

“Pick up the whip!” I raised my voice and she jumped, but immediately complied. Inwardly, I cringed that I’d had to do that.

“I’m not going to do that to you,” she whispered as she motioned toward the scars on my back. She’d obviously been too caught up in the moment earlier to notice them.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. “No. You won’t. That whip won’t do this kind of damage.”

No way was I telling her that the whip that had shredded my back was a cat o’ nine tails with embedded metal and spikes. I opened my eyes and fixed them on her again.

“Did she do that?” Her tone held disbelief and the faintest ripple of horror.

“Sage? No. Never.”

“But why? Why do you want me to hurt you?” she asked, her lower lip trembling. “Don’t make me do this.”

“Swing the whip.”

“No.”

“Swing the fucking whip!” I shouted.

Again, she jumped and cringed, but she did as she was told. It fell ineffectively against my shoulders.

“Harder!” I demanded.

She did as she was told but gasped when the whip snapped against my skin.

“All the men that hurt you… the things they did… I want you to focus on that. Take it out on me.”

“But—”

“Do it!”

Immediately, she swung again.

“Don’t stop until you’ve gotten it all out. A lash for every single injustice you faced.”

The next one was harder, and it stung. I winced but remained silent. Inside, I told myself I deserved this. This was my penance for my plethora of sins and my price to have her.

A soft cry escaped her when the whip made contact with my skin.

The lashes came again and again. My back was on fire, and she was openly sobbing.

As I nearly blacked out from the pain, I prayed I hadn’t fucked up.