Shadows of Recovery (Everhart Family #3)

Chapter 17

Seventeen

D amon paced the room. He looked over at Sophie, who sat curled into herself, supporting her arm on the couch. His face contorted with lust. “Pretty lady doctor, are you ready to take care of me again? I released one of the hostages.” He walked over to her and straddled her, his breath hot on her face. "Time for me to show you just how powerless you really are."

Sophie fought back with all her strength, clawing at Damon's hand with her one functional arm and hand in a desperate attempt to break free. Pain shot through her body as his grip tightened, cutting off her air supply and sending her vision spinning. Darkness closed in around her, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

A torrent of cold water jolted Sophie awake. She gasped, sputtering, her eyes snapping open to find Damon standing over her with an empty patient wash basin. Her skin prickled with the shock of the water, and she shivered uncontrollably.

"Welcome back, pretty doctor. Can't have you passing out on me. I like to look into my woman’s eyes,” he sneered.

Sophie choked, her body racked with shivers. "Why are you doing this to me?" Her voice was hoarse.

Damon's expression was one of sadistic pleasure. "Because I can. Because I like seeing that look of fear in your eyes. Because you’re mine."

Sophie looked at the clock. She’d been unconscious for hours. Her head felt like it would explode. Nausea racked her. She swallowed hard, trying to muster the strength to speak. "I need to be able to check on the ER patients and the hospital’s patients. Take what you want and go away."

Damon regarded her for a moment, his amusement evident. "Alright, I'll let you play doctor a little longer. But remember, Sophie, you belong to me. Don't forget it." He motioned to his men. "Take her to see her patients."

Sophie was led down the hall once more, still wet from the water. The scrubs she wore felt heavier, like a burden she had to bear. She moved through the waiting room, checking on patients with her nursing staff, trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy.

Sarah whispered to her, "Are you okay, Dr. Everhart?"

Sophie forced a smile. "I fell and think I broke my arm. Of all times to be a klutz. Could you help me with a sling?”

After that, she focused on her patients in the ER and then throughout the hospital. On her return, Sophie silently curled herself into a corner of the couch again.

Damon’s eyes blazed with fury. "What, no thanks for letting you take care of your patients?"

"I’ll never thank you," Sophie said defiantly.

The dim light in the doctor’s lounge flickered overhead as Sophie stood her ground, refusing to back down despite her captor’s looming presence. His dark eyes were locked on hers, a storm of rage brewing behind them.

Without warning, Damon’s hand curled into a fist, and before Sophie could react, he swung hard, his knuckles crashing into her left side with brutal force. The impact was like a sledgehammer, driving all the air from her lungs and sending a sharp, searing pain ripping through her abdomen.

A choked gasp escaped her lips as her body folded over, the pain so intense, her vision blurred. She crumpled forward, clutching her side, every muscle in her body screaming in agony.

Sophie’s mind raced, struggling to process what had just happened. The pain was overwhelming, a deep, burning ache that radiated from her gut and spread like wildfire through her entire body. She tried to straighten up, to catch her breath, but the pain was relentless, pulling her back down.

“Did you really think you could defy me and walk away unscathed?” Damon’s voice was low, dripping with venom as he stood over her, watching her struggle with a twisted satisfaction. “You’re just like the rest—thinking you can outsmart me, thinking you can control this situation. But you’re wrong, Sophie. I’m the one in control here.”

Sophie’s vision swam as she gasped for air, each breath sending another wave of pain crashing through her. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let him see the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Despite the agony, a spark of defiance still burned within her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her broken.

“You... can’t... control... everything,” she managed to rasp out, her voice trembling with the effort it took to speak. “You might hurt me... but you won’t... win.”

Damon’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, his smirk faltered, replaced by a flash of something darker—something more dangerous. “We’ll see about that,” he muttered, his voice cold as ice.

Sophie’s body shook as she fought to stay conscious, the pain threatening to drag her into darkness. She knew the cost of standing up to Damon, and she knew this was only the beginning of what he could do. But she also knew, if she gave in now, if she let him see her fear, she would lose everything.

Damon stepped back, his expression hardening as he watched her struggle. “Remember this, Doctor,” his voice cut through the haze of pain like a blade. “This is just a taste of what happens when you cross me. You owe me, and I’ll make sure you pay.”

Sophie lay there, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps, the taste of blood on her lips where she had bitten down too hard.

She tried to scream, but Damon's hand clamped over her throat again, silencing her desperate cries. "You think you can challenge me? I'm going to teach you exactly where you belong."

She struggled against his hold, her body shaking with fear and revulsion. But Damon was too strong. His fingers trailed down Sophie's neck. He whispered, "You're going to learn what happens to disobedient little girls like you."

Air filled her lungs again. He could do whatever he pleased with her, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. "You are a coward. You are afraid of a woman who speaks her mind."

Damon's expression darkened at Sophie's words, his fury reaching its boiling point. Without warning, he tightened his grip on her upper arms, his fingers digging into her skin with a savage intensity. "You'll regret those words, pretty lady doctor. I'll make you pay for your defiance, mark my words."

Sophie braced herself for whatever terror Damon had in store for her, but she didn’t prepare to face the darkest moment of her life. His grip tightened around her wrists. With a cruel smirk, he flipped her onto her belly. "You're going to learn your place. And I'll make sure you never forget it today and every day."

Suddenly, an explosion shook the building. Damon’s grip on Sophie tightened as he dragged her closer. "You’re done helping those patients. Now you can take care of me."

Tears stung Sophie's eyes. She tried to summon her courage to fight back, but she had no strength left. Damon held all the power, and she was nothing more than his pawn.

His hands roamed over Sophie's body. Exhausted and beaten down, she lay there, paralyzed, humiliated, as he continued to degrade her in the most unspeakable ways. Time seemed to stand still. Her thoughts drifted to Tristan, hoping he would find a way to rescue her from this nightmare.

After what felt like an eternity, Damon finally released her, tossing her, crumpled and broken, on the floor. He stood over her, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Remember your place. This is just the beginning."

Sophie ached, but she had to hold on, find a way to survive and protect the other hostages. She couldn’t let Damon win.

The sounds and vibrations of small explosions echoed through the hospital corridors all around her, signaling that his men’s handiwork was beginning to take effect.

“Well, it seems we’ve overstayed our welcome,” Damon said, his voice laced with sarcasm. He grabbed Sophie roughly by the arm, yanking her to her feet. “Time to go.”

Sophie struggled to keep up, her body battered and weak from the abuse and stress. Every step was a painful effort, and her vision swam from the constant pounding in her head. As Damon led her to the subbasement stairwell, her pace lagged behind his urgent strides.

“Move faster!” he snarled, shoving her forward. Sophie’s foot slipped on the edge of the top step, and with a sickening lurch, she tumbled down the flight of cement steps. Pain exploded in her ankle as she hit the bottom, a sharp, unbearable agony that left her gasping.

Damon descended the stairs, fury and impatience etched on his face. He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her roughly to her feet. Sophie bit back a scream, tears streaming down her face as her broken ankle shrieked in protest. Ignoring her pain, he dragged her toward a hidden tunnel entrance.

The tunnel was dark and foul-smelling, the stench of sewage overwhelming. “Are you surprised? That pretty clerk in the county offices, for some dinner, jewelry and a good screwing, removed these ancient plans from the records, ensuring the police have no idea these tunnels even exist. When the hospital was renovated, an entire new system was built. By the time they find this escape route, we will be long gone.”

Sophie stumbled through the tunnel, each step sending jolts of agony up her leg. But every attempt to slow down was met with brutal force. Damon’s grip was like iron, and he seemed unfazed by her suffering.

As they emerged from the tunnel into the cold night air, Damon cursed under his breath. He realized Sophie’s broken ankle was slowing them down significantly. His eyes flashed with anger and disdain.

“You’re nothing but dead weight now,” he spat, and, without another word, he tossed her into a wet, icy, muddy culvert filled with sewage.

Sophie cried out in pain as she landed, the freezing mud seeping into her scrubs, and the rancid water stinging her wounds. She struggled to get up, but her body was too weak, her ankle too damaged to support her weight.

Damon and his men disappeared into the night, leaving her behind. Sophie lay in the filth, shivering and sobbing, feeling utterly abandoned and hopeless. She could hear the distant sounds of the police raid beginning, the bedlam and violence Damon had planned for. But she was alone, hidden from view, in the foulest, most forsaken place she could imagine.