Chapter 120 Safe
Tyler's P.O.V.
I hear a woman scream as I ring the doorbell of the mansion. Dakota told me that Ari's friend, Shea, was in trouble. So, when I hear the scream, I don't hesitate to open the door. I see a man standing over an unconscious woman, kicking her. I run inside, pull him away from her, and throw him to the ground. I want to do more, but I need to help the woman I'm assuming is Shea as I lift her into my arms.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going? She belongs to me." The little twerp tries to grab my arm, but I'm a lot bigger than he is, so I shove him away while still holding Shea.
"She is no one's property. I have a message from Dakota: If you come near this woman again, you will be killed." I carry her outside.
"What does she have to do with Dakota?" He yells from the doorway. I ignore him as I lay Shea in my backseat and get into the front. Dakota wants me to take her to St. Ann's. She's been beaten pretty badly, but she's still breathing, and her pulse is strong. I drive to the hospital as quickly as possible and call Dakota when I'm almost there.
"Hello?"
"I have her, but she's unconscious. One of the twins was beating her when I got to the door. Can you have doctors meet me by the ER?" I glance at Shea, and my heart breaks. She looks so broken. Any man who would hurt a woman like this deserves to be killed.
"Yes, I'll have them ready. Thank you, Tyler."
"Anytime." I disconnect the call and sigh. I did a lot of thinking the night before. I had built Dakota up in my head, so I couldn't see anyone else but her. Now that I know she will never be mine, I feel my head is clearer, and I can move on. I pull up to the ER and see doctors and nurses waiting for us. As soon as I come to a stop, I jump out of the car and lift Shea out of the back. I lay her on the gurney and hold her hand as they begin to push her inside. She's mumbling, but I can't understand what she's saying.
"What happened to her?" a nurse asks.
"I found her like this. A man was beating her. He got away, and I brought her here." It's not the truth, but I don't plan on letting the police handle this. I will handle it myself.
"Please stay in the waiting room." The nurse says as they begin pushing Shea away.
"Tyler. Where's Tyler?" Shea says in a raspy voice. I run back to her side.
"I'm right here, Shea. Dakota sent me to get you." They stop the gurney, and I take her hand.
"Will you stay with me?" I look at the doctor, and he shrugs.
"If she wants you there, then you can come back with us." I keep holding her hand as we go through the double doors. She keeps her one eye that will open, focused on me. The other eye is swollen shut.
When we get to a room, they begin examining her. I stay near her head and stroke her hair gently while holding her hand. I'm scared to touch her in case I hurt her. She squeezes my hand hard whenever they touch her somewhere that causes her more pain. They take her away for a few minutes to get X-rays, and when they bring her back, she reaches for my hand again.
"You have three broken ribs and multiple bruises all over your body. There are several bruised organs, and you have a concussion. You should be able to heal without surgery. We would like to keep you a day or two for observation," the doctor says. Shea looks at me.
"I know you don't know me, but you make me feel safe. Will you stay with me?" I don't even have to think about it. I can't leave her alone.
"Yes." She relaxes and looks at the doctor.
"I'll stay if he can stay with me," she says. The doctor nods.
"Okay. We'll move you up to the unit in a few minutes. Miss Kondrati has requested that you be on the same floor as Mr. Buccheri," he says before walking out, followed by the other staff.
"Which Mr. Buccheri is in the hospital?" Shea asks.
"Ari. A bomb that was planted in their SUV almost killed him and Dakota yesterday. It exploded after they had already gotten out, but Ari was badly burned protecting Dakota," I explain.
"I heard about that, but didn't know it was them. I'm anxious to meet Dakota. Thank you for coming when you did. I heard the doorbell before I passed out, and I had hoped it was you. I didn't know those twins would be so bad, or I would have never agreed to go there." She winces as she raises her hand to wipe away her tears.
"Why were you there?" She looks away before answering.
"I owed Galdino a favor. He would have never sent me there if he thought it would lead to this. He's a good man. Intimidating but good. I was supposed to work as a housekeeper, but Dustin decided he would force me to be his woman. He didn't want me to be with his brother. When Colton found out, he raped me. I tried to leave when I knew you were coming, but Dustin caught me before I could open the door. He started beating me when I told him his brother raped me." I want to be mad at Galdino, but I honestly believe he wouldn't have put her there if he thought she would get hurt.
"Why did you owe Galdino?" She looks away again and bites her swollen lip.
"I don't want to say because then you'll start looking at me differently, just like everyone else." I stroked her head gently.
"We have all made mistakes in our past. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Trust me, I have made some really bad decisions. Some of them recently." Shea turns back and looks at me. She still looks nervous.
"I'm a dancer in one of Galdino's clubs. He doesn't tolerate any type of prostitution. I crossed that line, and he found out. He didn't fire me because of my history with Ari, but said I owed him. Yesterday, he called and asked me to try to get a job as a housekeeper at the twins’ place. He wanted me to tell him if I overheard them talking about the Kondrati’s, Buccheri’s, or Dakota. I knew they may want to sleep with me, and I was willing to do that, but I never thought they would be so brutal." I frown, and her eyes fill with tears.