Khan (Bowen Boys, #2)(6)
She took it to use, but wouldn’t take it with her. She ran her hand over the box and looked up at him as he left the room. Monica thought there wasn’t a nicer man she knew and wished that she’d met him a long time ago.
Turning on the television to keep her company, she turned it down low. The place where she had been staying had told her that she had to move out. Apparently, Tony had been by there first and had made a mess of things for her. Marc hadn’t told her what he’d done, but she knew from past “visits” from him that he more than likely trashed the place. She still wondered how he’d found her on the trash truck.
The knock at the door startled her and she sat up. Looking at the bedside clock, she realized that she’d dozed off. A pretty young woman walked in with a large tray. She smiled at her as she sat it across her lap.
“Mr. Marc said you might be a little hungry and he said to bring you something light. I wasn’t sure what you might like so I brought you a little of everything.” She sat down in the chair. “My name is Sally. I’m his day help.”
Monica told her who she was and how she knew Marc. She wasn’t really sure what day help was, but assumed that it was a cleaning person. A cleaning person who could cook. Everything smelled delicious. And after her first sip of the beef barley soup, she knew she’d have to eat it all.
Sally didn’t say anything while she ate. She simply watched the television and rocked. Monica didn’t know why, but she felt very comfortable with her and didn’t need to explain to her what she was doing there and why she was beat to hell and back. When she lifted the tray off her, Sally helped her to the bathroom.
“I’ve not taken Marc’s bed, have I?” She had stopped in the doorway to the huge bath when that thought occurred to her. “I can go somewhere else if I have. I won’t put him out of his bed.”
“No, ma’am. This is one of the spares. He has three extras. This one has a full bath including a tub, and that’s why you’re in here. Doctor Walker said you might want a lay-down bath later.”
Monica nodded and asked to be left alone to use the toilet. She had avoided looking at herself the last time he’d beaten her up, but this time she had no choice. The mirror over the sink was huge. She nearly cried when she looked at the woman staring back at her.
Her lower lip had been taped up. Walker said that stitches would leave a bigger scar so he’d put butterfly strips on it. There were three there and five over her left brow. Her right eye was filled with blood, and though it hurt a little, it looked a lot worse. She gently touched the bruising under it and winced at the pain. There was blood in her hair too, and she felt the tender knot there. She wanted a shower to wash off everything he’d done to her.
She knew that wasn’t possible, but she needed to be clean. Opening the door a little, she told Sally that she felt great and was taking a shower. The girl didn’t look like she thought that was a good idea and asked her to wait. But Monica closed the door and locked it. She needed this.
As soon as the hot water steamed up the mirror, she took off the shirt she’d been given. Trying not to look at herself, she stepped into the hot water. Heaven. She decided that this was the best decision she’d made in a while.
After washing her hair twice, she was beginning to feel a little lightheaded. Holding onto the tile walls, she tried to take shallow breaths until the feeling passed. When she realized she wasn’t going to be able to stand much longer, she slid to the shower floor. Nope, she was done in.
When an urgent knock sounded at the door, she whimpered. She didn’t have the strength to answer. Everything was fading and she knew that at any moment she was going to faint. When the door crashed open, she felt her head roll back, and she looked up at the most beautiful furious man she’d ever seen. And man, could he cuss up a storm.
He scooped her up and held her to him. She wanted to tell him she was fine, but knew it for the lie it was. When he took her into the bedroom, she saw Sally and wondered about the look on her face. The woman looked pale as a sheet. The man put her down on the bed and she was sure that he’d licked her neck.
“Don’t eat me, please? I hurt too much now.” Monica had a moment to wonder why he went stiff when she realized what she said. “I can manage from here, thank you.”
“What the hell were you thinking? Didn’t Walker tell you to take a bath? And who locks a door on someone when they’re this weak?” She wanted to brain the man standing over her, but he continued. “You’re naked.”
“Of course I am, you moron. Who takes a shower in their clothes?” Now that she was out of the hot water, she was regaining her strength. “And in case you didn’t notice, I’m a big girl and can make decisions on my own without the help of a big man. Why don’t you go back to the cave you came from and leave me the hell alone? And you’re paying for that door too.” Monica had never spoken to anyone like that before, but found she couldn’t be upset about it now. The man was a bastard and she wasn’t going to take it from him. When Sally cleared her throat, they both looked at her.
“I have you another shirt, miss. It’s another one of Mr. Marc’s.”
The man took it from her and tossed it across the room. He told Sally to get out.
Sally took off like the hounds of hell were after her. Reaching for the sheet, Monica tried to cover her body and glared up at the man when he continued to stare at her.