Walker (Bowen Boys, #1)(5)
“Lynne.” She swallowed to try again. “Caitlynne McCray. But I go by Lynne. Where am I?” She hurt, but not as badly as she had, and she began to take inventory of her body. The man leaned forward and picked up a glass with a straw hanging out of it. He offered it to her and she turned her head. He didn’t say anything as he put it back on the bedside table.
“I’m George Bowen and my wife, who’s been caring for you mostly, is Corrine Bowen. You’re in our son’s home. My second son’s home. Walker has been your doctor.” He leaned back in the chair and smiled. “You’re very lucky that we found you when we did. Those men meant to harm you.”
They had. But she didn’t say anything to him. She needed to get out of here and find the pricks so that she could use her own kind of punishment on them. She was up to her thigh when she felt the shooting pain there. He must have noticed her whimper a little.
“He removed the bullets. There were three altogether. And the lashes on your back are healing nicely. He had to stitch up a few of them, but he said you’d not have too much in the way of scarring.” He picked up a small cell phone when it rang and spoke quickly to someone on the other end. “Yes, she’s awake now… No, I don’t believe she’ll be able to do that just yet… I know what you said, Khan, but this isn’t your house and he can let whomever he wants, whenever he wants, stay here… You do that.”
He hung up the phone and she tried to sit up. He stood up, but didn’t come to her aid. Just as well; he might be old, but she was pretty sure he could take her if he wanted. By the time she was sitting up, she was covered in sweat and in so much pain that she thought she was going to be sick with it. The door opening had them both looking toward it.
The man standing there was more than big, he was f*cking huge. When he stalked, no other description for it, toward the bed, she cowered. When he didn’t move any closer, she looked at him.
“I won’t harm you.”
She shivered at the sound of his voice and pulled the cover up over her shoulders. Even that small movement wore her out.
“I was only going to check on you before I went to the hospital to see to another patient.”
“She only just woke up, Walker. Come and introduce yourself to Caitlynne McCray. Oh, she wants to be called Lynne.” The younger man looked at the older one and seemed to glare. Lynne was startled by his bark of laughter. “You don’t scare me with that look, young man. I’m your father. Come here and speak to her. I’m going to tell your mother that she’s awake.”
George got up and went to the door, but stopped long enough to shove the younger man toward her. She might have thought it was funny if she wasn’t terrified of him. He didn’t speak as he settled in the empty chair. Then, when he reached for her hand, she snatched it back.
“I need to feel your pulse. Please.” She put out her arm and was embarrassed to see it tremble. He pushed her gently back on the bed and she had to let him. She was in no shape to fight him. “It’s a little fast, but that could be because you’re angry.”
This time when she snatched it back she put it under the covers. She was already getting tired and wanted him to say whatever it was he wanted, then to go away. She looked around the room for her clothes. When he chuckled, she looked back at him.
“You’re in no shape to leave just yet, if that’s what you’re thinking. The bullets that entered your leg were clean shots, but it will need to be babied for a few more days. The one in your shoulder is doing well too, but again, will need to be kept still so that you don’t tear out the stitches. Who was it that was chasing you?”
His change of subject startled her, but she knew better than to simply answer because he asked. She’d been trained to be on the alert to such ploys. She pulled the blanket back to see what sort of injuries she had. He laughed again, but she ignored him this time.
“When can I walk on it?” She glanced at the door again and wondered how much energy it would take to make it there. “I have places I need… Why aren’t I at a hospital?”
“I decided that it would be safer for all of us if you remained here. And you won’t be able to leave until I say so.”
She raised a brow at him. His laughing at her was getting on her nerves. She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.
~~~
Walker watched her until she fell asleep. He knew she had to be hurting, but didn’t give her anything for the pain. She’d be just stubborn enough to get out of bed and do some serious damage to his work before she fell again. He reached up and brushed a lock of her hair from her face.
When she’d first been brought to the house his mother had helped him clean her up. Her face had taken a beating, but the rest of her body hadn’t fared much better. While there were no broken ribs, she was badly bruised and he had been able to make out boot print bruising on her. Her legs were covered in long, wide scratches, probably from her run, and her arms too were covered in scrapes as well as numerous cuts. He looked at the marks on her wrists again and got angry all over again.
She’d been beaten; her back told him that story. A whip had been used and if he didn’t miss his guess, he’d say a belt as well, the buckle end on her tender skin. He’d had to stitch up quite a few of them, two cuts along her breasts especially.
Her face had intrigued him. Neither he nor his mom had been able to tell anything about her looks. Her face had been swollen, her eyes too. The left eye had been hurt so badly that blood had filled it until recently. Now he could see that they were a lovely shade of blue.