CHAPTER 5: Shamrock

Faylinn has hardly winced while Medic looks her over. Not even when he pressed on the bruises on her neck and hips, which are clearly handprints. I don't have to ask what scenario she got those in, and one of these days, I'm going to find Inferno and do worse than what I did to his father all those years ago. Beating on a woman makes him an even bigger cunt than I already thought he was.

When Medic goes to check the inside of Faylinn's thighs, she reaches out and grabs him by the throat, her eyes going completely wide. Dire and I both go to step forward, but Medic holds his hand up to stop us. "Faylinn, I'm not going to touch you. I just need to see the bruising, okay?" His voice is gentle and way calmer than I'd be if a person had their grip on my throat. After a moment, she lets go and puts her hands on either side of the exam table, clutching it so hard her knuckles turn white. She opens her legs a little wider and, given that she only has a thong on, most of her skin is visible.

The bruising starts mid-thigh and goes all the way up the inside of her legs, and when Medic lifts her shirt a little, I realize the bruises cover her entire pelvic area, even where I can't see. When I let out a growl, Medic gives me a very pointed stare, and I take a deep breath to calm myself.

"Relax, Shamrock," Faylinn says with absolutely no emotion in her voice. Hearing her use my road name is awkward, and for the first time, I don't like it. There's something special and intimate about the fact that she's almost always called me Finn instead. "This isn't half as bad as the first year."

Medic sits back and gets her attention. He says something so softly to her that I can't make it out, and she closes her eyes before opening them again. Licking her lips and taking a deep breath, she never once takes her eyes off Medic. "The last time I spoke to you, Inferno said he would break me. First my spirit and then my bones. Do you remember?"

"Yes," Dire says beside me, his teeth gritted together.

I realize she's about to give us information I'm not ready for, and she's staring at Medic because she can't handle looking us in the face and telling us what happened to her. She doesn't have a connection to him, so his eyes have no emotions. Not like with Dire and I.

"For the first few years, I wasn't fighting in the cages. I was just kept in a cage in the basement of their clubhouse. The first year down there was the worst."

"Faylinn, please don't say what I think you're going to," Dire growls. I reach out and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Let's just say that Devils Den has had a lot of members over the last fifteen years, and I can tell you everything about them on a very personal level."

I'm the one that jumps when Dire turns and lets out a guttural scream before putting his fist through the wall. When he turns back to me, his eyes are on fire like I've never seen them. "I want them all fucking dead, Shamrock. Do you fucking hear me? Not a motherfucker left breathing this time."

I let him go when he rips open the door and stalks out, slamming it behind him so hard it shakes the walls. Dire never loses his cool with me, but this is different, and I know that. When it comes to Faylinn and Carrigan, it's always been different. When I look over at her, she has her eyes closed and a pained expression on her face.

"Take her to rest, Shamrock. She needs a few days in bed, then we'll see how she's feeling." He touches her leg as he gets up, and she opens her eyes to look at him. "I mean it, Faylinn. Three or four days in bed, rest. We'll handle things after that, okay?"

"Thanks, Medic," she whispers.

After he's left the room, I take a few deep breaths. "I can have a room made up for you if you want, or . . ."

"Or?" She lifts her eyes, and I see a tiny bit of the girl I remember in them for the first time. It's small, but it's there.

"Or you can stay with me if you want." I hold my breath while she stares at me.

"Your room still the same?" she asks as she gets up and hops off the table, grabbing her pants and sliding them back on.

I try my best to keep the smile off my face as I open the door and lead her down to my room. It's the same one it's always been. It hasn't changed much since she was last in it. She walks inside, and I grab a few towels from my closet. Handing them to her, she actually gives me a small smile before heading into the bathroom. She leaves the door cracked, and I sit on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands as the shower turns on.

I don't know how long she will be in there, so I get up and get clothes out of my dresser when someone knocks on my door. Opening it, I'm surprised to see Willow, one of the clubwhores, standing in front of me with a pile of clothing in her hands. She's not like the others, not ignorant or uppity. She doesn't fuck every brother in the club, either. Two years here, and I think I've only ever seen her go to bed with Grey and Voltz. She's quiet and does more work than every other clubwhore combined except Trinity. She's got her own story and past she's running from, but that isn't my tale to tell.

"What's up," I say, still a little confused.

"Uhm, I'm sorry to bother you, but I thought Faylinn might need some clothes. There are a few pairs of sweats and shorts, tank tops, and loose t-shirts. I wasn't sure if she was hurt bad, so I didn't want to offer anything that might be too tight." She doesn't look up at me the entire time she's talking.

When she holds the clothes out, I take them from her. "Willow, look at me." She lifts her head just enough that her eyes meet mine. "Thank you. This is kind of you."

She smiles slightly and nods. "I hope she's going to be okay. Goodnight, Shamrock." Before I can say anything else, she turns and walks back down the hallway toward her room.