“Yeah, okay…well, she said something that pissed him off—pissed him off real bad.”
“Dammit, Jared!” I bellow. The sound echoes in the small hallway, and I realize I just yelled. I take a deep breath; I need to get a grip and lower my voice, but fuck, Jared irritates the living Hell out of me sometimes.
“I’m trying here, Travis! I’m trying to convey this information the best way I know how!” I hear Jared curse in the background, obviously frustrated. Then he steals a deep breath through the phone line, and what he says next stops my heart. “Nick whipped her, okay?! He whipped her so bad it made me sick. This wasn’t his usual type of kink play, Travis. Nick was out-of-control angry, and he really did a number on her.”
I can tell he’s totally shaken; it’s in his voice as he continues, “I knew something was wrong when Justin told me to have the cameras shut down to her room. Of course I told him I’d take care of it, and then I shooed the guards out of the monitoring room, just so I could see what the hell he was up to.” My hands clench into fists as I rest my forehead against the wall when I take in this bit of news, and I hear my phone make a small cracking sound. My chest tightens at the thought of her perfect body being whipped.
“My God, I almost projectile vomited all over the monitors, watching the entire drama unfold in real time. I couldn’t watch the majority of it, Travis; it was just that bad, and there was nothing I could do about it. Nick had already gone past the point of no return, and short of shooting a sedative into his ass, there was nothing I could’ve done to stop him.”
“Fucking hell,” I grate out through clenched teeth. “What the fuck set him off?” I slowly swipe my hand down my eyes and face, trying to calm myself down and failing miserably.
“I had found out she was finding a way to not take the Blyss. She tricked the computer system.” Jared’s tone turns to pure awe as he tells me, “Travis, I don’t know how she could quit like that cold turkey and not go insane. She would make any withdrawing coke addict proud. I truly see what you’ve been trying to tell me all along. When you said she had unusually strong willpower, I didn’t realize it was that of ten mules.”
“What’s going on right now? Where is she?” I swallow hard, not sure if she’s out of harm’s way or not.
“Nick has just left for home. Told her she couldn’t have any pain meds whatsoever. She’s lying in her bed crying, Travis, and she’s all but flayed open. I can’t just stand by and not give her something.”
The very thought of her writhing in pain twists emotions deep in my gut. Dammit! I turn and punch the wall beside me, spooking the hell out of a patron, but I don’t give a shit. Why the hell am I not there?! I feel my teeth grind against each other as I struggle to control my rage.
“Travis, are you there?” Jared asks, panicked.
I answer through gritted teeth, “Yeah, give me a sec.” Knowing I’m out of control, I take a deep breath. Now is not the time to lose my cool. What I need is for Jared to take immediate action for me. “Jared, man, dose her up with pain meds until she doesn’t even know her fucking name. I will deal with the fallout from Nick if he finds out.”
Jared breathes a sigh of relief over the phone. “Yeah, okay. I’m on it.” I shake my head at poor Jared. He’s just a mad scientist; he can’t handle the physical and brutal shit that comes with this business.
“Jared, once those pain meds take hold, I also want you to rub her back with that cream shit. Make sure she’s comfortable in every way possible, yeah? Apply some ice too, and keep her upper body elevated.”
“Got it.”
“Jared, don’t leave her until you know she’s comfortable,” I warn. My free hand swipes at the sweat beads that have formed along my brows.
“No worries, Travis, I promise to stay with her. I needed to call someone to tell me I wasn’t losing my mind for wanting to give her pain meds,” he continues after a brief pause. “I’m telling you, though…I have never seen Nick act like this before. It’s like he was obsessed, but it was more intense than that. He was a raging wildebeest who only saw red.”
I shake my head, glaring at nothing in front of me, thinking of killing the bastard who beat Julianna. “Look, I’ll reserve a seat on the next flight out just as soon as I hang up with you...and Jared?”