Healing ella, p.1
Healing Ella, page 1
Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2022 Lila Fox
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0744-0
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Lisa Petrocelli
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HEALING ELLA
Devil’s Sons MC, 9
Lila Fox
Copyright © 2023
Chapter One
Fury walked out of his office pissed. Some fuckhead in their county was trying to pimp girls who didn’t want the lifestyle, and he wasn’t going to put up with that shit.
He looked around for the first available man. “Yo, Ax.”
Ax turned toward him. “What, Boss?”
“Ross from that gang where Amelia used to live, called. He asked us to get this girl away from some pimp that moved into our county. I want to know how I never got this information, but we’ll deal with it later.”
“Where is she?”
“He’s got her. The bastard beat her pretty good, but Ross got her away from him somehow.”
“What’s Ross want us to do with her?” Ax asked.
“You’re to bring her back here. I have no idea how old she is, but the girls will look out for her.”
“You got it.”
“Take a few guys with you,” Fury said before he walked away.
****
Ax stood and looked around for anyone that wasn’t wasted, drunk, or fucking a slut.
“Hey, Burn, and Ghost. Boss has a job.”
The three got on their bikes and rode out of the compound. A frigid breeze smacked them in the face making him think he should have grabbed a jacket. He did have a long-sleeve shirt, at least. Oh, what the fuck. He could take cold weather. He wasn’t a pussy.
The drive took forty minutes, and by the time they got there, his fingers and face were numb. He glanced at his brothers and saw they were also freezing. The temperature dropped by the minute, and a fine mist started floating around them. It was only mid-October, and this shit was starting already.
Ax guessed the roads would be ice within thirty minutes and came up with another plan, because he couldn’t have the girl on his bike on an icy road. Fury had also said to stay out of sight as much as possible, so they were driving through an alley watching for Ross to flag them down and show them which house.
Ross waved at him from an apartment building. It wasn’t the one Amelia lived in, but it was just as decrepit.
Ax waved back and parked behind a large dumpster in the alley. “Hey, Burn, find a place nearby us to crash for the night. Preferably with a convenience store close.”
“Thank fuck. I was dreading riding back in this shit.”
“Stay by the bikes,” Ax said.
Ax got off his bike and headed toward Ross.
“What’s the deal?” Ax asked as he walked up the steps.
“This fucker moved into town a few weeks ago. The few girls he had seemed to be okay, but we kept watch because we don’t allow raping chicks around here.”
They walked into the building and up another flight of stairs.
“Anyway, tonight we saw this new chick. She says she’s an adult but doesn’t look like it. She has bruises and swelling, and a split lip. Although some of the colors could be because of that shit chicas put on their faces to look pretty.”
Ax grinned at the disgust in the other man’s voice. But he agreed. The sluts always put that shit on their faces, and when he fucked one, it usually got all over him.
Ross opened the door, and they walked in. Ax was surprised the place was relatively clean. He expected garbage everywhere. The furniture was worn but had no stains, and the place smelled like cigarette smoke, beer, and pizza. He expected a sour smell.
“Where is she?” Ax asked as he looked around.
“She’s in one of the bedrooms. She screams when one of us gets close to her. We tried to clean her up and give her some clothes, but she just stayed in the corner with a blanket around her. Her face is pretty messed up. That fucker did a job on her.”
Fuck, if these shits scared her, how in the hell was he going to get her out of there?
Ax nodded. He’d pick her ass up and walk out. She didn’t have a choice. Boss wanted her back on the compound, so that’s where she was going, whether she liked it or not. He would hate to have to knock her out because she was already injured.
The door opened, and Ax saw a small person pressed against the corner with a plaid blanket tucked tightly around her. He couldn’t determine her age, hair, or looks because the fucker had messed her up pretty badly.
He turned to Ross. “Hey, give me a minute with her.”
Ross nodded and closed the door.
“Hi, sweetheart. My name is Ax. Ross, the guy that saved you, called us because he knows we can keep you safe. We’ve got several women living with us who can take care of you.”
“You’re a pimp, too?”
At least she talked.
“Fuck, no. I hate those parasites. We’ve got to get going. There will be ice on the road soon, and then we’re stuck.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You can and you will. I will take responsibility for you and guarantee no one will hurt you again.”
“Even you?”
“Especially me. Baby, I have to tell you, I’d rather have you walk out nicely, but you can scream and fight the whole time if that’s what you choose. You might think the sounds you make will get back to the fucker’s house. Ross said it’s close.”
She started to cry and shake her head.
“You’re going have to trust me.”
“I can’t trust anyone. Not ever again.”
“You’ll learn to trust me. That’s all I can tell you.”
He held out his hand. “Come on. I want to get you taken care of and comfortable. Come to me.”
She took a deep breath and then held out her hand.
“That’s it. Good girl. Can you get up and walk to me, or do you need help?”
“I think I’ll need help.”
“Then, is it okay if I pick you up and carry you?”
“You have to go down a few stairs. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
He chuckled. “Baby, I can carry you for days and not get winded. My prez makes us keep in top shape.”
Ax took a step toward her, slowly reached behind her knees and shoulders, and lifted her off the floor. He grunted dramatically. Her face tilted up with worry in her eyes. She started to smile when he grinned.
“I had to take the opportunity to tease,” Ax said and was pleased when she kind of laughed.
He opened the door and stepped into the living room, where twenty guys stood around.
“Fuck, how did you settle her down so quickly?” Ross asked.
“I’ve got a way with the females.”
Ross rolled his eyes. “I’d like to call and see how she’s doing.”
“Sure. You have Fury’s number.”
He got to the hallway door when one of the guys stopped him.
“Hey, dude, weren’t you afraid of walking into a place with over twenty gang members by yourself?”
Ax laughed. “Fuck, no. I didn’t even think about it because I know I could take you all on.”
One of the guys snorted. “By yourself?”
“Fuck, yeah. There’s no question. Maybe if you bulked up with muscle a bit, I might have gotten winded.”
Several of them laughed as he walked out.
Chapter Two
Another blow from Teddy’s shoe hit Ella’s stomach. She could barely breathe as she tried to protect as much of her body as she could.
“You fucking whore. If you do what I tell you and not fuck with my boys, you’ll be fine. You’re making me train you like this.”
“Teddy, stop.”
“I’ll maybe let you live. It depends on the money you make out on the streets tonight.”
Another kick hit her hip.
“Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten, the boys will have a go at you when you get back.”
Ella wanted to scream at him that she’d never whore for him. But she was already close to just giving up and dying, what did it matter? She didn’t think this was the way her life would turn out. She’d worked two jobs to save enough money for her first year of college. She wanted to make something of herself. No one thought she could because of her childhood, and that was bullshit. She wanted to prove everyone wrong. She’d even been able to go to a few classes already.
Everything was going in the right direction until Teddy showed up in her life. She’d fallen for him so quickly. He was so handsome and charming, it was hard not to. He also showered her with gifts and compliments. She’d never felt that way before in her life.
Two months into the relationship, his mood changed. It was a slow progression, and she always made excuses for him, until she got a call from her bank about being overdrawn. It wasn’t possible. She was extremely careful with her money. When you didn’t have any growing up, a person tended to cherish it when they became adults and made their own. When
“But I’m not married. You just gave my money to someone because he said he was my husband?”
“He had your license and information, and you signed the form stating you had married him.”
“What is his name?”
“Teddy Sutton.”
Ella’s stomach dropped. “He’s just my boyfriend of two months. Shouldn’t I have come in with him so you could verify it in person? Did you even check the signatures I have on file?”
“Well, no. I’m sorry. The person who took care of him will either be fired or undergo training again. We’ll do everything we can to fix the problem.”
“You better believe it. I had over $12,000 in my account. I worked three years for it, and because someone at this bank made a mistake, it’s gone!” She tried to keep her voice down because she didn’t want anyone’s attention, but it was getting harder by the second.
“No, the bank has insurance for this. You’ll get all your money back.”
“When?” Ella asked.
“Within two weeks. We have to file a report,” the woman said.
“I want him arrested.”
“You need to go to the police about that. Have them send a copy here, and maybe it will speed up the process. How about we open another account that the money will go into? We’ll call you as soon as it does.”
“Make it a temporary account because I’m changing banks once you get my money back.”
The woman sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Please answer me truthfully. Would you trust them again if your bank did this to you?”
The woman looked around and shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t stay with them either.”
Ella nodded. “Thank you. I’ll get that report done now.”
“Again, Miss. Smith, we are truly sorry.”
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
Ella made it outside and walked a few blocks, but the shaking in her limbs grew, so she had to stop and lean against a building. That bastard. He thought he could do that to her and get away with it.
One of the first things she needed to do was change her apartment locks and then go to the police department to press charges. The locksmith said it would be done by the time she got home, and he’d give the manager the keys.
The police department took a lot longer than she thought it would. Nearly two hours later, she walked out more depressed than when she went in. They made out a report but told her that Teddy Sutton didn’t exist, and it would be next to impossible to find him. The female officer explained that these men had been doing it so long that they knew what steps to take to avoid getting caught. She explained that he would probably be at her apartment when she got home, and they could arrest him then.
“Unfortunately, we’re so busy we don’t have an officer to wait with you at the apartment. I know you feel like your case is bad, but we’re dealing with rapists, murderers, and child abusers. We don’t have the funding to get the people we need. I’m sorry. I’ll file the report and send it to the bank, but that’s all I can do at the moment.”
Ella stood and shook the woman’s hand. “Thank you.”
Ella looked up at the sky when she stepped out of the building. How could a person that spent the last four years building a life have it taken away so quickly? God, would her whole life be this difficult? She was alone in the world without anyone to care about her. Now, she’d have to wait for college another year because of this. She made a decision right then. After she got her money back, she would move away from the city because she didn’t want to chance running into Teddy.
That was one good thing the officer said—that she probably wouldn’t see the man again. Once they got all they wanted, they went on to the next victim. She felt sorry for the next idiot who fell for him but was glad she would never have to see him again.
Chapter Three
She had been so wrong. It had just gotten worse. When she returned to the apartment building, she stopped at the manager’s office.
She smiled. “Hello. I stopped by to get my keys.”
The uncomfortable look on the man’s face was a sign her bad day wasn’t over.
“I’m sorry, Miss Smith. Since you haven’t paid your rent for the last three months or called after you received my letters, I had to evict you. A service I have comes and packs up everything, and they take it to a storage building until you’re ready to come get it.”
Ella stumbled back and plopped down on a chair. “Mr. Watts, I’ve always paid my rent and never received any letters.”
“They were sent and received. I made sure of it. I pushed them under your door, so you’d see them immediately. You’ve always been a nice tenant, so I gave you an extra month.”
A thought popped into her head. Teddy. That fucker had done this to her. Ella went through her story with Mr. Watts, and although the man was sincerely shocked and sympathetic, her apartment had already been rented out. He had a long list of people that wanted to rent a place in the building.
“Here’s the information for the storage place. If you can get your things out of it within a month, they won’t charge you.”
Ella stood and shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Watts. You’ve always been a nice man. I hope you stay safe.”
“Thank you, Miss Smith, and I am truly sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine for trusting a person.”
“That’s only one person. There are plenty of trustworthy people.”
Ella almost snorted. God, if he only knew the people that disappointed her in her young life, he’d be shocked. “I just have to find them, right?”
The man nodded.
She nodded. “I’ll work on that. Have a good night.” Ella walked out with her head down.
“Having a bad day, babe?”
Her head snapped up to see Teddy leaning against his car with his arms crossed and a big grin on his face. She knew at that moment, she would have shot him if she had a gun.
“You fucking bastard.” She raised her hand to slap him, and he caught her arm and wrenched it behind her back, making her gasp in pain.
“No fucking whore slaps me.”
“I’m not a whore. You are.”
He gripped her face in a tight hold she knew would leave bruises.
“Listen up, whore. Right now, you belong to me.”
“The fuck I do,” Ella growled.
“Look around. Where’d your car go?”
She did and found the place empty. “You took my car?”
“Yes. I have everything of yours. Everything in your apartment is gone. Your car and your money.”
“Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?”
He snickered. “You were born.”
“What does that mean?”
“I hate women. You’re all whores and thieves. I decided to use you bitches to make a living years ago instead of just killing every one of you.”
Her mouth dropped open. He was a serial killer. Jesus, how badly could a person fuck up as much as she did? How had she not seen what a monster he was?
Teddy grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the passenger side door of his car. She dug in her heels.
“No, I’m not going with you. You sick son of a bitch.”
He chuckled. “Do you ever want to get your things back?”
“I’ll get the police involved. They’re already looking for you.”
He grinned. “I wish them luck finding me. Now, get in.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Get in the fucking car, and I’ll tell you.”
“I won’t go with…” The air whooshed from her lungs.
He punched her in the stomach so hard she almost passed out. He then tossed her into the car and slammed the door closed. He got in, and she was still trying to regain her breath.
“Now we can chitchat,” he said.
“I will see you killed, and you’ll feel excruciating pain for the things you’ve done to all the other women and me.”
