Tragically Flawed Page 26

  "Put on your ski mask," Drexel said. When their faces were covered, they headed to the apartment.

  Drexel knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. When no one came to the door, he tried the knob only to find it locked. He jimmied the deadbolt and the door opened.

  Shan looked around and wanted to take out his wrath on this place. He briefly questioned whether his teeth would endure the punishment he was giving them from clenching so tightly. Surely they would crack at any moment.

  When they walked into the living room, there lay Jasper, spread out on the sofa, asleep.

  Drexel looked at Shan and said, “Well, look at what we have here. Someone left us a present. A nice little one with a messed-up face. Hmm … I wonder who did that to him.”

  Jasper woke up when Drexel started speaking and simply stared at the two men. “Who are you?”

  “Nuh-uh, Jasper. That isn’t the way this works.”

  “The way what works?”

  “You don’t get to ask us a thing. We ask the questions from now on. Got it?”

  “No! Oh hell no! You don’t fucking break into my apartment and get to ask me anything!” he said as he flew to his feet.

  “Is that so? Because my book has it playing out quite a bit differently, motherfucker,” Drexel said as his fist bashed into Jasper’s face. Jasper slammed backward onto the sofa, right on his ass into a sitting position. Before he knew what was happening, Drexel had his ankles and wrists bound tightly with cable ties.

  “Now, Jasper, we have one question for you and you have a choice. You can answer it correctly or incorrectly. If you choose to answer it correctly, things will go a lot easier for you. If you choose to answer it incorrectly, well, then sadly, you will have an unfortunate next few hours. But let me warn you ahead of time—I will get the answers I seek. Are you ready?”

  “What is …”

  “Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Jasper. You don’t get to ask anything. You only get to answer. Now. Where is Riviera Benson?”

  Jasper’s eyes widened, just enough to let Drexel know he knew where she was.

  “I don’t know what you mean. I don’t know any Riviera Benson.”

  “Lie number one. Do you know what people call me, Jasper? They call me the Wolfe. Do you know why?”

  Jasper shook his head back and forth.

  “Because I can tear you apart with my bare hands. Now, last chance. Where. Is. Riviera. Benson?”

  When Jasper didn’t say anything, Drexel placed one hand on the front of his shoulder, the other behind, and made a twisting motion, dislocating it from its socket. Jasper screamed. “You’ve got two of those, Jasper. Want me to work on the other one? I’m pretty good with electricity too. Wanna try that route?”

  “In the gym,” he panted. “She’s in the boiler room in the gym.”

  “Is she alive?”

  “Yeah,” he whined.

  “She’d better be, Jasper, because you can’t even imagine how painful a death I can put you through. Are you positive she’s alive?” Jasper nodded. Then, glancing at Shan, Drexel added, “We’re gonna take him with us, anyway. That way, if he lied, we’ll make him pay.”

  Drexel pulled Jasper to his feet and he screamed again. “That doesn’t feel so good, does it? Want me to fix it?”

  “Please,” Jasper whined.

  Drexel walked up behind him and snapped his shoulder back in place. Shan was pissed off he did that. But Drexel shot him a look that said, “Watch this.”

  He picked up Jasper’s hand and said, “You do realize that was only a little trade-off, don’t you?” Then he twisted the fingers of Jasper’s right hand until they all were bent at awkward angles. As Jasper whimpered, Drexel told Shan, “Go hunt some duct tape. I’m tired of hearing his pie hole yapping.”

  Shan found some in the filthy kitchen and stuck a strip over Jasper’s stinking mouth.

  “Let’s go. You drive.” Shan knew Drexel didn’t want him in the back with Jasper. He didn’t say a word but nodded instead.

  When they returned to the gym, the place was dark inside. Drexel stripped off the tape and asked, “Where to now, genius?”

  “Back alley,” Jasper grunted.

  Shan drove around back and parked. They got out and Drexel jerked on Jasper’s hand, making him howl. “Shut up, asshole. Keys?”

  “Back pocket,” Jasper managed.

  Drexel found the keys and unlocked the door. Jasper directed them where to go. Drexel and Shan used flashlights and walked for a bit until they saw her.

  Shan collapsed onto his knees. A steel band tightened around his lungs and he thought he would die. She wasn’t moving.

  “Shan, get your fucking ass up and call 911. NOW!” The urgency in Drexel’s voice spurred him to action.

  After he made the call, he turned on Jasper and used him as a punching bag. Blood splattered everywhere and Shan was sure his hands were broken. He didn’t care. He wanted that motherfucker dead. Wrong or right ceased to exist. There was no heaven or hell. It was only Jasper and he was going to pay for this. Seeing Riviera tied up to that pole, beaten, bloody, and left to die pushed Shan beyond the edge of reason.

  It was Drexel’s voice that brought him back again.

  “SHAN! Stop! Stop now. Riviera’s asking for you. Go to her. NOW, Shan.”

  Her name penetrated the thick red haze that had consumed him and he looked at Drexel as he shoved him toward Riviera. He had cut her loose but she was in bad shape. When he reached her, he noticed how cracked and dried her lips were. How long had it been since she’d had any water?

  “Oh, Riviera. I’m so sorry, baby. We’re gonna get you out of here. The ambulance is on the way right now,” he croaked.

  Her eyes flickered open and then closed again. “I prayed you’d come,” she rasped. “I have to tell you something. I never believed in myself until I met you. I love you, Shan.”

  “I love you too. Stay with me, baby. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

  “It might be too late, Shan.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  Shan looked up at Drexel and shouted, “Where is the fucking ambulance?”

  “They’re on the way.” Drexel had run out to the car and came back inside with a medic case. He was at Riviera’s side and started an IV with a bag of fluids.

  It was difficult to find a vein because she was so dehydrated, but he did and opened the line to let the fluids flow in as rapidly as her body would take them. Then he pumped a syringe of pain meds into her IV port.

  Shan looked at Drexel, wanting to catch his eye, but he was busy taking care of Riviera.

  It took forever for the ambulance and police to arrive, or so Shan thought, but when they did, they came and put Riviera on a stretcher and put her in the vehicle. They tried to stop Shan from getting inside.

  “Sorry. If you think I’m leaving her side for even one second, then you’re sadly mistaken.”

  The paramedic stared at him briefly and nodded. “Get inside, then. And someone needs to examine you.”

  “It can wait,” was all Shan said.

  The ambulance took off for the hospital, sirens blaring.

  When they pulled into the bay, Shan refused to release Riviera’s hand. The nurse gently spoke to him, explaining that they couldn’t effectively do their job if he didn’t let her go. They put Shan in a room next to Riviera so he could be examined too. The nurse promised she would have the doctor report to him as soon as they determined Riviera’s condition.

  Shan was a caged beast. When the aide showed up to take him to radiology to have his hands X-rayed, he refused to leave. “I won’t go anywhere until I hear from the physician,” he told the nurse.

  “Mr. Shandon, please let them do their job.”

  “I am,” he raised his voice. “I want to know what’s going on. Is she going to make it?”

  “Mr. Shandon, do you have any family you can call?”

  “What are you saying?” Was she trying to tell him that Riviera wasn’t go
ing to live? His life passed before his eyes. He didn’t want to go forward in this world without Riviera.

  “Sir, I just thought that maybe it would be easier on you if you had someone to wait here with you.”

  Shan wanted to throttle her. He looked up to see Drexel walking toward him. “Any news?”

  “Nothing yet,” Shan said. He felt relieved to see Drexel.

  “Are you family?” the nurse asked Drexel.

  “Yeah,” Shan answered.

  Drexel raised his brows but said nothing.

  “Good. We were worried about Mr. Shandon here.”

  “So, how long before we know anything?”

  The nurse said, “It shouldn’t be much longer. They’re waiting for the tests to come in. The doctor wanted to get an X-ray of Mr. Shandon’s hands, but he wouldn’t go until he gets word on her.”

  Drexel looked at Shan. “Go. I’ll stay here. It’ll get your mind out of here for a minute or two.”

  Shan mulled it over for a minute and then agreed. The aide came back with her wheelchair, but Shan scoffed. “Lead the way.”

  It was only one floor down and he was back in twenty minutes.

  “Anything yet?”

  “Nope.”

  Just as Shan dropped his butt on the bed, the doctor came in.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. McDonald. Which one of you is with Ms. Benson?”

  “I am,” Shan said.

  “She’s a lucky lady. If you had been an hour later, I have to say we might be having a different conversation.”

  Shan jumped up. “She’s going to be okay?”

  “Yes. She will be. It’ll be a while before she feels like doing anything—he did a number on her. She’s got cracked ribs and a broken ankle, but nothing life threatening. She was suffering from severe dehydration and she hasn’t eaten in a while, but she’ll be fine. Both of her shoulders were dislocated, but we popped them back into place and she has multiple lacerations, mostly on her chest. We want to monitor her for a few days and I’m waiting for the orthopedist to check her X-rays. I don’t think she’ll require surgery, but he will need to set her ankle. Luckily, it looks like a clean break.”

  “Is she awake?” Shan wanted to know.

  “No, she’s sedated. But you can see her if you’d like. You need your hands looked at, though, because you have fractures in several bones. Looks like you did a number on your assailant.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Come on. I’ll take you and then you have to see an orthopedist.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Recovery

  Three days later, Riviera sat up in bed and tried to laugh at Shan as he made a stab at scratching his leg. A proper cast extended over the wrist of his left hand; a removable cast fit snugly around his right hand. He cursed whenever he had an itch anywhere.

  “That’s what you get for beating up that lowlife,” she mumbled.

  “Baby, you have no idea how much pleasure I received from every punch. I’m just glad I got to do it to him.”

  “Please don’t make me laugh. My stomach is killing me.”

  He was at her side so fast, it made her head spin. “Are you in pain? Can I get you something?”

  “No! I’m bruised.” He was going to drive her insane. Riviera reminded herself not to mention anything about pain to him again. Her nightmares were bad enough. She wished Dr. Ashworth were here. She always had such a great way of putting things into perspective.

  “Did the doctor say anything to you about when I’d be able to go home?”

  “No, maybe he'll let us know today.”

  “I’m tired of this hospital food.”

  “I can go get you another smoothie or maybe one of those burgers you liked. Maybe I can take you for a wheelchair ride to get some ice cream.”

  The nurse walked in as Shan was speaking. “Don’t you even think about taking her out of this hospital or I will personally ban you from this room.”

  Shan looked at her in surprise. “I would never do anything without your approval first.”

  The nurse eyed him for a moment and then nodded once. “I believe you, Mr. Shandon.”

  “And stop calling me Mr. Shandon, for Pete’s sake. You’re old enough to be my mo—”

  “I’d stop while you’re ahead, sonny boy,” she grinned. “Dr. McDonald should be in any time. You can ask him about going home.”

  “Did I just hear my name?” Dr. McDonald asked as he entered the room.

  “Yeah. When can I go home?”

  “How does three days sound? Then you can go back home and have an orthopedist in Vail or Avon follow up with you. I can recommend someone if you'd like.”

  “Really?” Shan and Riviera both asked.

  “Yes. Do you have any questions for me?”

  “Do I have any restrictions?”

  “Oh sure. Absolutely no work for several weeks. No lifting. That sort of thing. I don’t want you to drive, either, especially if you’re still on pain meds. You obviously can’t do any activities that involve your ankle until you’re released by your orthopedist. Maybe you two can get some kind of a deal.”

  Dr. McDonald laughed and Shan chuckled, but Riviera was somber and only looked at them through eyes tinged with sadness. Shan wanted to lace his fingers with her, but his casts prevented him from doing so. He noticed how her eyes had lost their sparkle and he wanted nothing more than to put it back.

  “Doc, would it be okay if we went on a vacation?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Before this all happened, we’d planned to go to St. Lucia. I was wondering if that would still be possible. We missed that vacation, but I’d still like to take Riviera someplace, if it would be okay.”

  “I think that decision would need to be made by your physician back home. But I honestly don’t see why not. Swimming would be out for both of you until those casts come off, obviously. But other than that, you could recuperate just as easily there as you could at home.”

  Shan’s mouth widened into a huge grin. Even Riviera smiled.

  “Well, then, I think we need to get out of here first.”

  *****

  Three days later, Drexel met them at the front of the hospital with the black Tahoe. They drove the hour back to the DeKalb airport where the private jet was waiting. Shan went to pick Riviera up, but Drexel stopped him, saying it wouldn’t be a good idea with his broken hands. Drexel carried her on board and placed her in a seat with a reclining footrest.

  The flight went smoothly and when they landed, Gray was waiting at the Eagle/Vail airport. He drove them back to Shan’s and a welcoming party—Patsy, Mike, Peyton, Amie, and Dr. Ashworth—met them in the front drive.

  Riviera cried when she saw everyone. Drexel carried her inside where Patsy had made a nice bed for her on the couch. Everyone chatted for a few minutes and they each got a chance to hug and kiss her. A short time later, Riviera found herself alone with Dr. Ashworth.

  That’s when everything tumbled out of her. The anguish flowed from her soul, but the beauty of it was she knew she was expunging it from her life.

  Dr. Ashworth questioned her about what happened, but the process opened the door to her buried past, from when she was twelve and her parents traded her body for room, board, and drugs. She’d been prostituted by the ones who should’ve protected her. And the anger had finally surfaced. During her time with Jasper, she’d thought about all of it and how stupid she’d been not to see the truth as it was before her.

  “Riviera, it’s not stupidity. Children always want the love of their parents. What they don’t see is that some parents aren’t worthy of that love. Sometimes they are only interested in themselves and not their children. Their love is conditional. That’s when the child has to make the decision to either live with that pain and deal with it or move on and decide the parent’s narcissistic behavior isn’t worth it. You were dealt an awful hand with regard to parents. Yours were more concerned about their next high and how they could liv
e without having to work. They bartered you for that. Again, narcissism at its best. You’ve finally recognized that it wasn’t you. You’re not the one with the baggage and the one who’s messed up. It’s them … they’re the ones with issues. Now, the question is what will you do about it? Will you drop it or will you confront them? They should go to prison for what they did to you and so should the man who raped and molested you. I’m not saying you need to make this decision today. Just that you need to think about it. And there is no right or wrong answer.”

  Riviera nodded. “I’m glad you were here.”

  “Me too. I was thinking that you’d need to talk. I’m even happier that they found you in time. Riviera, Shan was a mess.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he needs you too.”

  “Maybe so. But now that he has you back, you know he’s going to be watching over you like a hawk.”

  “Dr. Ashworth, will I always feel like I need him to? Because right now, the thought of being without him scares me to death.”

  “It’ll get easier. Once you know that Jasper is in prison for good, you won’t worry as much.”

  “I don’t know. I have terrible dreams.”

  “It’s been traumatic. You can’t expect to walk away from all of this without any backlash.”

  Riviera looked at her clasped hands. “I don’t want to be one of those clingy women, but that’s how I feel right now.”

  “You can expect that to last for a bit. You’ll come and talk to me every week too. We’ll get you through this, Riviera.”

  “I felt so damn strong, Dr. Ashworth. I felt like I could take on the world before this.”

  “You did take on the world. And you will again.”

  Dr. Ashworth patted her hands and told her to call if she needed anything.

  Shan came back in and sat next to Riviera, unwilling to leave her side. Even when she needed to use the restroom, he was there with her.

  The family stayed until Riviera was yawning and Shan kicked everyone out. Then he carried her to the bathroom and helped her use the facilities. Afterwards he washed her face with a clean cloth and helped her brush her teeth. When he was finished, he picked her up and placed her in bed. It was the first time since her abduction that they had gotten to sleep together.