This Is War

Jax:

The car journey had passed by in a blur. When Mike saw the unconscious girl in my arms, he didn’t ask any questions he just opened the door for me and helped to carefully place her head in my lap. It was one of the things I fucking loved about the guy. He knew me.

By the time we got back to the hotel the girl’s skin was clammy, she hadn’t woken at all in the car. The only thing that made me feel better was the even rise and fall of her chest.

“Mike, get Manny now. I’ll wait in the car with her,” Mike nodded before he got out the car. I watched him run inside.

It didn’t look like there were any paparazzi outside the hotel but I wasn’t gonna take the chance. Andy would fucking kill me if he ever saw a magazine covered with me carrying an unconscious girl back to our hotel. I’d be fucking slaughtered. No questions asked.

Looking back down at her I realised she was young. Younger than I’d thought she was. Shit. I groaned as I pulled at my hair, what the fuck am I doing? I should have just taken her to the hospital, I don’t owe her anything. But then the memory of her voice came back, and I knew I couldn’t do it. There was someone this girl was terrified of and I wasn’t just going to hand her over to him if that was the case.

The sound of the car door opening knocked my thoughts out of my head. Manny’s face appeared in front of me. He didn’t look impressed but what could he do about it really? She was here now and she wasn’t going anywhere until she gave me some answers.

“What the fuck are you doing Jax?” yeah he didn’t sound impressed either.

“I didn’t have a choice Manny,” I gritted my teeth. I don’t like being questioned.

“You didn’t have a fucking choice? Are you shitting me? You did! You could have taken her to a fucking hospital.” He seethed. I gave him a dark look.

“That wasn’t an option,” I stroked a stray hair away from her clammy face as I spoke, “now are you gonna help or fucking what? She needs a doctor. That’s why I brought her here, to you.” I looked back at him, I knew I looked sincere this time when the anger obvious on his face calmed.

Manny sighed in defeat; his face disappeared from view for a minute before he jumped in the car shutting the door behind him.

“Mike, take us round the back. We’ll take her in through there” I hadn’t even noticed that Mike was back in the car as he pulled away from the side-walk.

Manny looked at the girl and then back to me. I’d moved onto my lap when he entered the car. “Do I even want to know Jax?”

My hand fisted as I tried to ignore the haze of red surrounding my vision, “You think I did this to her?” I spat.

Manny nearly waited too long to answer. “No.”

“Too fucking right.” I snapped. I shifted the girl leaning her head on my shoulder; I could feel her soft breaths on my neck. Echo is what that bastard had called her. Bit funky, I wondered if it was her real name. Could be a stage name, wouldn’t be the first girl who didn’t want guys knowing her real name because of her line of work.

“She was in the bar I was drinking in. When I walked out to get a ride from Mike she was being attacked by some creep so I stepped in.”

“That doesn’t explain why she’s still in this car Jax.”

“She said she was in trouble,” Manny looked like he didn’t believe I’d help a chick out just for that. “And somehow she got to me. She was so scared, I couldn’t just leave her in some hospital Manny. I’m sorry man but I just couldn’t.”

Manny leaned his head back. “Jeez Jax why did you have to choose this time to become a decent guy.”

I didn’t take offence, the guy was right. I could be an asshole a lot of the time.

“Guys,” I looked back at Mike, “we’re here.”

“Alright, let’s do this I guess.” Manny opened the car door.

I tell you what, it’s not easy manoeuvring an unconscious girl through a hotel lobby undetected. Especially when you’ve got a good bottle of whiskey in you, the floor of the lobby seemed to slant with every step we took.

It took a miracle but we finally got her back to my suite. I carried her to my room and placed her gently onto my double bed, impressed that I didn’t stumble; my body was finally catching up with my brain’s sobriety. I turned to Manny who’d followed me in.

“Please Manny just take a look at her. I think it’s the date-rape drug. If it’s more and she’s really sick then I’ll take her to the hospital. I promise. Just please, take a look.”

His small nod was all that I needed.

“I’ll get out of your way.”

I moved to the door and out of the room turning to close the door and catching a glimpse of Manny taking her pulse. He’s a good guy. I settled myself onto the couch and wondered what the fuck I’d done tonight.

“Jax.” The sound of my name pulled me out of an uncomfortable sleep on the sofa in the living area of my suite. I squinted into the darkness as my eyes adjusted and I was able to make the blurry figure in front of me as Manny. Shit he looked tired. What had I done now? What time is it?

“What Manny?” I did not want to be awake. My head felt like it’d been smashed in last night and the taste in my mouth made me wonder if I drank piss last night. My eyes swept the room trying to get a clue of the time.
The girl, the girl, Echo. Last night’s memories hit me and I groaned. What worried me though was the fact that my first thought was that I hoped she was alright. I should be worried about my own ass not some unconscious girl I brought back from a bar. Even in my head that did not sound good. But I couldn’t get the image of her out of my head. The scared look on her face when she’d looked at me.

“I think you need to see this” he motioned me into my room where he’d been examining her.

What the fuck? Was all I could think as I picked myself up off the shitty sofa. That’s not true, my first thought was let her be okay. Not good.

“What is it Manny?” I asked as soon as I entered the room. She was lying down on my bed, still unconscious. I noticed Manny had gone and got his medical equipment and shit. This didn’t look good. Manny didn’t look good. Shit what’s wrong with her?

“This girl is serious trouble Jax”

“What?” I was seriously confused. Was she okay or not?

“Dude she needs to see someone. Properly. I’m being serious Jax.” Manny looked seriously shaken. I was starting to get worried.

“What the fuck are you talking about Manny?”

He walked over to the bed and beckoned me over. I couldn’t stop myself from staring as I caught sight of her face again. She was just… beautiful. I’d never called a chick beautiful before. Her eyelashes were long and dark against her exotic skin. I forced my hands to stay at my side so they wouldn’t reach out to touch her.

“What am I looking at Manny?”

“I’ll show you.”

He’d changed her, which pissed me off for some reason, and she was in one of my old tees now. It was way too big for her. When he started to lift the top I freaked. I’d trapped his forearm in my fist before I knew what I was doing.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed, my grip was so strong in shook us both.

“Jax you need to see this,” he tried pulling his arm out of my grip but I wouldn’t budge. “Jax, let go.” He looked me in the eyes and I could see the sincerity in them, still pissed, I let go.

I wish I hadn’t.

He lifted up the shirt and at first I was confused. But that bliss didn’t last. When I finally realised what I was looking at I had to fight the bile rising in my throat.

Five horizontal scars ran down both of her sides. They looked like cutting scars.

“She cuts?” Why?

Manny shook his head and I got it. I started to shake my head back and forth in denial.

“She couldn’t have done this to herself. They wouldn’t be that straight.”

“Stop talking Manny”

“Someone’s done that to her. They’ve slashed her sk-“

“I SAID STOP TALKING!” I screamed jumping forwards until I was right in his face, but he just stood there, static. I just needed him to stop talking.

This is why she didn’t want to go to the hospital. She doesn’t want the guy who did this to find her. I was pacing the room and yanking at my hair to stop me putting a fist through a wall when I realised that Manny was still talking to me.

“What you saying Manny?”

Manny looked pale, I was a bit worried he was going to be sick soon.

“There’s something else.”

I stood dead still as he moved over to her again. His hands brushed her neck. I bit my tongue to stop my scream and tasted iron as blood seeped into my mouth. Gently he unwound the ribbon around her neck, a move I’d been imagining myself doing just a few hours ago. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to know.

“Jax. Come here.” I kept my eyes closed. “I SAID FUCKING COME HERE!”

My eyes snapped to Manny’s furious face. I walked slowly over to my bed, my eyes still on Manny. His eyes were shining. I’d never seen Manny show this kind of emotion. He was a chilled guy.

“Look at her Jax,” he squeezed his eyes shut to stop any tears escaping, “look at her neck.”

I wasn’t ready for what I saw. Nothing would have ever made me ready.

There, carved into the delicate skin of her throat, was a name. Nathan. I stared. I couldn’t look away, couldn’t close my eyes to this fact. It was burning itself into my brain. Her delicious skin had been mutilated. It was a scar but around the edges were scabs and they were bleeding. Branded. He’d branded her.

I couldn’t stop the scream that pierced the silence. All I could see was red. And I was preferred it. Anything was better than her defiled beautiful body. I beat myself against the walls of the room. The last thing I remember is Manny’s shouts calling over my own as I slammed my fists through the wall again and again.