Page 39 of Power
Chapter ten
Reece
Openingmyeyes,I instantly feel like crap. Last night was a cauldron of emotions mixed with hours of broken sleep. I tried to put on the strong and confident persona I always carry with me, but in truth, the beating scared the shit out of me. I’m forever grateful Grayson was there, because I don’t think I would’ve been able to fight him off.
My head is pounding in a constant, dull reminder of the trauma I experienced yesterday. I stretch my arm out to find the bed is empty. Bennett was nothing but a gentleman when we returned to the residence. Though I was robbed of my bath, considering I fell asleep within moments of arriving.
I sit up in bed and blink several times, painfully aware of the throbbing throughout my face and body. I look around the dark room, but I can’t gauge what time it is exactly. It’s dark and there’s no light peeking into the room from the windows. I reach over to the night stand for my phone and have to focus on the screen to see it’s nearly eight in the morning. “Whoa,” I say to myself as I place my phone back on the nightstand. I close my eyes and roll my head from side to side, trying to stretch out the muscles in my neck. “Ah,” I grumble as I rub at the tension in my neck. I take several breaths before standing and walking toward the bathroom.
Finished with the bathroom, I head out and sit on the edge of the bed. I pick my phone up and dial Sofia’s number. “Darling,” she answers.
“Hi, Sofia. I need you to cancel my clients for the foreseeable future.”
“No, darling, that isn’t going to work for us. You have your regulars who’ll be disappointed if you can’t make their scheduled appointments.”
“Sofia,” I start in a small voice. “Yesterday’s client...”
“Oh yes, the cardiologist. How was it?”
“I didn’t call you yesterday because I was swept away from home.”
“I don’t understand,” she says, her tone filled with worry. “What happened?”
“He beat me. He was doing drugs and drinking. He had toys he wanted to use, he tried to get me to do the drugs. It was a mess. I barely lasted fifteen minutes in there.” There’s a long pause from both of us. “Sofia, are you still there?”
“But I vetted him. Ran all the checks thoroughly. I...” She sucks in a breath. “I...” I close my eyes as I lean forward and hang my head. “I’m sorry, Reece. I had no idea. He’s a fucking cardiologist!”
“Well...”
“Where is he now?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Did he rape you?”
I shake my head as a gut-wrenching pain twists my stomach. “No, he didn’t get that far.”
“What happened? Did he stop? Did you hurt him? I hope you did.”
I let out a small groan. “Um, Sofia, I need to go.”
“What happened?” she repeats.
I slowly shrug. “I honestly don’t know yet. But once I find out, I’ll let you know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Reece, are you okay? Are you safe?”
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
“No, please don’t. Look, I’ll call you soon and we can talk further about what happened. Just know, I’m safe, and I’m being looked after.”
“Where are you?” Sofia is persistent, I’ll give her that. “Are you in the hospital?”
“I’m not in the hospital, and I’m not at home. Look, I have to go, but can you please cancel all my clients for now? I’ll let you know if I return.”
“If?”
