A Dancer's Sin (editing){Completed}

Page 13

Shannon's POV

I reached out beside me expecting to feel Raven's warm body, but I didn't. I sat up and looked around but there was no sign of her. I slammed myself back against the pillows. I didn't know why I expected her to be here when I awoke, but I felt empty without her.

I looked at the clock, and its red numbers said they it was 2:47 in the afternoon. I got up and quickly showered tossing on casual clothes then hailed a cab over to Jax's.

When I got there the door was wide open so I let myself in.

"I swear to God! Touch her again and I'll fucking kill you, asshole! And that's not a threat it's a promise!"

"Stay out of it Talia! You don't control her! She's a grown woman!"

"She's a girl, James! She's only nineteen! I don't even know why in hell I let you hire her! All you've done is drag her down into an endless hell!"

"Shut up! Don't you think I feel bad enough about what I did?"

"Obviously not because you keep doing it! She is my dancer! And if you ever hurt her again, God help me, you'll regret ever have been born! Do I make myself clear!"

Talia and Jax's raging voiced were coming from the balcony. I couldn't believe what I just heard. She's only nineteen... She looked so much older than that and acted so much older too, but I still couldn't believe she was only nineteen.

The word kept ringing through my head. Nineteen. Nineteen. I felt horrible, and at the same time I was enraged, hurt, worried. Worried because there was no telling how badly Raven was injured; hurt because she kept something so important from me; and enraged because a man that was standing a few feet away had hurt the woman I had so hopelessly fallen in love with

Jax and I looked at each other briefly before he vanished into his office. Talia descended down the stairs of the balcony. Her face was red with rage as she looked at me.

"Come with me." She took me by the hand and pulled me out of the building guiding me to her car. "Get in," she said as she unlocked it.

I got into the passenger seat and she drove off. Her hands were gripped firmly on the steering wheel turning her knuckles white.

"How much of that did you hear?" She asked turning off her radio.

"Enough to know he beat her, and enough to know that she's illegally working at a night club."

Talia let out a deep breath and squirmed in her seat. "Please don't go to the cops."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"When she came to us she had just gotten out of the hospital. She was hit by a car and spent three months learning how to walk again. She had nowhere to go back to her things were repossessed, and she had nothing. I felt sorry for her, and she offered to help with advertisement and brought new ideas to help us get our club back on the map. I couldn't just let her go, so I let Jax hire her, but I took her under my wing and guided her, until Jax started blackmailing her about being under age and then things went to hell for the poor girl." She stopped in front of an apartment building and looked at me. "I've tried to help her. I keep telling her to come to me and stay away from him, but she doesn't listen. She's stubborn-"

"I've noticed."

Talia looked at me skeptically. "What do mean?"

I sighed and knew I had to tell her now. "We slept together last night."

Talia looked at me in complete shock. "You what?"

"I didn't know she's only nineteen. I-"

"I don't care about that. How on earth did you get her to sleep with you?"

I shrugged. "I saw her at club last night and once I got her to dance with me, she seemed eager to."

She shook her head. "Come on Romeo. Let's go rescue Juliet." She said getting out of the car.

She led me into the building up a flight of stairs and knocked on room c19.

"Raven, sweetheart it's Talia open the door honey."

"One second," Raven called from other side. There was a sliding sound coming from room. Moments later the door opened.

Raven was on the floor still in the clothes she wore last night. She looked at Talia but then saw me. Her face quickly transformed into a look of terror.

"What is he doing here?" She demanded.

"I asked him to come with me," Talia said stepping toward her. I was able to see Raven's face more clearly now. There was a disgusting purple hand sized bruise on her swollen cheek. I was filled with rage and wanted to run back and kill Jax.

"Why are you on the floor?" Talia asked wrapping a hand around her waist and trying to lift her friend up to her feet.

"I lost the nerve signals in my legs."

"What?! Shannon come pick her up! We're taking her to the hospital!"

"Talia no! I don't want to deal with the hospital!"

"You need help! I'll be fine! It'll take a day or two but I'll be fine! I can still move my toes, so I'm not paralyzed."

Talia looked at me for help. I stepped inside of the apartment and with one fluid motion swept Raven into my arms then carried her to the couch. She kept her gaze on anything but me.

"Why didn't you stay with me?" I asked lightly touching her swollen cheek.

She hastily slapped my hand away but said nothing.