Ace of Spades (Mc No limits Book 2)

Chapter 1

Ace

I lit another cigarette as I sat in front of the house I had been guarding for weeks.
My brother, King, and his girlfriend walked out of Storm's tattoo shop and hugged as they walked towards me.
"How is she doing?" Ivy asked, looking at the second-floor window where the woman was.
"Same... absolutely nothing," I answered and ran my hand through my hair.
"Is mom still with her?" King asked, and I nodded.
"She wanted to be alone, that's why Alice left... I think mom can get through to her," I answered, and he nodded.
"You should get some sleep," he added, looking at me worriedly.
"Sure," I replied as the two walked towards their house. Aidan's girlfriend was an extraordinary woman. She came to us recently and is already in the middle of it. At first, I thought he just wanted to do a quick thing with her, but when he introduced her to us as his Ol Lady, I knew that he had found the right woman for him. I was happy for him; he deserves it.
She was often with Alice and mom with the woman we were protecting. The only thing they wanted to do is make her realize that she is safe here. I am aware of how hard they are trying, but from what I've seen... difficult.

When we freed the women from the human traffickers, I was the one with King who broke through the door behind which she was captured. Ivy's aunt pointed her finger at the corner of the room and begged us to help her.
I saw her thin body kneeling on the ground while her hands were tied above her head. She was hanging half down with her head bowed, her dark hair hanging in front of her face in a torn shirt and only underwear. When I cut the cord with my knife, I saw her bloody wrists and she collapsed when I caught her. My gaze fell on her back, which was visible through the torn shirt and the bloody traces of a whip showed her open scars.
"Fucking shit," I said quietly, and she moaned as I lifted her into my arms, careful not to hurt her.
She raised her head and looked at me, and I froze when I saw her eyes. It wasn't the amber-colored eyes that captured me... it was the fear. Pure fear.
"You're safe we're from the FBI," I said to her, hoping to calm her down, but she just whined quietly.
The mask that hid my face obviously wasn't particularly calming either, but we had to wear the balaclavas.
Ink and Gears were already in the cars, and when I turned around and saw King carrying Ivy's aunt, he shouted, "This is the last one. Go!"
I put the girl in the back seat, and she seemed to be coming in and out of her state as she woke up a few times during the drive. I thought about what I should tell her if she asked where we were going and why it was taking so long, but she didn't ask anything. She just held to the blanket I put over her body to cover her up.

When we got home, everyone was ready, the clinic was opposite the old shed where we parked, and mom and Alice came straight away to accompany the women there.
When I opened the door, she looked into my eyes... she didn't say anything, but the fear was visible.
"I'm going to take you to the clinic so Doc can take care of you," I said quietly, but she seemed to get even more scared when she heard Ivy and her aunt crying and hugging each other.
Her body tensed as I took her in my arms and carried her across the street. She was so light that I looked down to see if she was still there. Her face was turned towards my chest so as not to see all the people around her, and I saw her tears wetting her cheek and smearing the dirt on her face.

"Doc, she is seriously injured," I said to him, and he nodded as mom assured him that she would manage to treat the YD three women with Alice.
I was aware of her injuries on her back, so I carefully laid her on the treatment bed. When I wanted to take a step back after she was lying on the bed, she grabbed my arm and looked at me in shock.
"Everything is fine, the doctor is taking care of your wounds," I explained to her, and she looked from me to Doc, who took off his balaclava and threw the vest on the floor to put on his gown.
Her eyes scanned his tattooed arms and her face stared at him in panic and looked shocked as he turned to her. The still calm woman seemed possessed as she began to scream and thrash around in panic.
"You need to calm down, Miss, you're just hurting yourself more... Please," Doc tried to calm her down, but she didn't seem to hear him.
I tried too, but she shook her head crying and pushed me away. Her eyes were wide open and stared into my soul as she stopped and I followed her gaze to her arm where Doc gave her an injection and she fell onto the pillow with her eyes closed.

"I have to calm her down, Ace. She's just hurting herself," Doc told me while looking at me as I grabbed his hand. I took a step back, and he nodded as he started to tend to her. I know that Doc is a doctor and he looks at a lot of things, but I was relieved that she was asleep when he treated her. He was busy for a long time and took care of all her injuries, and since mom was busy with all these other women, I helped him. I saw cuts on her arms and legs, cigarette burns, but nothing was as bad as her back. Doc himself had to take a deep breath as he cleaned her wounds and applied bandages to her.
"I have to get your mom, she still has to..." said Doc and looked from her face to her legs and shook his head. "Damn," said Doc as he left the room.

I was just standing there looking at the woman when mom came in after a few minutes, and I saw the rape kit in her hands. Only then did I realize what Doc meant and why the otherwise calm Doc was cursing. They raped her... I should have killed them all there, I thought to myself as I left the room.

Dad sat with me at the bar as I washed down my drink in a gulp.
"Are you okay, my son?" he asked worriedly.
I shook my head, and he put his hand on my shoulder. It's not the first time we've had cases like this, but no woman has been as badly damaged as this one.
I sat on the stairs in front of the bar and stared at the clinic. I couldn't take her eyes out of my head. What must she have seen and experienced to feel so afraid.
I didn't notice anything that was happening around me, not even when Tom came to get the three women, and not when King and Ivy's father toured the community the next day, and not even when his old lady decided to stay here.

I spent almost all of my time in front of the bar staring at the clinic. When King explained what Tom had told him and declared a lockdown at church, the tension was palpable. She may have important information that will help bring down the scumbags who did this to her.
After the meeting, I went to the door and saw Ivy and Alice with Drew sitting at the table. I didn't feel like talking, so I just smiled back and sat down on the stairs again.
I saw mom as she walked to the door of the clinic and lit a cigarette. She waved me over, and I immediately went to her and looked at her worriedly.

"The clinic is not doing her any good... We should take her to the safe house. After I explained everything to her, I think she understands that she is no longer in this dangerous place where you found her. We just have to give her time and that would be best in peace in her room," Mom said, and I nodded as I looked through the window at the sleeping girl.
"She asked about you," Mom said, and I looked at her.
"You can help me bring her over and maybe introduce yourself first. She probably won't recognize you without the balaclava," Mom said, and I nodded.

"Maybe she won't be so afraid of you... you're her savior, Ace," I heard mother say as she stood at the door of her room and knocked.
As mom entered, I followed her and looked at her as she watched me.
Her eyes scanned me, and she looked up and down on me until she looked into my eyes and her expression softened. "I'm..." I said, but she interrupted me and finished my sentence. "Ace," she said quietly.
I looked at her still confused by her soft voice and my name she said. She looked at her hands nervously playing with the blanket, and she seemed anxious again. Mom gave me a look and smiled.
"Ace and I will take you to your house... your room... your key... remember?" Mom asked the girl.
"And music?" she asked mother who smiled at her.
"And music, honey as promised," Mom said to her.
I had to swallow hard when I heard her like that. She was so fragile it hurt.
When I took her in my arms, I explained my every move so as not to make her panic. She stiffened in my arms, but didn't take her eyes off mine. When we brought her into the safe house, she looked around but didn't ask anything. Mom made up her bed and fluffed the pillows for her before I put her in it.
"King will send men to guard the house so don't be surprised if..." Mom started to explain the familiar procedure, but she interrupted her. "No... no men," she said anxiously, and I stopped at the door and turned to her.
Her eyes were on me, and I looked from mom to her as mom turned to me.
"Should Ace keep watch at the door then?" she asked the girl who just looked at me.
"I'll be at the door... don't worry, no one's coming in... No one will hurt you, I promise." I said to her, and she nodded as she looked at her hands again.
And since then, I've been sitting in front of the door of the safe house and keeping watch. If she felt safer because of that, then I'll keep watching.