Bear

Chapter 27: Bear

When a woman in scrubs comes jogging around the side of the building looking around in panic, I immediately know something is wrong.

I'm on my feet storming over to her immediately, her eyes widening when she sees me coming. She's petite, asian, her black hair twisted up into a clip at the back of her head.

This must be Jenni, Robin has mentioned her before.

"Where's Robin?" The words are out of my mouth before I reach her fully. There's a horrible pit in my stomach, like acid burning a hole in my stomach; I already know what she's going to say before the words come out of her mind.

"I don't— I don't—" Tears spring to her eyes as she shakes her head, "I sent her to get one of our colleagues but it's been 10 minutes and when I went to find them she was gone."

"What do you mean gone?!" A dangerous edge sharpens my tone and as much as I don't want to frighten the woman, I also can't stop the rage surging through me. Red tinges the edges of my vision and a hell like heat boils quickens in my veins at lightspeed.  

I can't decide who I'm more mad at— Birdie for going into a dank alley knowing that she was in danger, or myself for knowing this alley was the only blindspot here and not having it covered.

I know that I can't really be angry with Birdie, not really. Not for being comfortable at her workplace; not when she knew I was supposed to have her back; and certainly not for being a woman who lived to help others.

This was my fuck up.

I was supposed to protect her, and she's fucking gone.

"Here." Jenni leads me back round the alleyway, but there's nothing there. I don't need any traces to know who did this.

I storm down the rest of the alleyway, hoping to find something—anything. Hell I'm not sure what I'm hoping for, maybe to find Robin standing there perfectly fine. But there's nothing, absolutely nothing.

The bastard that took her was long gone.

A whimper catches my attention from close to a dumpster. Jenni comes closer, her brows furrowing as she peeks around to investigate the sound.

"Oh my God, Alina!" She rushes forward, reaching for the frame of a woman huddled into herself. As soon as Jenni reaches her she bursts into tears, her bloodied skin streaking with tears.

Jenni helps her to stand, and she flinches when she tries to take a step. Her clothes are ripped, and she looks as if she's been battered. The Vipers are sick fuckers, I have no doubt what that bastard did to this woman.

The nurse doesn't try to shush or rush her, murmuring gentle encouragement with each tiny step the woman—Alina— takes.

I turn to her, my gaze hard. "The man who did this to you, did he take Robin."

She meets my gaze, nodding. The ugly busted lip, and purple bruise across her face almost makes me flinch- the softness of her features wrong with such a display of brutality. I've been around violence practically my whole life, hell, I'd dealt out my fair share of torture, but a woman?

"A biker? With a snake patch?"

She sobs harder, nodding. "He used me as an excuse to hang around the hospital, and I'm such an idiot I let him–"

I'll fucking kill him. For touching Birdie, and for every other woman he put his hands on too. Some pieces of shit deserve to be put in the ground for the safety of society.

"This is not your fault." Jenni shushes her softly, gently urging her back towards the hospital promising she can take a shower once she treats her wounds.