him.
“Illeanna, you need to tell me what hurts. I need to make sure that you don’t need to go to the hospital.”
She slowly turned toward the doctor but remained holding Gustave’s hand.
“He stopped choking me and just stared at me a moment. He knew that I would be quiet to protect Mikayla.” The tears rolled down her cheeks and she sniffled.
“He said I had a great body. He touched me and he wouldn’t stop. It hurt,” she blurted out then clutched Gustave’s arm and hand to her chest, feeling comfort having him near her. It was so strange. He was the quietest of the Boudoux and the first one to save her.
“He hurt you where?”
“There,” she said and brought her other hand up to her breast. She felt Gustave’s grip tighten.
The doctor looked up at Gustave, apparently seeing something that concerned him.
“Should I have Gustave leave the room so you’ll be more comfortable?”
“No. You don’t need to see it. I’m certain it’s bruised but nothing that won’t heal with time.”
The doctor looked at her legs and then her torso again before having her turn around so he could see the bruising and scratches on her back.
He pulled her shirt back down and told Gustave about icing specific areas like her cheek, her neck, her breast if necessary, and of course her ankle.
“I’m sure the men will be taking good care of you. You call me if you need anything or if you just need to talk, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Yeah thanks, Doc,” Gustave stated as the doctor left the room.
* * * *
“I’m glad Gustave is in there with her. She’s been clinging to him since we found her,” Louis stated.
“Fuck, man, that was the scariest thing ever. My heart felt as if it were going to explode with fear. Then when Gustave opened that trunk and there she was. Holy fuck!” Julien stated.
“She looked so scared and so fragile. We should have skinned that fucking piece of shit and fed him to the gators,” Johnny said, and they all mumbled in agreement.
“He could have raped her then killed her. Did you see those bruises? We shouldn’t have left her,” Franco added.
“Who would have known something like this would happen? We still don’t know who this guy is or what he was after. The Feds are on it, in case this is connected to the restaurant incident,” Franco added.
“Yeah, I don’t know how you kept your wits about you, Louis, and didn’t kill the fucker,” Julien said.
“I had a gun and he had a knife. I just wanted to get to Illeanna,” Louis replied. Then they heard the doctor coming down the stairs. All four men rose.
He explained Illeanna’s injuries and told them what to possibly expect in the next few days. They thanked him and Franco walked him out.
Chapter 6
Illeanna went into the bathroom while Gustave found her something to wear. She took care of her business then walked into the large shower Gustave had started for her. She wanted to get cleaned up and wash away the dirt and disgusting touch from the man that attacked her. She was shocked when she saw that bruises had already formed over her breast and the water seemed to burn against her skin.
She thought about Gustave and how worried he looked. When she had been thrown into the trunk, she was afraid that she never would see Gustave, Johnny, Franco, Louis, or Julien again. Illeanna thought about how they came to her rescue. They were all armed, all comforting her as Gustave pulled her from the trunk. That was terrible. It was an awful feeling, and she never wanted to experience that again. It was so crazy but being in their home, surrounded by such strong, good men, she felt protected. Why hadn’t I let one of them stay? What if something had happened to Mikayla? All because of my fear of getting involved with five men I adore and obviously find safety with? She wasn’t sure how long she was in there, but she heard the door open and Gustave’s voice.
“You okay, Illeanna? I’ve got a towel
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