by Ramona Gray
Dennison waved his hand in the air. “You belong to him, little girl.” He leveled a cold look at me. “Here’s the deal your mother has made, Naomi. She gets her bills paid and keeps a roof over her head, and her beloved first daughter is returned to her. I get her ungrateful little brat of a youngest. You don’t come with me, the deal ends. Your mother ends up on the street doing who knows what to survive, and Joy is returned to her rightful owner.”
His gaze flickered to Joy. “You know, I had a hard time convincing Robert to give you up. He said he was just getting ready to bless you with child.”
Joy stiffened behind me and I heard her sharp intake of breath. I glanced up at her, adrenaline pumping through my veins at the look of fear on her face.
“Well, what will it be, Naomi? Will you honour your mother’s deal, or will you watch your sister be returned to her husband while you continue with your whoring ways?”
I took a deep breath as a merry-go-round of wild ideas ricocheted through my head ranging from grabbing a knife and trying to stab the three men to bursting into tears and begging Dennison to let all of us go.
I grimaced inwardly, none of them were even remotely helpful.
Dane and Mason. You need them.
Some of the fear running through me, eased off a little. Mason and Dane would save me.
Really? You’ve barely spoken to them the last two days. You’ve been ignoring them like a pouty little kid. Why would they care what happens to you?
I ignored that new voice in my head. Dane and Mason loved me. That hadn’t changed just because we argued.
“Naomi?” Dennison’s voice was hard. “What will it be?”
“I’ll go with you,” I said.
“Like hell you will,” Joy said. She tried to pull away from me and I clung to her, shaking my head.
“It’s fine, Joy.”
“No, it isn’t! You’re not going with him. I’ll go back to Robert. I’m not ruining your life or -”
“Joy.” I cupped her face and stared directly at her. “It’s fine. I want to do this. You deserve to be free. I want to do this.”
I stared intently at her, praying inwardly that we hadn’t been apart for so long that she could no longer understand my silent communication. She searched my face before slowly nodding. “All right.”
I turned to face Dennison. “I’ll go with you, but I need to call Mason and Dane first.”
“No,” he said.
“I have to. If I don’t tell them that I’m quitting my job and that I’m moving out of their home, they won’t stop searching for me. They’re in love with me and they have the money and the power to find me if they think I’ve been taken against my will. I’ll call them and tell them it’s over between us.”
“Bullshit,” Dennison said. “You’re lying to me.”
“I’m not,” I insisted. “You’ve seen them. Do you really want them going after you?”
His face paled and I cheered inwardly. My plan depended on him being a coward and apparently my instincts about him were right.
“Call him,” he said. “But you do it right here and if you say anything to them about what’s happening, these two men will take your sister and you’ll never see her again. You understand?”
“I understand,” I said.
Trying to keep my hands from shaking, I pulled out my cell and called Dane. He answered on the first ring and I almost burst into tears.
“Baby? Where are you?”
I held the phone tight to my ear, so the others couldn’t hear his voice. “Hello, Dane.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Jemma said something about your sister.” Dane’s voice soothed me even if he sounded confused and a little anxious.
“Yes, she’s back home. Listen, I have something I need to say. It’s over between us.”
There was a long drawn out silence and I held my breath, my temples throbbing with the heavy beat of my pulse.
“No,” Dane said.
I could have wept with relief at the familiar stubbornness in his voice. I could hear the muffled sound of Mason’s voice and Dane said, “She wants to end things with us.”
“It’s over,” I said again.
“Baby, no,” Dane said. “I know you’re upset and yes, Mason and I crossed the line with what we said and did, but I swear we understand how fucked up it was, and we won’t do it again. We’re begging you to give us -”
“No,” I said loudly. “It’s over. Things have been bad between us for the last three weeks and I’m over it. I never wanted this to be a long-term thing. You were just an experiment for me. If I thought it was serious, don’t you think I would have said I love you by now?”
Please Dane, please understand.
There was another long pause and then Dane said, “Baby, is your dad with you? Is he making you say these things?”
Now I did have to blink back the tears. “Yes. It’s true.”
“Are you at your parents’ place? Do you want us to come and get you?” Dane said.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want,” I said. I paused and added, “No, I’m not going to change my mind. It’s over between us.”
“We’re on our way, baby. Hold tight,” Dane said.
Dennison made a motion for me to hang up the phone and I said, “Goodbye, Dane. Don’t try and contact me again.”
I ended the call, and Dennison grunted in satisfaction. Suddenly furious, I turned to my mother. “You’re as much of a monster as Dad.”
My mother gasped. “Naomi, please. I’m doing this for your own good. Being with two men – it’s, it’s an abomination. You’ll go to hell. I’m saving you and your sister.”
“No,” I said, “you’re saving yourself. You don’t give a fuck about Joy or me.”
“That’s enough, Naomi,” Dennison said. “Your foul language will no longer be tolerated. Let’s go.”
Icy panic gripped me again. “What? Go where?”
“To my home, of course,” Dennison said.
I clutched Joy’s hand. It would take Mason and Dane at least fifteen minutes to get here if they left immediately and the traffic wasn’t bad. I needed to stall. “Can I have some time with my sister before we go?”
“No,” Dennison said impatiently. “I have things to do, Naomi. Come.” He held out his hand and I took a step back.
“Half an hour is all I’m asking for. I haven’t seen her in years.”
“You’ll see her at church on Sunday and, if you behave and do as I say, I’ll allow her to visit you at our home from time to time. Now, let’s go.”
“Please,” I said.
He huffed out an impatient laugh. “Are you going to be this way always, Naomi? Will I be required to bring you to heel on a daily basis? You will do as I say without argument or I will have these men take your sister and leave right now. We leave now or the deal is over.”
I hugged Joy hard and whispered in her ear, “It’ll be okay. They’ll find me.”
She was starting to cry, and I wiped at the tears roughly. “Don’t cry, Joy. I love you.”
“I love you too, Naomi,” she said.
“Naomi,” my mother said, “I love you, honey.”
I looked her square in the face. “I hate you. I hope you burn in hell for what you’ve done.”
She staggered back, her hand fluttering up to her mouth as she stared at me like a wounded bird. I didn’t care. I meant every word I said.
Chapter Sixteen
Dane
“Do we call the police or not?” Mason said as I drove toward Naomi’s parents’ place.
“Not yet,” I said.
“If he keeps trying to kidnap her, we can’t just let that fucking go,” Mason said.
“We don’t know that he’s kidnapped her,” I said.
“She called us and asked us to come get her. If she can’t leave on her own, then it’s a fucking kidnapping and we should call the police,” Mason said. “What if w
e get there and he has a goddamn gun?”
“Look, Naomi sounded nervous but not terrified,” I said. “If her old man had a gun on her, she would have sounded more afraid.”
“You better hope you’re right,” Mason said.
“Fuck, is her parents place on Thompson Boulevard or Crescent?” I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel. “I don’t fucking remember.”
“Crescent,” Mason said. “Turn left here. Her parents’ place is the blue bungalow with the white picket fence.”
I silently thanked God for Mason’s memory as I drove down the street.
“There’s Naomi’s car. Thank Christ,” Mason said.
I parked on the street behind Naomi’s car and both Mason and I ran up to the house. I pounded on the front door. “Naomi! Naomi, open the door!”
I tried the door handle, rattling it uselessly when it was locked. “Naomi! Open the door!”
Mason glanced around the neighbourhood. “Dane, lower your voice a little. We don’t need the whole neighbourhood out here.”
“I don’t fucking care,” I said before pounding on the door for a third time. “Open this fucking door right now, you son of a bitch, or I’ll fucking kick it in!”
I was just getting ready to try and bust my way in when the door opened, and Naomi’s mother stared at us. “Go away. Naomi isn’t here and I’ll call the police if you don’t leave.”
I pushed my way past her, Mason on my heels, and strode down the hallway. “Naomi! Baby, where are you?”
I ducked into the living room. It was empty and I followed Mason down the hall to the kitchen.
“Sweetheart?” Mason stepped into the kitchen. “Naomi, are you in here? Fuck!”
Naomi’s mother had followed us in, and she stood near the doorway, holding her cell phone in her hand. “I told you she wasn’t here. Leave. She broke up with you and doesn’t want to see you anymore.”
“Like fuck she did,” I snarled. “Where did your husband take her?”
She didn’t answer and I took a step toward her, my skin tight and my body tingling with panic. “Where the fuck is he? Answer me!”
“It wasn’t Dad.”
Mason and I stared at the woman who stepped into the kitchen. She was dressed much like Naomi used to dress with a scarf that covered her hair. I’d never seen a picture of Naomi’s sister, but I knew she was Joy.
“Where is she, Joy?” I said.
“Deacon Dennison left with her about five minutes ago,” she said. “My mother made a deal with him. He paid off her debts and brought me home, and she would give him Naomi.”
“Are you fucking kidding me,” Mason said.
“I had no choice,” Naomi’s mother said. “Josiah gambled away all the money you gave us. We’re going to be homeless and… and you two were corrupting my baby girl!”
“You fucking sold your baby girl to a perverted old man!” I shouted.
Mason gripped me by the arm. “Take a deep breath, Dane.”
Joy swallowed hard. “I tried to stop her. I told her that I would go back to Robert. I didn’t want her to do this, but she said she wanted to. She said everything would be fine and that you would find her.”
“Damn fucking right, we will,” I said.
I glared at Naomi’s mother. “Where’s this asshole deacon live?”
Her mouth pressed into a straight line and she shook her head defiantly. “I won’t tell you. Naomi is better off with him.”
“Lady, you are fucking delusional,” Mason said. “You need to be in a goddamn nuthouse.”
“Where does he live?” I repeated.
She shook her head again and I wanted to scream in frustration.
“Mom,” Joy stood in front of her mother, “tell them where she is.”
“I won’t,” her mother said. “Joy, you have to understand. I love you and I love Naomi, and I only -”
I flinched and Mason made a grunt of surprise when Joy slapped her mother across the face. Her mother cried out, grabbing at her cheek and staring in shock at Joy as she said, “Tell them where she is. Right now.”
“I won’t! You can’t – ouch!”
Joy had slapped her again, this one was so hard, I could see the imprint of Joy’s hand on her cheek. “Tell them, Mother. Tell them or I swear to fucking God, I will walk out this door and go straight to the police. I’ll tell them that my own parents sold me into a cult. I’ll expose Robert and his cult, and you and Daddy and Deacon Dennison will go to prison for the rest of your lives. So, I will give you one last fucking chance to tell them where he lives.”
Her mother swallowed hard, her hand still pressed against her cheek. Her gaze flickered between mine and Joy’s before she whispered, “Rondeau Street. 785 Rondeau Street.”
Mason pushed past me and held out his hand to Joy. “Let’s go get your sister, Joy.”
“Joy?” Her mother whispered when Joy took Mason’s hand. “Don’t leave me.”
“Goodbye, Mother,” Joy said, and followed Mason and I out of the kitchen without looking back.
* * *
Naomi
“Sit down, Naomi.” Dennison pointed to a kitchen chair.
I sank into it, folding my arms nervously across my torso as Dennison sank into the chair across from me. His smug self-satisfied smile made me want to punch him in the face. Instead, I tried to concentrate on how he would look when Dane and Mason came busting in and saved me.
How exactly are they going to do that, Naomi? They have no idea where he lives.
I tried not to let my inner voice panic me. They could google him if they had to, right? How hard was it in this day and age to find a person’s address? Not that fucking hard.
“We should go over the duties I expect of you as my wife.” Dennison tapped his fingers on the table. “You will be expected to clean and cook, as well as pleasing me in the bedroom.”
My stomach twisted and he must have seen the disgust on my face because he said, “I can assure you, Naomi, that I am more then adept at pleasing a woman in the bedroom.”
“Oh yeah? Then why did your wife leave you?” I said.
His face reddened. “That’s none of your business. You’ll want to keep your smart mouth to yourself, Naomi. Your parents may have been lenient with you, but you’ll find that I’m not nearly as willing to accept your attitude.”
“Well, that’s a shame, because my attitude is here to stay.”
His smile was chilling. “You say that now. It’ll change.”
“Fuck you,” I said.
He laughed. “Not until we’re married, dear. And not until you’ve been cleansed of the stench of the two men you whored yourself out to.”
He straightened in his chair and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Tomorrow morning, two women from the church will be stopping by to perform the cleansing. You are expected to submit to it and not argue or complain over anything they do to you. Some of it will be… unpleasant, but you can think of it as your punishment for allowing those men to defile your innocence.”
Was that a car door? I strained to hear over the tapping as Dennison texted on his phone.
“I know it’s early, but why don’t you get started on supper. I prefer an early dinner as it gives us more time for prayer and devotions before bed. You’ll find meat in the freezer and produce in the fridge. Don’t use too much salt, I have high blood pressure.” Dennison stared at me over his phone. “Hop to it, Naomi.”
Gritting my teeth, I stood and walked to the fridge. Deacon Dennison was about to be served a meal so fucking full of salt, he’d choke on it.
The knock on the door made us both pause. Dennison stared suspiciously at me. “Who is that?”
“How would I know?” I said as hope bloomed bright in my belly. “I’ll find out.”
“Stay right where you are,” he barked before leaving the kitchen.
I waited a few seconds and then followed him, walking lightly and holding my breath. He stood at the front door. “Who is it?�
�
“Deacon Dennison? It’s Joy. Can I speak to my sister please?”
“How did you get here?” Dennison said.
“Please, I must speak to her. I promise it won’t take long.”
Dennison unlocked the door and opened it. “How did you get here, Joy? You can’t just -”
His squeal of fear when Dane stepped in front of Joy and grabbed him by his shirt collar made hysterical laughter bust out of my chest. Dane propelled him back into the house and slammed him up against the wall. “Where is she, you bastard? Where’s Naomi?”
“Dane, she’s there!” Mason was already shoving past Dane. I started to cry when he ran to me and threw his arms around me.
He hugged me hard as Dane joined us. Both of them kissed my face repeatedly and I flung my arms around them and buried my face in Dane’s chest.
“It’s okay, baby. We have you now,” he said.
“I love you,” I said. “I’m sorry I was angry with you. I love you both so much.”
“We love you too,” Mason said. “And we deserved your anger.”
“You didn’t.” More tears spilled down my cheeks and Dane wiped them away with his thumbs.
“Don’t cry, baby. You’re safe now.”
“Get out of my house,” Dennison’s voice was an anxious squeak.
Dane turned and glared at him. “Shut the fuck up before I knock your teeth down your throat.”
Dennison shrank back against the wall as Joy joined us. I squirmed free of Mason and Dane’s embrace and hugged her. “Hi, honey.”
She kissed my forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Never better.” She managed a small smile before glancing at the two men standing protectively behind me. “Your guys seem nice.”
I laughed. “They’re amazing.”
“You’re amazing.” Dane kissed the top of my head. “C’mon, baby, let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Holding Joy’s hand tightly, I headed toward the door, not even bothering to look in Dennison’s direction. Mason slammed the door shut behind us and when Joy stopped, I squeezed her hand and smiled at her.
“We’re free,” she said with soft wonderment in her voice.
