Gripping the chair as the angle of the camera changed to show Tanner’s feet as he lapsed into Spanish, the video jumpy and grainy at best, Honor blinked as she noticed a pair of shiny black heels with white bows over the toes. She’d seen those heels before…she’d seen them that night when Zeke and his date had walked past her on their way to their seats in the stands while she’d been cheering at the football game. She remembered thinking how strange it was to wear such fancy shoes to a high school football game.
“Wait,” a second, slightly more nasal female voice interrupted. “Angie, you never said anything about killing her! She’s just a kid.”
“Sherry!” Honor gasped, her eyes watching the screen as the camera straightened again. “No, no, no, no,” she whimpered, squeezing her eyes closed as she listened to her agonizing screams and pleas blend with their conversation.
“No, she’s a loose end. C’mon, girl. She ruined your night with Zeke, Sherry. You said so yourself. He busted his nut in you and then left your ass high and dry to go make sure sweet little Honor was okay. Trust me, honey…. that little bitch will cause you nothing but problems if she’s allowed to live. We’re getting rid of her once and for all. I suggest you use the sink hole just over their property line. Deep as fuck and in the middle of nowhere. It’s perfect.”
“Oh, my god, Angie,” Sherry squeaked, obviously rattled.
“You gonna cause me more problems, puta?” Tanner asked Sherry. “Because I’m sure me and my friends wouldn’t mind if you joined my sweet little Peach on the ground over there,” he laughed, pointing behind him to where she lay, naked, as another masked man moved on top of her.
“Leave her alone, Tanner. She’s cool,” Angie defended her friend.
“God, who’s that over there on top of her?” Sherry asked. “Is that…”
“That is none of your business,” Angie said flatly.
Opening horrified eyes, Honor realized that Sherry must have taken a few steps toward where she’d been laying on the ground because suddenly Honor could clearly see her own face. She was much younger, and she was beaten and bloody, but it was her. She was almost unrecognizable, even to herself. “Oh, no, no, no,” she sobbed as one of the men pulled her hair, wrenching her head back to lick her cheek. Lifting a shaking hand, she felt her stomach drop as he laughed.
“C’mon, Pretty Kitty. Fight me. I love it when you fight,” he bellowed before slamming his fist into her jaw, the sickening crack of bone audible.
Dizzy with remembered pain, Honor rose from her chair and reached for the stapler without any real awareness of what she was doing and hurled it across the office at the television screen, desperate to stop what was happening to her on that screen. “Stop!” she screamed as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “Please! Stop, stop, STOP!” she shrieked, sobbing, throwing anything she could reach on the desk toward the blaring television.
“Miss Honor!” she heard someone call distantly. “Sweet Jesus, Miss Honor!”
Panicked, her eyes swung toward the door. “No! Don’t touch me!” she shouted, seeing a man, but not registering who it was. “No more, please! Don’t come near me,” she begged hysterically, as she took a stumbling step backward, bumping into the corner where two walls of her office met and sinking to the floor. Curling up into a ball, she sobbed. She cried for the little girl still screaming on the television screen, and she cried for the woman who was crumpled on the floor, her screams mixing with the cries of the girl on the television. “Oh, please make it stop,” she begged as the endless pain overwhelmed her. Closing her eyes, she was dimly aware of more voices arriving, of people crowding into her office.
“Be calm, Preciosa,” Honor heard, latching onto the deep, steady voice. “You are safe, Niña. I swear on my life, no one will touch you here.”
Slowly focusing on the man crouched in front of her, Honor suddenly realized who she was staring at. “Diego?” she whimpered.
“Si, Honor. It’s me,” he assured her softly.
“The DVD,” she whispered. “I don’t want everyone to see,” she squeaked.
“I’ve turned it off. No one but myself and your cook saw what was on the screen. We were the first here,” he informed her softly, his dark eyes compassionate as they met hers.
“Thank you,” she breathed gratefully, leaning her head back against the cement brick wall as her racing heartbeat began to slow.
“What do you need me to do for you, little one? I know we need to call your Sheriff. Yes?” Diego began.
“Yes. I want Zeke,” she replied, nodding emphatically. Looking over Diego’s shoulder at where her cook, Sammy and a few of the waitresses stood just inside the door, Honor bit her lip. “But, Diego, just tell him I need him. Don’t tell him about… he needs to hear about that from me,” she gestured toward the cracked screen of the television set. Apparently some of her missiles had found their mark. “Girls, I’m fine,” she told the anxious waitresses. “Go check on our customers, please,” she directed, hoping she’d injected enough firmness into her voice. The truth was that she was a quivering mass on the inside, the contents of that video shaking her to the core.
“Everybody get the hell out of my way, before I start clearing the path with my freakin’ baseball bat,” Honor heard Patience angrily demand from somewhere outside the office. “Big Sam? What the hell’s going on back here? We heard screaming out front?”
Seeing the question on the massive man’s face as his concerned gaze met her eyes, Honor nodded. “Tell her what’s going on, Sam, but only Patience.” Honor watched as Sam nodded and moved quickly into the kitchen to intercept Patience.
Diego’s low voice as he spoke to Zeke on the phone and the low hum of activity outside the office door lulled Honor into a state of blessed numbness. Oddly detached, it was Patience’s sharp, “Son of a bitch! Where is she? Where’s Peanut?” that sent Honor crashing back into the present.
Wiping her wet cheeks as her older sister appeared in the doorway, her blue eyes wild, Honor tried to smile. “I’m okay.”
“Bullshit,” Patience challenged succinctly as she moved swiftly toward her sister, bending to grab Honor’s cold hand. “I know you ain’t okay, because I’m not okay!”
Honor’s eyes filled with tears as she stared into the fiery eyes of her sister. “It’s all on tape. They recorded it, Patience. What they did to me… it’s on video. All of it,” she shared tightly.
“Sweetie….”
“People are going to see it,” Honor said, her voice cracking. “I don’t want anyone to see me like that. It’s awful. Ugly. Disgusting!” She shuddered as another wave of nausea flooded her.
“Oh, Honor,” Patience whispered, gathering her sister in her arms, “I’m positive that Zeke will make sure that nobody that isn’t absolutely necessary sees it. Don’t you worry about that.”
“Zeke! Zeke can’t watch it either, Pitty Pat. He can’t see me like… like… Patience, that shows those men on top of me… it shows it all,” Honor sobbed. “The man who’s marrying me…”
“The man that’s marrying you loves you, and nothing on any DVD is ever going to change that,” a deep, rich, achingly familiar voice said from the doorway of the office.
Honor’s eyes widened as they jerked toward the door. “Zeke,” she whispered. “How did you…”
“I was already on my way when Diego called. Patience sent Big Sam out to the parking lot to fill me in on the rest as soon as I pulled into the lot,” he replied, keeping his voice low and calm as Patience hugged her sister quickly and rose to her feet while Zeke took her place on the floor beside Honor. Looking over his shoulder at Diego and Patience, he murmured, “Give us the room for a minute, will you?”
Honor watched as Diego nodded, ushering Patience into the kitchen before closing the office door behind them and leaving her alone with Zeke. Staring at the calendar hanging from the back of the door without really seeing it, she tried to swallow. Her throat was sore from screaming and her voice sound hoarse as she
asked, “How much do you know?”
“Never mind that right now. I wanna know how you are,” Zeke returned anxiously, starting to reach for her only to drop his hand when she flinched. “Don’t be scared of me. I’d cut off my arm before I ever hurt you.”
“I know that. I really do, honey,” she said quickly, hating herself for her reaction. Zeke didn’t deserve that from her. He never had. But he especially didn’t now. “It was just reaction. I swear,” she promised quickly, reaching for his hand and linking their fingers together tightly.
“I get it, baby. I do. Just tell me how you are. Do you want me to call Bree or Orla or one of your sisters? Whatever you need… whatever you want, it’s yours,” he vowed, his loving gray eyes soft on her face.
“Not…not just yet,” Honor whispered as she made herself look at the man she loved. He looked worried and angry and all of the things she was feeling. “Honestly, right now I just wanna curl up in your lap and take a minute to get my head straight,” she murmured truthfully. “There’s so much…I feel like my mind is moving faster than the speed of light, but I can’t catch a single clear thought,” she shared, fisting her hand in her hair as she squeezed her eyes closed.
“Far as I’m concerned, you can crawl in my lap and stay for the rest of your life,” Zeke offered gently as he leaned forward to slip one hand behind her back and one under her knees and shift her into his lap. Wrapping his arms around her still shivering body, he breathed tenderly against her temple, “You take all the time you need, Honor. The rest of the world can wait.”
Resting her head against Zeke’s chest as he rocked her in his arms, Honor concentrated on her breathing like her doctor had taught her to do in high stress situations. ‘In through the nose, out through the mouth,’ she heard Bree chant like a mantra inside her head. After several minutes, she felt a bit stronger. “I don’t want you to see what they did to me,” she said quietly, speaking for the first time since he pulled her into his lap.
Zeke stilled instantly at the sound of her voice, his arms tightening around her. “Baby, I already saw what they did to you. I was there when we pulled you out of the sink hole. I was there at the hospital.”
“No, you saw the results of what they’d done. You’ve seen a few snapshots of me laying on the ground after they finished with me. You never had to watch them violate me, Zeke, one after the other, over and over again. But if you view that DVD, you will. And you’ll never be able to look at me the same way you do now, and I don’t know if I can handle that,” she confided huskily.
“Kitten, not a single thing I see on that video could ever change the love I have for you.”
“You don’t understand! It’s vile, Zeke. Vile and nasty. The things they forced me to do to them… the stuff they did to me… God, I know that I lived the nightmare, but seeing it again… knowing that the man I love will see it, too… It feels like someone is ripping out my heart,” she wept, turning her face into his chest as she felt him bury a hand in her hair, cupping her head as she sobbed against his shirt.
“Fuck,” he cursed, obviously torn between his desire to protect her and his need to do everything he could to find the people responsible for her pain. “The last thing I want is to be one of the things that bring you pain,” he ground out, pressing his lips to the top of her head as she continued crying. “Someone has to analyze the video, babe. If not me…”
“Jake,” Honor suggested, latching onto her brother-in-law. She didn’t want anybody to see her like that, but better it be Jake than Zeke. She could avoid Jake until she was able to bear the humiliation of having him see her like that. Zeke, on the other hand, would never allow her to hide from him. She didn’t want to, either. He was her love…her safe place. “Use Jake, Zeke. And Diego, too, if you need him. Jake was in law enforcement, Zeke, and Diego has already seen part of it when he found me screaming. They could look at it for us. Please, can’t you make an exception? I know it’s a big ask, but please, I can’t handle you seeing those animals attacking me. Please. Do this for me,” she urged desperately, her fingers digging into his sides as she pushed her face against his damp shirt.
“Babe, even if I agree to it, neither Jake nor Diego has a local connection to the town. They wouldn’t recognize anybody even if they hadn’t been wearing masks.”
Honor winced at Zeke’s mention of finding a local connection. She had to tell him about Angela and Sherry. It could potentially be a big break for them since Sherry was still local to the area where they lived, but God, she hated to tell him.
“Zeke, there’s something about the video I think you need to hear from me,” she began, her voice thin and tense. “What I have to tell you is going to be hard to hear, but I want it to come from me and not anyone else,” Honor warned, shifting until, she straddled his lap, facing him.
“What is it?” he questioned evenly. “Don’t be afraid. Whatever it is, I’ll keep myself under control.”
“There were five men that raped me, Zeke,” Honor whispered. “But they weren’t the only ones responsible for what happened.”
Zeke stiffened. “What do you mean, Honor?”
“There were more people involved than those five. The video shows it. I don’t remember them being there, but I heard their voices, and they called each other by name.”
Zeke’s face darkened and Honor felt the muscles in his thighs contract under her butt. “Zeke, you promised to stay calm,” she reminded him nervously, watching his face like a hawk.
“Who?” he clipped out.
“First, I need you to swear to me you won’t burst out of here, half-cocked and bent on revenge. Promise me that for tonight, we’ll do nothing other than go home and crawl into bed where you’ll hold me all night long,” Honor insisted, pressing a hand over where his heart pounded in his chest. “Please, Zeke. I need you with me. Every day in every way, remember? I won’t have you if you go off and do something insane.”
Gripping her hips, Zeke’s jaw flexed. “It’s that bad?”
“Just swear to me,” Honor demanded, scooting closer until her breasts brushed his chest and she could feel his warm breath ghosting over her lips. The bristles of his five o’clock shadow scraped against her palm as she lifted a hand and cupped the stubborn angle of his jaw. “Please, Ezekiel? For me and that unborn baby you saw in my eyes six years ago, make me this promise.”
“Shit,” Zeke swore, grinding his teeth. “You do know how to grab me by my short and curly ones, don’t you, Kitten?”
“Your short and curly what?” Honor asked blankly, relieved when she saw a faint smile tilt his lips.
“God, I love your innocence, Honor. Never mind about that,” he chuckled, moving his hands from her hips to stroke up and down her back. “You’ve got my word. Regardless of whatever you tell me, I promise that for tonight, I’ll take you home and keep you in my arms all night long. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with whatever you’ve got to share.”
Honor relaxed as she gained his promise and was once again awed by the depth of Zeke’s love for her. She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, but it never ceased to amaze her how willing he was to put her wishes first. She only hoped that one day she could show him that the feeling went both ways and that she adored him every bit as much as he seemed to her. It was the reason she’d wanted his promise so badly. She wanted her future with him. Badly. And if he went off and did something he’d regret later, it could cost them both dearly.
“Who else was there, Honor? Who else was responsible for nearly taking you from me before I even realized that we were meant to be?”
“One of them was Angie,” Honor told him softly, hating the look of absolute horror that flooded his face.
“What?” he breathed as his arms involuntarily contracted around her.
“It’s true. You see her on the video plain as day in living color.”
“I don’t understand why the hell she would ever be a part of something so hideous! I mean, I know she was a rotten person, but
…”
“I know why she did it, Zeke,” Honor acknowledged quietly.
“Why then?” Zeke growled.
Honor didn’t even flinch at the anger in Zeke’s voice. She knew it wasn’t directed at her. “Because I knew her secret,” Honor whispered. “I knew she was sleeping around on Abel.”
“Half the town knew that,” Zeke countered.
“Yes, but they didn’t know who with, Zeke. I did. I accidently walked in on it the day I went to pick up some forms for the café for Aunt Orla. I walked in on Angie…and Tanner,” she whispered. “From what I pieced together on the video, Angie told Tanner to get rid of me… and kidnapping me was the way he did it.”
“Jesus Christ!” Zeke snarled, pulling Honor to him.
“The sad part is that I never had any intention of telling what I knew, Zeke. I would never have wanted to hurt Abel or Harmony that way. At the time, she still loved Tanner. And the whole town knew that back then Abel was stupid over Angela. She had nothing to fear from me.”
“None of this was your fault, baby,” Zeke soothed, pressing his lips to her temple as he slid his hand up and down her spine.
“Angie says on the video she was filming what happened because she wanted Tanner to know that she had the video in case he or any of his friends ever thought about running his mouth about their affair. She said she knew all their names and wasn’t afraid to use them if she ever needed to.”
“Well, at least this gives me some insight into Angie’s murder. It’s entirely likely that whoever killed her participated in your kidnapping and rape. When she came back to town to defend Diego, she spooked them. They got nervous and they put a bullet in her head to ensure that video would never come to light.”
Honor felt a chill creep down her spine as she listened to Zeke’s theory. “Then why send it to me now?” Honor whispered. “The DVD had a post-it note stuck to it,” she said, lifting her head from his shoulder and pointing at the yellow square of paper that had fallen to the floor beside her desk. “They called it a loving reminder before our wedding, Zeke. I don’t understand. If they’d kill Angie for having that video, why send it to me?”
Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4) Page 47
