“Thanks, Dad; I’ll be expecting her call.” He chuckles because we both know that as soon as he tells her, she’ll be calling me wanting to know everything, thinking that my dad left things out.
“Don’t worry about your brothers; they’ll want what’s best for you.”
I’m not really sure about that.
“Call me when you know more, son. I want to know as soon as you do.”
I roll my eyes at his demand but know that it’s coming from a good place. “I will. As soon as Zeke calls, I’ll let you know. I’ll call the boys over to my house and explain things to them.” It’ll be better telling them all at once rather than making individual phone calls.
“That’ll be best. That way they’ll be able to see how serious you are about her. I’ve got to go; your mother is glaring at me trying to figure out what we’re talking about.”
I chuckle; she’s going to pester him until he tells her what she wants to know. “Okay, Dad, I’ll talk to you later.”
I end the call and I decide to wait until I’m home before I call my brothers. I’m not looking forward to that conversation. While I don’t think they’d judge me for wanting a woman so young, they’ll be pissed when they find out that I’ve wanted her since she was fifteen. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t do anything with her.
Seven
Reli
Ding dong.
Is that the doorbell?
I freeze on the spot. It’s been six hours since Talia and the girls left. I managed to climb back upstairs and before I managed to get to the bed, I collapsed onto the floor. I somehow pulled myself up against the wall where I’ve been sitting ever since. I’m frightened that if I fall asleep, Talia may come back.
I’ve been told I’m not allowed to answer the door. The doorbell sounds yet again and I try to get up. My hand reaches out for the wall and I lift myself up off the floor. I cry out in pain as I straighten; something’s not right with my back. The doorbell sounds once again and it’s followed by banging. Tears sting my eyes as I make my way downstairs. I’ve never been in this much pain. Talia has never gone this far before, not to mention whatever I did to it when I lifted the girls’ bags.
Opening up the door, I gasp. It’s John. As always, he’s impeccably dressed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not in a suit.
He smirks at me. “You remember me.” It’s not a question, but a statement.
Heat rises through my cheeks and I know I'm blushing. Of course I remember him. He watched as Talia backhanded me; he was the last thing I saw before I was knocked unconscious, not to mention the man that I see in my dreams. He’s been a constant figure in my mind, the person I think of when I need to escape. I’m not telling him that though. “Is there something I can do for you, John?” This is not good, he can’t be here. If Talia finds out, she’ll go crazy.
He glances over me, starting at my bare feet, moving up to my chest, and then his eyes narrow as he takes in my face. I’ve not had a chance to look at myself yet, what with running around this morning getting them all ready to go away, but the force of his gaze causes my skin to heat.
He doesn’t say anything, just raises his hand. “You left this behind.” He hands me my bracelet. The one I lost.
“How? Where?” I breathe as I take it from his hand and hold it close to my chest, relieved to have it back again. That hollow pit in my stomach fills with warmth as I slip it back on my wrist, in its rightful place. “Thank you; I don't know how I could ever repay you. I honestly thought it was gone forever.”
He smiles, those pearly whites of his shining brightly. “You're very welcome. I can tell that it means something to you. So I'm glad that I was able to find it. You dropped it when you were getting into your car.”
I frown. “How did you know where to find me?”
He laughs. “The car you were driving was hardly inconspicuous. It was easy enough to trace you from that.” He tilts his head to study me. “Are you okay?”
I'm hesitant to answer but when I look down at my bracelet, I decide to just be honest; he’s gone out of his way to give it back to me. “I’m doing okay, thank you.”
His fingers graze mine as he holds my hand, electricity runs through me. “You’re not, but you will be.” He squeezes my hand slightly. “How old are you?” he asks curiously.
I pull my hand away from him and fold my arms over my chest, feeling vulnerable. Pain seeps through my chest as I remember the conversation at my father's wake. He was pissed that I was fifteen and. “Seventeen,” I reply honestly.
His gaze falls to my neck, where once again my skin is marred with bruises from Talia's antics. “Tell me when will you be eighteen.”
I glance at the floor. “Three months.” Yet another year where I’ll never celebrate my birthday. This will be my third.
Something passes in his eyes but I can't make it out. “Where is your step-mom?” he asks, looking into the house.
I grit my teeth. “Why do you want to know?”
He doesn’t react to my tone. “Call me curious. Please, can you just answer the question?”
I sigh. “My stepmother is currently on vacation. She won't be back for a couple of days. My parents are dead, as you well know. May I ask what you want to talk to her about?”
His eyes narrow dangerously; this man is not one to be messed with. “I don’t want to talk to her.” His tone is one that I can’t gauge. “I’m sorry for your loss; you must miss them terribly.”
“I do. Now, if you don't mind, Mr Princeton, I'm quite busy,” I snap and instantly regret it. “I’m sorry; again, thank you so much for finding my bracelet. I really do appreciate it; have a wonderful day.” I go to close the door and bite my lip to stop the scream from coming out. I moved way too quickly.
His foot blocks me from closing the door, jarring me. This time, I do scream out.
“Shit, Reli.” He curses and takes a step toward me.
“John?” I question, fear running through me.
“You’re in pain. I can see it in your eyes, not to mention you screamed out when I moved the door.” His voice has a dangerous tone to it, but he doesn’t take another step toward me and I’m thankful for that. “Reli, you need to see a doctor.”
“I will, I’ll be okay, thank you very much for your concern.” I need him to leave, I want to lie down and rest. It hurts so much just standing here.
His eyes narrow but he nods. “I’ll leave you in peace now, but I'll see you soon. Can I have your number in case I need to contact you?”
I shift on my feet, feeling ashamed. “I'm very sorry, but I don't have a cell phone.” What seventeen-year-old doesn't have a cell phone?
Rage passes through his eyes. “Reli, after witnessing that abomination yesterday, I was curious as to why she hid you and then laid her hands on you. May I ask a question?”
I sigh, “John, you seem to have a lot of questions. If I don’t answer them, are you still going to ask?”
He smirks. “Yes.”
I shake my head. “Why?” I don’t understand why he is so interested.
“You intrigue me,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Mr Princeton…” I try, hoping that it’ll keep him at a distance. But it doesn’t work.
“John,” he corrects me.
I nod. “John, if you want to ask me questions, please come in. I really need to sit down,” I mumble, sounding pathetic
He takes a step toward me. "I have a better idea." His knees bend as he reaches for me. "I'm taking you to a doctor."
Fear courses through me. "No, John, please," I beg. "She won't allow it."
"Reli, you are almost eighteen; you can do whatever the fuck you like."
A pitiful laugh escapes me as he walks with me in his arms toward his car. "It's that easy?"
He shrugs. "It's that easy."
"You don't get it. I have nothing, absolutely nothing. No family, no money, no home. I'm here because Talia allows me to be. I have to earn my keep so I cook, cle
an, shop, and whatever else is required so I have a roof over my head."
And if I don’t do that, there’s consequences. I don’t say that out loud. I don’t want anyone to know about what’s happened in that house. Not all of it anyway.
He gently places me into the car. "That bitch hit you. I saw her do it." His tone has a dark edge to it. "Tell me, Reli, how often does she hurt you?"
I turn away from him, not wanting him to see the truth as to what happens between us. He runs back to the front door, closing it before coming back to the car. Sliding into his seat beside me, his fingers gently caress my face before he tugs my chin, turning my head to face him. "Tell me!" he demands.
I glance to the front, where his driver is sitting and without saying a word, a glass pane separates us.
"He can't hear you; please talk to me." His voice is soft, but he's confusing me.
I shake my head. "I don't know you. Why are you doing this?"
His fingers once again caress my face. "I’ve known you for as long as you’ve been alive. I met you mere days after you were born, and I was there for your mother’s funeral and your father’s. It was at your father’s funeral that I knew I wanted you. When I saw you in the store the other day, you looked so vulnerable. Then I saw those bruises on your neck and I knew something happened to you. When I noticed your bracelet, it gave me a chance to see you again."
I listen intently as he talks. I’m shocked that he seems to actually care. I haven’t had anyone care for me in a long time.
"I knew where you lived; I wondered if you had left. To say I was shocked to see your step-mom open the door is an understatement. When she told me that she and her two minions were the only ones in the house, I immediately called bullshit."
I laugh; minions is right. Both Zella and Anna do whatever Talia wants.
"It took every ounce of strength I had not to bust into the house and take her down when she hit you."
I stare at him, his green eyes focused on me. "What do you want from me, John?" I ask softly, scared but hopeful at the same time.
"For now, I just want to make sure you're okay."
I swallow back the fear. I need to say something. "John, please don't hurt me."
"I won’t," he responds instantly.
I shake my head. "If I leave, I have nowhere to go."
"You will. I promise you, that no matter what happens, you'll have somewhere to go."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," I snap. Promises always get broken and I'm the one who always ends up getting hurt.
"Reli," he says; he’s the only one besides my dad that calls me that. "I don't make promises I can't keep. I have an idea of what I want to happen, but you'll be safe—that, I'll guarantee." His deep voice washes over me and I'm scared; all these promises make me hopeful, but I'm not naïve enough to think that they may never happen.
"What is it that you're hoping is going to happen between us?"
"Reli, right now, I'm taking this one step at a time." He's not making sense.
"John?" I question, not willing to let this lie. I need answers.
He sighs. "Fine. Reli, you're gorgeous, you're fucking sweet and vulnerable, but I can tell you have some steel. I want you, in my bed and in my life. I'm going to take that slowly because you're scared. But for this to work, I need you to be honest with me."
I nod, shocked at his honesty. He’s Markus’ son; the Princeton family has been a part of my life for a long time. I’m scared, I’m alone, and now that I’ve left Talia’s house, I’m worried about what she’ll do when she finds out.
"Tell me everything, Reli," he pleads, taking my hands into his and squeezing tight.
I open my mouth and I unload; it's like opening a wound and letting it bleed. I keep the worst of it to myself. I can’t, I won’t, tell anyone that. I can’t through fear of repercussion if she ever found out that I had told anyone. I’m sure she’d kill me, but I also have shame. Shame of the things I’ve done.
Eight
John
I feel physically sick after hearing what Reli has been through. When she opened the door, I bit back a curse as I took in her face. The split lip, the bloodshot eyes, not to mention the bruises that shine brightly on her face. She took a beating last night or this morning. A severe one, by the looks of things. I need to get her to a doctor. Preferably a hospital, but I’m not sure she’ll go for that.
By the looks of it, it looks like she has taken years of abuse, both physically and mentally. What she’s endured makes me want to track Talia Maine down and kill the bitch. Talia and her minions have turned a girl that was broken hearted from losing her father into their fucking slave. They’ve made her life a living hell, and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that they get the same in return. I’m going to fucking ruin them.
“Is this happening every day?” I’m not sure how I’ve managed to keep my voice calm and even but I’m fucking glad. The last thing Reli needs is my anger; it’s not directed at her, but she’s been mistreated so badly that she’d probably think it was.
She wrings her hands together and shrugs. Something passes through her eyes and I realize that she’s not told me everything. I can’t push her; if I do she could close up or run, and she's too frail to go anywhere.
“Reli, talk to me. I want to help,” I plead with her. I’m not used to feeling helpless and right now, there’s nothing that I can do. I want to pull her into my arms and hold her tight, but she’s fucking seventeen.
The sheer sadness in her eyes makes my gut clench. “You can’t. No one can.” She shifts in her seat; a strangled cry springs from her lips as tears form in her eyes.
Fuck. “Reli, you need to see the doctor. Will you let me bring you to the hospital?”
She nods, her entire body shaking as the tears fall down her face.
Thank Christ.
I quickly push the button for the intercom and speak to my driver. “Lance, take us to the hospital.”
“Yes, boss,” he replies instantly.
He’ll take us to a hospital that I trust. One that we use for my men if we’re injured. Where I know they’ll keep this shit quiet.
Reli leans back against the seat and closes her eyes, her face tense and full of pain. I hate seeing her like this. I need to comfort her. I unsnap her seat belt buckle and her eyes pop open, the fear in them has me fighting back a curse.
“Let me help you,” I murmur, and she just stares at me as I reach for her. I pull her into my lap and she shuts down even more. “Reli, I’m not going to hurt you.” But my words fall on deaf ears; she doesn’t know that, she doesn’t really know me.
I hold her close, needing to feel her in my arms. “Where are you sore the most?” I ask her; she’s barely able to breathe without wincing.
“My back.” She gasps as Lance takes a sharp corner and she’s jolted in my arms.
I ask her if it's okay to have a look. I need to see what’s wrong with her. She nods, turning her head away from me. I lift up her top and my jaw clenches at what I see. Black bruises run from the top of her neck to the bottom of her spine.
Oh my God, what on earth has this woman been doing to her?
“Reli, why didn’t you tell me about your back? What did she do to you?”
Looking back at me, she licks her lips, her eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know,” she whispers and I frown; how can she not know? “Yesterday…” she begins softly and my body tenses. “She hit me…”
“I saw.” I say through clenched teeth.
“I fell to the floor, my head bounced and my vision swam. She kicked me in my back and then I lost consciousness. I don’t know what happened after that.”
Tears prick my eyes. I’m seething, I should have fucking stopped it. If I had, she wouldn’t be hurt right now. “I’m so fucking sorry,” I whisper to her.
She shakes her head. “This isn’t your fault, John. I’ll be fine. Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll be back to myself.”
The fa
ct that she’s so blase about this just pisses me off further. “Reli…”
She waves me off, the movement jarring her back even more. “John, this isn’t the worst I’ve ever felt. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
Her eyes widen even further and I feel like a fucking ass. I’m scaring her. “I’m okay,” she tries to assure me as she places her hand on top of mine. The movement making tears spring to her eyes.
“Please stop. You’re hurt, and every time you move, you’re wincing in pain. Try to relax; we’re almost at the hospital.”
Tears slowly fall from her eyes and I want to find that fucking bitch and put a bullet in her head for all the pain she’s caused Reli.
“Boss, we’re here,” Lance announces as the divider comes down. He pulls up outside the hospital entrance.
“Go in and get someone to help,” I demand as he opens my door. I slide out of the car, Reli still in my arms. I’m not letting her go, not until she’s safely inside the hospital.
Within moments, Lance is back with a doctor; she takes one look at Reli in my arms and starts barking orders to the nursing staff around her. They all move at her sharp tone, a gurney arrives and the nurses are taking her from me, placing her onto the bed.
“Mr Princeton.” I glance to Lance and he nods, letting me know that he’s told her the situation, or at least the rundown of what’s happened. He steps away, no doubt to move the car and I focus back on the doctor. “She’s in safe hands. I’m going to do a thorough examination and help her.”
“Thank you, doc,” I murmur, but she’s already moving away and taking Reli with her. I follow dutifully behind until I’m told to wait in the seating area.
Lance finds me a while later and hands me a cup of coffee. “Any word yet?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.” What the hell is taking so long?
“She’s in the best place she can be. She’ll get the help she needs and then you can take her home and help her heal.”
Saving Reli Page 4
