She took a deep breath and continued, “When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. A day or two later, I was told that I was in Pennsylvania and my ‘family’ sent me there as a trade. A trade! In exchange, one of their women went to Ohio to marry one of the men I had no interest in. Because I wasn’t related to anyone on that mountain and they needed new blood, they considered it a great trade. Until they realized I’d never change my mind and I’d never willingly marry any of the men who ‘courted’ me in that dark, damn shed!” She blew out a harsh breath trying to keep her blood pressure from spiking.
“That where you woke up?”
“Yes.”
“Jesus, Red.”
“Since I refused to voluntarily pick a husband, the leader, Vernon, decided he would pick one for me. Funny how it just happened to be one of his younger sons, Tomlin. Vernon figured once I became pregnant, I’d change my mind and never want to leave.”
Sig had already been tense behind her but the mention of Tomlin turned his body to stone. “How old was his fuckin’ son?”
“I’m not sure, but a lot younger than me. He was awkward, gangly and built like a teenager. Maybe eighteen, which was when the Shirley ‘men’ were encouraged to find a wife and begin having babies.
“They moved me from the shed and into Tomlin’s room at the main house. They,” inhale, “strapped me to the bed after I fought to keep him from...” She squeezed her eyes shut. “They... he... Two months. Two whole months I spent in that room, in that bed, someone always watching me. After two months... They said if after two months I wasn’t pregnant, then I was just a waste of food and resources, especially since I wasn’t cooperating. In what damn world would I cooperate with any of that?”
No one in their right mind would.
“Vernon wasn’t happy with his son when after those two months I wasn’t pregnant and he wanted to see if it was me who was defective or his son. Because if it was me, I was no longer any use to them and they’d done a bad trade. I swear every day I thought I was caught in some nightmare and hoped I’d wake up, because these things didn’t really happen in real life. They couldn’t. How can they get away with something like they did?”
His voice sounded growly when he answered, “They stay to themselves, Red. That’s how. And with your mother involved, no one was lookin’ for you.”
“I had a few friends in college who promised to keep in touch after graduation.”
“The Ohio fuckers keep your cell phone?”
“Yes.” Autumn closed her eyes. That was how no one would look for or worry about her. If any of her friends called, her mother could’ve made excuses.
That was so screwed up.
“Vernon already had three wives since he was the leader. I have no idea how many kids he has. At least a dozen since I heard a lot running around and screaming in that house. It was always noisy. He ordered one of his wives to take care of me. One day when they released me long enough to eat, shower and use the bathroom, I pushed her down. I ran through the house, trying to escape.” Breathe. “Vernon’s son caught me, knocked me out and when I woke up, I was locked in that damn shed again.”
Sig jerked against her and his breathing sped up.
“Even after that, their fucked up minds still thought if I had a baby, I’d want to stay. They were so wrong, Sig. So wrong. The youngest wife, Anna, who wasn’t much older than Tomlin, got beaten for letting me almost escape, so she hated me. And she was the one tasked with my care. She was also jealous of me, worried that if Vernon... if he planted his seed in me, he’d make me his fourth wife.”
“Jesus,” he growled.
“Eventually, I convinced her that was true. That once the... the... seed came, Vernon was moving me into the house and taking me as his wife since Anna had disappointed him. I told her that her husband came and visited me a lot late at night and we talked when he did. And he promised once the... the seed was here I would replace her since she didn’t listen, he said she was stupid and ugly, and because of that he was giving her to his younger son, instead. By no longer being Vernon’s wife, she’d lose her power in the clan because Tomlin had no power of his own.”
“Did he?”
She blinked, bringing herself back to the apartment. “Did he what?”
“Visit you a lot?”
“No, I had lied about it all. Once Vernon was sure his seed had taken, he stopped... visiting. He never saw how much weight I lost. Never saw she had removed the little bedding I’d been given, never saw that I had no clothes... Never saw the bruises.”
Vernon never saw the weight she had lost from her refusing to eat. The bruises from Anna kicking her when she wouldn’t. The welts from the whip she’d sometimes use. The marks she got from Tomlin forcing her to eat.
Anna actually wanted Autumn to miscarry but wouldn’t go that far and risk the wrath of her husband. If she caused Autumn to lose Vernon’s seed, then she could very well be killed by him.
She eventually convinced the youngest wife that if she allowed Autumn to escape, she’d never see her or the baby again. That her position as Vernon’s wife would be safe. She even convinced Anna that she should hurry up and get pregnant again to secure that spot.
Luckily, Anna’s mental capacity had been limited so she was easy to manipulate. But it took time and patience. And being locked up in that shed, Autumn had the first, just not the last.
Chapter Sixteen
She just stopped talking. Like she had nothing left to say. Sig was pretty fucking sure there was a hell of a lot more to tell him.
He worried about pushing her, but he couldn’t get that shed and that bench out of his fucking head. “He stopped comin’. How long did it take for him to stop the visits?”
“I don’t know. I started losing track of time in the shed. For a while I tried to pay attention to when the sun came up and when the day turned dark, when the shed became pitch black. But there ended up being too many to count. Way too many. But Vernon visited almost every night for weeks, until...”
“Yeah.” Until she was knocked up. “Then he stopped completely?”
“Yes. My guess was his three other wives weren’t happy about his nightly visits.”
So, it had been months since that motherfucker violated Red. But her nightmare didn’t end there with those “breedings.”
“Anyone else visit?
It took her way too fucking long to answer. “Just Anna and Tomlin.”
Either that was a lie or she wasn’t sure. But Sig’s nostrils flared at that little bastard’s name. “Did he...”
“No. He only came when Anna made him force me to eat. Once Vernon took me away from him, he was the only one who was allowed to... touch me.”
So, unless she was unconscious during one of those “breedings,” there was no doubt whose kid was in Red’s belly.
It was that motherfucking clan leader who needed to die.
Tomlin, too.
And that fucking cunt, Anna.
Not to mention, a trip to Ohio might be in order. But right now his parole terms wouldn’t let him leave the state. And crossing the border to commit murder might not be really fucking smart right now.
She moved to get up. “I’m going to make you something to eat. I’m sure you haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“Red...” He kept her pinned against him. “Ain’t done.”
“I have nothing else to say.”
“Saw where you were kept. Saw that fucking shed. Saw the blood on the door. On the floor. On the wall.”
“I was desperate.”
“Yeah.”
“But Anna left the door open that last morning with the excuse I made up for her. She was supposed to tell Vernon I attacked her when she was bringing me my breakfast and I escaped.”
“The mornin’ I found you.”
“Yes.”
“Did she tell you about the booby traps?”
Red twisted in his arms and he loosened his hold so she could do it. Her hazel eyes were wid
e and her face paler than normal. “No.”
“Not sure what they got rigged through those woods, but word is, they got somethin’. You were fuckin’ lucky.”
“Maybe she was hoping I’d die escaping.”
“Yeah, that would be best for her. ‘Cause if you escaped and went to the pigs, those mountain goat fuckers would have a shitload of problems on their hands right now and it would all be ‘cause of her bein’ a jealous bitch.”
Red shook her head. “Never in my life had I lied like I did to her. But I didn’t care. I would have told her anything to get free.”
“You were smart.”
“I was desperate.” She shifted again to get up and he tightened his hold. “I need to make you something to eat.”
She wanted to be done talking about this and, though he didn’t blame her, he needed to hear about one more thing. “Red... I saw the bench.”
Her body jerked in his arms.
“When I found the shed, found that, too.”
A sharp breath hissed out of her and her nails, which weren’t as ragged as when he first found her, dug into his arms.
“Not wrong thinkin’ that’s what they used, right?”
She still said nothing. That right there confirmed it.
“Don’t gotta say nothin’, just needed you to know I saw it. Went up there ‘cause I needed to wrap my head ‘round it. What we’re dealin’ with. You’d told me nothin’. Had to assume too much shit. Not knowin’ was eatin’ at me.”
“It isn’t about you.” Her voice was thin and it made a sharp pain shoot through his chest.
She was right but she was also very fucking wrong. “Yeah, baby, it is. The second you took my fuckin’ hand at the bottom of that mountain and trusted me, it became about me, too.”
That morning he couldn’t walk away from her even if he’d wanted to. Her desperation had pulled at him, drew him in. And now he was unable to let go.
“I was treated like an animal,” she said in a shaky whisper.
“Yeah, baby, I get it. Know how that feels.”
She grabbed his right wrist and pulled it away from her, asking, “Is that what set you off?”
“That fuckin’ bench finished me off.”
“What did you hit?”
“Unfortunately, not one of those motherfuckers. A fuckin’ tree.”
“Sig,” she whispered.
“It’ll heal.”
“I’m sorry you saw it.”
For fuck’s sake, she was sorry. “So am I, baby. Not ‘cause I didn’t wanna know. I did. But ‘cause it happened to you. ‘Cause they hurt you like that. ‘Cause they treated you no better than one of their fuckin’ livestock. ‘Cause your fuckin’ cunt of a mother betrayed you like that.”
“I need to face you,” she whispered.
He released her and slipped from behind her, off the couch and onto his knees on the floor between hers.
He lifted his face to her. “Sorry for callin’ your mother a cunt, but she’s a fuckin’ cunt.”
Red pressed her lips together.
Sig grinned. “My mother’s a cunt, too. We got a lot in common.”
Her lips pressed tighter but the corner of her eyes wrinkled.
He took a breath. “It’s over, baby, you’re done with them. They ain’t ever touchin’ you again. They ain’t touchin’ this kid. You’re good.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’m right. Brysons are gonna help with that. Once it’s born, you can move on. Forget this shit ever happened.”
“I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
“No, but it’ll be easier.”
“Again, I hope you’re right.”
“Until then, you’re here. You got a key. A place to stay. Protection.”
She reached out and brushed a knuckle down his cheek. “And you.”
“Yeah, Red. And me.” He stared at her lips, which had a slight upward curl to them. “Now... gonna kiss you again, yeah?”
That curl lifted. “Yes.”
He leaned in, she leaned down and their lips met in the middle. She tasted so fucking good.
When she opened her mouth, he took it as a sign to take it further and he did, exploring every inch of her until she was gripping his shoulders tight. He wanted to pull her into the bedroom and get so much closer to her, but the tale she told was too fresh and they needed to go slow.
Not once in his fucking life had he ever taken anything slow.
Not fucking once.
For some reason, he didn’t mind taking things slow with her. They had two more months before that kid was born.
Two months before she could start fresh somewhere else.
Like he said earlier, maybe they’d go there. Maybe they wouldn’t.
Sex with a pregnant woman had never bothered him, but it wasn’t up to him. It’d be her choice if and when it ever happened.
Giving her a key was the first step in her trusting him completely. He just needed to make sure to keep his temper in check so the steps they took forward didn’t cause them to stumble back.
Just that thorough kiss between them and her digging her fingers into his shoulders made his dick hard.
He needed to end it.
So, he did.
And when he did, he pressed his forehead to the hard curve of her belly and simply breathed to get his pulse under control.
She combed her fingers through the longer hair at the top of his head and he closed his eyes at how good that simple touch felt.
At that attention, a feeling went through him he didn’t recognize. It made a warmth start in his gut and expand out. He turned his head until his cheek rested against her baby bump, and he held onto both sides of it.
She didn’t want any attachment to this baby for good reason. He didn’t blame her one bit. He was the last person to judge anyone else’s decisions. But he agreed giving up the baby was for the best.
Too many parents, who shouldn’t be, raised fucked up kids. Like his mother.
It was one reason he had smuggled his baby sister out of the trailer one night when their mother was passed out. He gave her away to another family without Silvia knowing.
Because Sig had worried that when Syn was old enough, Silvia would pimp her young daughter out. Or even go as far as selling her outright for cash or booze, or a fucking hit of whatever her drug of the week was.
And if that had happened, Sig would’ve sliced her fucking throat.
Sig had been taking care of Syn only because no one else was.
He’d been pissed when Silvia had been careless and got knocked up, pissed when she had the baby, pissed when she brought the baby home when he damn well knew Silvia didn’t give a fuck about having another kid.
And their mother had no idea who Syn’s father was. Worse, the baby was just another monthly check and more food stamps for Silvia, which she traded for more booze. It had been up to Sig to make sure Syn ate and was kept somewhat clean.
Once Syn was gone, Silvia never asked where she was. Not fucking once. As long as those checks kept coming, that was all that mattered to her.
So, he did what was best for Syn. Just like Red was doing what was best for this kid, too.
He slid his hands over the curves of her stomach. “Do you want to know the sex yet?”
“Do you know?”
“I know.”
“No, I still don’t want to know. Are they happy about it?”
“Think they’d be happy either way. You’re givin’ them what they’ve been wantin’ for a while now.”
“But he’s a cop.”
Sig huffed out a, “Yeah.”
“You don’t like cops.”
No, he fucking hated pigs. But Bryson being a pig might be a good thing in this case. “Not my decision, Red. It’s yours and only yours. You gotta live with that decision. I’m good with whatever you decide. Even if you change your mind. Just want you to be safe.”
“Keeping it wouldn’t be safe.”
Whether that woman knew all the details of what happened to her daughter or not didn’t make a difference to Sig. She was still a goddamn cunt.
“Dr. Bryson said they had a big, loving family with grandparents and cousins...”
“Yeah, baby. The kid’ll be loved and cared for.”
Her fingers stilled in his hair. “I don’t know if I could...”
“No one expects you to. Gotta do what’s best for you and...” Fuck, he almost said him. “It. Maybe one day you’ll want to meet him or her. Maybe not. Maybe you’ll just want pictures and occasional updates to ease your mind. Or maybe you won’t. Up to you. Think they’ll be good either way. No one’s gonna judge you for it.”
Even though he got Syn away from his mother, he’d kept in touch with her whenever he could. It wasn’t often, especially during his stints in the joint, but he just needed to know she was doing better than Silvia. Better than him. That he had done the right thing for once in his fucking life.
He didn’t even know if Silvia ended up having any more kids. He hoped to fuck she didn’t. Not long after he got Syn out of there, he left, too. And he never went back.
He lifted his cheek from her belly, then he rose to his feet. “Now I can eat.”
She held out her hand for him to help her from the couch and he shook his head. “I got it. Whatcha in the mood for?”
“Those loaded French fries Judge had brought me that night.”
He grinned. “Yeah, they’re fuckin’ addictin’, right?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to go.”
“No. You want fuckin’ loaded fries from Dino’s? Gettin’ loaded fries from Dino’s.”
What Red wanted, Red got.
She held out her hand again. “Can I go with you?”
He hesitated. “Not sure that’s a good idea.” It was bad enough when he had to take her to her weekly doctor’s appointment. He always worried she’d be spotted.
“I’ll stay in the car, but it would be nice to get out of the apartment for a little bit.”
Blood & Bones: Sig (Blood Fury MC Book 2) Page 22
