“I know,” he tells me with a deep, rumbly tone to his voice that has me wanting him in all sorts of nasty ways. “But this way, I get to throw you down on my bed and besides, when your ass is out on display and begging for attention, I get to do this.”
Without missing a beat, Slade’s palm comes down on my ass, making the most delicious sound that has me groaning with need. Before I have a chance to yelp about the sting, his hand rubs circles, soothing the pain and leaving me wondering if Mr. Grey was onto something about pain is pleasure.
He walks me through his home, leaving the basketballs to spend the night chilling out on the driveway and I do my best to be quiet. Nothing would be worse than having his parents or little sisters spring us and make me go back home. I know Daniella is all about team Skylah but I doubt that includes sneaking into her home in the middle of the night to screw her eighteen-year-old son.
Slade gets to his room and carefully opens the door, swinging it wide and walking through, only to gently close it behind him. He walks over to his bed and just as promised, he throws me down and instantly comes down on top of me.
An hour later, I crash down beside him and curl into his arms, exactly where I’ve grown to love being. His lips press down on my forehead and he pulls my body in tight beside his. “Go to sleep, Virago. I’ll wake you and get you back home in the morning.”
I’ve never felt as safe as the nights where I’ve slept in his arms and I find myself looking up into his dreamy eyes, wondering just how far this thing will go. “Night, Slade,” I murmur.
He kisses me softly as I feel my eyes growing heavy. “Goodnight, babe.”
Chapter 7
I tiptoe through the front door and glance around to find Blake perched on the couch, staring straight at me. “Seriously?” he grumbles, keeping his voice low. “You couldn’t have even dealt with your sex hair before sneaking back in here?”
“Shut up,” I whisper-yell, slipping my shoe off my foot and launching it at him. “You’re going to wake Shay and Ben.”
“Too late,” he grins. “Ben’s already up and showering and Shay’s dancing in the kitchen to ‘Tay Tay.’ Pretty sure she said something about going and waking you in a minute.”
“Fuck.”
I slip back out the door, knowing there’s no way I’ll get from the front door down to my room without bypassing the kitchen and getting sprung. I hurry around to my bedroom window and push it open before launching myself through it. I go tumbling down to the floor and smack my head against the edge of my laundry hamper. “Aw, fuck,” I curse under my breath, fumbling around beneath myself until I find my feet.
I throw myself into my bed and pull the blankets up high just in time to hear a knock at my bedroom door. It creaks open and I close my eyes, turning away so Shay doesn’t see the tears my fall brought to my eyes.
Shay’s voice comes through my quiet room. “Happy Friday, Sky. It’s time to get up.”
I grumble out an ‘okay’ and make a show of rolling over to face my bedroom wall. I expect Shay to walk away and leave me to it but instead, she strolls right into my room with a deep sigh. “Why’s your window open?”
Shit.
I hear her fiddling around with it before the familiar sound of the glass sliding back into place. “Did you sleep with it like this? It was freezing last night. Are you trying to make yourself sick?”
“Oh…um, there was a nice breeze last night,” I grumble through my fake morning voice. “I must have fallen asleep and forgot to close it.”
“Sky,” she groans. “I’d feel awful if you were to get sick. You need to remember to be more careful.”
“Sorry, Shay,” I murmur, sitting up in bed but making sure to keep my blanket up to hide the fact that I’m wearing a jacket. As I watch her making her way around my room, picking up things and grabbing hold of the glass on my nightstand, I realize that I haven’t been fair to her.
Shay has been everything to me over the past couple of months. She’s been a friend when I needed it, a voice of reason, and a concerned parent, and in return, I’ve given her nothing. Maybe it’s time to open up and let her in. I’ve talked to her about Slade and to her, that’s probably enough, but I want her to know me, the real me. And in order to do that, shit needs to get heavy.
Shay goes to walk out of my room and I find myself calling out. “Wait,” I say, making her pause in the doorway, juggling everything. She patiently raises her brows, wordlessly asking what’s up. “I, um…I’m ready to talk if the offer still stands.”
Shaylee’s eyes bug out of her head and she launches herself out of my room. My brows dip low. What the hell was that? She’s spent the last few weeks desperate to get to know this part of me and when the opportunity comes knocking, she takes off at the speed of light.
I hear her outside of my bedroom, throwing things around the house and before I can think too much of it, she’s back with a glass of juice and some tissues. She strides over to me, grabs the side of my blanket and raises it before squishing in beside me, ignoring the fact that I’m fully dressed.
“Okay,” she tells me, swallowing hard. “I can’t promise that I’m not going to turn into a blubbering mess, but I’m here for you. Anything you want to talk about, I’m here. This is a safe zone, Sky.”
Her arm falls around my back and I lean into her shoulder, staring off out the window to where I can see Blake shooting hoops and dodging around Shay and Ben’s cars as though they’re the opposition.
“I think the more I talk about it,” I whisper, unsure I can trust my voice not to break. “The easier it’s going to get.”
“I know it will. I had the same issue when your mom passed. For a really long time, I couldn’t talk about it. I missed her so much and whenever I went to open my mouth, the pain would cripple me so I learned to keep it to myself, but once I started to let it out, I found that I couldn’t stop. I was telling everyone about my big sister and what an incredible woman she was.”
“I’m starting to realize that,” I tell her, thinking about how I’ve now spoken to a few different people, telling them bits and pieces about my past and each time has really sucked, but it’s gotten easier. I let out a deep sigh, giving myself a moment before telling myself that I’m strong enough to get through this. “I remember she used to wear this certain perfume…I can remember the smell and it’s always annoyed me that I don’t know what it was.”
Shay smiles, pulling me in tighter. “She had two favorites. Burberry and Tiffany. Whatever you’re remembering, I’m sure it’s either one of those. I think your dad had a favorite cologne too, but I couldn’t tell you what it was.”
Wow. A question that has plagued me for years has been answered so simply. I guess I’ll be going shopping today and sniffing every single Burberry and Tiffany perfume until I can pinpoint the exact one.
I sit in silence for a few moments, wanting to talk about all the things my mother loved and learn everything that I can about my parents from Shay, yet the next words out of my mouth have the good times coming to an end. “I was so scared,” I tell her. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. I thought Blake and I would have been safe under his bed but he couldn’t stop crying. Whenever we played hide and seek, I’d go under there and despite my giggles, mom and dad would never be able to find me, but that man…he found us so quickly.”
Shay’s head dips forward and her eyes flutter closed. “I never knew you were hiding under his bed,” she says, heartbroken, probably picturing two tiny children, desperately trying to save themselves but with their innocence, having absolutely no idea what that actually meant. “The police report said nothing about your whereabouts. They couldn’t find anything on you two that suggested you had been there and they concluded that you must have spent the night elsewhere, but I knew that wasn’t right. Chelle would never have left her babies with someone else overnight.”
Shay reaches over to my bedside table and tears a tissue free from the box. After dabbing her eyes, she sm
iles down at me, trying to be brave. “I filed so many missing person’s reports and searched everywhere for you guys but every lead I got always went dead.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, seeing the pain and regret in her eyes. “The second Anton took us, we were as good as gone. Nobody could have saved us from that man, not even God himself.”
“I remember it all,” I tell her. “The kid, Anton, his men. Blake and I sat on the couch, tied up. I tried my best to soothe him but it was the middle of the night and he’d just been woken. All he wanted was his mommy but he couldn’t get to her. He was so strong and kept trying to push me away and I remember it hurting. I wanted to be so mad at him for that.”
“What happened?” she questions.
“They talked for a while. Anton was yelling and I hated it because it made them both cry. Mom always used to cry, especially during sad movies but dad…I’d never seen him break like that.”
“They were so strong,” Shay murmurs, rubbing her hand up and down my arm.
I nod. “Mom kept looking at us, trying to break free to get to us. I don’t doubt that even at that moment if she could, she would have grabbed us and ran, even if it meant leaving dad behind.”
“She would have done anything to give you and Blake even the smallest chance,” she tells me. “God, you must know how much she loved you…they loved you.”
“I do,” I whisper as my lips pull into a gentle smile, being able to completely recall the way they always smiled at me. Even through memories, I can feel the love they had. It was so damn strong. It’s what I miss most every day.
“Where did he take you, Sky?” Shay questions, moving on, clearly wanting to skip over what came next.
“We were thrown into the back of an old SUV. I remember being in there for a really long time. I don’t know if the drive was long or they just couldn’t be bothered dealing with us and forgot we were there, but when we were finally taken out, we were put into a basement of some sort. We didn’t get food or water. All we could do was hold onto each other.”
“Oh, Sky,” Shay cries, turning into a blubbering mess as she draws me into her chest and holds me tight.
“I was only four,” I tell her, feeling my emotions beginning to slip. “Who does that to kids? I don’t think I had a clear understanding of death and what it means, but I knew it was coming. I don’t know how, but I knew we wouldn’t survive being down there. Blake was so small. I remember he lost so much weight that I could see his bones.”
I take a breath, trying to steady myself before continuing. “I don’t know if we were lucky or not to have been taken to Lucien and Maria’s place, but they gave us some semblance of normal life. Well, sort of. Their version of normal at least. It wasn’t a great childhood, but Maria put us in school and I made some friends and for a while, I was content. I’d honestly thought this family had just adopted us and this was how it was supposed to go. I was too young to question it or to know any better.”
“What happened from there?” Shay questions. “What led you to run away?”
My eyes dart away, feeling the shame beginning to overwhelm me. It’s one thing telling Slade about this, but going into detail with Shay. This might just kill me. “When I was fourteen, Lucien called me into his study. He was in there with his business partner, Marcus Mahony. I’d been dragged out of bed and I remember, he wasn’t happy that I wasn’t appropriately dressed. After reprimanding me, he then informed me that when I become of legal age, Marcus was going to become my husband.” Shay gasps but I continue as if I stop, I don’t think I’d have the strength to keep going. “I’d been sold for a business deal, and that deal came fully equipped with my virginity which was going to be the grand prize.”
“Oh, honey. No.”
“Lucien walked out of the room, telling Marcus that he should get acquainted with his bride and that was the first time a man touched me. Lucien walked back in to find Marcus’s hand down my pants and instead of pulling him up on it, he watched. Over the next few years, it became Lucien’s favorite little game. Every time Marcus was in town, they’d claim that they needed to check on my development, make sure I was still fit to become the perfect poster wife.”
“Did you tell Maria about this?”
I scoff. “I did after the first time. She told me that women were put on this earth to serve men. I was told that Marcus was now my man and it was my duty to please him. In fact, I was forced to thank Lucien for finding me such a suitable husband who would take care of me.”
Shay wipes at her tears with the back of her arm, taking short, shallow breaths in order not to break. “You understand that’s not true?” she begs of me. “You’re put on this earth solely to live a happy, joyous life. Your being is not to please a man. Never, surely you must know that?”
“I do,” I tell her with a slight nod, wiping my tears. I take a deep breath and slowly blow it out. “Every time Marcus came around, it got a little bit worse, but as I got older, I thought I could handle it.
“I wanted to leave, but leaving meant leaving Blake behind. He was treated so well and despite how much I hate them, they really gave him a great life. He was showered with love, promises of a bright future, and anything he could ever dream. I couldn’t take him away from that, but I also couldn’t leave him. He’s all I had left, so I endured it.”
“What happened?” Shay pushes.
I glance up at her, pressing my lips into a tight line and letting her see the turmoil within. “Lucien got tired of waiting.”
Her forehead drops to mine. “I’m so sorry, Sky,” she whispers. “How many times did he hurt you?”
“Just once,” I tell her, shaking my head. “I couldn’t stay a second longer. I packed a bag, got Blake and ran. I didn’t even tell him why we were running but he knew something had happened. I was so scared he wasn’t going to come with me, but he did. He’s always, always stood by my side.”
“You did the right thing leaving,” she tells me. “You did what you had to do and you made a tough decision asking him to leave his life behind and it shows in the way that he came with you that you two share an incredible bond. It’s all going to be alright now. You’ve got me and Ben, Blake, and even Slade. You never have to be scared again.”
I let out a sigh before meeting her eyes. “There’s something you should know…” Her brows furrow and I continue. “You know Daniella, Slade’s mom?”
“Yes,” she says slowly.
“Long story short, Lucien Valentine used to go by the name of Lucas Valery,” her eyes widen, recognizing the name. “He raped her, just as he did to me and when she went to the police, he came back and did it again. I want him to go down for this and Daniella said she’ll help me, but I’m scared. What if he comes back for me?”
“He wouldn’t,” she declares with a snarl, sitting up straighter and holding me just a bit tighter. “That man took you from me for thirteen years. He hurt you and put you through all sorts of hell. If he even thinks about coming into my town, he’ll have me to deal with. Don’t worry, Skylah. We’re going to handle this. You never have to be scared again.”
I don’t respond, just bury my face into her shirt. I appreciate her declaration, but truth be told, if Shay was to stand in Lucien’s way, he’d just bowl her straight down. He’s too dangerous and far too powerful to be a match for her. Money talks no matter where it’s coming from and unfortunately for us, we’re on the losing side.
I wipe my eyes and hastily pull back. “I spoke to Daniella at the game last night. We’re going to go to the police station after school and make a formal statement. I don’t know how this is going to work or what kind of protection they can offer us, but we’re done running.”
“I’m proud of you,” she tells me. “Both of you. That man deserves to be in prison.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Shay pulls back and meets my eyes. “If it’s okay with both you and Daniella, I’d like to be there this afternoon. I know I can’t offer you much in the
way of my own experiences, but I can be a shoulder to lean on for the both of you.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, taking her hand. “I’d like that.”
We sit in bed, both of us lost in our thoughts when a knock on my window has us both jumping. We find Blake’s face in the window, crouched down so he can see in. “What the hell are you two doing? School starts in ten minutes.”
Shay glances down at her watch and gasps as I throw myself out of bed. “Holy shit,” I shriek. “We’re going to be late.”
Chapter 8
I walk out of the police station with my head held high and a sinking feeling in my stomach. We did exactly what we said we were going to do, but there are far too many what-ifs. What if he comes back for Daniella and hurts her again? What if he comes back for me? What if he comes for Slade? I don’t think I could handle it if he hurt either of them because of my need to have him locked up.
Shay walks out beside me while Daniella follows up behind. We stop by Shay’s car and she instantly pulls Daniella into a tight hug, knowing that what she just went through couldn’t have been easy. “It’s going to be okay,” Shay promises. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Let’s hope,” Daniella responds, her voice shaky as shit.
After sitting down with a few police officers and giving our statements, Daniella was offered to have a police officer sit outside her home overnight. She regretfully declined, not wanting to scare her girls and while I respect and understand her decision, it’s not the one I would have chosen.
She’s going to be alright. I have to believe that because without that belief, I don’t know where I’d be.
Daniella pulls away and gives me a quick hug. “I’m proud of you,” she reminds me for the millionth time since meeting me on Sunday morning. “You did well in there. It wasn’t easy.”
Lost Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 2) Page 6
