I don’t know how much Ben actually knows about what Damien and Bane have uncovered, so I think the best thing is to play completely dumb. He hasn’t mentioned Martin once. Bane must have done a good job making it appear Damien was trying to find Martin. I’m just going to act clueless until it gets me into trouble.
“Rebecca was pregnant?”
The sad thing is that, per her diary, Rebecca was actually drunk the night she slept with Ben. Damien had no idea that she was going to have a baby.
“Yes, her mother knew because she went to the doctor with Rebecca, but they were keeping it secret. Damien wanted her to have an abortion.”
He’s been slowly edging my way, and he’s only about two feet from me at this point. “Allison, has Damien told you anything about Rebecca going missing?”
He pauses, and I shake my head.
He continues, “I had to get Rebecca away from her horrible family life. I took her from the house that night when she went missing—as they called it. I had gone to the Wales home that night to talk to Damien about getting his blessing when I asked Rebecca to be my wife. I knew that was her only reservation. As I was leaving the main house to go out to the pool house, I ran into Rebecca. She was so upset from her encounter with that bastard, and I started trying to console her. She went ballistic and told me to stop. In my effort to calm her down, she hit her head and passed out. I wrapped her up and brought her here, so she could see the truth about us being together. I contacted her parents to get a payoff to keep quiet, so she could live in the means in which she was accustomed to. I only ever wanted what was best for her.”
My head is swarming with all the information he’s just freely telling me. He must not have known about Rebecca’s inheritance. She was actually wealthier than her parents.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
I want to slap myself for slipping like that because he moves another foot closer to me and reaches out to caress my knee. My muscles are so taut at the unwanted contact. I’m staring at my knee, like it’s going to combust into flames at any moment.
“Sweetheart, I want you to trust me, and I want to trust you. I don’t want any lies between us. I should have never let your relationship with him progress so far, but he married you so quickly. Then, basically because of various other assholes, security increased to the point where I couldn’t get to you like I had planned. Your pedicure appointment was genius. It gave me the perfect opportunity to get you. Thank you, Allison, for letting me know how much you still cared. I was starting to lose faith in us, thinking I had lost you to him. I had another plan, but it was riskier. No one but me will ever have you.”
His thumb is slowly stroking my knee, and it tingles in revolt to his touch. I assume the other assholes he’s referring to are Martin and Brad.
Ben rubs a circle on my inner thigh just above my knee cap. I want to cry.
“You are so beautiful, Allison.”
I wonder how beautiful he would think I was if I could do what I really wanted to him.
Taking a deep breath and moving my focus from his touch, I ask, “How did you get past everyone to get to me? How did you stay hidden from Damien for all these years?”
The asshole gives me a cocky smile.
“When I spoke to Damien, he said he was dropping you off. I headed immediately down to the spa. It was really quite easy. I walked up to the back guard and tranquilized him. Then, I made a noise in the alley, which caused the security guard from the front to investigate. I tranquilized him, too. I made a little noise in the earpiece, which caused the security guard that was guarding you inside to come out. I shot him with the dart before he had a chance to respond. They all recognized me, so for a second, they dropped their guard. Same with the driver. He actually let me climb into the passenger’s seat.”
His chest puffs out as a devious grin emerges, and I instantly recoil.
He continues speaking, “David Corben Powell died in a car accident six months after Rebecca died. From there, I created a new identity with the money from Rebecca’s parents. My new life came complete with a fully developed past under the name of Ben Powers. It was a foolproof plan. I was able to pass any background checks or investigations that Wales Enterprises performed, and that’s how I was able to get close to Damien. After several rounds of plastic surgery, I altered my appearance just enough. I created the perfect past to get me hired. The stupid fuckers never knew it was me, they were chasing Martin Mills all this time. He’s still going to go down for Rebecca’s murder and now your disappearance. I was able to keep track of that fuckwad Bane’s investigation since I could access the servers. Stupid assholes. They were never a match for me.”
I shift my body to where he loses contact with me, and his brows crease as he stares down at my knee. I need to give an explanation before he goes crazy on me. My mind is racing with all this information as the puzzle pieces finally start snapping together.
“I’m still a little confused. It’s been a long day. My senses are overloaded from the drugs.”
He lets out a frustrated breath. “What are you still confused about?”
Oh shit, what am I confused about? I’m pretty clear on the fact that he’s a complete and utter crazy nutcase. I need to get out of here. Think. Think. Think. My pulse is a jackhammer.
Ben starts to reach for my face.
I blurt out, “It’s just that you still seem to be in love with Rebecca.”
He drops his hand from my face, moves his seated stance uncomfortably, and then he tries to pierce me with some loving gaze.
Ugh, ugh, ugh. I give a small tentative smile back. Please believe that I’m still confused.
“I will always love Rebecca in a special way. She was to be the mother of my child. Allison, we are both going to have to forgive each other for our pasts. The fact that the asshole has been touching you all these months has me livid. I’m trying like hell not to blame you for letting it go so far.”
I take a shaky breath. I need to proceed so carefully. I must keep my emotions from getting out of control even though that’s where they want to be right now. I’m just trying to distance myself and become numb to what’s going on around me, like I did the year after my parents died.
“It’s probably just going to take some time for both of us. What happened to Rebecca?”
He runs his hand through his hair. “After I answer this, I’m done talking about Rebecca. She’s in the past, and it accomplishes nothing to talk about her. Do you understand?”
I look down and nod. The last thing I want to do is irritate him.
“The pregnancy hormones got to her. She got a little stir-crazy. I tried to talk some sense into her, and she had an accident.”
Accident, my foot. She was strangled to death, according to Damien.
“Thank you for telling me. I won’t bring it up again.” I knot my fingers in my lap. I need to get out of here.
He grabs my hands, and he is now only about six inches from me. I can feel my heart thumping in my chest. When Damien touches me, my body warms and comes alive. When Ben touches me, it’s as if poison is entering my system. He’s rubbing my palms, and his hands drift back to the insides of my thigh.
“Allison, we needed to talk about it. I’m glad it’s over with. I need to ask you something. I don’t blame you, but I need to know.”
I just stare at him, thinking of how I can get his hand off me.
“How did you manage to get pregnant? I could see how much you hated it every time he would haul you off somewhere. I know you kept the fucking to a minimum. Were you not careful with birth control and condoms? I thought, at first, it was just a rumor, but then you confirmed it in the hotel lobby. I want to kill him for doing that to you.”
Shit. A flashback of him congratulating me in the hotel lobby prior to the game while I was texting Sam comes to mind. How am I going to explain this to keep him from getting mad? He’ll go apeshit if he knows that Damien has never used a condom with me and that the sex
was not kept to a minimum.
He continues before I have time to process an answer, “It’s all going to be taken care of with the doctor’s appointment I made for you. It’s why I wasn’t in here when you woke up. He’ll be here in a few hours for the surgery.”
“Appointment? Surgery?” What kind of appointment did he make for me? He is crazy if he thinks I’m letting someone cut me open.
His body is right next to mine at this point, and I want to cringe as his other hand comes up to brush my cheek. His face inches close to mine. I can feel his hot breath. I fight to keep my eyes from closing in revulsion.
“We are going to take care of that abomination growing in your stomach before we get married and start trying for kids of our own. I’m so sorry you had to endure that with him. I will make him pay for taking you the way he did.”
Before I even think, I blurt out, trying to avoid the doctor and surgery, “I’m not pregnant. There’s no reason for a doctor to see me.”
The fury that passes over him is unmistakable before I feel the side of my face explode in pain. I try to see straight again.
His voice is seething as he responds, “Allison, don’t fucking lie to me. I’ve seen the doctor’s report from your visit in North Carolina. I’m not kissing you or touching you until that bastard’s child is out of you. I want your whole body to myself. There’s no need to rush us being together. We’ve both waited for so long. We’re going to make it perfect. I’m not having sex with you until you’re free of that fucker. Don’t lie to try and manipulate me into sleeping with your sooner.”
The burn on my face continues to spread. The hit caused me to move to the left so hard that the rope is lacerating my skin now on my right wrist. I’m lying on my side as he goes to straddle my hip, and I whimper because I can sense his temper is completely unraveling.
“Allison, don’t lie to me again. I will always treat you with love until you lie to me. Understood?”
“Yes.” My voice comes out in a teary croak as I try to ignore the pain. I’ve never been hit in my life.
“Okay, so are you willing to admit it yet?”
I can feel his breath right at my ear, and breathing in his air makes me want to vomit. His hands are painfully gripping my arms.
“I’m not—”
I don’t even have a chance to respond. His fist begins hitting my gut repeatedly. I curl into a ball, further causing the rope to cut into my skin on my wrist, as I try to miss the blows. I’m crying out. I’m in so much pain at this point.
“Allison, don’t make me keep doing this to you. You’re making me hurt you, sweetheart. All you have to do is be honest with me.”
I can feel his spit on my face as he speaks at me.
The pain is so much that it’s causing me to see stars. I try the only thing I can think of because if the doctor gets to me before Damien does, the doctor could do irreparable damage to me if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
“I’ll take a test. Please let me take a test.”
His fingers start digging into my hips. He’s squeezing and shaking me so hard. He’s out of control on top of me. “Then, why did the doctor say you were?”
“Ah!” I scream out in pain as he pinches me harder. As quickly as I can, I scream, “I wasn’t feeling well, and he thought it was a possibility. It’s been confirmed that I’m not.”
My wrist is starting to feel wet from the cut.
His hand goes to the back of my head and jerks my hair in order to force me to look at him. I can feel some of the hair rip from my scalp as he pulls, which causes me more agony. My vision is starting to get fuzzy on the sides.
“You’ll take a test if I go to the store right now?”
Breathlessly, I respond, “Yes, I’ll take as many tests as you want. I’m not pregnant with Damien’s baby.”
And with that, he disengages as he lets go and leaves the bed. I’m so exhausted from the beating he’s given me that I just lie there and try to block out my misery. There is something wrong with my ribs as it hurts to breathe, let alone the rest of my body.
Something ties around my right upper arm, and I look to see what it is. I start to panic, and I move away as Ben pulls out a needle full of some kind of liquid from a case.
“Allison, hold still.”
He raises his arm in a striking manner, and I immediately stop. He opens the bedside drawer with the condoms, and he pulls out an alcohol pad. He rubs it on my arm where the vein is beginning to bulge.
My eyes go wide, and my body starts to shake as I realize he’s about to inject me with something.
“Please don’t, Ben. I’ll be good.”
He ignores me as he says, “I’m going to the store, and you’re going to take a pregnancy test. If you’re telling the truth, I will make it up to you. I was planning on waiting until we were married tomorrow to make love to you, but I believe an exception could be made. If you’re lying, it’s going to get a lot worse. Understand?”
He doesn’t even wait for me to respond as he finishes cleaning my arm and lines the needle up. “It’s a mild sedative. Hold still, or you’ll force me to knock you out prior to sedating you. You’re too much of a flight risk because of all the lies Damien has told you. I’d rather you be dead than back with him.”
The needle slips into my arm. Within seconds, a woozy feeling overcomes me as tears fall from my eyes. The black abyss consumes me. I try to fight it, but it’s too powerful. I just pray he doesn’t touch me before I wake up. I will fight him to the death if I have to.
I wake up to hear myself moaning as I’m being jostled. My body is killing me as it throbs with every movement. I start to panic, realizing I’m being moved.
“Shh, baby, it’s me. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
I instantly relax into his embrace and warm voice even though I hurt like hell.
Damien found me. Damien has me. I’m safe.
“You found me.” At least, that’s what I try to say, but I think it comes out a little garbled.
“Shh, I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Alli. I love you.”
I want to reassure him that I’m okay because I hear worry and tension in his voice.
I’m so exhausted at this point that all I can say is, “Love you, too.”
It has never felt better to be back in the arms of my beloved. He shifts ever so slightly, and involuntarily, I moan. It feels like a knife is being stabbed into my body. My eyes are still closed because they are so heavy from the drugs.
“Damn it. I’m going to kill that son of a bitch. I’ll fucking kill him.”
I want to respond, but I can’t as I fall under the black blanket again.
I wake to the roaring sound of an engine, and Damien’s authoritative voice on the phone.
My eyes crack open, and I see that I’m lying across the loveseat at the back of the plane. The table that is normally in front of the couch is gone, and it’s replaced with a chair where Damien is sitting. It’s like the plane has received a remodel since the last time I flew on it.
The moment Damien sees I’m conscious, he immediately ends the call and is kneeling by my side. I think the pain is getting worse each time I wake up. I just want to go back to sleep to make it go away.
“Baby, we are headed to the hospital to have you checked out. Do you need anything?”
There’s a softness in his eyes, but his shoulders are taut with worry. He’s barely hanging on himself.
My head lolls to the side as I respond, “I’m sleepy. He gave me something before he left.” I feel my eyes start to flutter again. I’m so exhausted.
His hands are stroking my face, and I lean into his touch.
“Alli, we are about to be at the hospital. What did he do to you? You can sleep once you tell me, baby. I need to tell the doctors.”
I push my eyes open, willing myself to get this out before I fall back under. “Rope on hand. Head was hit. Stomach and ribs hit, too. Arms. Hips. Sedative.” I know my voice is more staccato with not eno
ugh detail, but that hopefully lets him know that nothing else happened. I start to close my eyes and welcome the sleep because I don’t hurt when I’m asleep.
“Alli, is there anything else?”
The plea in his voice causes me to resurface slightly, and I respond, “No.”
At least, I don’t think there is.
“Okay, rest now. You are completely safe, baby.”
“Mmmkay.” I fall under once again, not able to take any more questions.
I awake, and I’m back in the blue bedroom with Ben. He’s moving around the room, cleaning things up. He turns my way, wearing the same jeans and sport shirt he was in earlier.
Was I dreaming that Damien had come for me?
My chest hurts at the awareness that I’m not really out of this situation.
“Oh, good, you’re awake, sweetheart. I’ve got the test for you to take. Let’s get this over with.”
He’s calmer than he was before, but any wrong move on my part could cause him to snap. He strides toward me with a knife, and I start screaming and thrashing about. He takes a menacing step at me as if he’s going to cut me, and I immediately silence my screams.
“Good girl. You’re learning. I’m going to cut you free, but if you try anything, it will not be good for you. Understand?”
I nod my head.
“If you’re right about not being pregnant, I’m going to reward you, Allison. I wasn’t planning on making love to you until we got married, but this will definitely be a celebration.”
My veins instantly turn cold, and my stomach roils. There is no way I can have sex with him. I will not give my body to him. My look of disgust must show because he grabs my chin to the point of pain, making me meet his muddy brown eyes.
Love Me (Trust Series #2) Page 26
