1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Fourteen

by Kristen Ashley

  “This is Las Vegas, darling. You know how easy it would be to make someone disappear? Bury them in a dirt hole out in the desert? Although, I won’t make it quick, I’ll have my fun with them first.”

  “Stop, please. Just please . . . stop.” I rock back and forth, my hands fisted in my hair. I hear a low keening sound, and realize it’s coming from my mouth. I pinch my eyes closed tight, praying to wake up from this nightmare.

  And here I thought he might want to know me. That maybe he missed the daughter he never knew. How could I be so stupid?

  “Why now? Why not when I turned eighteen?” My voice is pleading and desperate for answers.

  “In my business, it’s important the girls are of legal drinking age. This helps to avoid unwanted attention from the local authorities. But more importantly, I needed leverage. You’re quite the loner, darling: never had a boyfriend, very few friends. I had Guy and Eve, but they weren’t enough. Once you starting practically living with the Slade boy, it was time.” He straightens his cuffs and twists their links. His gaze swings to mine. “Do you love him?”

  I roll my lips into my mouth, refusing to answer him.

  “Ah, yes. And it seems you’re still a virgin as well.”

  From behind me, Vince muffles his laugh. Mortification and anger mix, igniting my face in a furious blush. I’m appalled that he could speak so freely with his own flesh and blood.

  “Don’t look so shocked. Sex is my business. I can tell by your blush you still retain your innocence. That will work well for me and my business.”

  Bile burns my throat. I wish I had eaten so I could vomit all over Dominick’s pretentious Oriental rug. I hate him for what he’s proposing and for what he did to my mom. I want to pounce on him and fight like a maniac. Adrenaline fills my body as I contemplate the risks involved with taking him on here in his office.

  Is today a good day to die?

  He leans forward, resting both elbows on his desk. His eyes bore into mine, making me recoil.

  “Raven, if you fight me, I’ll shoot so much heroin in your arm, you won’t know what day it is. I’ll keep you so addicted you’ll be begging for it. You’ll live out your days on a street corner, sucking off frat boys for twenty bucks a pop. You come peacefully and be a good girl, you’ll have a life very similar to that of your mother. I suppose I could make it even better, seeing as you are my daughter.”

  “I’m not your daughter!”

  He looks down his nose, studying me like a piece of art he’s considering buying. “No, I suppose you’re not. More like the product of a perfectly executed experiment.”

  “I would rather die a slow, painful death than work for you.” My hands are wrapped so tightly around the arms of the chair that my palms burn.

  “Well,” he sits back, checking out what I assume to be freshly manicured nails, “that, too, can be arranged,” he hisses with contempt.

  A defeated whimper bursts from my lips. The horrific sound confirms my lack of options. I don’t have an out.

  “So you agree? The day after your twenty-first birthday, I’ll send for you.”

  “I thought . . .” My whispered words aren’t meant to be heard.

  “You thought what, darling?”

  I look up from my lap and stare at the man who’s just ripped my heart out and stomped on it for sport. “I hate you.”

  A slow smile stretches across his face. “Very well. I’ve always been a sucker for a challenge.”

  I have no memory of how I got back in my car. I don’t remember walking, but I don’t believe I was carried. All I know is I’m sitting in the valet driveway, stone still, staring straight ahead, wondering where to go and what to do.

  And just like that, right when my life starts looking beautiful, it disappears like a mirage in the desert.

  ~*~

  Jonah

  “Aw fuck, not again!” Blake throws his arms into the air, and stomps to the bench.

  Two o’clock. No missed calls. Shit.

  Something’s not right.

  I’ve checked my phone every thirty minutes for the last three hours, and still no word from Raven. I agreed to let her go meet with Dominick alone this morning, even when everything in me was screaming it was a big mistake.

  “I’m done for the day,” I call out to whoever’s listening, not bothering to look up from checking for text messages.

  “Good. You haven’t really been here anyway. You got that fuckin’ phone stuck up your ass when we’re supposed to be training.”

  Usually I would jump all over Blake and his attitude. Not now.

  I lean against the octagon chain link and try her cell. Straight to voicemail. My team files out and toward the locker room, each one grumbling.

  Owen lingers, his eyes on me. “Yo, Jonah. You all right, man?”

  “Huh?” I look up from my phone into the concerned eyes of Owen then back and hit send. “Oh, yeah. Fine.”

  “What’s going on? You’re preoccupied. Everything okay with Raven?”

  Just hearing her name makes me break out in a panic-induced sweat.

  “Um . . . I don’t know. She met with her dad today, and they don’t really get along. I haven’t heard from her. I’m worried.”

  “Oh, that’s it? I’m sure she’s fine, probably just got to talking and reminiscing about old times. I mean how bad can he be that—”

  “It’s Dominick Morretti.”

  Owen’s easy demeanor disappears as his dark skin drains of color. We lock eyes. Yeah, now he gets it. Everyone knows Dominick Morretti would walk over the dead bodies of his own children to get to a dollar.

  “Let’s go.” Owen’s storms from the octagon.

  “Wait! Where are we going?”

  He doesn’t slow his pace. “We’re gonna find her. I say we check her place first.”

  “I’ll grab my keys.”

  * * * *

  We pull up to Guy’s Garage and I see Raven’s car in the lot. Thank you, God. I pop my head into the garage and ask Guy if he’s seen her. He tells me she showed up a few hours ago but went straight to her place saying she wasn’t feeling well.

  My feet move like they’re on fire to the alley. I jump up the stairs, taking three at a time. My fist pounds on the door as adrenaline courses through my veins. I need to see that my girl is okay.

  “Raven, baby, you there? It’s me. Open up.”

  Nothing.

  I knock again.

  “Open up, Raven!”

  Nothing.

  Panic surges and the buzz at the base of my neck shoots to my brain, clouding rational thinking.

  “Raven! Open the fucking door!”

  I’m about to flip the switch and rip this piece of shit door down with my bare hands, when a firm hand on my shoulder directs me to step aside. Owen is there and he takes my place.

  “Princess, it’s Owen. You don’t open up this door, I’m gonna kick it down. We need to get to you.”

  Nothing.

  Shit! I’m in full freak-out mode. I know Owen feels it rolling off me in waves by the way his eyes dart from my fisted hands to my clenched jaw. I roll my head around on my neck, preparing to bust open the door. Owen takes one step back.

  Boom!

  Splintering wood flies all around us, the result of Owen’s front kick. He steps in and pushes aside the flimsy door that hangs lopsided from its hinges. I push past him and into the studio.

  I stop short upon entering and hold my breath. In the middle of her bed, curled up in the fetal position, is Raven. I’d think she was sleeping if not for her soft guttural moans.

  Seeing her so broken sobers the raging beast in my head. I go to her and climb in behind her, my front to her back. Wrapping my arms around her tiny body, I bury my face in her hair.

  “Baby. Shh, it’s okay. I’m here now.”

  Her body goes solid for a second or two before it’s wracking with sobs. Her cries of anguish make me hold tighter as if I can somehow take her pain away by the sheer strength
in my arms.

  “Raven? Shh, it’s going to be okay. I’m here. You’re safe. I love you, baby. Come back to me.”

  My eyes start to burn. The pain in her cries is tangible, making the air thick and hard to breathe.

  “What happened? Talk to me.”

  I kiss her tenderly and encourage her to turn and face me. She does, but only to bury herself in my chest and cry harder. The sight of her tear-streaked face and red-rimmed eyes make me downright homicidal. From the looks of it, she’s been crying for a while.

  I’m going to kill that motherfucker!

  I don’t know how long I lay there with Raven in my arms. Her breathing evens out, and she takes a long shaky breath.

  “It’s over.” Her voice is quiet and devoid of emotion. “My life, no matter what happens, is over.”

  “What do you mean?” I smooth my hand through her hair. “Your life isn’t over.”

  She pushes herself up on the bed. I look to the door and see no sign of Owen.

  “What happened?” My voice is sharp with worry. I fight the roaring in my head and focus on keeping my cool. “What did he do to you?”

  I swing my legs over the side of the bed and something crunches under my feet. It’s a broken picture frame. In the mess of glass and shattered wood is the picture of Raven’s mom.

  What the hell is going on?

  I pull Raven into my lap, and she curls into my body like she was made to be there.

  Then, she starts to talk.

  Fourteen

  Raven

  My head throbs as I blink open my swollen eyes. The room is dark except for the dim light that shines through the window. It’s evening. I roll from my side onto my back and know instantly that I’m in Jonah’s bed. My hand reaches for him, but the cool sheets tell me he’s not there. He brought me here after I’d cried myself dry in his arms, snuggled in tight to the safety and warmth of his touch, holding me as if I’d float away if he didn’t ground me.

  Thoughts of Dominick invade my mind, like an army hell bent on eradicating my hope. Shame and embarrassment strangle any pride I have left. I bury my face in the pillow, pressing in deep, robbing myself of oxygen and welcoming the ache in my lungs. The life I’d built for myself, friends, Jonah, all of it was erased in less than an hour. I’m chained to the ugliness, caged in a nightmare with no chance of escape.

  I become a prostitute, or everyone I love dies.

  I turn my head and gasp for air, sucking the life-giving oxygen into my lungs. Rubbing my eyes, I try to erase the memories of the pain I saw in Jonah’s face. He told me we’d figure it out, that, together, we’d come up with something. Impossible.

  Reaching over, I click on the lamp. There’s a glass of water on the bedside table along with two Tylenol. I grab the pills and toss them to the back of my dry mouth. I swallow against the sting in my aching throat as it draws my attention away from the pain in my heart. The glass drained, I push my legs over the side of the bed, giving my body a second to acclimate to being upright. I’m no longer wearing my jeans and shirt, but I’m in one of Jonah’s t-shirts. I pull the fabric to my nose and breathe in deep, his scent a reprieve to my anguish.

  Tying my hair in a low knot, I head out to find Jonah. I freeze in the hallway at the sound of two male voices. Jonah’s voice is as recognizable as my own, but who is the other? I tiptoe closer and make the voice out to be Owen. Veiled in the shadows, I listen in.

  “I have too much to lose. I can’t afford to lose everything.”

  “Dude, I get that, I do. But just give it some time. You might find a way to figure something out.”

  “What other choice do I have? I have to end this.”

  “You’re going to hurt her.”

  Silence, then, “I know.”

  “I don’t like it, Jonah. She’s been through so much already. She’s not going to handle this well. You have to know that.” Silence. “All right, at least do it sooner than later. Like pulling off a Band-Aid, just get it over with.”

  “Yeah, I will.”

  My heart plummets into an icy black hole. It’s impossible to breathe past the constricting burn in my chest. I bend at the waist, hands on my knees, trying not to pass out. My head pounds with the beat of my racing heart. I pray that the numbing will come and ease the ache, but my body takes no prisoners as my stomach coils in agony. I lean my back against the wall, pressing my fingers to my sternum, as if I could physically push back the pain. The slight sting is on my cheeks from the tears I didn’t know I’d cried. Hearing about the pain of a broken heart doesn’t do justice to feeling the crippling devastation. This is a broken heart.

  Of course, he’s leaving me. Why wouldn’t he? Everything he’s worked for his entire life is waiting for him. His career is taking off, the title fight only weeks away. That’s his priority.

  The voice in my head reminds me of what I really am. I’m the daughter of a pimp and a hooker bred for a lifestyle of meaningless sex and money. It all makes sense now. My mother never saw me as her child . . . as a child at all. I’m nothing more than a prized animal—a product they can profit from. Who was I to think I could have a future with Jonah? My future is in that world, not his.

  “Hey, how long have you been standing here?”

  Long enough for you to destroy me. “Oh, um, I don’t know. Not long.” My voice sounds like it’s been trampled by a herd of buffalo.

  He cups my face, wiping away my tears with his thumbs. His warm eyes and empathetic smile threaten to burst the floodgates, so I look past him.

  “Baby, you’re crying.” He dries my tears with his thumbs.

  I shrug and force my mouth into a smile.

  “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat.”

  He hugs me to his side and guides me into the kitchen. My muscles relax and my pulse slows, comforted by his touch. Apparently my traitorous body isn’t aware that Jonah’s done with us. Leaning down, he kisses tenderly his favorite spot on my neck then pulls back a fraction to my ear.

  “I love you.” His warm breath combined with the power of his words make me tremble in his arms.

  I finish his declaration with an unspoken, but we can’t be together. “I love you too.”

  And I do. That’s why I don’t mention the conversation that I overheard. I know love doesn’t conquer all, that it’s not always enough. I know that Jonah has to look out for himself. He can’t afford to be wrapped up in my life, and part of me is at peace about that. I want him, but more than that, I want him to be happy—to have a life with a woman who can love him the way he deserves to be loved: a woman free from the ugliness of my reality.

  “How you feelin’, princess?” Owen asks.

  “I’ve been better.”

  His dark eyes study mine. “Right. Well, I’m gonna take off.” He steps to me and tugs me from Jonah’s hold for a hug. His arms linger a little too long, making it feel like a long-term good bye.

  He releases me with a final squeeze. I don’t miss the look he gives Jonah or what it communicates. He’s not happy that Jonah’s breaking up with me, but he understands.

  The rest of the evening passes like a dream. Only half-conscious most of the time, my mind pounds away at Dominick’s words. Plans to escape my fate form in my head, but they all end in one reality. I can’t protect everyone. And losing anyone I love is a risk I’m not willing to take.

  Jonah treats me like I’m made of glass. He feeds me, bathes me, and dresses me for bed. He holds me in the dark, whispering words of comfort while twisting tendrils of my hair around his fingers.

  I want to tell him that it’s okay, I understand why he has to let me go, but words fail me. Physically incapable of walking away from him, I choose to take this moment. I wrap myself up in it, absorbing all the love I can from his touch, hoping it will be enough to last me through a lifetime without him.

  ***

  I open my eyes to a new day. The sun bathes the room in yellow, but I refuse to move. For the first time, I don’t feel Jonah
behind me as I do every morning. I try not to think about what’s ahead, but live in the moment. And this moment sucks.

  Staring at the digital clock on the bedside, I watch the minutes tick by. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to get up and go to work. But leaving Jonah’s bed, knowing it may be the last time I’m here, is a mountain I’m not ready to face. I sigh, long and hard.

  “You awake?” His voice comes from my back, but he’s across the room.

  I squeeze my eyes shut tight. Do this for him. Don’t make it harder than it has to be.

  Rolling over, I see him in the club chair across the room.

  “Good morning.” I say, my voice feeling a little stronger than yesterday, but no less scratchy.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  I sit up and notice that his hair is damp from the shower and he’s dressed for the day. “Where are you off to so early?” My heavy heart drops to my stomach like an anvil.

  He stands and makes his way to the bed, plopping down beside me with a huff. “I have some things to do today. Just, um, work stuff.”

  He’s avoiding my eyes. This is it. He’s breaking up with me.

  “Oh, but I thought you had today off?” I want this to be easy for him, and I know I should just nod and let him walk away, but instinct has me clamoring.

  “Yeah, well, I got called in for a meeting. With the fight coming up, there’s a lot of publicity stuff.” He pushes his hand through his hair then rubs the back of his neck. “I wanted to know if you could stay with Eve tonight.”

  And there it is.

  I swallow a whimper that threatens to shoot from my lips. Blood rushes in my ears distorting his words as he makes excuses about training late.

  Unshed tears burn my eyes, but I refuse to let on. Make this easy for him. He deserves that much.

  “Sure, that won’t be a problem. But really, I can stay at my place.” You won’t be around to protect me anymore.

  His expression hardens, making his jaw tick. “Raven, promise me you’ll stay at Eve’s. I can’t sleep knowing you’ll be alone at your place.”