by A. M. Myers
“No, it’ll take too long. I’ll just grab some on the way.”
Nodding, he turns away from the counter and watches me gather up my things. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I answer, scanning the room to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything and he walks over to me, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. The whole thing feels so… domesticated but what’s even more surprising is how much I like it. If you had told me this would be my life a couple months ago, I would have laughed my ass off but then Chance walked into my life and I can’t deny how right this feels. We walk over to the door and as I grab my keys off the entry table, Chance opens the door and I jump. A woman is waiting on the other side, her hand raised like she was about to knock.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says, her voice timid as she glances down the hallway nervously. As I take in the maid’s uniform she’s wearing, I try to figure out who she is before my gaze locks onto the piece of paper in her trembling hand. I glance over at Chance, who shrugs.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Rosie, ma’am. Are you Carly? Miss Ivy’s sister?”
At the mention of Ivy’s name, my heart jumps into my throat and my imagination goes into overdrive. Who is this woman and how does she know my sister? Chance squeezes my hand and when I peek over at him, he’s studying the woman in front of us with narrowed eyes.
“Yes, I am. How do you know my sister?”
Her gaze flicks toward the end of the hallway again before she focuses on me. “I work for Mr. Henshaw.”
My pulse kicks up a notch and I grip Chance’s hand tighter, fear vibrating through my veins as I picture the worst. Please tell me she’s okay.
“Is Ivy okay?”
Her lips flatten into a straight line and I feel like I can’t breathe. “Yes and no. She’s okay right now but Mr. Henshaw… he is not a nice man.”
Yeah, I figured that part out all by myself.
“Your sister… she asked me to bring you this,” she says, holding the piece of paper out to me and I practically drop my bags on the floor to grab it. With shaking hands, I unfold the paper and suck in a breath.
C,
I’m in trouble.
Julian has taken my phone and cut me off
from any outside contact. He cut up my debit card, too.
I have no way to leave and I’m so scared, Car. I should have listened to you. I’m so sorry. Please help me.
Love,
V
“When did she give this to you?” I ask, tears stinging my eyes as anger twists its way through my belly, screaming for vengeance. Fuck Julian Henshaw. Who the hell does he think he is?
“Last night, ma’am. I promised to give it to you as soon as I left and I came straight here.”
“And she was still okay when you left?” I’m practically shouting at the poor woman and I feel bad, but I can’t seem to stop either. Throughout my life, I’ve known fear, but I’ve never felt fear like this. Thinking about poor Ivy, stuck in that house with no way to contact anyone or get help, terrifies me. Chance places his hand at the small of my back and I relax into his touch slightly as I glance over at him. He holds his hand out for the note and I give it to him.
“Yes, ma’am. She was okay when I left. I’ll be back tonight and I’ll help her as much as I can but she needs you.”
“Please,” I say. “Call me Carly, Rosie. You said you’d be back there tonight.”
She nods. “Yes, ma’am… I mean, Carly.”
“Please come in, Rosie. I’d like to know as much as you can tell me about what’s going on in that house.” I’m desperate for information. Does Ivy have new bruises on her body? What is he doing to her? So many things run through my mind and I need to know the truth. Rosie shakes her head, her gaze snapping to the elevator as it opens and Ms. Cheryl steps off. She slowly backs away from the door.
“No, I can’t do that. Mr. Henshaw, he tracks my car. I had to park at the coffee shop down the street just to come see you.”
I nod in understanding. My need for information isn’t so strong I would risk putting this woman in danger.
“Would you be willing to give me your phone number? In case I have any other questions.”
She backs away from the door more, shaking her head. “I’ll watch out for your sister as much as I can. I’m sorry.”
Before I can even try to convince her to stay, she runs off down the hallway and pushes open the door to the stairwell, not willing to wait on the elevator. A tear slips down my cheek and I suck in a stuttered breath as I turn to Chance. God, what are we going to do? He wraps his arms around me, making me feel safe despite the fact that I’m still so worried about Ivy.
“We have to help her,” I croak out and he nods, pulling out his phone.
“Streak, hey, got a job for you, man,” he says a few seconds later and I just hope we can get her out of there before anything else happens.
* * * *
I collapse into the couch and sigh as I kick my heels off, not even caring that I left a trail of clothes and bags from the front door to the living room. Today has been pure hell. After Rosie dropped off the note this morning, Chance went in to talk to the guys and I attempted to go to work, but I spent most of my day worrying about Ivy. I honestly don’t think I got a single thing done. Of course, Ali noticed that something was off and as soon as I spilled my guts to her, she was hugging me and promising me the guys would handle it. I hope she’s right because I don’t know what I’d do without Ivy. Rubbing my fingers across my forehead, I try to fight the headache I feel building.
“What are you in the mood for?” Chance asks, holding up the takeout menus and I shrug.
“Whatever.” My appetite has been non-existent and I’m not holding my breath that it will return any time soon. Chance sighs from the kitchen and tosses the menus down before walking over to me and sinking to his knees in front of the couch. He grabs my hands in his and I feel tears threatening again. God, what would I do with myself if he wasn’t here? Beyond the fact that without the club I have no idea how I would save my sister, he’s been my rock today. I couldn’t go ten minutes without a text from him, reassuring me or trying to distract me when I couldn’t handle anymore promises. This is hard, but I know Chance and the club will do whatever they can to help Ivy. I’m just worried it won’t be enough.
“Listen to me, Carly,” he says, pulling my attention back to him. “This is what we do everyday, baby. I’ve got Streak digging into every part of Julian Henshaw’s life and we will get your sister back.”
I shake my head, tears shining in my eyes. “I’m scared, Chance. Besides Aunt Dottie, Ivy is the only family I have. She’s my best friend in the whole world. I can’t lose her.”
“And you won’t,” he whispers, one hand reaching up to cradle my face as his eyes blaze with determination and I know he would march into that house and carry my baby sister out himself if he had to.
God, I love him.
The thought has been circling around in my head since the night he and I made up, but he never said it back to me and he hasn’t brought it up at all in the past week so as much as I want to say it to him now, I can’t force the words out of my mouth.
Someone knocks on the door and we both turn to look at it before he hops up. “I’ll get it.”
I relax back on the couch and turn toward the window, wondering how we’re going to manage to get Ivy out of Julian’s house if she doesn’t have access to a phone. Damn, I wish I had been able to convince Rosie to give me her number. I know she’s scared but she could have been a lot of help to us.
“Hey, Princess, there’s someone here to see you,” Chance says and I glance up, my blood running cold. Austin Mitchel stands in the doorway, next to Chance, looking like he’s about to shit a brick. And for the life of me, I can’t understand what the hell he’s doing here. Memories flash through my mind and my hand starts to shake as I push off the couch and walk over to them. Remembering the last time I ever saw him,
I square my shoulders and meet his gaze. I hope he can see the hatred in my eyes.
“Get out of my house,” I say, my voice sounding haunted but strong and I’m proud of myself for not collapsing in a heap on the floor like I want to. Chance’s face turns to stone as he glances between Austin and me.
“Please, Carly. I’d really like to talk to you.”
“There is nothing you can say,” I hiss. I don’t know how much clearer I can be about the fact that I never want to see his face again. Besides, the strength I’m clinging to is quickly waning with each new memory – some of that night but most from the days after when my entire world crumbled in around me. They are coming faster than I can push them away and I feel the sob lodging itself in my throat as I picture the way my body looked in the mirror the morning after Austin and his friends were done with me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I turn away from him and my hands shake.
“Leave now or I’ll remove you myself,” Chance says, his voice taking on a deadly tone I’ve never heard before. He doesn’t even know what Austin did to me yet, but it doesn’t matter because he knows Austin did something and that’s enough for him. Arms wrap around me and my muscles tense for a moment before I catch a whiff of cinnamon gum and relax into Chance’s hold.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Austin barks and my eyes snap open. Chance is rigid at my side as he chuckles but there’s no humor in it. If I were Austin, I would be terrified right now. Chance reaches behind his back and pulls a gun out, setting it on the counter as my eyes widen.
Jesus Christ, has he always had that?
Chance smiles at Austin, who wisely takes a step back. “All right, why don’t you tell me how you know my girl?”
Austin glances at me like I might call Chance off but that’s not going to happen. If I really think about it, I’m not even upset about the gun. And I certainly wouldn’t ever defend Austin. His gaze bounces between the two of us before he slowly starts backing away.
“Wait,” I say, clinging to Chance’s side as I square my shoulder and meet Austin’s eyes. As much as I don’t want to hear what he has to say, I don’t want him to show up again so it’s best to just get this over with. “What is it that you want?”
“Can we talk alone?” he asks, glancing at Chance, who laughs again.
“That’s not going to happen.”
Austin sighs before glancing back to me. “Did you get the card I sent a while ago?”
“I did.”
“It’s just… the bank said the check never cleared,” he mutters, running a nervous hand through his hair. Anger pierces through me and I narrow my eyes.
“Is that why you’re here? I don’t want your fucking money, Austin.”
He sighs, shaking his head. “I’m just trying to find a way to make it up to you.”
“Make it up to me?” I hiss as I take a step back. “You don’t get to make it up to me.”
“Please, Carly. I was just a kid and I made a mistake.”
I nod, ready for this conversation to be over. “So was I and yet, I still have to live with what you did to me for the rest of my life. If you’re looking for atonement, go talk to a preacher because you won’t find it from me.”
He sighs again and I see the defeat on his face as he turns and walks out of my house without another word. As soon as the door shuts behind him, I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and sag against Chance as tears well up in my eyes. My heart pounds in my ears and my stomach twists, disgusted by the memories plaguing me. I remember the morning after the party again. The pain in my body is imprinted on my mind and I swear I can almost feel it like it just happened. My walls are down, demolished by the reappearance of Austin.
“Carly,” Chance whispers, holding me up as he peers down at my face. “Who was that?”
I shake my head, wiping away tears as quickly as they fall. “I… I need a minute.”
He leads me over to the couch and I sit down next to him as I suck in a breath and try to think of how to tell him this. I’m more secure in our relationship than I was a week ago but what I have to tell him could still change things between us. Not to mention I have no idea how to even say this since I’ve never spoken these words aloud before. They burn in my throat, fighting to break free and struggling to stay locked away at the same time and with tears pouring from my eyes, I resist the urge to claw at my own throat. Chance pulls me into his arms, hugging me tight and I draw in a breath, hoping I can make it through this. I know he’s seen the parts of me that I worked so hard to hide but he really has no idea the horrors I’ve been keeping caged inside.
“Baby,” he whispers, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers and I look up, meeting his eyes as I let him see all the pain I usually keep buried. He sucks in a breath, his eyes tortured and I wonder if it’s similar to the look in my eyes right now. He holds my hand tight but remains quiet as he waits for my explanation.
“Austin and I used to date.”
He nods. “And?”
“And,” I start, new tears forming in my eyes and my heart pounding in my ears. My palms are sweating and I struggle to draw a breath. “When I was sixteen, Austin and six of his friends drugged and raped me at a party.”
My words hang in the air between us, the silence of the apartment deafening as time seems to stall and I wait for his response. Slowly, the anger in his eyes builds, licking up toward the sky like a raging inferno, until he jumps up from the couch and marches into the kitchen. He swipes the gun off the counter and turns toward the door, pure, unhindered rage lighting up his features and I have no doubt in my mind he’d kill Austin if I let him. Maybe it should bother me but it doesn’t.
“Chance,” I call out as he wraps his hand around the doorknob and he turns to me. Tears fall down my cheeks and I watch his heart break right in front of me. “Please don’t leave me right now.”
He stares at me for a moment before turning back to the door. Just when I think he’s going to go after him, he turns, setting the gun back on the counter as he stalks across the floor and sits down next to me. Without a word, he pulls me into his arms and crushes me to his body. His hand slips into my hair and he massages the back of my head as I cry into his shirt, letting go of years of pain I’ve been hanging on to.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” he whispers, his voice conveying the pain he’s feeling right now and I pull back, shaking my head as my lip wobbles.
“Please don’t ever apologize. You’re the first person in twelve years that’s been able to reach a part of me I thought died that night.”
His brow furrows and I’m surprised by the shimmer in his gaze. Is he crying for me? “God, I knew something bad had happened to you, but I never imagined… Do you know how badly I want to go after him right now? I want to make him hurt for every time I’ve seen this pain in your eyes. I want to make him suffer for even thinking of hurting you.”
“And that’s why I love you,” I whisper, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He fists my hair and takes over, kissing me with a desperation that I feel echoed through my own body.
“I love you, Princess. So much it would probably scare you, but I do.”
The three words I’ve been dying to hear from him mean so much more now that he knows the truth about my past and I can’t help but smile through the tears that are still slowly falling down my face.
“I’m not afraid of loving you anymore, Chance.”
He pulls me in and kisses me again, healing another little part of me. When he pulls away, he smiles and presses his forehead against mine.
“Damn. I’ve been waiting to hear you say that again since Wednesday night. I wasn’t gonna say it until you did.”
I laugh a little, shoving his shoulder before resting my head on it. “Ass.”
His arms wrap around me and we’re quiet for a moment before he whispers, “Will you tell me what happened?”
I nod. He knows the worst of it now and for some reason, talking to him about that night
feels good – like I’m letting it all go. I start at the beginning, telling him about moving from New Orleans and meeting Austin. When I tell him I gave him my virginity, he lets out a growl but I keep going. As I start telling him about the night of the party, his body grows tense underneath me.
“When I woke up the next morning, all I could remember were these little flashes, but my body hurt so bad. I stumbled into my bathroom and I had bruises everywhere, around my neck, on my arms and legs. Ivy found me there and she and my mother rushed me to the emergency room.”
He squeezes me tighter, his jaw clenched in anger. “Please tell me they paid for what they did to you.”
“Not exactly,” I whisper. “I stayed home from school the next day and when Ivy came home, she was crying. Austin had taped the whole thing and it was everywhere. Everyone at school saw me getting raped but they all thought it was consensual. They thought I was just a slut who wanted to get fucked by seven different guys. When my mother found out, she was enraged. I thought she’d go to the police and finally be the mother I needed her to be but that’s not what happened.”
“What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, I try not to get angry as I tell this part of the story but it’s hard not to. “She gathered up all the reports from the doctors and the videotape before going to the families of the boys and blackmailing them.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he snaps, his body practically vibrating in anger. I climb off him and he stands up, pacing the room as he runs a hand through his hair. As much as I hate how upset he is, it feels amazing to have someone in my corner, someone who will fight for me, and someone I can trust with my life.
“No, I’m not. To this day, I have twelve million dollars sitting in my account that I refuse to touch.”
“Shit,” he hisses, stopping to look at me. “That’s where the money came from?”
I tilt my head to the side, studying him. “You know about the money?”
