by Rachel Blake
“But how does someone do that to a person for so long? I’m sorry, that sounded super judgey, but how does that happen?”
“You’re right, I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman who allowed her father to abuse her, her whole life. I allowed him to take my money, hit me, and dictate what my life was going to be. I allowed him to do that to me.”
“No one allows themselves to be abused. That wasn’t what I meant. I… fuck, maybe I did run my last roommate off.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Embry teased as she picked at her nails. “No, you’re right to ask these questions. You’re going to be living with me, so you need to know what sort of person you’re going to be sharing space with.”
“What sort of person is that exactly?” Dumping the noodles into the boiling water, Prim joined her at the counter, settling on her own stool.
“The kind who was naive enough to think her abusive father was looking out for her best interest. The kind of woman who didn’t realize beating your daughter with your fists wasn’t a normal practice until she was nearly an adult, but let it continue because she thought she had no choice. The kind who only escaped her father because he set her up to be raped by one of his business associates, and she was able to hit the man in the head with a… God, I don’t even know what I hit him with.”
“A telephone receiver.”
“What?”
“It’s been all over the news, Em. Someone attacked a CEO in an upscale hotel room. Here,” Prim tapped at her phone a couple of times before showing the display on the screen. “Is this the guy your father pimped you out to?”
As her eyes focused on the smiling face of her would-be rapist, bile rose in her throat.
“He doesn’t have an evil twisted look on his face in that picture, but it’s him.”
“His name is Tommy Gilber. He is the CEO of a security firm based here. We need to tell Eden.”
“What? No, you can’t tell her this.”
“Why not?”
“I just got here. She’ll realize I’m not worth all this hassle and send me away. I can’t go back to the streets, Prim. You said so yourself, I won’t survive out there.”
“Is that really the impression you’ve built of her? That she’ll toss you out on your ass the second you become a burden?”
She knew she had offended the other woman, but the fear was too real for her to care. “I-I don’t know, but I need this. Please.”
“Embry,”—Prim took her hand—“Eden isn’t going to send you away because someone tried to hurt you, and you had to defend yourself. She isn’t heartless.”
“I didn’t say she was, but…”
“Your own father traded you for a business deal, I get it, but she is not him.”
“I know, but neither was Tommy. He got me to go with him under the same ruse Eden did, to help me, and we know how that ended.”
“Well, she went through a lot of effort for one person, introducing you to all her employees, showing you her place of business. Think back, Tommy didn’t do any of that, he kept you just as isolated as your father did, didn’t he.”
She was right. Eden had gone out of her way that morning to introduce her to and make sure they were seen together by as many people as possible. Embry had thought it was simply the way she did things, but now she knew better. It was Eden’s way of gaining her trust.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to call Eden and James and invite them for supper. Over supper, we’re going to tell them about your connection with what happened to Tommy.”
“You mean that I was the one who took him out with a phone?”
“Yes, that. This conversation will get the ball rolling, and all sorts of things are going to happen, but I need you to know, everything that happens will all be in your best interest and not in the way your father did things for you. You’re not alone in this. Do you trust me?”
Embry instantly nodded her head. There was no doubt in her mind this newfound friend was an ally. She really hoped she didn’t live to regret the trust.
***
“What do you mean, escorted?” Embry looked at the three other people seated around the table.
“I mean exactly what I said. You’ll be escorted wherever you need to go until the threat of your father and Mr. Gilber are eliminated,” Eden answered.
“Wait, are you going to kill them?” Embry questioned her eyes going wide.
A very unladylike snort sounded from Prim. “I’m sorry, I tried to swallow my laughter, but this isn’t a soap opera. We don’t go around killing people.”
“There was that one time.” While James’ solemn expression could have convinced anyone, he was speaking the truth, Prim’s gales of laughter gave away the truth. “Come on, Rosebud, I had her convinced.”
“Well, you should warn a girl before you go spouting stuff like that. You know how much I like to laugh.” Prim crossed her arms over her chest, her tongue poking out at the man for a second when he turned away.
“Primly, remember what happened the last time he caught you doing that?” Eden questioned, a smirk playing on her lips.
“I hate to interrupt this epic flirting session, but I’ve just been told I’m not allowed to go anywhere on my own. Can we please get back to that?” Embry had to fight her instincts to keep from shrinking in her seat at the disapproving look Eden sent her way.
“That was not flirting,” Eden shot back.
“Speak for yourself,” James laughed, sticking his own tongue out at Prim.
Eden closed her eyes for a second before speaking over the laughter. “I swear to God, I’m surrounded by children.”
“That’s enough.” James instantly went from light and easy-going to hard and full of warning. “We are having fun at an after-hours dinner. Yes, some things about work came up, and we are figuring out how to address them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. Laughing is good for you, Eden.”
Eden leaned into him a bit more, dropping her voice, “This is a meeting we were called to in order to address a work issue, not some easy-going dinner party.”
“Um…” Embry looked between the three of them. James held firm against Eden’s glaring, not allowing it to have the slightest effect on him other than the location of his eyebrow. Prim shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes on her lap. Eden scowled, holding her ground with the unhappy man until one word fell from his mouth.
“Sin.”
That was all it took.
Embry watched as the strong, capable woman in front of her shifted and changed. She was still a strong, capable woman, but the one word allowed her vulnerability to step forward and a little of the needs she had shone through.
“You can’t call that here.” Eden’s voice was softer, quieter.
“Are these people not part of the family?” James questioned. “Is it not after hours? Is Embry already on the shortlist of people you don’t trust? Because if that’s that case, you should probably fire her right now.”
Embry’s wide eyes went to Prim, fear clawing at her chest.
Eden’s eyes instantly swung to Embry, the question of if she could trust Embry with this side of herself clear in her eyes.
Straightening her spine, Embry spoke. “If you don’t trust me, then you may as well do as he suggested and send me packing now because if you don’t trust me, I can’t trust you.” She didn’t move, simply spoke the words that needed to be said, and waited to be shown the door.
“I like her, can we keep her?” Prim questioned, her lips twisted into a naughty smirk.
“For a woman who has been beaten down her whole life, you have an awful lot of spunk,” Eden commented.
Embry relaxed the slightest bit. “My father beat me, but my mother encouraged me to question everything and be honest to a fault. I guess those lessons are starting to show themselves.”
“I bet those lessons got you hit a few times as well,” Eden offered.
“Of course, they did.”<
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“But that still doesn’t make any sense.” Eden pushed forward. “You’re so strong-willed, open with how you feel and what is needed. Blunt. Why didn’t you leave your father’s house sooner? Run? Stand up for yourself?”
“Your background check should have told you why.” When no response was given, Embry looked at her hands and filled in the details she already knew they had. “I’ve tried before. The first time was when I was sixteen. That was when I discovered he had a few of the city’s finest in his back pocket—men who didn’t even blink when he backhanded me as soon as they brought me back to the house.
“I tried again when I was twenty-one. I got out of town that time, but he got someone to track me down. I’d stupidly used my social security number to get a job, and they showed up, told me if I didn’t come home, he was going to kill her.”
“Who?” James’ voice was hard.
“Her mom,” Eden explained. “He used her to get you to do what he wanted.”
“So, what changed?” Prim asked as she reached out and took Embry’s hand.
“My mom died about nine months ago, and he was a different person.”
“Maybe he saw the errors in his ways,” Prim said as she took a sip of her drink.
Embry nodded her head. “That’s what I thought. He left me alone for months. I was allowed to do as I pleased, kept my money, and even went on dates.
“Then I came home a couple of weeks ago, and he told me I was getting married. He had promised me to one of his associates and was to deliver on the goods. I told him no, said I was going to pick my own husband, someone I loved.”
“That’s why he stopped hitting you? So, he could sell you to the highest bidder and not have to worry about the bruising bringing your value down?” Prim’s wide eyes filled with anger. “The fucking bastard. You stood up for yourself, and that’s where you got the bruises, the ones on your belly, face, and arms?”
“Yes, I knew what would happen when I told him no, and I did anyway.” Embry picked at her nails. “I told him I wasn’t going, he couldn’t make me. He just smiled and announced a few bruises wouldn’t hurt now that the deal was done. I thought he was going to kill me, but Mr. Gilber arrived, knocked him out, told me to pack a bag, then took me to a hotel for the night. Told me I would be safe.”
“You thought he was saving you.” Eden’s mouth was set in a thin line.
“I did.”
“When did he turn?” Eden asked, leaning into the table as if she were trying to get closer.
“He came back a little before midnight. He was drunk and had used the key they’d kept at the front desk for him. I didn’t know he had it. He was talking loud enough in the hall for me to hear his plan to rape me.”
“You fought the man off with a phone. Good for you.” James shrugged his shoulders when all three sets of feminine eyes swung to him, “What? I’m damn proud of her.”
“You don’t even know me, how can you be proud of me?” Embry’s eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. “I’m sorry. I… that wasn’t fair of me.”
“You’re one of us now. Not only that, you kept yourself safe from a would-be predator. Of course, I’m proud of you for that.” James’ hand landed on her shoulder. “I just hope you're proud of yourself.”
“I’ve been too scared to be proud of myself,” Embry admitted.
“You told me last night, you’d run away from your dad’s.” Eden cut in a brow-raising as she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. “Did you lie to me?”
“Not everyone is out to get you, Eden,” Prim cut in with a scowl.
“And not everyone is your friend,” Eden shot back.
“Please.” Prim rolled her eyes. “You were the one who did the background check on her, you know all there is to know about the woman. Hell, if your gut had told you she was a liar, we never would have picked her up off the street.”
“You want to know what my gut is telling me right now, Primly? That you need your ass paddled. Again,” Eden growled.
“Enough, both of you.” James’ voice rose over the women’s argument. His eyes shifted to Prim. “You need to be more respectful. And you,” his eyes moved to Eden, “give the girl a chance to answer before you jump down her throat.” Finally, he looked at Embry. “Tell us what happened.”
“I ran from the hotel. So, I guess if push came to shove, yes, I lied to you, but it wasn’t because I was trying to deceive you. You don’t exactly start babbling your sob story to a complete stranger on the streets. Especially when part of that story is your father telling your rapist to wait until you were married because then it wouldn’t be rape. They haven’t caught up with me yet.”
“Yet?” Prim repeated.
“I’m not sure why or how, but my dad has connections. I mean, I know he has money, but I didn’t think it was enough to reach as far as he has in the past.”
“He has no money,” Eden said as she stood from the table. “As far as I can tell, he hasn’t had any for a while. Gambled most of it away nearly ten years ago.”
“What?” Embry shook her head. “That’s not possible.”
“You, on the other hand, have money.” Eden came around the table, physically moved Embry’s chair and crouched in front of her, grasping Embry’s hand in her own. “Your mother inherited the money your father blew. She wasn’t very smart in giving him access to her portion, but she was a genius in how she had your trust fund set up.”
“My mother wasn’t stupid,” Embry growled.
“I don’t doubt that, but she wasn’t very smart, either.”
“Take it back,” Embry demanded as she stood from the table, forcing her chair back.
“I won’t. It’s a fact I will not be berated into retracting.” Eden allowed a single brow to move toward her hairline. “I suggest you sit back down, little girl.”
Embry collapsed into her chair, tears shimmering in her eyes. “You didn’t know her. You know nothing about the situation she was in.”
“I know your mother had millions after her parents died, and she let your father squander it,” Eden shot back, anger etched into her features. “I have no tolerance for women who force their children to live a life as you did, especially when she had the means to get away, to give you better.”
“Words on a piece of paper, that’s all you have. You didn’t see her or him. You know nothing,” Embry rebuked.
“Facts on a piece of paper is all I need to know that your mother didn’t give a shit about you. If she had, she wouldn’t have allowed you to live in constant fear of your father’s fists.”
“That’s not fair, Eden.” It was Prim’s turn to stand from the table, but she did so with so much force, her chair toppled over. “You know nothing about her mother’s situation or what her father held over her. You have no right to judge.”
“I have every right to judge because here I am, picking up the pieces from her screw up,” Eden shot back, her face hard as stone. “Now, I suggest you find your seat before you step any further over the line.”
“What line, the one where I call you out on your shit?” Prim rested her hand on the table, leaning into the argument. “There are very few people in your life who do that, Eden, and I’m one of them, so I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you push me into silence. Fuck that.
“That’s enough,” James said, eyeing the women, an unhappy look on his face. “Do not make me have to step into this argument. Neither of you will like the result if I do.”
Embry shook her head. “Tommy mentioned a trust fund, but it was the alcohol talking. I don’t have a trust fund. The only money I’ve ever had is the money I gave my father, and I know he wasn’t setting that aside for me. You must have the wrong person.”
“Embry Grace Worthington, born June 13th. I have the right person,” James said, the confidence in his work clear.
“You have approximately a million dollars in a trust fund you can’t access until you're thirty years old or married.”
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Embry covered her mouth, eyes gone wide. “That can’t be.”
“Think about it, Em. Why would he let go of the one person he had control over?”
Prim settled back into her chair, hand moving to rest on Ember’s shoulder, a physical weight to accompany the emotional one the information had caused.
“He was selling me for access to my trust fund.”
“We think so.” James leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “But you stopped it.”
“Okay, now what? What do I do now? Hideout here for the rest of my life?” Embry gestured to the apartment. “I go from being a prisoner in one place to a prisoner in another. I can’t do that. I refuse to do that.”
“We will always protect you, but we will only hide you for as long as we need to,” Eden reassured. “I have a meeting for the three of us with a lawyer in the morning. I trust him impeccably and have no doubt he’ll be able to help us come up with a plan.”
“And after that?” Embry questioned.
“After that, depending on what he says, we’ll reevaluate our plan for you.” Eden walked to the door, James standing from his chair as she did so.
“So, I can’t go anywhere without an escort?” Embry asked as her boss stood in the open doorway.
“That’s right, and I expect it to be followed.” With that, Eden walked out the door, not bothering to close it in her wake.
“We discussed this at length today,” James said, sighing heavily. “The two of us and the rest of the security team think this is the best way to keep you safe. We’re not sure what your father is willing to do to get your money, and we don’t want to put you at risk until this is all settled.”
“If he was willing to sell me, I’m not sure, either.”
“Primly.” James waited for the woman’s downcast eyes to meet his. “Was what she gave you this morning not enough?”
“I love her, James, so no. The bit of attention she decides to bestow on me when it’s convenient for her will never be enough.”
