by Bex Dane
"Should I drive to the airport? What do we do?"
He looked out the back window. "Did anyone else see you?"
"No, just Fasul. He helped me. He won't tell anyone."
"Drive toward the airport. We'll stop at a hotel."
I took the road I vaguely remembered leading to the airport. "How is she?"
"She looks okay. Probably a concussion. We need her to wake up."
***
We found a hotel by the airport and brought Cecelia in. I lay her on the bed and Torrez checked her again. Her face had no color, so lifeless, I wanted to scream. He lifted her top and covered her with a towel from the bathroom. The first bandage he'd applied had soaked through with blood. He removed it and worked on applying a new one.
"Why isn't she waking up?"
"I don't know. Give it some time."
"I hate seeing her like this. Fuck." I paced to the window and looked out. "No one followed us."
"Good. So fill me in. What happened?"
"Maksim went out drinking with Yegor and Pavel after the party. I went to her room. She told me everything, and we made a run for it. We ran into Maksim. She charged him with a fucking dagger off the wall. You shoulda seen her, Torrez, she was insane. He used her as a shield so I couldn't shoot him. She kept fighting, and he knocked her out with the handle of the dagger. When he stabbed her, I rushed him, got her away, and shot him. Fasul said he'd cover for me."
"Good job. And what did you find out about him and Cecelia?"
Oh man. "Didn't I tell you over the phone?" I could swear we talked about it.
"No. You said she wanted to be with you and you needed a car. That's all I know."
I ran my hand through my hair. "Sorry, Torrez. We were in a hurry."
"So, tell me now."
I took a deep breath. "Ivan purchased Cecelia as a child and groomed her to be the perfect princess you saw last night."
He froze solid. "The fuck?"
"Ivan bought CeCe and forced her to marry Maksim when she was fifteen. She's American. Her parents sold her to Ivan."
Torrez' mouth dropped open as I spoke. "Soraya."
"Likely the same story. We'll have to ask Cecelia the details when she comes to but..."
"Ivan forced her to marry Yegor." Torrez finished my thought.
"I'd assume so."
He stood and stalked to the window, letting out a series of curse words in English which morphed into Portuguese or maybe Spanish. I couldn't tell. He went on for a long time. I kneeled next to Cecelia and held her hand. Why wasn't she moving at all?
"C'mon, baby. Wake up. We're free. You just need to wake up." I pressed my forehead to her neck. "If God takes you from me now, I won't survive it. Please, baby. I love you so much." I kissed her. Her lips mashed down, soft and fragile like a child's. I kept my mouth there and exhaled as if I could breathe life into her like magic. "C'mon. Come back to me."
Something moved against the back of my head. Either Torrez was getting frisky, or she just touched my hair. I pulled back to see her hand hit the bed again. "That's it. Wake up. It's me. It's Zook. I love you, and I'm here and I need you to open your eyes." I kissed her again and her lips moved, answering mine. "Yes, baby. Good. All the way. Open your eyes."
And she did. Her pretty brown eyes blinked open. My heart started beating, and my lungs sucked in air again. "Yes! Welcome back. We did it. Are you okay?
"I think so."
"You're free."
"Free?"
"He's dead."
"Maksim is dead?"
"I shot him. Twice. He is dead. Never hurt you again."
Her lips quirked up at the corners. "I didn't get to see it."
I laughed. "No, you didn't get to see it. But he's dead. Trust me."
"Mmm."
Torrez returned to the side of the bed and checked her out. "How do you feel? Can you see us okay? Do we look blurry?"
"I see Zook and you perfectly clear. I can't believe you're here, but I see you." Her hand moved to her temple. "Ow."
Placing my hand over hers, I caressed the spot too. "He hit you with the butt of the dagger. It's going to hurt for a while."
She nodded.
"Take these." Torrez handed her some aspirin, and I helped her with a glass of water.
Her eyes looked beyond us and scanned the room. "Where are we?"
"We're in a hotel in Portul near the airport. I'm filling Torrez in on everything that happened with you and Soraya then we need to get going."
"I'm going back for her." Torrez stood up and stared down at Cecelia.
"Now? What's up with you and her?" I asked him.
He turned his steady gaze on me. "When you called me, I was in her room."
"What?" Cecelia and I asked in unison.
"After the wedding celebration, I fucked her."
"You did?" Holy shit. I didn't see any of that happening. I was so focused on Cecelia.
"Yeah. But I didn't know the whole story. I thought, but I wasn't sure. Damn. Why the fuck did I do that?" Torrez pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Do what?" Cecelia asked.
"I said stupid shit to her. Bad shit. Exactly what I shouldn't have said. Thought she set me up. I'm going back to get her. She might not want to leave with me after the load of crap I laid down. Fuck!"
"Let's make sure Cecelia is better and safe here. Then I'll go back with you for Soraya." Torrez helped me get Cecelia back, and now it was my turn to return the favor.
He glanced from me to Cecelia. "No. You both go. Get her home."
I wanted that more than anything, but if he needed me I would stay and help. "You sure?"
"I'm already formulating a plan."
"I'm sure you are."
***
An hour later, Cecelia was recovering quickly, and we caught her up on all that happened while she was out.
"Are you feeling well enough to talk about Soraya? Any info we give to Torrez will help him."
She nodded and spoke softly. "Ivan told her she was adopted, but I don't know if it's true. I saw him hand my parents money for me. They were drug addicts. I was worthless to them. They sold me. Money was more important to them than their own child."
Shit. "God, CeCe. You know that's not true, right?"
She shook her head. "I was old enough to understand what happened. I was ten. They gave their daughter away to strangers and shot the money up their arms."
Torrez stood and walked away. I pulled her closer. "Hey. Don't believe it. What they did says nothing about your worth, okay?"
She closed her eyes, but not sure if she accepted my words. "There was a woman here. Ivan's wife, Nadya. Ivan said she wanted girls. She had three boys, and we were her special girls. The boys were away at boarding school. She taught me Russian and Veranistaadian. It wasn't bad."
Torrez came back, looking slightly more relaxed but still tense. "Where is Nadya now?"
She sighed. "She died. That's when everything changed."
"How'd it change?" My hand rubbed her back, encouraging her to keep going.
She took a deep breath and her voice was small. Damn Maksim for taking her confidence like he did. "Ivan sent us to boarding school in France. When we came home for the summer, the boys were here too. He said they weren't our brothers. They would be our husbands."
"Shit." Torrez paced away again and came back.
"We were scared. Afraid to fight it. Anytime Soraya resisted, they beat us both, said we were shaming the family. Ivan took all our stuff away and said if we cooperated, we could go back to France. We had more freedom in France at the boarding school. They tracked our phones. Only came for surprise visits."
"So you cooperated?"
"Yes. I was only fifteen when I married him. Soraya was seventeen when she married Yegor. We hated it, but we put up with it so we could keep going to boarding school. He sent us to London for high school. We only had to come home for Christmas and summer breaks. They'd use that time to train us. Maksim started trainin
g me when I was sixteen. Ivan instructed him what to say and do to make me submit."
Oh god. "Can you tell us about the training?" My muscles had drawn so tight, the tiniest pressure would cause them to snap, but I held it all in so she could get it out.
She sniffled. She hadn't cried yet, and I was impressed as hell. "Beatings, isolation. I submitted fairly fast. Soraya got the worst of it from Yegor. The scariest part was when they forced us to watch them rape and kill a girl who wouldn't agree to marrying Pavel."
"Goddamn, fuck." Torrez paced and cursed in whatever language again.
"And did you try to escape?" I asked her softly.
She nodded. "Once we went to the police. They recognized us and laughed at us. Ivan has so much influence here, no one would ever accuse him of anything."
"Holy hell." I loosened my arm around her. Didn't want to crush her. "I'm so sorry. If I'd known this, I never would've let you get on that plane."
"There were guards. After the graduation ceremony, I wanted to run to you, but Maksim had guards escort us from our apartment to the airport. Maybe he knew we would try to escape."
Torrez kept his face stoic as he listened, but his eyes burned with fury.
"In the States, we left once, went to a woman's shelter. We had no money. Couldn't bring our phones. We used our credit cards to withdraw cash and Maksim had men find us within a day. After that, I decided I wanted to finish my degree, so I could support myself after I escaped. Soraya always wanted to run, but she wouldn't leave without me. That's why I felt so terrible leaving without her this morning."
I'd had enough for now. Torrez had what me needed. "Okay, baby. We'll talk more later. You did a good job telling us what happened."
"Thank you for sharing that with us," Torrez said to Cecelia. "I'll get her out."
"I'm sure you will. This will all work out." Her new strong voice made her so much more attractive than she ever was, and she was a knockout before.
"Yes." I kissed her and rubbed her back.
Torrez looked at his watch and angled his head toward the door. "If you're well enough, we should get you on a plane. We'll stop and get clothes for you both, and I'll drop you off at the airport."
"Thank you, brother." I gave him a hug and a strong arm smack. "Good luck with Soraya."
Chapter 25
The cab driver idled his taxi in front of the porch of the house in Province Bluffs. He made eye contact with me in the rearview mirror. "Fifty-four seventy-five."
The total reminded me of the cashier the first time we ate at the Hale bistro.
Fifty-four bucks seemed like a lot of money back then.
I edged out from under CeCe's sleeping body and exited the cab. After helping the driver stack our luggage on the drive, I handed him a hundred. "The change is for you."
"Thank you, sir." He pocketed the bill and sat back down in the driver's seat.
I'd never get used to someone calling me sir, but it was happening all the time lately. Must be getting old. Or rich. That's it. Once you're rich, people start calling you sir.
CeCe stirred and her eyes fluttered open as I cradled her in my arms and carried her to the porch. "Are we home?"
We'd been traveling almost a full day. We bought clothes at the airport before the flight and threw our bloody clothes in the airport trash. "Yes. Go back to sleep."
"I want to see it. Put me down."
I set her down and made sure she was stable on her feet. She looked around the grand entrance in awe. "I can't believe it burned down."
"Believe it. On graduation day. That day sucked." Worst day of my life, the day she left me and this house burned down. Best day of my life, apart from getting her back, was the day Torrez sold me the house. I owned it. Mine.
"And you rebuilt it?"
"With the help of a shitload of specialty crews Torrez never told me about."
"And now it's yours?"
"It's ours."
We walked inside and she took a moment to look at the photo of us at the magic show. "You saved it?"
"Yep. Pissed of a few firemen who tried to stop me." I saved her ring too, but we'd get to that later.
"Let's go see the view from the turret." She was already on her way to the stairs. "Is Destry here?"
"No, he's in California working on an album."
I scooped her in my arms and carried her the four flights to the turret. I set her down so she could look out the window. The sun was high and reflected like ice on the surface of the water.
"I remember the first time we came here," she said.
"I remember the first time you came here." She blushed. "God, babe. It was a beautiful sight. Your sweet taste on my lips." The first time I had her on my bike. The house was just a frame. I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I told her I'd been convicted of rape, and she didn't flinch. The adoration in her eyes never wavered. She listened to my side of the story like I had any right to even tell my side. That first kiss was it for me. "We barely knew each other then, but I knew I wanted you to be mine. Wanted to know the secrets you were keeping."
"Now you know."
"Yes."
"And you still love me?"
"God, yes."
"And you forgive me for leaving you? I did it to protect you."
"I know. I forgive everything. Clean slate. Don't even ask me that. We're here now. Our love is based solely on us. You and me. Nothing could make me stop loving you."
I pressed my front to her back, taking her hand and wrapping her up in my arms. She gazed through the stone arch at the marbled sky in its never-ending dance with the ocean.
"You're free, babe. You flew away," I whispered in her ear. "You never have to go back."
Her shoulders drew forward and her neck went slack. Her breathing stopped and I braced for the tears that always tore me apart. But they didn't come. She turned and her eyes glowed bright as she peered up at me. "If Ivan or Yegor come for me, I'll kill them. I need a gun. And some shooting lessons."
My chuckle rumbled in my throat. "I will protect you, but if you'd like, you can take some training and carry a weapon. If you're well enough, we should travel for a few weeks while I get the security boosted on this place."
"I'm fine, but more travel? We just got here?"
"We need some time for the dust to settle. Won't take any chances with you, and I want you to feel safe here."
"What about Soraya?"
"Torrez seemed to have that under control."
She clapped her hands. "I'm so excited for her. Okay. What do we do now?"
I actually hadn't thought of what we'd do first. "We could unpack…"
"Let's go to bed." She smiled and pressed her body up to mine.
"You're injured. We should…" She tugged at the collar of the button-down shirt we'd bought for me at the airport in Portul, growling when the buttons wouldn't cooperate. "Wait."
"Not waiting. I'm fine." She worked the shirt over my shoulders and licked my chest. "Mmm." She purred like a kitten and bit my nipple. I laughed and my dick filled, ready for action. Oh yeah, loved the new Cecelia.
"You wanna ride me, we're gonna need a bed."
After a quick glance at the slate tile on the floor of the turret, she grabbed my hand, and yanked me down the stairs behind her. With the shirt hanging from my shoulders, we scaled the steps. As soon as we cleared the door to the master bedroom, she kissed me again. "Missed you. So much."
I pulled my arms through the sleeves and yanked them inside out. Shaking my hands did shit to get them off. "I'm stuck in this thing."
She grumbled and burrowed under the shirt to dig into the sleeve from the other side. Her fingers worked the cuffs, and I pulled my arm free. She scurried over to the other side to work the other button. I chuckled because she was so eager to ride me, I was standing there with a huge hard-on, and we couldn't even get our clothes off.
"Don't laugh," she said from under my shirt as her fingers worked on the other sleeve. "This one is harder to get
off."
Laughter bellowed up from my gut. "Hard to get off, huh? Sounds about right."
"I got it!" She emerged from under my shirt, pulled the last sleeve off my arm, and dropped it to the floor. "Finally."
She walked to my front. "God, Zook. Look at you." She ran her fingers down the center of my chest, over my abs, and stopped at my belt buckle. We kissed hard as I walked her back to the bed, carefully helping her lay on her back.
"Your turn." I lifted her top over her head.
Oh holy fucking hell in a handbasket. What in the fucking heavens was she wearing? My eyes burned. A hideous... bra-like… thing covered her. Huge straps, lots of thick fabric. They were totally trapped in there.
"You look like a nun!" She wore that contraption for the entire plane trip? They must be suffocating.
"They didn't have anything else at the airport. This is what the women of Veranistaad wear under their clothes." She looked down at it and back up at me.
"Thank fucking god you aren't a woman of Veranistaad anymore. Take it off. Now! Not kidding. Get them out of there."
She giggled and reached behind her back to undo the fastenings.
As she unwrapped my precious gems, I pointed to the contraption. "And burn that thing."
Her wondrous breasts broke free, and I wanted to kiss them hello. Welcome back to the open air, darlings.
"Why're you so upset? It's only undergarments."
"Huh?" God, her breasts mesmerized me. Perfectly round globes, soft ivory skin, rosy pink nipples pebbling in the cool air.
She coughed and covered them with her arms. Darn. "Why did the bra bother you so much?"
Why? Isn't it obvious? "I don't know." I grabbed my hair and paced at the end of the bed. "It's upsetting seeing them like that. Reminds me of the Maidenform bras the women on the compound wore under their prairie dresses."
"Ahh. Disturbing. That's why you like the expensive lingerie so much."
I stopped at the foot of the bed and stared at her with my hands on my hips. "Let's not psychoanalyze my need to never see you wearing anything like that ever again. You need to be naked or wearing silk bras where your tits spill over the top. Or lace. Lace is acceptable. No more nun wraps."
"Okay." She laughed.
Absolutely not funny. She'd traumatized me. I glared at her to make her stop laughing, but she remained cruel, basking in my weakness.
