by Bella Jewel
“Welcome, honey. Get these girls settled in, and I’ll go and tell King the good news. We need to keep low, so don’t take them anywhere. There’s a solid chance the man we took them from will be looking for them.”
“Bryant Luther.”
We both turn to look at Merleigh.
“That’s his name,” she goes on. “He owns a chain of hotels throughout the states. He’s very powerful.”
Well, that explains a lot of things.
It’s also not a great thing, because with power comes money, and with money comes a lot of problems for us, if he so decides to.
He could take down our club if he hired the right people.
Fuck, maybe leaving this fucker alive wasn’t a good thing.
I think we need to go back and pay him a visit, make sure that he never tracks us down. That he never lays his hands on another girl again.
I didn’t want bloodshed, but this news changes things.
I reach into my phone for my pocket, say goodbye to the girls, and walk out.
I dial Cohen.
“We’re goin’ back to his place. Plans have changed. He needs to be taken out.”
Then I hang up.
Well, here goes fucking nothing.
24
BRIELLA
I can't believe she's here.
I thought I had no one left, and now my sister is lying on the bed in front of me, looking as beautiful as I could have imagined. I don't know how to thank Alarick for what he's done here, getting my last family member back is the most incredible thing he could have ever done for me. Saving Merleigh at the same time makes him even better.
I glance over at the gorgeous girl sitting on a sofa chair, looking like she's struggling to know what to do with herself. I can't say I blame her. She's been stuck in that world for god knows how long, and now she's here, free, and I'm sure she doesn't know what to do with that. She's just looking like she wants to curl up and hide. I turn and walk over, sitting on a sofa across from her.
"How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"
She shakes her head. "Oh, no, thank you. I'm fine."
"Can I ask you something, Merleigh?"
She nods, staring at me with big wide eyes.
"How long were you there?"
She exhales and purses her lips a little. "Three years, I think. I lost count after the first one when I realized that it was my life, and I wasn't going anywhere. Then I just accepted it and got on with it. That's the kind of person I am, I guess."
"I know it's probably hard, but I'd love to ask you questions. You're the only person I've spoken to that has come out the other side of this alive. I have so much in my mind I need clearing up. I lost my mother and sister to Dax."
Merleigh nods. "Of course, ask away."
"How did you get tangled up with Dax?"
She shakes her head and exhales. "It's stupid. I had a hard life, as I'm sure you've probably figured out already. I wouldn't have gone with him if I was smart about things. My mom and sister died in a tragic car accident when I was only two, and I was put into foster homes. I guess you could say I had the same story as everyone, I went from house to house, got abused, finally left when I was about sixteen and moved in with a guy. He was a lot older, and he got me into drugs. It was a messed up time. It was dark, and it was twisted. I was addicted, and that's when Dax found me."
"I'm so sorry," I say, and god, do I mean it. "I know that must be the hardest thing to look back on. What did you think of Dax?"
She exhales. "I thought he was a light in a dark world. He was so damned nice to me. He took care of me and fed me and promised me this amazing life. I believed him, of course I did. There were other girls there, and they were all excited about going on to bigger and better lives. We were promised rich men and families to live with, who would take care of us, send us to college, to anything we wanted. It was like a dream come true."
"He sounds like he's very good at what he does."
She nods. "Oh, he is. So very good. When you're in a dark place like that, it's not hard to believe every single word he's saying. I thought I'd struck gold. When he introduced me to Bryant, I thought I was so lucky. He was handsome and promised me all these incredible things. He said if I worked for him around the house as a maid, he would send me to nursing school, which is what I wanted more than anything. He showed me his incredible home and all these lovely rooms, and I thought, wow, how lucky am I?"
"That's not how it was when you got there, though. Was it?"
"No, it wasn't. We were made to believe we had a choice, but we had no choices. We were sold, we just didn't know it. The moment we arrived in those homes, we were drugged and treated..."
She trails off, and her voice hitches. She looks down at her hands.
"It's okay. You don't have to go on. I know it's painful."
She shakes her head, putting up a hand. She takes a deep breath and looks up. "He treated us like dogs. We were made to do things you couldn't even imagine. We were drugged so heavily it was hard to fight, to think. We were ordered around that house like slaves. There was nothing we could do about it. He would remind us that if we didn't like this world, we could go back out there and try to make it on our own. Of course we weren't going to do that, we became dependent on him. For drugs, for food, for anything we could get. I knew there was nothing better out there for me, at least, that's what I thought. I know that's not the case now, but back then, I didn't think as I do right now."
"I'm so sorry you had to endure such hell. I'm so glad we're together now, and we can help you. We will help you, Merleigh. I promise you that."
She nods, and I can see her hands are shaking. "Things got easier when Cova arrived. He took a liking to her and eased up on me. I was able to work around the house freely, he didn't lock me up anymore. I had my own room, and it wasn't so bad. I was drugged, every single day, and if I refused, I would suffer dire consequences. I figured it had to be better than what was happening to me when I first arrived, so I accepted it."
"He didn't treat Cova the same?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Oh no, he did. He did the same things to her when she arrived, but he was...I don't know, playing mind games with her. He'd do all this horrible stuff, and then treat her nice for like a week, it was horrible to watch. Even worse when she came to crave his attention. Cova had it harder than me in the world outside, so she was easier to break. She thinks she's in love with him. You should know that when she wakes up, she's not going to want to be here. She's going to do anything she can to get back to him."
That terrifies me.
I don't want to be the person who makes her think she's trapped here, captured again. But at the same time, I know what she feels for Bryant isn't real. It's a drug-induced haze of mental manipulation, and it's going to take time to get her out of it. I just hope that I don't damage her more in the process.
"Do you think she is truly in love with him?" I ask, worried now that I'm making the wrong choice.
What is she was really happy there?
What if I've gotten this all wrong, and I'm taking her against her will?
The thought makes me sick.
"Gosh, no. Please don't believe that she is in any way in love with that monster. The things he did to her, oh Briella, they were awful."
She's right.
No.
There is no way she's going back to that monster.
"She's confused and very, very drugged. He kept her that way more so than me. He couldn't break me, I didn't fall for his charms, but Cova did. She relished in the soft touches after the beatings, the gentle lovemaking after the rape, the wining and dining after being starved. She started catering to his every whim because it made him go easy on her. He treated her like a little abused pet."
And I hate to say it, but that's precisely what she is.
The dog that's abused so many times over, but when the owner gives it love, it comes running back.
She's going to need seri
ous help. I'm just worried about her waking up, and realizing what we've done, is going to be too intense for her to handle.
"I should tell you," Merleigh goes on. "We're going to come down hard off whatever drugs he gave us. We're going to need to be restrained or locked somewhere we can't get out until our minds are clear again."
God, this girl is so strong it makes me want to cry.
She's an incredible force.
"I'll get Alarick to organize something right away. Tell me exactly what you need to get you through this as quickly and as effortlessly as possible."
She smiles weakly. "Just lock us up and let us ride it out, it's the only way. Then, and only then, will we be able to think more clearly."
"Are you afraid?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "No, I'm not looking forward to it, of course, but I am looking forward to having my life back. You think it's hard before until you're trapped in that horrible world, then you realize just how many opportunities you had but didn't take. I'm going to start taking some of those."
"And we're going to help you," I smile at her. "I promise you that."
A groan has us both glancing over at the bed, where Cova is sitting up, her eyes hazy, her hair a mess. She rubs her head and then looks around. When she sees us, she narrows her eyes. "What's happening?"
Merleigh stands and walks over.
If anyone can get through to Cova, it would be her. "Don't freak out, but we're free now. We're safe. These people...they saved us. This is your sister, Briella."
Cova looks confused, and her eyes swing to me. I do not doubt that one look at me confirms what Merleigh is saying. She has to see the resemblance. She stares at me for so long, I wonder if she's entirely with it, but then she shakes her head and looks back to Merleigh. "I have no family."
"You do, you have a sister. She's right here, just look at her and you'll see it. She has been looking for you, and she wants to take you home."
Cova stares at me and then shakes her head. "Where's Bryant? He would have never let me go."
"He's a monster, and he's not going to be near you or me ever again."
"You're wrong," Cova snaps, getting out of the bed, her legs wobbly. She sways a little and then looks at me. "I don't know who you are, but this is kidnapping. I want to go home. Now."
"Cova," I say carefully, not wanting to make this worse than it already is. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you. I know right now you believe that Bryant is special, but he's not. He paid for you, and he was using you as a slave. What he was doing is illegal. It wasn't healthy, and I know you don't believe it right now, but it isn't real. He was abusing you, and we're going to get you through."
Cova starts backing away. "I don't know who you think you are, but you don't know anything. I don't want to be with you. I want to be with him."
"Cova, if you'll just calm down..."
"No!" she screams, and then turns, charging towards the door.
She flings it open but comes flying back inside after only a few seconds when she slams into something. Bohdi and Samson step into the room, look over to me, and then to the girl who is now on the floor after stumbling backward.
"Sorry, girl," Samson says. "But there is no leavin' this room."
"You can't keep me here!" Cova screams, thrashing her head around. "You can't. I want to go home. He’ll be wondering where I am."
"You don't need to be worryin' about him anymore, he's taken care of," Bohdi mutters.
Cova's head whips around, and she stares at him in horror. "What have you done to him? What have you done?"
She launches up and charges towards Bohdi, hitting him with her body and a force I didn't think she had in her. She screams and starts trying to claw her way past him. He takes hold of her, wraps his big arms around her, and holds her until she can't possibly fight a single second longer. I look to Merleigh, who is pale and looks utterly horrified by what's happening right now.
"What can we do?" I ask her. "What is the best option here?"
"If you give her more drugs, she'll never come clean. I think you need to restrain her until she calms down."
"No," Cova screams, fighting once more in Bohdi's arms. "No, you can't hold me here. I'm not going with you. Let me go. Please, let me go. Bryant! Bryant!"
"Fuck, he did a number on this one," Samson mutters, before disappearing down the hall and returning with a soft rope.
Thank god he wasn't thinking of cuffing her, or something equally as horrible. Bohdi spins her around, and I have to fight my tears as they tie her arms behind her back. She's screaming and crying and calling out for Bryant. It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because right now, I feel like the monster. I feel like the person ruining her life. Even though I know I'm not, that's exactly how it feels.
It kills me to see her like this.
But I have to believe we're doing the right thing.
She needs to get clean, and then she needs to get help.
If, after that, she still doesn't want to be here, I won't hold her back.
I'm not going to keep her captive for the rest of her life.
I'm just hoping that once she's out of this drug-induced haze, she might be able to see a little clearer and things might come into perspective a bit better.
"Let me go," Cova screams as Bohdi walks her to the bed and carefully sits her on the end of it.
"Cova, please," I say, walking over. "Listen to me..."
She spits at me.
I look to Merleigh, who has a tear running down her cheek. "Cova," she tries. "I know you're scared, but I'm here, and I'm not going to leave your side, do you understand me?"
"Go to hell!" Cova screams.
This isn't going well.
At all.
I TURN AND STARE AT the back of the truck, where Cova is sitting, hands tied in front of her, seatbelt on, sitting next to Merleigh. She's glaring at me like her only thoughts are to murder me in my sleep. I know that's not what she's thinking, but I also know that she's not doing the best right now, and it's going to take a lot longer to get her past this.
We stayed at the hotel for the first three days of them both coming down from the drugs. They were hell on earth. There was so much screaming and crying, and a lot of vomiting and sweating. It was horrible to see. It made me realize just how bad things were. Just how many drugs had been pumped into their systems. Merleigh took it like a champ and only moaned and whined a few times. She was strong, so damned strong.
Cova took it as an opportunity to scream to the point we had to go to a different hotel, one that had separate rooms so that nobody could hear her screaming. Eventually, she tired of screaming and went to sleep for twelve plus hours a day. That's when we decided it was safest to take the trip home. The sooner we could get them back to the club, the quicker we could get them clean. They needed a safe space, and we had to show them we had one.
So far, the trip has been quiet. Alarick has been driving, and I've been in the front. Bohdi came along and sits between the two of them in the back seat, mostly to make sure nobody tries to make a jump out of the car.
They both look terrible, and it breaks my heart to know they're going through so much right now. I've been trying to research as best I can on how to get drugs out of one's system, but I'm not an expert. Alarick called a close friend of his who knew a doctor, and we got some tips on helping them through, but it was suggested both go to rehab for a few months.
We called around and found a really good one, but the problem right now with Cova is that she has only one thing on her mind, and that's finding a way to get home. Putting her into rehab could be dangerous because if she escapes, we're not going to get her back. We can't take that risk, which means, for now, we have to try and do this on our own.
Some carers can be hired to come around, and therapists who will do home visits, so we've done as much as we can for that so that they're able to help them from home. Other than that, we're doing all that we can to help them get through this. I
t's going to be a long, tough road, but it's one I'm willing to ride on with them the whole way.
They deserve to get better.
"How are you both feeling?" I ask them.
Merleigh looks at me and gives me a weak smile. "I'm alive, that counts for something."
I give her a soft smile in return. "You're going to get through this, I promise you."
I glance at Cova, and she scowls at me. She doesn't want anything to do with me, and I understand that. Her mind is all over the place, she's living a twisted reality, and right now I'm the monster of the show, the one who is making things harder for her. The one who is bringing her down. She's not going to trust me anytime soon, but I hope with time she will.
"Don't look at me," she snaps. "You're a god damned life snatcher. Leave me the fuck alone."
Okay, so she's not feeling any better.
"You should be fuckin' careful how you speak to her," Alarick growls.
"It's okay, Alarick," I say, reaching over and squeezing his arm. "She doesn't mean it."
"Oh, but I do mean it. I can't stand you. You're not my family. You've taken me from everything. I'll find a way out of this, mark my words."
Cova's voice is a low hiss, and I feel bad for her because she honestly believes what she's saying right now.
"Watch it," Alarick growls. "This girl right here has gone through hell and back to get to you. Her mother lost her life trying to find you. Her sister lost her life trying to find you. Everyone has fuckin' lost so much tryin' to find you and your actin' like a spoilt fuckin' brat. You were a god damned captive, does that not resonate with you?"
"Alarick," I say, my voice rising just a touch. "That's enough. Enough. She's not right in the head right now. You're not helping."
"I'm clear in the head, and I know where I want to be, and it isn't here. I don't care about the mother that gave me up and let me go down this path, and I don't care about her..." Cova spits.
"That's enough," I say, putting my hands up. "This isn't helping anyone at all. This is only making things worse. We need to calm down and get through this trip."