by KC Kean
“Your father is somewhere safe, but that only remains so if you do exactly as I say. One foot out of step from you, and he’s dead.” She stands with her hands on her hips, glaring down at me.
“Why are you doing this? To the man you are supposed to love. To the family and bloodline you are supposed to care so much about?”
“I was a teenage girl when I was forced into that box, little girl. I know who I am now more than ever, and I will do whatever it takes to get to my end goal.” she sneers, her finger wagging in my direction.
“You have yet to tell me what you expect from me,” I grind out, not surprised to hear we were never enough for her.
Sighing at my inconvenient questioning, she follows Reece to the door. “You remember this list, don’t you?” She asks, pulling a folded piece of paper from her pocket and throwing it in my direction. “You might want to refamiliarise yourself with it because you are going to be a Paul until you become a Wicker.”
“Wait, no. No—” My pleas go unanswered as she slams the door shut behind her, and I hear the key turn in the lock. Trying to push to my feet, I struggle to find my balance and the strength to move. Racing for the door, it’s definitely locked. “Please, please…”
“I’ll be back in a few hours for you, wifey. I’ll take you to get your belongings from Ace, and then we can discuss our future and clean you the fuck up. I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but you look like a fucking mess.”
My palms flat on the door, my head hangs between my shoulders. This can’t be happening. I killed a man, I survived, and all for this. I can’t stop the scream that burns my throat as I slump to the floor.
I’ve gone from one monster’s lair to another.
My eyes fall to the folded paper on the floor, and I open it to reveal a memory I wish to forget.
MOTHER’S RULES FOR JESSICA
1) Be seen and not heard.
2) Always dress accordingly.
3) Avoid carbs and sugary products.
4) Be approachable to men at all times.
5) Children are an expectation.
6) You are a trophy.
7) Excessive body fat is not acceptable.
8) Always look to your husband for guidance.
I guess this was the version of myself I was always meant to be. Pliant and a shell of my true self.
The sun filters through the bare windows, but I still have no clue what time it is. It doesn’t help that we're at the beginning of December, with the dark, long nights. I only know the sun rises after seven a.m. at the moment, but I haven’t been paying enough attention to see when that actually happened.
Left alone, for what feels like a couple of hours, my mind continues to flip between the life I was living before I climbed in the back of the car, and the dead look in the guy's eyes that I shot.
What scares me more than anything right now is how numb I feel over killing a man. I know he would have hurt me if I didn’t act first, but I still took the life of someone. I don’t know how I feel about all that yet.
On the other hand, I’m yearning for my guys. Did Maverick and Oscar stop fighting before they hurt each other too much? Is West as hurt by the impact of his secret as I am? What about Aiden?
Placing my head in my hands, none of that matters anymore. Not if I want to save my father’s life. Every time I consider my mother’s words and the fact she expects me to marry Reece, I gag. It probably doesn’t help that I haven’t eaten in forever. I cause myself more pain than she does because I’m allowing myself to slip back into old ways. Letting her dictate my life.
The latch unlocking in the door breaks my train of thought, and as much as every inch of my body hurts, I scramble to my feet. After I screamed my heart out earlier, I found my way to the mattress. No one seemed to hear me, and I haven’t moved since. Refusing to look in the bathroom mirror and see what state I’m in. It’ll only make it all a reality, and I’m not ready for that.
Glancing down at myself, I already know I’m caked in grime and blood, with cuts and bruises mainly covering my feet and face.
The door swings open as I rub my hands down my thighs, and my heart drops when I see Reece. His eyes take me in, the way they always do, and I feel as uncomfortable as ever.
“Where’s my mother?” I ask, and he simply shrugs in response.
“Gone home, I assume. She wasn’t impressed that you weren’t easy to find. She’d planned to see you yesterday evening and catch the next flight home.”
I can’t help but frown. My mother had come all this way to threaten me and force me into Reece’s grasp, all to be gone again in the next moment? How was I supposed to know if my father was okay?
“Well, if she’s gone, you can leave too.”
“That’s not how this is going to work, wifey,” he says with a grin, and it makes my skin crawl. “One word from me, and your mother will kill your dear little daddy, do you understand?” He steps towards me, and I somehow find the strength to hold my ground instead of backing away from him. “You’re going to become Mrs. Jessica Wicker, and on the day that happens, and our bloodlines are intertwined, you will see your father again.”
I can’t help but snort at his shit. I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my whole entire life. What is it with people trying to link me to their fucking bloodline? Where did my freedom of choice go?
Looking past him to the open door, I start to move, ignoring the asshole in front of me. But he grabs my arm the second I’m close, his fingertips digging into my skin. I don’t wince because I don’t feel the pain.
“I’ll come with you to grab your things from Ace, then you can come back to my room to shower.”
I don’t argue back or fight him off because he must be stupid as fuck. The second I step into Ace, I’ll be in safer territory. I haven’t got access to my room, and I don’t know where any of my belongings are. The last time I had my handbag was when I climbed into the SUV with Frankie. So I’ll have to speak to someone to get me inside, but Reece doesn’t need to know that.
Letting him drag me down the stairs and out into the open, I don’t show how beaten I actually am. Acting every inch of the ragdoll he wants me to be. Since there is no one around outside, I don’t realize how bad I might look until the automatic doors of Ace open, and eyes stall as they look my way.
What on earth is going on here? There are security guards everywhere, and it’s barely possible to see a clear path through them. I squint slightly, some of them looking vaguely familiar.
“She’s here!” Someone yells, and I frown in confusion.
“I fucking know that! I just told you the surveillance led her back here. We just need to fucking figure out where!” I know that voice. Deep, rich, and totally heartbreaking.
“No, Mr. Morgan, I mean, she’s here.”
A guy to my left, close to the hallway that leads to the gym, points in my direction, and a moment later, he’s shoved out of the way. My heart screams in my chest as West charges towards me. His usually neat brown hair stuck up in every direction as if he’s been running his fingers through it.
Shouts pick up around us, the lobby suddenly even more alive with activity, but as West gets close, Reece stands in front of me, blocking my path.
“Ah, ah, ah. You can stop there. Jessica is mine. We are going to –” Reece’s words are cut off as West punches him square in the face, knocking him to the ground.
“Detain him,” West grunts, his eyes not leaving mine as he approaches cautiously. I can see the struggle in his posture as he tries to figure out what emotional state I’m in. Gingerly opening his arms to me, I step into his chest and let him wrap me up.
His scent envelopes me, and I sag into his hold. Forgetting for a moment the pain he caused my heart just yesterday. I can tell he sees how sore and tender I am as he tries to hold me gently against his chest, but I don’t care. Burying my face in his neck, a sob passes my lips, followed by another, and all at once, I’m crying. Feeling every ounce of my emoti
ons rush to the surface.
“Jess? Red! Where is she?” I hear Luna raging, but I can’t lift my head from where I am.
I’m home. Or it was my home before my mother managed to destroy this for me too.
Aiden
My heart is pounding so hard in my chest. I think I might pass out. When someone shouted to West that Jess was here, I didn’t believe them. But standing before me right now is my girl wrapped in West’s arms.
I have to reach my hand out and grip the person beside me to stop myself from falling as my emotions wash over me. I can’t believe she’s here and safe. Back at the warehouse, I’d hated having to wait in the van. I’d hated it, even more when they came out empty-handed.
Kai and Rafe struggled with the surveillance because they didn’t fucking have any, except two cameras covering the main doors to the front and back. When Maverick stepped outside, clutching a piece of Jess’s dress, my heart sank, but he was only holding on to it because it was all we had of her.
Kai had insisted on bringing the camera feeds back to his room so that he could comb through it with better quality systems. Everyone had been reluctant, but almost an hour ago, we’d had the break we’d needed.
Just to the far left, almost unrecognizable, was a glimmer of a sparkling dress running into the surrounding trees. My heart soared when I realized Jess had saved herself, but she had run into the night without knowing her saviors had arrived. My gut-clenched remembering the footage Kai found, showing a guy chasing her into the forest, only to return moments later.
Rafe, Maverick, and Kai had then spent the whole time tracking every surveillance camera from the warehouse, right up until the point she climbed into the backseat of a car at the gates of Featherstone Academy. Maverick said she’d seemed reluctant to get in the vehicle, which is what sent us all on high alert and has us all gathered in the lobby of Ace. Ready to search every inch of campus for her.
The security guard, who greeted Jess when she arrived back to campus, is already being hunted down by Bryce’s men. He promised to take care of the fucker who clearly placed a call to someone when she arrived. But none of that mattered to me anymore.
Not now, since she stands before us. All on her own. Jess was her own savior. A survivor.
“Red? Red! Where is she?” I hear Luna shout as I watch Maverick push through the crowd of people to see Jessica for himself.
His eyes are wild and panicked, and I find myself moving my feet towards her and West at the same time he does. Both of us arrive at the pair simultaneously, our arms instantly wrap around them, joining in the embrace.
“Hey, beautiful,” I murmur into her ear as I gently stroke her scalp. She’s in a bad way, and it breaks my heart to physically see the pain she’s in.
West reluctantly loosens his hold on her, and Maverick is quick to pull her in tight. With the switch in their hold, I’m now behind her while West is to her side. Glancing to my right, I see Luna has paused. She’s either in too much shock over the way Jess looks, or she’s holding herself back a moment to give us a second alone with her.
“Aid.” My name is barely a whisper on Jess’s lips, and I’m surprised when Maverick turns her in his hold. When I get a full view of her, my heart sinks.
Cocooning her in my arms, my eyes settle on Jess as I drink her in. Blood is splashed all over her face, arms, and chest. It’s dried, but it’s there. Bruises scatter her face, with two black eyes, we’ll be lucky if her nose isn’t broken. But I know that all of this blood isn’t hers. Her hair is wild, and her feet are cut and swollen, likely from walking so far with nothing on to protect them. It’s the tears streaming down her face that cause me the most pain.
“Jessie, you better tell these fuckers to get their hands off of you, or I make that phone call.” She freezes in my arms at Reece’s words as he remains pinned to the floor, and my eyes instantly go to Maverick’s.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Luna growls, and Jess turns her head to see her best friend. Another sob passes her lips, and Luna instantly steps forward. It pains me to let her go but watching her crash into Luna’s arms, I know they both needed the embrace.
It’s crazy to see Luna be delicate with someone, but Jess has always had that aura about her. I can’t help but gape at them when I see Luna’s eyes fill with tears as they stand and cry together.
Knowing she’s in safe hands for a moment, I move towards Reece to find Roman lifting him off the ground. Before anyone can ask what he meant, Oscar steps up and delivers a heavy blow to his face.
“I fucking warned you, motherfucker,” is all Oscar says before stepping towards Luna and Jess.
“Care to explain why Jessica was seen arriving at the gates of campus at five a.m. and it’s now past eight o’clock in the morning?” Maverick asks, his voice hollow as he assesses Reece, who simply sneers in response.
“I don’t need to explain myself to you. This is between our bloodlines.” Wetting his lips, he looks over to Jess, and I want to peel his fucking fingernails off for even staring at her. “Wifey, we came here to get your shit. So, let’s get it and go.”
What the fuck is he talking about? His voice is fucking grating on me.
Jess releases her hold on Luna, and Oscar steps back from having his arms wrapped around them both. Standing in between them, Jess looks around at us all with panicked eyes.
“I… If— please…” She’s physically shaking as she tries to speak. Whatever is going on here is causing her even more pain, likely emotionally, and it’s all because of this asshole.
In the blink of an eye, Parker steps up to Reece out of nowhere and punches him in the face. I think that’s the third time he’s been hit like that in only a handful of minutes, and this time his nose starts to bleed as he slumps to the floor, unconscious. Clearly taking one knock too many.
“Take him up to the Morgan room. When we understand the situation, we can go from there,” West grunts, and Roman picks him up off the floor and throws him over his shoulder. West hands a set of keys off to Kai, and they head for the stairs.
Just like that, he’s gone, but Jess doesn’t seem any calmer because of it.
“Hey, beautiful, let’s get you upstairs, okay?” I murmur, approaching her with my hand outstretched. “We’ll get you cleaned up and tend to your wounds, and then we can figure all of this shit out.”
Her eyes finally move to mine from Reece’s retreating body, and the smallest smile tugs at her lips, making me melt.
“I’d like that.” Her voice is gravelly and quiet, and she blushes as she speaks. It probably doesn’t help that every single person in the lobby is staring at her, and it’s obvious now that the secret is out. “But I have none of my belongings, so I can’t get into my room.”
Thomas, the doorman at Ace, steps forward like the wizard he is and produces a key, placing it in my hand before retreating without a word. That guy always does me a solid, never raising any attention to me coming and going from Jess’s room, but that won’t matter now anyway.
“Oscar, can you update Rafe and everyone else upstairs on what’s going on?” Luna asks, and with a simple kiss to Luna’s head and a gentle squeeze of Jess’s shoulder, he’s gone.
“Let me carry you, petal,” Maverick whispers, moving in closer, and Luna gives him the space to lift Jess bridal style.
Without a backward glance, he heads for the elevator, and the rest of us instinctively move to follow them. West says something to the security guards, likely dismissing them now that Jess has been found, before walking beside me.
Parker has his arm around Luna’s shoulders as we step into the elevator together.
My beautiful girl is home, but she’s battered and beaten, and I’m scared as to what this has done to her soul.
Jess
Dipping my toes under the warm spray of the shower, I push past the sting as I stand fully under the cascading water. Everything hurts everywhere, but the feel of the water against my skin makes me hum with delight.
&
nbsp; Every showerhead is turned on, all with the lowest pressure setting, and I’ve never been more grateful for the corner bench in here.
Feeling heat behind me, I peer over my shoulder to find Maverick stepping in completely naked. Thankfully, the shower is massive and could easily fit another person in, two if we were going for a tight squeeze.
Taking a seat right at the back of the bench, he slowly leads me to sit between his legs, placing his legs on either side of my body. His hands find my waist as he rests his head on the back of mine. Neither of us says anything, just basking in each other’s presence for a moment.
I can feel all the questions he has, that they all have, and I’m grateful he isn’t pushing. I feel numb, and I don’t know how to explain anything that has happened. Lost in my own mind, I startle when he brings a sponge to my neck and slowly starts to wash my body, removing every inch of blood and dirt from my skin.
I can literally feel him washing the grime of the night from me, but it holds strong in my mind.
He stops shy of washing my face and feet and turns his attention to my hair. Massaging the shampoo into my scalp gently, a raw sob passes my lips at his ability to be so caring with me. I hold still, letting him wash the suds away before he taps my shoulder and signals for me to turn around.
Slowly circling, I stand to face him, and anguish is written all over his face. Which I don’t know how to take away. He still doesn’t utter a word as he encourages me to take his seat on the bench while he drops to his knees before me, slowly running the sponge over my feet, which hurt like a bitch. The sob passes my lips again before I can stop it, and Maverick places a soft kiss on my knee in comfort.
It’s surprising how the silence that surrounds us feels comfortable and not awkward. I will forever be grateful for this intimate moment with him, especially when he finds out about my mother and Reece.
Pulling me closer, my legs around his waist, he brings us chest to chest as he grabs a new softer sponge from the side. His green eyes hold mine for what feels like an eternity, devouring me. Until he leans forward and places gentle kisses at the corner of my eyes, and that’s when I realize I’m crying.