by Anne, Melody
“I don’t think you can, Jewell. I think you need someone to take care of you. Is that why you began working at Relinquish Control?”
She paused, trying to choose her words carefully. Maybe if he thought this, he would drop the subject. They had only two more days left, and he seemed to want to climb inside her head even more as the sand ran out of the hourglass.
“I have my reasons for working there,” she said. “I don’t honestly believe that you care. I think it’s just your need to be in control.”
“You’re right, Jewell. I do need to be in control. You should remember that always, and know that I will eventually get my way.”
“Warning accepted,” she told him as he pulled her against his hard body again.
“I don’t think you really know what that means, Jewell. Right now, I still own you.”
“You never let me forget that, Blake.”
“I don’t understand, then, why I need to keep reminding you.”
“Maybe because of your own insecurities,” she was bold enough to say, making him tense up in her arms.
“You will push me too far one of these times.”
She had no doubt that was true. What she didn’t understand was her sudden desire to go back to his place. There really had to be something seriously wrong with her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jewell peeked around her bedroom door, trying to hear whether there were any sounds in the house. When she heard nothing, she tiptoed from the room, hopeful Blake wasn’t there.
She’d slept in his room again the night before, but had rushed to her own room as dawn was just breaking — not that he’d been in bed. He was always up early, and usually gone by the time she came downstairs, if only for a couple of hours.
She didn’t know his routine on Saturdays, though, and he hadn’t mentioned any plans either with or without her. No matter what, she had to get over to see her brother for their weekly visit, and there was no way she’d be able to explain her disappearance. She could say she needed a walk, needed to go shopping, or just have a break, but since he’d insisted that she not leave the apartment, sneaking around was certainly in her cards today. She was so lucky that he hadn’t been checking on her with those evil cameras.
Worry wrinkled her brow when she slipped into the kitchen to find a full pot of coffee and a note from Blake. Yes, she had her cell with her for once, but even if he’d still been texting her a lot, she was so terrible at answering his messages that he must have resorted to writing notes. Pen and paper — how primitive!
Be ready by five. I had an emergency I had to run to, but when I get back, we’re going out.
Blake
What a blessed relief! She could easily steal away, visit her brother, and be back in plenty of time. No problem! Gathering her purse, but leaving her phone off, she walked from the apartment feeling lighter and happier than she had in weeks.
Justin would never understand if she didn’t come to see him. And Blake was taking her back to Relinquish Control tomorrow anyway, so what did it matter if she was out for a few hours? There was no need for either him or Ms. Beaumont to know about her brother, because as soon as she had enough money saved, she would never see any of these people again.
She waited impatiently at the nearby bus stop and didn’t take her first full breath until she was out of sight of Blake’s ritzy apartment building. She hadn’t even looked over her shoulder, too fearful she’d find him standing right there, piercing her with those eyes of his and demanding to know where she was going.
It took an hour, but finally she reached the place where her brother was staying, and, putting on a big smile, she knocked on the door. It seemed to take an eternity, but when the door finally opened, she could barely resist pushing past his foster mother to get to her brother.
“Is Justin ready to come out for our visit?”
“He’s not feeling well today,” the woman said, her eyes cold.
Jewell hated that Justin had to live here, and her determination grew even greater as she stood on the woman’s threshold. “Then I’ll just visit with him here,” she said. She wasn’t leaving until she saw Justin.
“I don’t know if today’s visit is a good idea.”
“I wasn’t asking for your opinion,” Jewell told her. “The state has given me visitation on Saturdays and I will see my brother.”
Jewell looked her in the eyes, making it clear that she refused to back down. With a deep scowl, the woman finally opened the door wider, and Jewell didn’t hesitate to step inside.
“Justin,” she called out, and the sound of her brother’s feet running down the hallway was the sweetest music she could ever recall hearing.
Bracing herself for the impact, she pulled him easily into her arms, and he clung to her, holding her as if he would never let go. If only this could last forever.
“They said you might not come today,” Justin said when he finally let go.
“Nothing on this earth would keep me away from you on our special days,” she assured him, too angry even to look at the woman. He wasn’t sick — she’d been lying. Why? Probably because she was a bitter, sadistic woman who wanted to use her brother for the measly paycheck the state gave her. Well, Jewell was trying to take him away and the woman must not like that.
“That’s great — I missed you. Are we still going to the pizza place?”
“You bet we are, Bubby. We have three hours and we’re going to have the best time ever.” Jewell went over to the coat closet and pulled out his ratty jacket. She couldn’t wait until he was back living with her and she had the money to give him the things he needed and wanted.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Sissy. I’ve had a bad week,” he said, his eyes filling with tears.
“Why has your week been bad?” The two of them headed to the door, and Jewell didn’t even acknowledge Justin’s foster mother as they moved past her and left the house. Foster? Now that was a sick joke, almost as sick as the mother part of her name.
“Ms. Penny said that I was misbehaving too much, so she made me stay in my room all day for two days,” he told his sister.
“Oh, Justin, that’s not okay at all. I’ll talk to your social worker.” Jewell struggled to moderate her voice so she wouldn’t upset him.
“I was crying for you the other night and she told me to shut up, said that I needed to start acting like a man, not a crybaby. I try not to cry, but sometimes I just miss you so much.” His voice quiet, but his little fingers trembled beneath hers.
Jewell stopped and knelt down on the sidewalk so she could see her little brother’s face and he could see hers. “Sometimes emotions are just too much for us to bear and we have to release them. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that what you are feeling isn’t real. If you have to cry, then you do it, and just know that in five more Saturdays we’re going to be together always and not just for a few hours at a time.” She gave him another hug.
“You promise, Sissy. I don’t want to be at Ms. Penny’s house anymore. She’s just so mean — nothing like how mama was.”
“I promise you that no matter what I have to do, I will get you out of there, and you’ll come to live with me. You have to just give it a little more time and be my brave little man, but not for much longer.”
“I know I’m supposed to be brave, but it’s so hard…” He stopped speaking when his voice began to choke up.
“You are brave, Justin. You keep holding your head up high and know that I am doing whatever it takes for us to be together. I got a job, a really good job, and I’m saving lots of money so we can have a beautiful place together, where we can put up pictures of mom, and where, if you need to cry, you can do so without any fear of being made fun of. We’re a family and that means we stick together. No one can keep us apart for long, Bubby.”
“I know. I say a prayer every single night, asking God to let me come home with you. Why does it take so long for Him to answer my prayer?”
Her heart broke in so many pieces, she
didn’t think it would ever be healed again. Her own eyes filled and a tear fell down her cheek. “Sometimes it takes a little longer because there are so many people out there needing so much, but you haven’t been forgotten about — I promise you that.”
Justin fell silent, perhaps afraid, despite his sister’s reassurance, that too much talking would betray his emotions. He just held on tight and soon they began walking again. Jewell had to keep her promise, no matter what it meant for her, and no matter what would come next. She couldn’t let her brother down.
After dropping her brother back at the foster home, she rushed to the bus stop and chewed her nails during the long ride. But that was silly. There was still plenty of time. Blake wouldn’t even know she’d been gone. Still, she had a presentiment of doom when she got off the bus and rushed down the street toward his apartment building.
Once the front door opened, Jewell took a step back. Blake was sitting in a chair there in his entry hall, glaring daggers at her. This wasn’t going to be pleasant.
He didn’t say a word as she walked in. Nevertheless, she maintained an expression of poise and confidence, though her body shook with terror. She had only one more night left with him. Tonight. What could he really do?
When he stood up and took a menacing step toward her, she figured she was about to find out.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gazing into Blake’s frigid eyes, Jewell tried to tell herself to be strong, tried to assure herself this was only one more bump in the road. He wouldn’t hurt her physically — not that anyone would care if he did. After all, she’d signed releases at Relinquish Control, and she knew he could do with her what he wanted.
But though he might think she was nothing but a money-hungry whore, she still knew who she was. The cold fury in his expression was the only thing that was shaking her up. She’d never seen a man so angry before. His mouth remained in a hard line; not a muscle moved on his chiseled face.
“Where were you?”
Ice ran through her veins at his words, spoken quietly yet harshly. Yes, fury didn’t even begin to describe what the man appeared to be feeling.
“I needed to get out of the apartment for a while, so I took a walk.” Should she try to move past him or not? She thought the safest thing would be to stay right where she was.
“You’re lying to me.” She waited for him to say more, but nothing else came from his tightly pressed lips.
“Do you have any idea how stir-crazy I get when I’m stuck here all day with very little to do? No, you probably don’t, because you leave here at the crack of dawn. I will say this again — I needed to get out and walk off my ‘cabin fever.’” She was trying desperately not to change her story.
He took a sinister step forward. “I spoke to McKenzie. She said you disappeared last Saturday as well. Is there a man you’re meeting every Saturday, Jewell? Don’t you dare lie to me!”
His voice rose just a little, but that was enough to show her he was barely in control. Maybe she shouldn’t have come back to his place. It looked as if this wasn’t going to go well for her — not well at all.
She didn’t know what to say to his unfounded and totally unexpected accusation. But she was damned if she were going to stand there and take his verbal beating. If she stood her ground, refused to back down, refused to allow him to intimidate her, then wouldn’t he stop? Isn’t that what she’d been taught years before when she’d taken a self-defense class?
“Look, I wasn’t with another man, Blake. I swear to that, and anyway, that makes no sense. You know I was a virgin before you. I just had something I needed to do today, and it’s something that I can’t talk about.” She moved forward and edged by him, but made sure not to bow her head.
He didn’t grab her, didn’t try to stop her. That was a positive. She walked into the living room and went straight to the couch, afraid to stand any longer for fear that her legs would end up buckling.
“I don’t believe you, Jewell. You may have been a virgin, but there are a lot of ways to get off. There had to have been someone pretty damn special for you to sneak out of my place to meet with him. Did you try to save yourself for him? Or was he the one who made you become a little whore?”
He came closer but still kept about five feet of distance between them. Was it because he feared he would forget his self-mastery if he touched her? That sent a shiver of fear down her spine. She wanted to spit in his face and tell him exactly what she thought, but she decided to be more judicious.
“I’m sorry if you don’t believe me, but there’s not another man. I neither want nor need a relationship with anyone, and that includes you. Your suspicions are simply stupid, and if you were as smart as you think you are, you should know that. Anyway, I leave here tomorrow and go back to Relinquish Control, and we can forget all about each other and what happened over the past few days.”
There. Maybe pointing out the fact that they weren’t in a relationship would change his attitude. Yes, he sort of owned her this week, but their time was pretty much up, and she owed this man nothing. She’d done everything he’d asked of her and more. A few more times with other men and she could get away from this place, leave Seattle even, and she and Justin could live happily — just the two of them.
If the state tried to keep him from her, she would take him away in the middle of the night and the two of them would go somewhere no one would ever find them. Alaska seemed far enough away. Maybe. It was still in the U.S. and if they were found, Washington state officials might still try to take her brother back, but would they search that far? She could live in some Eskimo village. It didn’t matter as long as they were together.
“Follow me.” He turned, confident that she would do as he said.
“One more night,” she whispered to herself as she got up off the couch and walked behind him to the back of the apartment, where his office was.
As soon as she stepped through the door, her throat tightened. This was all his domain, where he spent his time when he wasn’t away at work or in the bedroom. She knew he was coming in there because this was his fortress, his place of power.
If he wanted to intimidate her, he was doing a damn fine job.
She couldn’t help but notice that it was more decorated than the rest of the place; it boasted expensive artwork, hardwood floors, and antique furniture. But no clutter was permitted in this space, making it in that way consistent with the rest of the house.
“Sit down, Jewell.”
He indicated a stiff leather chair in the corner, but she didn’t want to sit, didn’t want him towering over her. Yes, her knees were still shaky, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get up this time if she sat back down. She was on the verge of collapsing and she just needed to get away from him.
“I’d really like to take some Advil and lie down before we go out,” she told him, staying where she was, just a few feet inside the door. “I have a terrible headache.”
“You can’t seem to listen, can you?”
He came closer to her. She wanted to retreat but she willed herself not to. Retreat would show him how weak she really was.
“I do listen. I’ve done everything that you’ve asked of me. I just…I won’t allow you to attack me when I’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
Her words stopped him, and his eyes widened, as if he was surprised that anyone would argue with him. She knew she shouldn’t do it, but what else was she supposed to do? He was a large man and he was scaring the heck out of her.
“You haven’t done everything I’ve asked. I asked that you stay in today. I asked you to get ready. Instead, you disappear — something it seems you like to do on Saturdays.” As he spoke, his lips weren’t nearly as hard as before.
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong.” Maybe if she said it enough, he’d finally understand and let her be.
“You will tell me where you went,” he said, punctuating every word.
His voice had risen, and he was back in confrontational mode.
When he moved right in front of her and faced her down, she wanted to take a step back, but she wasn’t going to cower.
“You might as well take me back to Relinquish Control right now, because I won’t tell you.” Whatever happened would happen.
“Fine!” He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of his office, down the hall, and right to the elevator door.
“What are you doing?”
“You want to go back? I’m taking you back. And you realize, of course, that I’ll do my best to see that you won’t get paid a dime for this week. I already know that McKenzie told you if I wasn’t satisfied, you would lose your job, so you just screwed yourself. Remember that! This is all on you.”
Bile rose in her throat. She was doing all of this for Justin, and because she’d visited him today, she’d be one step further back in her ability to have him permanently.
Tears burned in her eyes as she desperately tried to find some sort of explanation that would calm Blake’s temper. But the man seemed to know when she was lying. He’d figure it out, and then he would still take her back. So instead of crying, instead of throwing up, she stood in silence beside Blake as they rode down and walked into the garage.
When he went to a large black pickup truck, she didn’t know what to think. Blake drove expensive sports cars, not trucks that seemed more fitting for work. Then she remembered he’d been called to work and had most likely been using it on a job. That’s what happened when they left Bill’s house a few days ago.
Still, why was he taking her in it now? Why not just leave it? Maybe because there was a shovel in the back and he needed to take her in the truck and get rid of the evidence…
As Blake closed the passenger door and then entered the truck on the driver’s side, Jewell focused on the windshield and the view straight in front of her. He was taking her back. She would get the paycheck — she didn’t buy his threat that she wouldn’t get a dime — and the first thing she was going to do was put down money on that apartment for her and her brother. Because as of tonight she would no longer have a job.