Little Puppet

by Erin Trejo

  Little

  Puppet

  Little Puppet

  By Erin Trejo

  Copyright 2017@Erin Trejo

  Cover Design: Royal Anchor Designs

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent from the author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet without the permission of the author, which is a violation of the International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and imprisonment.

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents and places are products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real except where noted and authorized. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events are entirely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Epilogue

  When your little you check under your bed and in your closet to make sure there are no monsters.

  Who would have thought that the age of twenty you would still do the same? Monsters are real. I learned that a long time ago. They are everywhere. You may not notice them but they see you.

  I take comfort in rolling up tightly in my comforter before I close my eyes tightly. After my nightly ritual of making sure there was nothing hiding in the closet that shouldn’t be there, I can finally breathe.

  Little did I know, the one monster that I should worry about the most, I have yet to meet.

  He’d be the one to break me. Ruin me. He would be the one to string me up and play with me.

  I’d become his little puppet

  “This is it. This is where my life is going to change. Something deep inside of me resonates this new reality. My reality.”

  Chapter 1

  I lay on the patio letting the sun’s rays seep into my skin. I know all about the cancer warnings but there is just something about the warmth that takes me to another place. It leaves me feeling whole as person.

  “You are going to burn to a crisp, sweet Jade.” Harvey’s old and worn voice is music to my ears. I pry my eyes open and smile up at the man that took me in when no one else wanted me. The man that stepped up and was the father that was stolen from me.

  “I love the sunshine.” I say with a smile. He nods his head with the look of worry in his old eyes. “What’s wrong. Harvey?” I slide up until I’m sitting, my back burning against the sun kissed chair.

  “We need to talk, Jade. There are going to be changes coming soon. You know I’m not well.” I hate when he talks like this. I hate when he says the things he does.

  “I’ve always wanted to protect you from this day that’s coming. We all die at some point but you are special Jade. You are brave and full of life. You hold a power in you that you don’t even realize.” He looks down at his aged and wrinkled hands. “I wish things were different for you but I’m afraid this is the best I can do. This is Don. He will look after you when I’m gone.” He nods to the man standing behind him. My eyes lock with Don’s and for the first time in a long time I see a monster. I shake my head, not wanting anything to do with him. His menacing stare sets my nerves on edge. My stomach cramps at the thought of having him anywhere near me.

  “I’m an adult. I’ll be fine on my own.” I don’t take my eyes off Don when I say it.

  “Unfortunately, that isn’t quite true. When I signed on to take custody of you, it was until your twenty first birthday. Provisions had to be in order before the judge would sign off on it. You will be under Don’s supervision until that day.” My mouth hangs open as I pull my gaze back to Harvey’s. This can’t be happening.

  “I don’t understand. I’m an adult!” I snap trying to hold the tears back that threaten to fall.

  “It was a decision your parents made long before their accident, Jade. They wanted it this way for a reason.” He begins to cough, much like he always does. I know he’s dying. I can feel it in the air around us.

  “What’s the reason?” I chance it and ask. He has to know why they did this.

  “It’s not my place to share that with you. You will learn in time. Don will protect you until the time is right.” His small frame begins to shake with every breath he takes and I know his end is nearing. Maybe that’s my reality as well. Maybe my end is nearing.

  Chapter 2

  It all happened so quickly. Harvey took a turn for the worst but that was to be expected. I sit next to his bed with his small hand wrapped around mine. It’s a small comfort to know that he will soon be gone from a world that’s so cruel and unyielding. He will be somewhere that he won’t hurt and be full of pain. That’s the only thing that’s keeping me grounded at this point.

  I glance up and see Don standing in the shadows. Much like the monsters used to. His dark eyes penetrate me even when I’m not looking at him. It’s an eerie feeling to have. Knowing that someone that seems so unkind is going to be in charge of your life now. A life that was never truly mine to begin with.

  The machines start to slow as Harvey’s breathing begins to fade. I look to the nurse as she lays a hand on my shoulder. A soft nod and I know this is the end. I squeeze his hand tighter before I stand. I lean down, pressing a kiss to his cheek before I whisper, “You have been an amazing father to me.
You have helped me grow in ways no one else could have. You took me in and made me your own and I will forever be grateful for that. Go rest in the clouds now.” As I pull away and sit back, the machines stop beeping. One long solid hum.

  One tear escapes my eye but I brush it away quickly.

  “You can take all the time you need with him.” The nurse assures me as she shuts the machines off.

  Is it strange that I don’t feel the way I assumed I would? I thought I would for sure be a bawling mess but that one tear seemed enough. I don’t know the underlying meaning behind what I feel but I almost feel like it’s betrayal. Harvey never betrayed me though. He took me in as his own and gave me a comfortable life. He provided for me the way my parents asked him to. He did all that was asked of him so why do I still feel it in the pit of my stomach? Why is there a ball there resembles that of a person that did me wrong?

  I stand up and pull the blanket over his body before turning on my heel. I walk toward the door when I feel that presence behind me. I risk a glance over my shoulder to see Don standing rather closely to me.

  “What happens now?” I ask swallowing hard. I’m not sure I want the answer to that.

  “We move forward.” His deep baritone voice vibrates through me. The darkness that surrounds him makes me shiver.

  I don’t know what moving forward means but I’m almost afraid to find out. Without Harvey around, there is really no telling what that could mean. I was safe and comfortable here and now I fear that that is all going to change.

  Chapter 3

  He watches me from across the room. I sprinkle nuts into my yogurt and stir it. It’s been three weeks since Harvey died. The house is eerily silent. It taunts me. It makes me question my own sanity. The shadows in corners that linger there, they all see me.

  “Do you have to stare at me while I eat?” I’ve grown aggravated with Don over the weeks too. He’s always there, his eyes always on me.

  “Possibly.” His voice sends shudders straight through me. If I’ve ever seen a monster live and in the flesh, it’s Don.

  “What is this all for, Don? I mean, why do you have to keep me until I’m twenty-one? What’s the big secret?” I shovel another spoonful of yogurt into my mouth as I watch him step closer to me. My body vibrates with a need. What need though? The need to be held and told things will be just fine like Harvey did? The need to get out from under his gaze? I don’t know what it is but I feel it.

  “Like Harvey told you, there are things you don’t know and for the time being, it’s better that way.” He leans forward, his hands resting on the counter next to me. He tilts his head to the side as he studies me.

  “Can I ask you something?” He says, his breath heating my skin from the proximity. I nod once before he smiles. When he’s like this, he isn’t as scary. He’s almost beautiful in a way.

  “Why are you still a virgin?” My cheeks heat from his question. I take a step back but his large hand wraps around my wrist, halting me.

  “How did you know that?” I manage to choke out between my gasps for air. His smile is perfection. His straight white teeth just accentuate his face.

  “I know a lot about you, Jade. I’ve been around for a while now. So, why is it?” He asks again. My heart pounds in my chest.

  “I just never met anyone I liked I suppose. I’ve been sheltered most of my life.” If he knows all about me, he should already know that.

  “If I was to tell you that you were going to leave here but what would happen to you would take away that special virginity, what would you say?” His eyes flare with fire. I suck in a breath trying to back away from him. His grip is too strong.

  “Is that what you’re going to do to me?” I ask my voice shaking with fear. A chill races up my spine.

  “If I said I could be the one to take it from you and you wouldn’t have to leave this house, would you take me up on my offer?” He stares into the depths of my eyes. Tears want to rush to the surface but I keep them at bay. I open my mouth to try and form words but nothing coherent comes out.

  “You don’t have to decide right now. Sleep on it. Let me know in the morning.” As quickly as he was there, he walks away from me.

  My legs give out and I fall to the floor on my knees.

  What kind of monster did Harvey leave me to?

  What kind of question was that?

  Chapter 4

  I roll over to the faint smell of cigar smoke. I quickly snap my eyes open and glance around the room. I’m shocked when I see a man sitting under the window.

  “Good morning.” He says, his voice dripping with sex. Who the hell is he? Why is he in my room?

  I look around for Don but I don’t see him anywhere. The man shoves out of the chair, snuffing his cigar out in the ashtray on the table. He adjusts his suit jacket as he walks toward me. I shove back and slink against the headboard, holding the blanket tightly to my chest.

  “Who the hell are you?” I ask my voice shaking with fear.

  “Please forgive me. I’m Jaxson Murphy. That was rude of me to not introduce myself.” He says, holding his hand out to me. I glance around the room looking for Don. Needing him to step in and tell me why there’s a man in my room. I don’t take his hand. Jaxson slowly pulls it back, a sparkle in his eyes.

  “What are you doing in my room?” His smile is sweet and perfect. Almost too perfect. He’s tall. A lot taller than me but seeing how I’m only five feet two, most people are.

  “I know that Don made you an offer last night. I wanted to see for myself if you took him up on it.” An offer? He means the sex. What the hell does it matter to him? How does he even know about that?

  “Why would I tell you that?” I suddenly feel the need to defend myself or at least try to.

  “You don’t need to. I already know that you didn’t.” He says smugly. I pull the blanket back slightly just to make sure that my clothes are still intact when he laughs.

  “I didn’t need to look, Jade. I would smell it on you had you done it.” I’m so confused by what’s happening right now.

  “What do you want?” Jaxson turns around, his eyes pinning me in place. If Don is sick, this man is worse. The air around him breathes danger. You can sense his presences, his authority. It doesn’t take a smart person to know when you should back away and this man is one to move far far away from.

  “That’s the thing, Jade. I want something that isn’t entirely mine to have. You see, I was promised something a long time ago. I was made an offer that I couldn’t refuse but then the tables turned. Something happened and my offer was taken back. I’m not a man that gives up on what he wants so easily. Let’s just say, I’m here to collect my debt.” The tone in his voice frightens me.

  I open my mouth to ask when the door flies open. I snap my head around to look at who is coming in this time to see Don standing there. His muscles bulge under his t-shirt. His face is taut and full of rage. Thank god, he’s here.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Jax?” I look to Jaxson where he still stands next to my bed.

  “I’m taking possession of that asset. Clearly, you aren’t capable of keeping it intact.” The snarl that ripped from Jaxson’s throat shocks me. He’s dangerous in his own right but he has been so calm talking to me.

  “She isn’t leaving this house.” Don grits his teeth taking a step forward. Out of nowhere, three men take him to the ground with a thud. I cover my mouth but his name already slipped free.

  “Don!”

  Chapter 5

  Jaxson eyes me. I can feel his glare at my back. I leap off the bed not knowing what the hell I’m supposed to do now.

  “What’s happening? Don?” I yell for the one person that has watched over me for the last three weeks. The one that made the strangest offer I’ve ever heard in my life. The one that was supposed to protect me and up until now has been doing just that.

  “He’ll be fine. You may want to put some clothing on though.” Jaxson says in a nonchalant tone behind me. I tur
n to face him as his eyes scan my body. The slight curl of his lips says he likes what he sees. Heat pools inside of me from just his gaze as it slowly rakes over me. I’ve never had that feeling when any other man has looked at me.

  “I’m not leaving here.” I say standing my ground. His eyes slowly come to meet mine, a slow smile crossing his face. Jaxson steps toward me, invading my space. I can smell his musky cologne but more than that I can see the depths of his eyes.

  They sparkle a beautiful blue color but when I look closely I can see specks of gold. My breath catches in my throat when his hand lands on my chin.

  “Look at you. So, inquisitive. What do you see in me, little puppet?” HIs lips are so close to me I can almost taste the minty tingle as it skates across my lips.