by R. Linda
“I won’t let him touch you, Lucy. At all. He’ll have to kill me first, okay? I promise you, you will be safe.”
I kissed him again.
Gave in to the flames.
His hand wrapped around my back holding me close, the other hand twisted into my hair, so he could tilt my head back.
My hands were on his hips, pulling him closer as his tongue dipped into my mouth, moving in a slow rhythm. He resisted, tried to step back but I hated the loss of contact.
“Please,” I whispered against his mouth. I was losing my mind but I didn’t care.
“It’s not right.”
“It’s inevitable,” I said.
And that was enough to end the internal argument he was having with himself. He kissed me with a passion that left me breathless and wanting more. I lifted on my toes trying to get closer as Hendrix’s hands trailed down my body until he lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist and slammed my back into the shower wall.
I groaned, and he froze. “Lucy?”
“I’m okay,” I said, biting his bottom lip as he eased into me with a groan.
His eyes full of emotion locked onto mine, holding my gaze, never looking away as we moved together, slowly, unsure at first until we found our rhythm, and lost ourselves together.
He devoured me completely. Devoured my body. Devoured my heart. My soul.
It was his for the taking.
And, I burned with him.
Hendrix
AFTER THAT SHOWER, that mind-blowing shower, I expected the reality of what we did to sink in, or for Lucy to regret it, pull away from me. But she hadn’t. It hadn’t happened again, but it had brought us much closer than before. I was even more determined to get her the hell out of the house.
But now, I couldn’t keep my hands off her and it wasn’t a good thing. I wanted to kiss her more, touch her more, drag her into a dark corner hidden away from the cameras, from Ray and do it all again.
Ray was either really fucking stupid, or he was up to something because he seemed to believe us now each time we appeared to utilise his private time as instructed. We had to get creative and come up with different ways that appeared to him like we were ‘making a grandchild’ for him. Just the thought made me shudder. But it wasn’t as difficult as before, since we’d already seen each other naked, and explored each other’s bodies until the shower ran cold.
But, so far so good.
His cameras didn’t show as much as we’d thought.
But it was getting hard. The days turned into weeks. The weeks into months. He would expect a baby. And when that didn’t happen… I couldn’t even bear the thought. The thought of what he’d do to Lucy first then Kat and saving me for last… We had to get out before he killed us all, because I was sure that after lying to him so much this time, he’d not forgive me. It was a blatant act of betrayal as opposed to ‘rebellion’ and for that, I’d pay.
I hadn’t kissed Lucy since that shower without it being for Ray’s benefit, but I still hoped she’d want to kiss me again, even though I’m sure it only happened because of the moment, out of fear. Still I would not complain.
And we still did everything we could to piss off Ray. I could never do enough though. Against my wishes the girls tried as well. Things were getting broken, dinners were being burnt. Kat ‘slipped’ and spilled hot coffee on his pants one morning before work. I think we all found that amusing—Ray screaming in pain, and pouring cold water on his crotch—after Kat’s swollen eyes reopened and she could talk again. I thought he would kill her when he wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed until her eyes bulged. Lucy stood shaking in the corner while I tried everything to pull him off Kat.
But still, it didn’t stop our attempts at making him angry enough he’d leave to go to the bar for a drink. What were a few black eyes, bruised ribs and a couple of broken bones? Nothing, if it meant freedom.
It happened when we were least expecting it.
The rage.
The fury.
The dominance so strong, I was sure one of us would end up dead.
It was Wednesday. He left the shop early. Something he never did. Particularly with me still working under a car. I hadn’t even known he’d left his office until I’d finished and went to see if he needed a hand shutting the place up for the night. But I couldn’t find him.
The blood drained from my face. My head began to spin. Where was he? Had he stepped out? Gone down the street without saying? No. He wouldn’t be that careless. He had to be in the house. Alone. With the girls.
I ran through the door that separated the house from the shop and yelled out to Ray. He didn’t answer but Kat came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a tea towel. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Ray?” I asked as I looked into the living room before opening the door to the bathroom and Kat’s room.
“Taking a shower. Why?” That was completely unlike Ray. He showered in the morning at 6am. Every day without fail.
“Where’s Lucy?” I gripped Kat’s shoulders tight, my nails digging into her skin. I had a bad feeling. A coldness washed over me like someone had tipped a bucket of ice over my head. Something wasn’t right.
“Downstairs, folding some washing.”
“She’s alone. Fuck.” I rushed passed Kat ignoring her calls for me to stop and explain what was going on and lunged for the basement door. I took the steps four at a time and froze when I got to the bottom.
Lucy wasn’t doing the washing.
Lucy wasn’t there.
Where the hell was she? She certainly wasn’t upstairs a moment ago. I walked over to the first door, the baby’s room and opened it. She wasn’t there. I shut it quickly because looking at the furniture made me sick. I moved to our bedroom and grasped the door handle. My stomach was in knots and my palms were sweaty. Something was wrong.
Pushing the door open, I was almost sick. Lucy was in there. And so was Ray. Lucy’s screams were deafening as she thrashed and kicked and fought him off. But it was no use. Her hands were tied to the bed. Her lip was bleeding. Her dress was bunched up around her waist. Her underwear shredded in a pile on the floor.
No.
This could not be happening.
She was screaming. Begging. Pleading with him to stop. To leave her alone.
I lurched through the door and charged at the bed, diving for Ray. The force of me throwing myself at him was enough to knock him off Lucy.
“Bout time you turned up, boy. Come to watch, have you? Well, you’re just in time for the show.” He sneered as he stood up and tilted his head as he looked at Lucy bound on the bed. His pants were unzipped and almost falling off. Relief washed over in an instant. He hadn’t got that far.
“Like hell,” I spat at him. I dove for him again, my fist connecting with his face. He would pay for hurting her.
“Ah, I see. You want your turn. Well, be my guest. I got her all nice and ready for you.” He rubbed his cheek.
“Over my dead body.” I was seething and poor Lucy was still screaming and crying on the bed. All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and look after her, but I had to deal with Ray first. Where the hell was Kat? Why wasn’t she down here untying Lucy and getting her the fuck out of this place?
“Your wish.” Ray shrugged and hit me in the side of the head. Spots danced in front of my eyes as my vision blurred. My ear might have been bleeding but none of that mattered. Lucy mattered.
I saw red. Rage. I hit him in the nose. In the stomach. The ribs. The throat. I couldn’t stop. I just kept punching him until he collapsed. And then I hit him some more. He would pay for this. He would pay for every single woman he’d raped, tortured and killed over the years. He would suffer, painfully, for everything he’d put me through. For every bad thought he’d ever had about Lucy.
I hit him.
Again.
And again.
My fist kept connecting with soft fatty tissue and bones that gave a satisfying crunch every time
. It’s amazing what anger and fear can do for someone’s self-preservation or need to protect those they care about.
Family. Lucy was family. Kat was family.
Ray was a dead man.
“Hendrix. Hendrix. Please. I think that’s enough,” Lucy cried softly from the bed, snapping me out of my rage in an instant.
I looked down at Ray and he was unconscious. It wasn’t enough. He was still breathing. But then I looked at Lucy and my heart broke.
Purple was already beginning to show around her eyes, her lip was swollen. Black eye make-up streaked her face and the tears wouldn’t stop streaming.
“Lucy,” I breathed and jumped up, climbing on the bed beside her. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” I whispered and carefully untied the rope that bound her to the bed. Ray was lying in a heap on the floor, unmoving, but I didn’t know how long he’d be out for. I had to get the girls out. Now. It was our only chance.
Lucy clung to me, curled herself into a ball and cried into my chest. Every minute we wasted sitting there was another minute closer to Ray waking up, but I didn’t dare move or push her to stand up. I wrapped my arms around her and held her until she stopped shaking and caught her breath.
“Lucy, we’ve got to go.” I kissed her head.
I had to get her out of there.
“What?” She shook her head, not understanding what I was saying.
“Now. It’s our only chance. Ray left the shop open. You can walk right out that front door. But it has to be now. Okay?”
“Okay.” She sniffed and stood up. Her arms wrapped around her body, providing comfort or warmth, I wasn’t sure. I went to the dresser and pulled out some clean clothes for her and she quickly changed. It wasn’t much, another polka dot dress and heels but it was better than the shredded dress she currently had on.
“Come on. Let’s find Kat.” I grabbed her hand and lead her out of the room.
“Hang on.” Lucy said pulling away from me and returning to Ray. She lifted her leg and stomped her heel down right between his legs, likely ending any chance of him ever conceiving a child or taking a piss without it coming out sideways and feeling like he got ripped open by razor blades.
“You sick fucker. I’ll make sure you never…”
Stomp.
I winced.
“Hurt another woman…”
Stomp.
I should have stopped her.
“Ever.”
Stomp.
I could have stopped her.
“Again.”
Stomp.
But I didn’t.
And just for good measure a kick to the ribs.
He didn’t stir. Not a sound came from him. Maybe he really was dead.
“Okay. I’m ready now.” Lucy fixed herself up, brushed her hair out of her face, straightened her dress and wiped the tears.
We ran up the stairs in search of Kat. Where the hell was she and why didn’t she come downstairs with all that commotion. Surely she heard it. I left the doors open.
“Kat!” I called as we rushed into the hall. She peered out of the kitchen, flour dusting her hair and face. She was cooking.
“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.” She smiled sweetly before noticing Lucy. “Lucy, what happened?” She gasped.
“Are you serious? You didn’t hear anything? He was down there trying to fucking rape her!” I roared, instantly regretting it when Lucy flinched beside me and Kat took a step back.
“Oh, Lucy, I’m so sorry.” Kat side-stepped me to wrap Lucy in a hug, but I wasn’t letting Lucy’s hand go just yet. I didn’t want to. “I was cooking and making such a racket in the kitchen I didn’t hear anything. Are you okay? D-did… Did he?”
Lucy shook her head. A relieved look washed over Kat.
“So…” She raised an eyebrow at me in question.
“I knocked him unconscious and Lucy damn near severed his dick with her killer heels.”
“He’s going to be pissed when he wakes up. We’re all dead. Hendrix. You know that. We’re dead. Unless…” She turned back to the kitchen looking for something. She was frantic. “We need... We need to kill him.”
“No. We need to go. It’s time.” I just wanted to get Lucy out of there, as far from Ray as possible.
“What? How?”
Lucy bounced on the balls of her feet and kept looking back at the door to the basement. She was waiting for Ray to come. I was too. We were wasting time.
“The workshop is still open,” was all I said before I began pulling Lucy toward the front of the house where the shop was.
Hendrix
I PUSHED THEM both toward the door as quick as possible in case he woke up or it was a trap. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was lying downstairs just waiting to pounce, but I was going with it because it could be our only chance. Blood pumped in my ears and my chest tightened. My fingers trembled as I slowly inched the door open.
No sign of him stirring.
“Go,” I whispered as I led them into the shop. “You have to go now.”
I didn’t know when I made up my mind, but I wasn’t going with them. I should have, but I had unfinished business.
“Hendrix, no, come, please. Come with us.” Kat was crying and clutching at my arm, her nails digging into my flesh, but I didn’t feel the pain over the ache in my chest. “We can’t leave you.”
“You can, and you will. This might be your only chance.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and avoided looking at her and Lucy.
I didn't know how long until he woke up, but the door was open and this was the only chance they had.
“You can’t stay here with him, please. You’ll die if you do.” Lucy’s voice pleaded as she came to stand in front of me, pressing her hand to the gash on my head that I didn’t even notice was still bleeding until then. I was too focused on saving her. The blood must have slowed, but I was feeling faint. I wouldn’t make it far even if I did leave.
“He’ll kill you.”
“Doesn't matter.” I gave her a small smile and shook my head.
“Come with us. Come with…” She paused and took a deep breath, her hands moving to rest on my chest. “Me. Come with me.”
“I can’t.” I shook my head. I knew it was crazy and I should leave with them. This was my only chance as well, but I couldn’t walk out that door and leave him behind.
“I c-can’t. He-he’s my d-dad.”
“Hendrix,” Lucy sighed. “He’s not. He’s a monster. You don’t have to do this.”
“I do. I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her to my chest.
Her tears soaked through my shirt while she clung to me. They had to go now. We’d been waiting for this for too long. They had to be safe. Free. But I couldn’t leave him. As much of a monster as he was, he was still my dad. I’d led them to believe that I’d run with them, but I knew I never would. He was my family.
I knew it was a long shot and risky to escape, but it was their only hope. Those girls had to get out of this place.
They were free. If only they’d leave me alone.
“Go. Now!” I told them again, swallowing the lump in my throat and staring at the ceiling so I wouldn’t cry.
“Okay.” Kat sniffed quietly as she wrapped her arms around me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded and hugged her back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Yes.”
“Love you,” she whispered as she released me, tears streaming down her face. She stood back and waited.
“You too,” I told her. My throat ached and my eyes burned. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn’t. Not until they were gone.
“Go, Lucy. Go with Kat. You’re free.”
“No. No. NO! Not without you,” Lucy cried. Her small fists pounded against my chest over and over. “You can’t stay. I can’t do this without you.”
“You can. I’ll be okay.” I tilted her face up to look at me. The pain in her eyes almost had me walking out the door with her. We’d g
rown so much closer these past few weeks. It was as though I’d known her forever.
“I promise. As long as you and Kat are safe, I’ll be okay.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You won’t.”
“Lucy, come on. We gotta go,” Kat begged from the door, giving me a small smile.
“I love you.” I pressed my mouth to Lucy’s. Her lips were wet and salty from the tears streaming down her face, but they softened and moulded to mine instantly. My arms tightened around her waist, holding her as close as possible while her hands wrapped around my neck. I didn’t want to let her go. I kissed her with all I had, like it was the last time I’d ever see her. Because I knew it was. Once she walked out that door, she would be free, and it would be game over for me. Everything I couldn’t say in words was poured into that kiss.
“I need you to know that,” I told her as I pulled back. I had to make her understand how sorry I was for bringing her here in the first place and putting her through this. For nearly allowing Ray to rape her. For ruining her life. I had to make her see that I really did love her, and it wasn’t for show to keep Ray happy. “I love you.”
“Don’t say that,” she whispered, her lips brushing mine as she spoke. “Ray made us say that. The word love is tainted now.”
I thought about her words and she was right. Love had no meaning. Ray had abused that word and turned it into something disgusting. It held no sentiment anymore. It showed nothing of the way I felt.
“I…” I paused, trying to think of the best word or way to phrase it. A word that would express all my feelings and how important she was to me. “I adore you.”
“I know,” she cried, a small smile on her lips as she pressed them to mine one last time before stepping out of my arms and reaching for Kat’s hand.
It was time.
They had to go. I opened the front roller door for them. No more words were exchanged and as soon as the door was raised high enough, they stepped outside. With one last look at me, and a small, sad smile, they ran down the drive with tears streaming down their cheeks.
I watched until tears blurred my vision and I could no longer stand. Slumping to a heap on the floor, I cried. I cried for all the women who had come here over the years but didn’t get the chance to be free. I cried for my mother, who died too young and too soon, leaving my father empty and cruel. I cried for my father, who became the monster he was because of my mother’s death. I cried because no matter what Ray did, I still loved him. I cried for Kat and the torment she endured over her time spent here. She was definitely the strongest and bravest woman I had ever met. I cried for Lucy and the hell I’d put her through. She was too sweet and kind to have been forced into this life.