It’s then, I notice all the boys standing in my room. Shoulder to shoulder, they listen as I speak. This is the first time they’re hearing the entire story of my experience living with Robert and each one of them is mulling through the anger growing in their head. I release a big sigh and continue telling my nightmare.
“Chills would pass through my body when the drawer squeaked. I would find him rifling through his treasure box, examining each piece. The weapon varied on his mood; a leather belt, Billy club, ruler, razor blades, a small bull whip. Of course, all his restraining items were present, but mostly, he used the handcuffs.”
“How did you find me? I mean, how did you know where I was in that house?” Presley’s voice is hoarse from crying.
“A few months after my thirteenth birthday, my mother overdosed and died. Robert went off the deep end and locked me in that house. I spent eight months right where you were, experiencing everything you did. He’d leave me there, days at a time, starving and wasting away in my own filth. Then, he’d come back, clean me, change the bedding and do it all over again. This went on for months until the day I was rescued.” I look over to Reggie and he falls to my side, holding my hand, kissing it as I finish my story. “Robert said I was going to be his replacement for my mother when he came back I would…well, you know.”
Presley’s eyes don’t break from mine. I vowed to myself I would never speak about the events that happened when I lived with Robert, but they all deserve to hear what happened. They deserve to know the reason why they risked everything to save me. “I couldn’t bear being Robert’s sex slave, so, in a last ditch effort, I started to scream. I screamed until my voice was gone and that’s when Reggie found me. It was fate he happened to be running by that house at that exact time. He saved me and that’s how I came to live here.”
Presley rolls to her back and stares at the ceiling, pondering. “Where do I go? Now that Robert’s dead, I have no one else. No more family. I do have friends in Memphis I could stay with, but I haven’t talked to them since I moved and,as much as I hated moving here”—Presley grabs my hand—“there’s so much I love here.”
Reggie stands to his feet, towering above the bed and says, “You’ll stay with us. We’ll make room for you, Presley.”
Drake comes to her side and holds her in his arms. Presley tucks herself in his embrace and buries her face in his chest. Drake is whispering over and over, how much he loves her and how he will always take care of her. Their love is binding, extends beyond infatuation; it’s deep seeded and only experienced once in a lifetime. They were connected from the moment their eyes locked. The way Drake looks at Presley is exactly how Reggie looks at me. Bound forever and always, by one look.
I move off my bed to make room for him to hold her. “Drake, stay with her. I’ll sleep somewhere else.” He climbs in my bed, never breaking his hold, and pulls her into his chest. As I pull the door close, I can hear them both breakdown into tears.
Reggie’s fingers mingle with mine and he guides me across the hall to his room. As he closes the door, I climb onto the plush, king sized mattress and nuzzle myself under the blankets. He strips to his boxers and falls in bed next to me, grabs me around the waist and pulls me closer so our chests are touching. I bury my nose in his neck and absorb the scent of salvation, safety and love. He is the man of my dreams, my knight in shining armor, the man who will go through Hell and back to make sure I’m safe. I close my eyes and fall asleep, assured there will never be a nightmare again because in his arms is where I’ll be every time I close my eyes.
***
Three weeks has passed since the night Presley and I were saved from Robert. Our visible wounds have mended, but the internal ones will take some time. The following day after our rescue, word of the fire was all over the local news. Robert Stein was an affluent figure in the community and once it was discovered he had perished in the fire, reporters went crazy, trying to find out what happened to him. Unbeknownst to anyone, Robert had a serious gambling sickness and owed almost a million dollars to mobsters all over the United States. All the money Reggie had to pay over the last two years made total sense. Turns out, Reggie didn’t need to pay Robert money to keep me safe, but to feed Robert’s gambling demons. This was a hard pill for Reggie to swallow and he still gets extremely pissed when he hears it mentioned. Reggie was duped by Robert, but it only proves Reggie wasn’t willing to gamble with my life and did what he could to keep all of us safe. For that and so much more, I will be forever grateful.
The police have no leads to which gang is responsible for his death and are skeptical they can track his murder back to a specific gang. The mayor of Sulfur Heights is completely appalled at Robert’s association with mobsters and the police have pretty much washed their hands of the case to save the face of Sulfur Heights’ Northside. This allows all of us to take a sigh of relief. Reggie will be okay.
Presley is staying in my room. We are a little grown to be sharing a bed, but she still needs someone next to her while she sleeps because the nightmares continue to be pretty intense. Once she’s asleep, I sneak across the hall and crawl into Reggie’s bed, waiting for him to come home from the bar.
Now that Presley is living with us, I’m not sure how I survived so long being around a bunch of boys. It’s nice to know another person knows how to put down the toilet seat and doesn’t leave greasy tools all over the house. We have become best friends, sisters if you will, and we are healing together. I hold nothing back. If I want someone to confide in, other than Reggie, I do it with her. What happened to us is shitty and messed up, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and Presley is meant to be in my life, just as I am to hers.
Thanks to Mrs. Jenkins, we’re working with one of her oldest friends who happens to be a social worker. She will make two more visits and, if all is well, Presley will take up permanent residence in the Evans household. Of course, the social worker had to pull a few strings to make Reggie her legal guardian, but coming from the Southside of Sulfur Heights herself, she is all too familiar with how broken families can be. When she observed our unique family dynamic and how much we care for each other, she couldn’t break it apart.
Today is Presley’s and my first day back to school. It’s been three weeks since I strolled the halls of Sulfur Heights High and, as hard it is for me to admit it, I really missed school. Things are finally starting to feel like old times again.
During third period, the principal, Mr. Robinson, announces over the intercom a pretty wicked blizzard is on the horizon and school is being released ninety minutes early. Sweet! I don’t know a single kid in school who doesn’t love a snow day. Granted, it’s only an hour and a half early, but the news is exciting all the same.
As we eat lunch in the cafeteria, Jake is being obnoxiously crude, talking about his sexcapade with Miranda Cross, Sulfur Heights’ homecoming queen who’s infamous for slumming it with the white trash misfits. “Her fucking tits are huge and that ass…well, it’s out of this world.”
I release a gagging noise from my throat and toss a tater tot at his face. “You’re so disgusting. When are you going to get it through your thick head, nobody cares about the skanks you bag. So please, for all that’s holy in this world, STOP!”
“Darcie, quit being a hater,” he replies, tossing the same tater tot back at my head, but I duck and it lands on Joe McDaniel’s plate. He stands like he’s going to start something until Jeremy, Jake and Drake stand, puff their chests and crack their knuckles. I shake my head. Boys will be boys.
Presley comes storming through the cafeteria doors. Her new pixie hair cut looks amazing. Not very many women can pull off short hair, but Presley can definitely rock it. She’s got the perfect face. She was always hidden behind her long, brown locks so no one knew how pretty she really is underneath all that hair. Presley looks upset as she makes her way over to the table and sits down. Her eyes are staring at the floor and her face is slightly flushed, like she’d been cryin
g. Drake tucks her under his arm and kisses her on the head. “Did you get hung up after class?” he asks.
“Yeah, something like that,” Presley replies, looking down at her fingers.
“What happened?” Drake inquires as he works over his anger with his jaw. I look at her face and I know something’s happened to her. She’s fighting to keep the tears at bay.
“Nothing, I was just walking here and Vanessa stopped me. It’s…it’s nothing.” Presley starts to get up from the table, but Drake stops her and she sits back down. My anger starts to boil at the sheer mention of Vanessa’s name.
“Tell me what happened, please.” Drake is trying to remain calm, but ever since our little run in with Robert, it’s harder for him to control his anger if someone does anything to upset Presley.
“Vanessa and her…friends were getting a good laugh at my expense. Turns out, they’re not very big fans of my new hairstyle. She says my flat chest and my new hair cut make me look like an adolescent boy or something like that.” Presley looks me in the eye and I meet hers as rage fills me. I did promise Reggie I would cool it with the fighting, but this bitch needs to be put in her place once and for all.
My knee begins bouncing rapidly up and down as the adrenaline courses through my veins. I’m trying to calm myself, but the more I think about it, the more worked up I get. Jake notices my demeanor right away. “Darcie, you’re going get suspended again, aren’t you?’ he says, smiling from ear to ear.
I shrug away from the table and stand on my feet. I pull my t-shirt down and retie my Converse. “Nope. I’m just going to have a conversation with the bitch and if my fist happens to be doing the talking, then so be it.” I look over to Presley and motion with my head to follow me out. “Come on.”
We walk out the cafeteria doors and there’s Vanessa in all her emo glory. She’s standing with her friends and they’re hovering around a group of lockers. Her jeans are so tight, her ass is popping out of the top, she’s wearing an infant size, cotton t-shirt with Hello Kitty on it, and her long, rainbow hair is braided on both sides. Presley and I walk up behind her and I snatch her braids in my hand.
“Come here, skank, I’ve got something to say to you.” I start dragging her down the hall by her hair. She’s bent backward trying to keep herself upright as I pull her into the girl’s bathroom. Presley holds the door open as I push her through the entrance. Vanessa lands on her hands and knees just in front of the sinks.
“You bitch!” Vanessa screams then tries to get up and attack me, but I stop her with my Converse to her giant boobs. She falls to the floor and I quickly scramble down with her. I straddle her waist and pin her arms down to the floor. Presley moves from the door and sits on her legs. This bitch is going nowhere.
I lean forward and put my face right in front of hers. Her breath is hot and still has the unpleasant smell of garbage. My voice is murderous when I speak and I’ve got to do this before I lose my head. “Now listen here, Vanessa. Presley is my best friend and Drake’s girlfriend, which pretty much qualifies her as family in my eyes. You know the consequences if you fuck with my family, don’t ya?” Vanessa nods and I continue, “So if you and your troop of skanks don’t stop messing with her, I’ll be sure you walk with a limp for the rest of your life. Understand?”Vanessa nods again. “I’m serious, bitch, if you so much as breathe in her direction, I’m gonna blast your knee cap with a crow bar and you of all people know how crazy I can be. Consider this your only warning.”
I climb off her stomach and release her from my hold. Presley stands as well and we start to make our way out of the bathroom. Vanessa starts to say something smart, but before a single syllable leaves her mouth, Presley turns around and punches her square in the nose, busting it. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life. This bitch finally got what was coming to her, and I’m so glad Presley had the balls to stand up to her bully.
We make our way out of the restroom and to the parking lot. The boys are standing around the car, waiting for us to leave. One good thing about living in Michigan, school closes early when there’s a major blizzard on the horizon. As we approach the car, Drake unknowingly kisses Presley’s fighting hand. We hop in the car, make a grocery run and head home.
Reggie is just getting ready to leave when we pull up in the driveway. He is freshly showered, wearing his typical work attire; his hair is loose around his face and he has a five o’clock shadow. As he tromps down the back steps, the swagger from his hips sends my heart racing. My body is warming from the heat he ignites within me and I’m sure I’m sweating even though it’s twenty below zero outside.
The loud exhaust of Big Mike’s souped-up Ford F150 comes tearing down the street. As he pulls into the driveway, we all hop out of the way to prevent getting run over. Mike’s truck is jacked up so high, I’m sure Presley can walk under it and not hit her head. The tires are taller than she is.
Reggie pulls me into his arms and kisses me on the lips. “Sorry, angel, but you know how the bar gets during a blizzard; all the crazy bastards come crawling out of the woodwork.”I nod, give him another tight hug, and then watch him hop into Big Mike’s truck and drive away.
The boys nominated Presley and me to cook supper as they riffled through the Netflix collection, finding a movie we all want to watch. She and I decide on Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli, garlic bread and salad. I start working on the noodles, making the dough and cutting them into strips. Presley is chopping the lettuce and other veggies for the salad, and then, before you know it, we’ve prepared a gourmet meal with enough food to feed a small army. I hold a plate back for Reggie, knowing these savages will leave nothing for him, and make my way to the living room to watch The Campaign. I curl up in Reggie’s Lazyboy recliner, feeling a little sad. Here we all are, enjoying a movie, eating supper, and one member of our family is not here. I try to focus on the movie, but it’s hard to pay attention when I just want to be in his arms.
About an hour after supper is over, the blizzard rears its ugly head as the wind howls through our old window. You can hear the faint whistling between the panes when the air sneaks its way in. I get out of the chair and open the blinds, looking out the window. The haze of white snow blinds the view of the houses on the other side of the street. Bare tree limbs blow over and almost snap from the trunk as the large gusts of frigid wind force their way down the street. I’m so glad I don’t have to be out in that air, but I’m anxious for Reggie to get home. I just want to feel him next to me to know he’s safe.
A few hours later, I’m exhausted and make my way to my room. I shower, shave and do the nightly regimen then step into a pair of comfy sleep shorts and a tank top. I don’t even bother to climb in my bed. Crossing the hall, I lay in Reggie’s empty king size bed and hold his pillow. The fabric smells just like his skin, and I inhale, making myself miss him even more. I close my eyes and let the sleepiness take me.
Reggie
As I predicted, the bar is insane tonight. Most of tonight’s customers don’t bother to come out unless there’s a major weather event. I find their behavior strange because, with the way the wind is blowing, I would rather be at home in my recliner than sitting in a bar with a bunch of drunken assholes. Last call was said about thirty minutes ago and Big Mike is ushering the last of our regulars out the door while Gavin and I cash out, clean and restock the bar. It’s about three-thirty in the morning when Mike drops me off and I am so glad to be at home. I notice the garage light still on and walk in to find Jeremy passed out on the grease stained couch. I tap him on the knee and he jerks awake. “Hey, man. It’s freezing out here, sleep in the house tonight.” He rubs his face and makes his way up the back stairs then plods down to the basement.
The house is dark and quiet. A light above the stove is left on and I see Darcie has left a note about supper in the fridge. I decide I would rather take a quick shower and kiss my girl goodnight before I eat, and then I’ll be ready to pass out. I walk to the bathroom and take a shower. Whe
n I get out, I wrap a towel around my waist and head to my bedroom. As I push open the door, the smell of vanilla is everywhere and I know my angel is asleep in my bed. I creep onto the mattress and wrap my arms around her, pulling her back against my chest.
Darcie moans then turns over, sleepily opening her eyes. “Hi,” she whispers.
“Hi. Go back to sleep. I just wanted to hold you for a minute. I didn’t mean to wake you.” I kiss her lips lightly, but when my eyes meet hers, they are looking at me with desire. I pull my face back to look at her, she is so beautiful and I love her so much.
“Kiss me, Reggie. Please, kiss me,” she begs and I place my lips to hers. We start to kiss, but the passion we’ve been denying ourselves starts to take over our bodies. I roll myself on top of her and kiss her lips deeply. Our tongues mingle as they move in a rhythmic dance of exploring and tasting each other. I break my lips from hers and start to kiss down her neck to that sweet spot under her ear. Darcie lets out a moan and I kiss her harder when she then rolls on top of me, straddling my hips. I know she feels the hardness of my dick as I push it against the thin fabric between us.
Her skin is so soft. I can feel the raised bumps from her scars as I run the pad of my fingers against her skin. I feel each one; old and new while I run my hands up her back, pushing her shirt up and over her head. This is the first time we’ve lain skin to skin and the feeling is unimaginable. Darcie runs her lips down my chest, over the muscles of my abdomen, and back up to my neck. I roll her onto her back and run my hands down her naked stomach, kissing my way over her breasts, suckling on her nipple. “Make love to me, Reggie.”
I pull myself up on my elbows and look into her jade eyes. They are ignited with passion and filled with lust. “Are you sure? I can wait, there’s no rush, angel. I just want you to be ready. This is a big step for both of us.”
Scarred Love Page 22