by D W Marshall
Her mouth drops open, and she quickly closes it. She is quiet for a second while it sinks in, then she says. “Then you should have paid for the tacos.”
We both burst out laughing. I love her.
It’s bittersweet having so much that I can help the people I love after enduring something so awful.
“What happened to you in there? I mean, you don’t have to tell me unless you want to.”
I swallow a couple of sips of soda and think about Mason’s words, “Tell anyone and you will pay heavily for your transgressions.”
Then I think about it. How would he ever know if I said something? Tabitha isn’t gonna share my story with anybody. Fuck Mason. This happened to me, and I need to get this shit off my chest. I should share every detail or I might go crazy.
“Seven of us were taken. All were around the same age as me—barely adults. The guy, Mason, that’s not his real name, kept us in this castle by the ocean. We could walk around freely on two floors. Two days a week, life was almost normal. The girls and I became friends. I don’t know if I would have survived in there without them. It wasn’t the same as being with you, but at least I wasn’t alone. We could almost pretend we weren’t where we were for those two days.”
She sucks in a deep breath and lets it out. “And the other days?”
“Sex with seven guys a day in this demented lavender room.” My mind drifts back to my chamber and bile rises to the back of my throat. A shiver runs through me.
“That’s fucked up, Brinley.”
I turn away from her and swipe at the stray tears that fall. I take a healthy breath and turn back to my favorite person in the entire world.
“Tell me about it.” I offer her a tight smile. “I’m home and I want to put it all behind me, but I know you won’t let me.”
A heavy feeling comes over me, and I feel like we’re being watched. I glance around and don’t see anything out of the ordinary, at least for this beach. Then I notice a tall figure that is watching us. He is instantly recognizable.
I nudge Tabitha and nod my head in his direction. Her eyes widen when she sees Taron. He’s with two other guys who are bigger than him. They’re both dressed casually for the beach. One is blonder than me and the other has short, dark hair.
Tabitha pulls out her phone and calls him. We both watch him pull it out and answer.
“Are you spying on us?” she asks.
“Yep,” he says through the speaker. “Nice observation skills. Took you long enough to feel us, though.”
We both roll our eyes.
“And who are the other guys?” I ask.
“The guy to my right, is David.” He’s the blonde. “The guy to my left, is Finn.”
We both shake our heads. “So now we know their names,” Tabitha says.
“Okay, smart-ass. Finn will be your security detail and David will be Brinley’s.”
I hit my head with the heel of my hand. “I have a boyfriend who can protect me, and this sounds really expensive.”
They start walking toward us.
“Don’t tell him anything about what I told you. The guy who took me swore me to secrecy.”
She nods. “My lips are sealed. Just call me ‘one-way.’”
The three of them look intimidating as they walk toward us, even as they trudge through the sand. Still, knowing that they were the ones watching us, doesn’t do anything for the ache in the pit of my stomach. The nudging is still there, but when I look around, I don’t see anyone.
“David and Finn, this is my sister, Tabitha, and her best friend, Brinley.”
We dust off and follow them to a picnic table. Tabitha and I sit across from Finn and David, and Taron sits on the same side as us. Their heads look as if they are on swivels.
Taron turns to me. “To respond to what you said, yes, you have a boyfriend and he’s a nice kid. He’s athletic, but not lethal. He has no offensive or defensive training.”
I stare at him in shock. “What exactly do you think is going to happen to me?”
His expression turns more serious than before. “Just because you were released doesn’t mean shit. Psychos are unpredictable. The fact that he kept you for a year and released you as promised is even more worrisome.”
My heartbeat ramps up at the thought of being taken again. I’d never survive.
“As for the expense, you let me worry about that. My only objective is to keep the two of you safe. David and Finn are ex-military with dark ops and paramilitary experience. You think I’m lethal? You will be in excellent hands.”
David and Finn nod.
“I mean, that’s fine, but I’m heading back to Berkley next week,” Tabitha says.
Taron nods. “Finn?”
He clears his throat. His expression is serious. “I will be accompanying you to Berkley, Miss.” His voice is deep. He is beautiful in a clean-cut way, with heavily tattooed arms, green eyes, and soft lips.
Tabitha turns to her brother. “Why? I wasn’t the one taken.” She turns to me. “Sorry.”
“No offense taken.” I’m also curious about his decision. If Taron is worried about her, then I am, too.
“I called Finn to ask him some questions. He trains in my gym and is a buddy of mine. With his military training, he has dealt with a lot of crazy fucks, and worst-case scenario shit is what we discussed. This fucker that took Brinley… What if he decided to watch her after he released her?”
My thoughts immediately go to my first night there. I interrupt. “The guy who took us had a bunch of video from two years of watching us. Tabitha was in a couple.” I swallow the lump in my throat. My voice is low and shaky with the thought. “So that could happen.”
“Motherfucker,” Taron says, his eyes become dark slits.
“I’m gonna be sick,” Tabitha says and jumps up from the bench. She paces while holding her stomach.
“See?” Taron says. “Okay, so now she gets back on his radar, and so do you, Tabitha.”
She pauses and fear is in her eyes.
“Please have a seat. We are just covering all grounds, now that we have this information. Proactive is always better than reactive. Finn and David will do regular security and surveillance sweeps. We keep up the training. Finn will train you one-on-one when you get back to school.” He and Finn share a nod.
“I should probably tell you guys that the guy who took us said that he’d come back for us if we told anybody.”
“You keep saying ‘us,’” David says, speaking up for the first time. I stare into his brown eyes. He is just as handsome as Taron and Finn.
“The place I was taken... The man took six other women that night. They were kept and released, the same as me.”
“Sounds like we have our work cut out for us. This guy is a narcissistic sociopath,” Taron says and gets up from the bench. David and Finn follow. “We’ll hang back and let you guys chill.”
“Wait!” I yell, before they can get too far away.
The three of them turn and look at me.
“Can you, me, and Tabitha go somewhere, just us? Before we start the whole security detail thing?”
Taron raises his eyebrow, but nods. He turns to the guys and gives them instructions and soon the three of us are climbing into his tank.
“Where to?” he asks.
“The bank.”
I give Taron the name of the bank and he punches it into the GPS.
While he’s driving, I text my mom and ask her how much she owes on the house. I text Tabitha, who is sitting next to me, and ask her how much she owes in student loans. I also shoot a text to Logan asking the same question.
If Mason is watching me, he might decide to take back the money he gave me, so I’d better help the people I love before that happens.
With the important figures in-hand, the three of us go inside. Tabitha and Taron hang back while I ask to sit with a banking agent.
A kind-faced middle aged man directs me to his desk. “Good afternoon, Miss. I’m John Woodley.
How may I help you today?” His salt-and-pepper hair is thick and shiny.
I sit across from him. “I’m Brinley Bishop.” I pull out my identification and account number and hand it to him. “I’ll need four cashier’s checks for very large amounts, and I will need to set up some additional security for this account to ensure that no one aside from me has access to the funds.”
He types away on the keyboard and his eyes grow when he sees the amount. I was under the impression that this bank managed high balances all the time.
“Okay. Let us start with the account security itself. We can approve an account number change and four levels of identification and passwords. How does that sound?”
“Very good. Also, I’d like to remove any remote access, either by computer or phone. I’d like the funds put into a savings account with a transfer of six thousand a month into the checking account, and the only way additional funds can be transferred is if I come into a branch.”
His brow furrows in confusion.
“Are you sure that you want to inconvenience yourself in that way, Miss?”
I nod. “If I find it burdensome, I’ll come in and make adjustments.”
“I understand.”
He clicks away on the keys.
“Okay. I’ll need a series of signatures approving the changes we discussed. Please read everything before you sign.”
It takes forever to get through everything.
“You mentioned cashier’s checks?”
I smile. The idea that after my horrific time this past year I can do something amazing sends a thrill through me.
“Yes. I need this amount for one.” I grab a piece of paper from his desk and scrawl an amount. I hand him the piece of paper with three-hundred thousand written down. “Made out to Tabitha Batte.” She owes ninety thousand in loans after scholarships and grants. The extra should give her a nice start. It’ll be a nice graduation present.
John types the information. I take the time to write the other amounts.
“And in the memo area?”
“Uh, ‘happy graduation.’” I have a megawatt smile on my face.
“Okay and the next one?” He seems completely unfazed.
I hand him another piece of paper with the same amount written on it. “Make this one out to Taron Batte.”
He goes through the motions with the rest of the checks.
“Excuse me, while I grab the checks.”
I turn back and look at my friends. They are chatting, Tabitha is more animated than usual, probably annoyed by this whole situation.
John comes back. “Okay. I have three cashier’s checks for three hundred thousand each, made out to Tabitha Batte, Taron Batte, and Logan Wright. I also have one for Ava Bishop for five hundred thousand. Please sign for each of them.”
I grab the pen and sign. Even if Mason was able to finagle his way back into my account, he couldn’t take back today’s action.
“Alright. That leaves you with two-point-six million in your savings, and six thousand transferred on the first of each month. Would you like me to make a transfer into checking today so your account isn’t at zero?”
I sit up straight. “Good idea. Let’s put fifteen thousand into my checking today and the regular scheduled amount moving forward.”
He types away. “Might I recommend a private security company that most of our clients hire? Just until you get those checks into the hands of their recipients?”
“Thank you, but that’s already taken care of.” I smile and tap the check for Taron.
He gives me a tight smile, hands me my new debit card, and places the checks in individual envelopes. We shake hands and I walk over to my friends.
“You guys ready?” I ask them.
They both hop up from the chairs and follow me out. Once we are settled into the big black truck, I decide to get it over with. The engine is loud inside the cab when Taron starts it.
I reach forward and drop an envelope into each of their laps. The sooner the funds are in their hands and out of mine, the better I will feel. The other two I shove into my purse.
Tabitha gets hers opened first and her head whips around to me.
“What the heck is this?”
I shrug. “It’s money to pay off all your school loans and you can do what you want with the rest of it.”
“Are you serious?” she screeches.
I give her a nod and a big smile and she dives into the back seat, locking me in the biggest hug. “Thanks, sis! I can finally get a car and no more loan debt.” She breaks into a dance.
Taron kills the engine. “Why did you give me this?” His eyes lock with mine in his mirror. His dark lashes and thick brows make the honey flecks in his eyes more pronounced.
“It’s for your business.”
“And how did you come by six-hundred K, exactly? And why are you giving it away?”
“Shut up and take the gift, Taron,” Tabitha says and settles into the seat next to me.
I let out a breath and continue to stare into his eyes. “The crazy person who took me gave me and the other girls a lot of money. Millions. I don’t need all of that money. You are doing something wonderful by helping to keep me safe and you never asked me for a dime. I can’t think of a better business or person to give that money to. Just think about how many more women you can help. If you need more than that, let me know.” I break eye contact with him, because he seems to be staring through me, reading my deepest thoughts. There is no way that can be true, but it makes me no less fluxed.
The cab of his truck is thick and heavy with emotion. I have no idea what he is going to do. Pride makes people do foolish things. I wait for what feels like forever.
“Thanks, Bee,” he says.
I look up at him again and he turns to look at me. “You’re right, I can help a lot of people. Seriously, thank you.” He squeezes my leg and smiles, which makes a few tears fall down my cheek. The cab of the car is now buzzing with our positive and happy energy, but the nervous energy is dashing around under the surface.
Today was a serious reality check.
Mason could come back for me.
Mason could take me away from everything, again. My bones chill at the thought. There is no way I would be able to endure a second round. I would simply die.
Then there’s Taron protecting me in a way that feels sort of like he’s a big brother, but not. My simple life has become so complicated. I can’t help but wonder what Logan is going to think about my new security detail? My bet is that he isn’t going to like it one bit. That, or the money.
Shit, the money. I’d bet my bank balance that he won’t accept it.
I am safe. I am strong. I am a survivor.
9
Yesterday was just what I needed. I feel like I have a chance to get some control over my life. It’s a small first step. The looks on Taron’s and Tabitha’s faces were everything. Mom was reluctant last night when I placed the life-changing check into her hand, but she took it, with plans to pay the mortgage off today. Logan will be different. For starters, he doesn’t even know about the money. I just haven’t been able to bring myself to tell him.
With Mom and my friends it didn’t carry the same heft, it didn’t make me feel dirty. Also, I knew they would be okay with it, because I’ve had a lifetime to get to know them. I have no idea how he will react. My gut tells me it will not be pleasant. I’m seeing him today.
My simple life is just the distraction I need to dispel the knots in my stomach. My shower is just a regular shower. With a curtain, no less. It’s vastly different than the marble rainforest steam tub I bathed in for the last year. Good.
When I step out, I wrap an ordinary cotton towel around my body. No Egyptian melt-to-your-body towels here. A girl could get spoiled being surrounded by nothing but the finest clothes, jewels, furnishings, and atmosphere. I’m sure with time, I might even find myself seeking out finer things in my own life. But I will always remember that I was exposed to such finery by a
monster.
“Hi, Mom,” I say when I round the corner to our wonderfully tiny kitchen. I’m still wrapped in my towel. Mom is preparing cream of wheat. She’s so old-school. I kiss her on the cheek and pour myself a cup of coffee from our non-state-of-the-art coffee pot. My home is the polar opposite of The Chamber. I swear, if she could run our house on solar power alone, or use lanterns, she would. Hopefully, this is exactly what I need. Then I think about the money I have in the bank. That does give me options. Maybe I’ll add some modern and lavish to mix with her dated and simple.
“How’d you sleep, honey?”
“Pretty good, actually,” I say, raising my eyebrows in surprise, pulling out a chair at our dinner table for two. My mom got rid of the family-sized table after Dad died, because she said she could feel his absence every time she sat down to eat.
“I kinda drifted off to sleep. Yesterday felt almost…normal. I guess I didn’t expect to feel that way so soon.” I smile at my mom.
She sets a piping-hot bowl in front of me and kisses the top of my head. “Good to hear, honey. Anytime you want to crawl into bed with me, don’t hesitate. I know it’s only a twin, but I will make room for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I still can’t believe this place will be paid for after today.” She smiles at me.
“What are you gonna do with the rest of the money?”
She sighs and looks around the small kitchen. “My gardening group and I have been trying to acquire property for a community garden for a while. We want a place where families can grow their own food if they want or have a year-round place to obtain fresh produce. Some of the money will help me to get that going.”
This makes me smile from within. We sit in companionable silence and eat breakfast together while stealing glances at each other. I’m sure she can’t believe I’m here any more than I can. In between bites, she reaches across the small table and squeezes my hand. She has mist in her eyes.
“So, Mom, I was thinking about taking a drive over to school. Maybe I can start classes this summer?” I swallow hard. “You know…get my life started.”
She sits up so straight she’s five inches taller. Her eyes bulge.