Fighting for Chloe

by Eva Jones

  ‘I don’t know Charity.’ Just as the words leave my mouth, Patrick starts screaming in the cabin. ‘Let’s wait to see if he heads out here after us and then we can try to sneak back in and get my dad out of there.’ I reach over and pull her toward me, hugging her to my side. I know both us women have been through a lot and whether I like her it not, she did just save my life. I owe her one.

  ‘I think I can handle that. Do you want to split up or go in together?’

  ‘I think we should stick together. I don’t want to risk him getting a hold of one of us again and if we’re together, that’d be two of us to fight back at once.’

  Lights flash as though someone just pulled down the drive, quickly followed by more flashes of headlights beaming off the tree to the east side of the cabin. My heart begins to race harder than it already was, he’s brought reinforcements. There’s no way I’m telling Charity what that means for us. Him alone we could handle. Him with his goons, not so much. We’re going to have to leave my dad behind for now.

  ‘Chloe!’ My name bellows through the forest. It’s Dom. Oh my god, it’s Dom.

  ‘Is that Dominic?’ Charity asks as she starts to get up and move towards the direction of his voice, only for me to pull her back down to squatting position.

  ‘Charity, Get down. We can’t give away where we are yet.’ I slowly bring my head around the corner of the shed to see if there’s anyone outside the back of the cabin. It looks like it’s all clear. ‘Okay, we’re going to slowly make our way around the side of the cabin and try to get out towards the woods. Dom has to have the van somewhere. We’ll try to get to it and radio Andre from there. He keeps a CV attached to the dash. Understand?’

  ‘What about Mike?’

  ‘If Dom is here, so is Andre. Andre will get him out. His loyalties are to my dad. Let’s go.’ I grab her hand and we make our way around the shed, trying our best to keep to the shadows. Nearing the house, I hear men talking but pay them no mind as I focus on which direction we need to head into the woods. That’s until I hear Dom’s voice echo off of the walls inside the cabin.

  ‘Where is she damnit? So help me, I’ll break every goddamned bone in your body if you don’t tell me where she is.’ The sound of the crunch of bones hits my ears and I can’t help but cringe.

  ‘I told you, they escaped. Both of them, the fucking filthy tramps.’ There’s more sounds of fists hitting bone and I know we need to get to the van ASAP. Dom needs to know that I’m okay, that we’re both okay.

  ‘Come on.’ This time it’s Charity pulling me along as we start to wade our way through the heavy brush of the woods. It’s pitch dark and we both stumble a time or two before I spot the van Andre and Dom left in earlier this evening.

  ‘That’s the van.’ We both break out in a sprint towards it, Charity losing her footing one more time before reaching the sliding back door. I throw it open and we both dive in. ‘Are you alright, Charity?’

  ‘No, I think my ankle’s broke. But don’t worry about me right now. Get the men. Save Mike please.’ Tears stream down her face and I’m sure the pain of the break is overwhelming her as well as fear of losing the love of her life. I move my way to the front of the van and grab the CV receiver off of the holder.

  ‘Andre, come in. Andre, it’s Chloe.’ My voice squeaks as I try to get the words out.

  ‘Chloe, where are you?’ He replies within seconds.

  ‘I’m in the van. Charity is with me, but Dom and my dad are still in the house with Patrick.’

  ‘Stay put, don’t go anywhere.’

  Dom

  I’M SO DONE with this fucker, I’m going to beat him to death if he doesn’t tell me where Chloe is. His face is a mess and I’m having trouble seeing him my vision is so blurred. Arms wrap around me and yank me off and I swing for that motherfucker too.

  ‘Dom it’s me.’ Andre’s words filter through the red mist and I huff out a tired breath, I feel like I just fought ten rounds. I stumble back and Andre takes in the scene.

  ‘The girls are in the van.’ I look at him with disbelief. Is it really that easy? We have her back? ‘Go,’ he tells me stepping over Patrick, going to Mike’s aid. I leave the cabin and look for the van with my gun drawn in case I come across anyone else. It feels like forever before I get the van door open.

  I take in the sight before me and almost fall to my knees. Chloe scrambles on her hands and knees toward me and climbs into my arms.

  ‘Oh thank god you’re alive.’ She sobs in my ear. Clutching me so tight around my neck I’m almost choking.

  I chuckle. ‘Babe you need to let me breathe.’ She lets go she clasps my face in between her hands.

  ‘Is Mike okay?’ Charity calls from further inside the van, also in tears. They’re both filthy and look like they’ve been dragged through a hedge. I can’t answer her though because I didn’t pay much attention to Mike.

  ‘Come on we’ll go find out.’ I take her hand —she’s shaking so hard her teeth are chattering— and we climb out. I spot she’s wearing only a t-shirt that barely covers her ass. Her eyes meet mine as I’m about to ask why she’s half naked.

  ‘I was in the shower when he came.’ Her eyes flit to Charity and back to me. ‘It was all I could grab,’ she explains.

  As I open the door to the kitchen the first thing I notice is the pool of blood by Patricks mouth. He’s still out cold and Mike is now up on his feet untied and being tended to by Andre. Charity runs past the both of us and throws her arms around him. I take my jacket off and hand it to Chloe, and she wraps it around her waist.

  I stare intently at Mike. ‘Was he alone? Have you seen anyone else?’

  He looks up and shakes his head. ‘I didn’t see anyone else he completely blindsided me.’ His hand reaches up to the huge bleeding lump on his head. Chloe dashes off to the bathroom and as I go to follow her I notice her PJ pants on the floor by the counter. I close my eyes against the pain tightening my chest. That red mist lowers once more and as it descends I hear a groan at my feet.

  ‘You bastard’ I kick Patrick in the ribs once twice and again in the head, but it doesn’t satisfy me. As I pull my foot back aiming it at his skull Charity cries out behind me.

  ‘Stop please.’

  ‘He needs to fucking die.’ I growl at her.

  ‘Go.’ Andre lifts his chin telling me to go after Chloe. ‘I’ll secure him. I turn without another word and go after her. I find her scrubbing herself in the shower. I strip and go in behind her reaching for the loofah she’s using. As my hand touches hers she screams and jumps forward away from me.

  ‘It’s me, baby it’s just me.’ I reassure her.

  Collapsing into my arms she cries silently, as her body shakes in my arms, all I can do is hold her. I want to know what he did to her, I need to know what he did, but at this moment in time I can’t ask her. This is what she needs from me. Just this and nothing more.

  As I hold her, the images I have in my mind of her half naked and finding her pj bottoms on the floor in the kitchen work me over like some evil invader. I can’t get the horrible pictures out of my mind. A cry rips out from inside me, and I’m just as shocked as Chloe as she looks up into my eyes, the water cascading down her back.

  ‘Did he… Did he…’ I swallow the lump in my throat as I try desperately to get the words out. ‘I’m so sorry Chloe, I’m so fucking sorry.’ I squeeze her tight to my chest.

  ‘He didn’t rape me,’ she says so quietly I can barely hear her over the din of the water. Relief floods through me, but then she hiccups. ‘He tried. But, Charity got me out.’

  ‘Thank god for Charity,’ I say barely able to keep my emotions in check. ‘You need to talk about it?’ I offer but she shakes her head she isn’t ready, and honestly neither am I. I hold her tight and let her cry into my chest.

  ***

  Chloe

  Dom carries me from the bathroom straight into our room and gently lays me down on the bed.

  He covers me and then tosses
on his sleep shorts and t-shirt. I try to will the tears to stop falling from my eyes, but I just can’t. They’re tears of pain, and anguish and tears of happiness for this finally being over. Dom pulls me even closer and the wetness from his own tears hit my skin.

  ‘Baby I’m alright. We’re alright now.’ Dom says. I pull away enough to bring his face closer.

  Clasping his strong jaw in my hand, I bring his mouth to mine, tenderly kissing the pain away. My lips move to his cheeks and kiss away his tears too. His hands thread through my hair and he brings my lips back to his.

  ‘I’m so sorry I let that bastard get to you, baby.’ He gently sucks my bottom lip into his mouth. ‘I’m so fucking sorry.’ He puts all his feelings into kissing me and I take in all that I can.

  ‘I love you, Dominic.’

  ‘I love you too.’ I look deep into his multi-coloured eyes and I see the truth that they hold. This man has been through everything for me. Put himself and the people he holds dear in danger. All to save me. I pull him in and put everything I have into kissing him, showing him how much I love him in return.

  The feeling the need to wash away everything that’s happened and replace it with love and happiness, I reach down, grabbing the hem of his grey cotton shirt and pull it over his head.

  ‘We don’t have to do this, Chloe.’

  ‘I need you, Dom. I need you.’ His lips meet mine once again, but this time with vigour and a purpose. His hands caress my sides as they make their way to the place where I need him the most. He nibbles down my neck reaching his lips for my nipple. As he pulls it into his mouth he inserts a finger into my soaking wet pussy. I moan out at the sensations and my body lifts towards him.

  ‘I need you inside me, Dom, now.’ My gaze pleads with his. ‘Please, Dom.’ The emptiness from him removing his finger is filled only seconds later as I feel him there, rubbing my wetness back and forth, preparing to enter me. In one swift movement, he’s there my body begins to tremble. ‘Make love to me, Dominic.’ And he does. Slowly bringing me to the edge and then letting me come back down before doing it all over again. His mouths meets mine one last time before his strokes start to become frantic as he tightens within me. My hips raise up to meet his, both of us releasing at the same time.

  Collapsing down on top of me, we remain there until our breathing evens and my heart rate makes it back to normal. He raises his eyes and meets mine.

  ‘Chloe, when this is all over with, will you marry me? Right away. No waiting.’ My heart stops. The look on his face tells me he’s for real. But seriously, who am I kidding.

  ‘Yes. Yes, I will.’ My heart soars as he pulls me into his arms, placing small kisses all over my forehead.

  In that moment, a scary thought crosses my mind. Oh my God, the other guys that drove up.

  ‘Dom, there were a least two more vehicles that drove up when Charity and I were hiding out behind the shed. Did you guys find them?’

  ‘What? No, we didn’t find anyone else. Shit.’ He jumps out of bed and throws on some basketball shorts. The door practically slams open and then closed behind him, leaving me with only the sound of his pounding footsteps as he runs down the hall.

  Dom

  ‘ANDRE?’ I SHOUT as I near the kitchen, ‘Andre?’

  ‘I’m here? What is it?’ He comes through the door into the hall.

  ‘Chloe said there were others, Patrick wasn’t alone. Did your men sweep the grounds?’ The look on his face tells me they didn’t. How could we be so fucking stupid. ‘Get them back here now, we need to make sure this place is secure.’

  He gets on the phone ‘Where are you?’ he asks right away, ‘turn around we need the grounds sweeping.’ He covers the speaker and looks to me. ‘I’m so fucking tired I need to get my head in the game.’ He’s obviously annoyed with himself.

  ‘They far away?’ I ask a little on edge.

  ‘Not far away thankfully.’ He starts making plans and as he does that I head back to the bedroom, I’m not leaving Chloe alone when Patrick’s men could be anywhere.

  ‘Is everything okay?’ she asks, worry all over her face.

  I nod. ‘Yeah, babe but you need to get dressed okay? I want you to stay with your dad and Charity while we check out the woods. You need to all be together.’

  ‘Of course.’ She pulls on some joggers and one of my t-shirts which buries her but the sight of her in my clothes is still a turn on even in this fucked up situation. She catches me looking at her and gives me a small smile as she takes my hand. ‘I’m ready,’ she says although there’s a tremor in her tone.

  We find the others in the kitchen and I watch as Chloe’s eyes linger on the discarded PJ bottoms on the floor. I move her past them and pick them up throwing them into the rubbish bin. She doesn’t say anything about it but she doesn’t object. I look to Andre for an ETA on his men.

  ‘They’re only about fifteen minutes out. They’ve just turned around and come back.’

  ‘It was stupid to assume he was alone,’ Mike chastises.

  ‘Mike, we never saw anyone leave the warehouse beforehand, it was a bad call, I’m sorry.’

  ‘Sorry won’t cut it when we get attacked because you took your eye off the ball.’ He sounds like he has a mouth full of cotton wool when he speaks because his face is such a mess.

  ‘We won’t. I’ve been vigilant.’

  Mike makes a sound like he’s scoffing at his answer but it comes out kind of strangled.

  ‘Boss you need to rest, you should sit down and relax a bit’ Andre motions toward the lounge.

  Charity hasn’t stopped fucking about with a sponge and water dabbing at his face.

  He wafts her away with his hand. ‘No, I’d rather stay in here.’ He turns to Charity. ‘Stop fucking fussing I’m fine.’ He tries to wave her off him again but she’s relentless and I almost laugh but hold it in. Only Chloe hears the snort I make in the back of my throat, it makes her smile and bite her lip as she also tries not to laugh. I take a gun from the counter and check the chamber making sure I’m good to go if needed and sit at the opposite side of the table to Mike and Charity. I indicate for Chloe to sit on my lap, and she comes willingly, resting her head in the crook of my neck and shoulder. This. This is what I want to be able to do on the daily without any threats. And she said yes. Fuck, we’re going to get hitched!

  ‘Do you mind if I speak with my dad?’ Charity asks of no one in particular just throwing it out in the room. We all look at each other and I’m not really sure I should answer, so I say nothing. But then neither does anyone else.

  ‘Charity do you really think that’s wise? Given the circumstance?’ Chloe asks. I feel a prickle of pride at my girl.

  ‘He’s still my dad, and he won’t hurt me.’

  ‘Oh sure, he was just going to sell you off to a fucking evil bastard for money.’ Mike chimes in. But it doesn’t hold any weight with her because she ignores it completely.

  ‘He won’t physically harm me,’ she says looking at Chloe.

  ‘Don’t look at me for an answer. You’re clearly going to do what you want regardless.’ Chloe snaps back.

  ‘I know it’s hard for you all to understand but—’

  ‘But you still love him, even after everything he’s put you through put us through?’ Chloe snaps again. Charity nods but has the decency to look ashamed about it.

  ‘He was going to rape me!’ She raises her voice now. ‘And what? You want to go down there and tell him you still love him?’ Charity suddenly finds her feet very interesting. But she says nothing. ‘Just go, you’re going to anyway.’ Chloe spits the words like venom.

  Mike shakes his head at Charity trying to get her to reconsider, but she walks to the door and heads out of sight to the basement. Chloe glares at Mike and I’m not sure what she was about to say but Charity shouts up the stairs.

  ‘He’s gone!’

  I haul ass past Charity and find his bindings cut through and a window smashed in the corner. Andre is only a second behi
nd me and he’s cursing the air blue. Mike hobbles to the top of the stairs with Chloe at his back and we all look down in disbelief. Why is shit never easy? As we all get back to the kitchen we hear two vans pull up. Andre moves the net curtain and peeks out, he visibly relaxes and opens the door letting his men inside.

  ‘Dom and I will stay inside with everyone, I want you all to fan out and find that greasy bastard.’ I look over to Chloe who looks pale and like she just might be sick. I grab some water and wet a kitchen towel, kneeling in front of her.

  ‘Chlo, you okay?’

  ‘Mm.’ She nods but it’s bullshit. ‘I’m…’ she swallows and looks like she’s going to be sick. ‘I’m just going…’ snapping her mouth closed she dashes for the bathroom and I follow to make sure she’s okay. She’s obviously scared out of her mind now that he’s on the loose again. Fuck we should have taken extra precautions. I’m about to close the door behind us and hold back her hair when a gunshot sounds from somewhere close.

  ***

  Chloe

  My head is deep in the toilet heaving up everything I’ve had to eat and drink today as I hear a gunshot go off behind me. It echoes in the toilet bowl while my head is in it and my ears ring.

  ‘Stay here.’ Dom commands, with instructions to lock the door after he closes it. I can’t hear any talking outside the bathroom, only a lot of shuffling around, right before I hear another two gunshots. A knock sounds at the door.

  ‘Chloe, it’s me. Let us in quickly.’ Dad’s voice filters through the wood of the door and I rush over flip the lock off. Him and Charity rush in the bathroom and he pushes her into the bathtub and whispers for her to stay down before turning to me and trying to give me the same command.

  ‘No dad, I don’t need to be in the tub. You climb in with her and take cover.’ Even with all the adrenaline running through me, I turn towards the toilet once again and dry heave into it.