Infidelity: Sacrifice (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Rae Riley

  “Cheese curds,” I gasped, spotting the sign. “We need to get some!”

  “What in the hell is a cheese curd?”

  “You’ve seriously never been to a fair before, have you?”

  “People like me don’t come to places like this,” he explained, examining the cheese curds through the glass window of the food truck. “Isn’t there anything less greasy?”

  “They’re delicious,” I promised, handing the person inside the food truck money and taking a bucket of cheese curds in return. I stabbed one with a fork and held it to his lips. “Try one.”

  Grimacing, he did as I asked. “They’re better than I expected,” he admitted.

  “Look,” I yelled. “They have funnel cakes!”

  “We just bought a whole bucket of cheese curds.”

  “So?” I shrugged.

  “I didn’t know that you liked to eat this much. You always pick at your food when we go out.”

  “That’s because you have me eating rich-people food,” I joked. “My body needs the deep-fried garbage. I’m wasting away.”

  Laughing, he took another bill out of his wallet. “One emergency deep-fried funnel cake coming up,” he said with a smile.

  “My knight in shining armor,” I teased, taking his hand.

  He ate most of the cheese curds while I ate most of the funnel cake. “It’s going to take a lot of time in the gym to work off these calories,” he complained, popping the last cheese curd in his mouth.

  “Yes,” I agreed. “But it was worth it.”

  “It’s time for me to pick a ride.”

  “Have you found another death trap that you’re willing to get on?” I asked.

  “We aren’t getting on anything,” he explained. “We’re going into the haunted house.”

  “Nope,” I declared, jumping off the picnic table I had been sitting on. “Actually, let me take back that nope and change it to a hell no! I don’t do haunted houses.”

  “Oh, there is no getting out of this,” he repeated, pulling my hand toward the attraction.

  “Bryce,” I whined, trying to sink my feet into the ground.

  “Don’t worry, darling,” he laughed, stopping to pull me into a hug. “Your knight in shining armor will protect you.”

  I trembled as we walked through the pitch-black house. I hated knowing that I was about to be scared, but not knowing exactly when. I heard the terrified voices of girls ahead of us and tried to prepare myself. Still, when a man dressed as a clown jumped out of the darkness, I screamed and turned into Bryce’s chest, gripping tightly to his shirt. I felt the vibration of his chuckle against my forehead.

  “You’re kind of cute when you’re scared,” he whispered into my ear.

  I stayed wrapped in his arms while we made our way through the dark maze. Every time a monster would jump out at us, I hid my face in his chest while he gave my shoulders another squeeze.

  “See?” he teased as we exited the haunted house. “We survived.”

  “Stop using my own words against me.”

  “Come on,” he urged. “There’s another ride I want to go on.”

  “It’s my turn to pick.”

  “Remember who’s in charge,” he reminded, his tone playful.

  “You don’t get to play that card. The day is mine, remember?”

  “You can pick two in a row after this,” he conceded. “What I have in mind is going to make you swoon.”

  “Chelsea Moore does not swoon,” I stated unequivocally, turning to face him.

  Pulling me against his chest, his fingers gently wrapped around my chin and tilted my face toward his. “She does now,” he smirked before his lips kissed mine.

  He was right. As our seats stopped at the top of the Ferris wheel and we stared at the beautiful sunset, I felt truly happy for the first time in over a week. One night of happiness didn’t erase the horrible things that Bryce had done to me, but I was content with knowing that he had the ability to show kindness.

  Chapter Nine

  The problem with Bryce wasn’t that he thought with his dick instead of his brain as Alton had accused him of doing. Bryce’s problem was that he was too smart for his own good. He was a master manipulator, a pathological liar, and a seriously talented actor. He continued to be the perfect gentleman. He opened doors for me, pulled out my chair, and wrapped his coat around my shoulders when the night air became chilly. There were times that I screwed up. I wasn’t used to behaving the way that he expected me to. However, as long as I apologized and showed him that I was trying, my mistakes were seemingly forgotten by the time we arrived home. His efforts weren’t limited to when we were in public. At Carmichael Hall, the charade continued. Comments about my being his whore had stopped. Sex with him had gone from bearable to almost enjoyable. There certainly weren’t handcuffs involved. He had so many people convinced that we were in love that even I had started to believe it. Maybe not that we were in love, but that at the very least, we were in a seemingly normal relationship. And then reality came crashing down around me.

  I was in the shower, getting ready for another date with Bryce. Savannah was talking and he wanted to keep it that way. With the water pouring over my head to rinse away the conditioner, I didn’t hear the glass door of the shower open. The first warning that I got that anyone had joined me was the hand wrapping around my neck. My back collided with the stone wall, the abrasive texture scraping my skin. Opening my eyes, I saw him. Bryce was standing under the water, fully clothed, with his hand wrapped around my neck. It wasn’t a way to keep me in place. He was choking me. My lips tingled from the lack of oxygen. I scratched at the back of his hands but it didn’t faze him. He had placed his legs in between mine so that I couldn’t kick him.

  “Fucking cunt,” he spat. “I told you not to call her. I told you that I would find out. You didn’t believe me.”

  It wasn’t just my lips that tingled as I fought for air. It was my entire face. Tears leaked from my eyes.

  “I tried to play nice,” he yelled.

  Suddenly, my neck was released. I gasped for air, however, the ability to do so lasted no more than a second before his fist collided with my abdomen. Any air that I had been able to take in was let out with a whoosh. With his hand around the back of my neck, he pushed me face first against the stone wall.

  “I tried to make it easier for you,” he continued.

  I heard his belt slide through the loops of his pants, but didn’t have time to react. I screamed as the first lash struck my wet skin and frantically reached behind to protect myself. He quickly grabbed my wrist and twisted, causing another scream to escape my lips.

  “If you try to cover yourself again, I’ll break your arm,” he threatened in a low voice.

  “Stop,” I pleaded through my tears. “I didn’t tell Alex anything!”

  It was the truth. Kay had told me that Alex had called the office looking for me, and when I spoke to my mom a couple of days later, she had confessed that Alex had called her looking for me as well. Mom insisted that Alex wasn’t angry and that Alex just seemed to be worried about me. All I had wanted to do was to let Alex know that I was all right.

  “Why can’t you use your phone?” Kay asked.

  “I told you,” I said with a sigh. “My phone is dead.”

  “What about your office phone?”

  “You know we aren’t supposed to use the office phone to make personal calls. Please, I just want to call my sister. It’ll be quick, I swear! I’ll even block your number.”

  “All right,” she agreed, handing me her phone.

  Quickly, I dialed the number that my mom had given me. I had waited until I was sure that Alex would be in class. I didn’t want to have a conversation with her. She would ask too many questions. I simply wanted to leave a voice mail to let her know that I was all right. I had thought all night about what to say. I needed to make sure that whatever I said wouldn’t be understood by listening ears, although I still held hope that Kay wouldn’t
say anything to Bryce.

  “Girl, Mom said you called,” I recited. “Things have been hectic. You know what we said? Life throws us curves, but we learn to swerve.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what you said,” he growled through gritted teeth. Another lash stung my skin. I fought the urge to cover myself as I cried. “I told you not to call her and you did.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whimpered, before the belt hit me for a third time.

  “You’re going to be.” He raised the belt to strike me again.

  ***

  I winced as Bryce stirred in his sleep behind me. Welts from his belt scattered my back, butt, and thighs. Bruises from his multiple punches covered my abdomen and sides. My scalp ached from his pulling my hair. My throat stung from a mixture of my screaming and the bruise that I was sure his choking me had caused. I whimpered as his arm that lay over my side tightened around my stomach. His teeth nipped at the back of my neck.

  “Ready for round two?” he whispered.

  The thought of more abuse caused me to burst into tears as my stomach twisted. “No,” I cried, my voice cracking.

  “I’m not sure that you’ve learned your lesson,” he taunted, rolling me onto my back. My body involuntarily arched away from the pressure of the mattress. His fingertips rested at the base of my neck, just below the bruise.

  “I have,” I promised.

  “Are you ever going to call Alexandria again?”

  I quickly shook my head.

  “I will find out, Chelsea. You think that Kay is your friend? She was all too willing to give up the information just for a little attention from the boss’s favorite employee.”

  My heart sank as more tears escaped the corners of my eyes.

  “I know everything that you do,” he continued. His hand moved upward and put pressure around my neck. Not enough to cut off my airflow, but enough to make me uncomfortable. My hands wrapped around his wrists, though I didn’t fight. Fighting him led to more pain. “Remember that before you make any more calls. I bet that you want to call Infidelity. Do you really think that they will come rushing in to save you just because I broke a little rule? Do you really think that they would want to lose that income and risk that exposure?” My heart pounded as his sickening laughter filled the room. “Do you really think that they would get here before I found out that you called them? Do you want to take that chance? Because, darling, what I did last night? That was nothing compared to what I will do to you if you try to leave me before our year is up. Understand?”

  “Yes, Bryce,” I whimpered.

  “That’s my good little whore.” He smirked, leaning down to kiss my sore lips. “Now, you have a job to do.” I felt his morning erection against my thigh and prayed that he would be gentle.

  Chapter Ten

  “Chelsea, Mr. Fitzgerald wants to see you in his office,” Kay said, standing at the opening to my cubicle.

  I didn’t respond. Instead, I stood and walked past her, toward the elevators. I hadn’t spoken to Kay since she told Bryce about my call to Alex. I hadn’t really spoken to anyone since that night, nearly a month before. I did what was necessary to perform my job in HR, not that that was hard. All that I was allowed to do was fetch coffee and deliver papers. I followed Bryce’s script and put on a show for his friends. There was no point in trying to make friends of my own. Kay had proved that no one could be trusted.

  I had contemplated calling Deloris. After all, Bryce still thought that she was my aunt. But his words still rang through my mind. Do you really think that they would get here before I found out that you called them? Do you want to take that chance? I didn’t. I couldn’t handle another night of torture.

  Alton’s secretary smiled at me as I approached. “Mr. Fitzgerald, Miss Moore is here,” she spoke into the intercom.

  “Send her in.”

  I walked past her desk and opened his door. As I expected, Bryce had been summoned as well. He was sitting on the couch. Refusing to meet his gaze, I closed the door and took my seat in front of Alton’s desk.

  “Chelsea, I need your help,” Alton stated.

  My body tensed. Alton Fitzgerald was not the type of man to ask for help. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew that whatever it was, it was shady.

  “Has Bryce told you about Mrs. Fitzgerald?” Alton asked. “Her drinking has gotten worse. She’s delusional and having hallucinations. She’s sick – really sick. I will be leaving soon to admit her to the hospital.”

  “Oh God,” I gasped, my hands moving to cover my mouth. “Alex…” My heart ached for her. I couldn’t imagine my mother being in the hospital, sick with hallucinations.

  “Needs to be home with her family,” Alton finished my sentence.

  Although my heart agreed, my head told me that Alex needed to stay as far away from Savannah as possible. I still hadn’t been able to find out if Alton was the one who hired someone to shoot at her in Central Park. “Does she know?” I asked, glancing toward Bryce. Talking about Alex usually made him angry. His being angry never worked out well for me.

  “No. You’re going to tell her,” Alton stated.

  “M-me?” I questioned, glancing toward Bryce once more. How was I supposed to tell Alex anything? I had been forbidden to contact her.

  “You’re going to send her a text,” Bryce explained, moving from his seat on the couch toward me.

  “She won’t listen to me,” I argued. “Not after what I’ve done.”

  “You are going to make her listen to you,” Bryce said, his hand resting on the back of my neck.

  “I don’t kno–,” I started to say. In an instant, Bryce covered my mouth and pulled downward on my ponytail. I whimpered against his hand as tears prickled my eyes.

  “Shut the fuck up, whore, and do as you are told,” he growled. Since the night he attacked me, nothing had gone unnoticed or unpunished. His patience with me had run out. Still, he had never acted this way in front of others before, not even Alton.

  I nodded against his grip and was quickly released. “What do you want me to say?” I quietly asked, desperately trying to hide my emotion. Something about having Alton witness Bryce’s abuse made it worse. I think it was because I knew that Alton wasn’t appalled by it. Instead, he approved.

  “Tell her that her mother is sick and that she needs to come home,” Alton instructed.

  Bryce pulled my cell phone out of my purse and typed in Alex’s number into the new message window. As Bryce handed me the phone, I tried to come up with a plan. I needed to warn Alex of the danger without Bryce and Alton knowing.

  Alex, it’s Chelsea. I know that you probably hate me and I’m not supposed to call you. Does texting count? I think it does. I thought you should know that your mom is sick. She’s getting worse and now they’re talking about putting her in a hospital. Even though I don’t have the right to say it, I think you should be here.

  Please don’t tell anyone, especially Bryce, that I contacted you.

  I’m deleting this text from my phone as soon as I send.

  I am sorry. Please don’t call me back.

  Bryce looked it over and hit send. I hoped that my warning about Bryce would let her know not to come. It was too dangerous.

  Alton took a cell phone out of his desk drawer. It didn’t look like his own; it looked cheap.

  “Be quiet,” Bryce warned as Alton dialed a number into his phone.

  “What is she doing?” Alton asked into the phone.

  Is he talking about Adelaide? Or Alex?

  There was silence as Alton waited for the person on the other end of the call to respond. My stomach twisted as a devious grin graced Alton’s lips.

  “Continue to track her and let me know of any changes,” Alton requested before hanging up the phone. He turned his attention to us. “It looks like Alexandria Collins will be returning home. She is on her way to the airport.”

  My expression paled as I realized that they had used me. What have I done? Is Adelaide even sick?
/>
  “Fill Chelsea in on the plan and make sure that the suite is ready for Alexandria,” Alton ordered, glancing at Bryce before filling his briefcase with papers.

  Bryce nodded, grabbed my upper arm, and pulled me out of my chair. Silently, he led me from Alton’s office to his own. He didn’t speak as he closed the door and walked over the window. And then suddenly, he started to laugh. It was a full on belly-laugh. I wasn’t sure how to react, but instinctively knew that whatever he was laughing about wasn’t funny.

  “I had given up on Alexandria,” he started. “There was no way in hell that she was going to move home and marry me. Now the slut has no choice.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Moving to a chair, I sat in stunned silence as Bryce explained the will of Alex’s grandfather. I couldn’t believe that her own grandfather had arranged her marriage. Still, I was sure that Alex wouldn’t do anything just because some dead guy’s will told her to – until Bryce told me about Alton’s plan to keep Alex from her mother unless she agreed to the marriage.

  “Please don’t do this to Alex,” I begged, moving from my seat to stand in front of him. “Please. You have me. I’m your alibi. You don’t need another one.”

  “This isn’t about a fucking alibi,” he spat. “This is about marrying into the wealthiest family in Savannah, inheriting Montague Corporation, and finally owning the only woman in the world to turn me down. Alex brought this on herself. Everything would have been so much simpler if she'd never left Savannah.”

  I couldn’t help the tears that slid down my cheeks. “Please don’t hurt her,” I cried.

  “Don’t worry, my little whore.” He smiled, pulling me into his embrace. “I’m not going to hurt her. That’s what I have you for.”

  My stomach somersaulted as I resisted the urge to throw up the breakfast I had consumed.

  “My mother is waiting for you outside,” he continued. “You will go shopping with her. I want you to buy things that Alexandria likes – hair products and makeup. Make sure that you get her brands. I want her to be happy.”