I cringed at the thought. I’d stepped from the frying pan into the fire, that’s the only way I could describe it, short of saying it was hell.
“It’s okay, bella. I’m not judging you. I know that you did everything possible to keep me safe. Telling me you love me explains everything. I just need to know what you went through to understand how to help you through all this. Maybe something you say will provide a clue, a way out of all this mess.”
I shook my head. “But you don’t know the full story of who I am, and I sure as hell don’t know much about Liam. I tried to investigate him without him knowing, but I got punished.” I flinched, realizing I’d said too much.
Rafe’s face darkened with fury, his fists clenching. With as much control as he could muster, he asked, “Punished how?”
My head fell forward, more tears escaping from my eyes, a shudder racked through my body. “If he wasn’t trying to starve me, or force me to lose more weight, he would hit me. He wanted me to become his mistress, but wanted me thin and radiant, not a fat cow like me.”
I felt the restraints on my arms loosen, as his arms surrounded me and pulled me into his lap. His voice was weak, full of emotion. “I wish I’d known. I would’ve fought harder for you.”
He felt responsible. I couldn’t let him blame himself. I looked up into his face, and wrapped my arms around his neck for support. “No one knew. No one could save me.”
He squeezed me tighter and I could feel his love and strength flow into me. “I would’ve saved you, but you’re so strong, you ended up saving yourself.”
“I didn’t do it alone. My parents helped. Speaking of whom, there’s something you need to know about me.” I didn’t want to lose his trust, but maybe he’d understand if I told him my family’s past.
“I know everything I need to know, Doniska.” His words were a whisper as he placed a gentle kiss against my temple. “But you’ll always be Dawn to me.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Our security had been breeched! Had someone found our classified files and knew where we were hiding? “I need a phone. I need to alert my parents and sister, so they’ll be safe. No one should know where they are.”
Rafe rocked me gently in his arms. “No need. I’ve already destroyed the file on your family, shredded it completely.”
“How did you find out?”
“Our head bodyguards have military connections and were able to dig into your past, but I was given strict instructions to destroy everything. We know they were covert operatives, and we trust them implicitly to protect our family. We're on a need to know basis where they’re concerned.”
He held me closer. “I get that Liam hurt you and had power over you by threatening my life. I need to know everything, but why don’t we start with something easy. I’m dying to know how you managed to escape.”
I smiled. “You can probably guess, being the daughter of operatives, we were used to taking on new identities, changing our appearances, and moving around a lot. That’s why I treasured being in one place for the past four years and finally making friends. Being here in Orlando felt like home to me.”
The next parts were not going to be flattering, so I took a deep breath and pushed through. “When I returned to Atlanta, Liam punished me.” He winced, but I continued. “He’d planned to force me into his bed after I returned from the wedding. But I ruined his plans by seeing you and ‘sullying myself’ - his words not mine - so he wouldn’t even touch me at all. He decided to have a guard on me at all times. The only time I had any freedom was inside of the apartment or at work. Any time I left the building, someone was always with me.”
He shook his head. “So that’s why you were never able to talk to me. Was he listening in at home, too?”
I nodded. “I’d suspected, by some of the things he’d said - private conversations I’d had with my family - that, at the very least, he’d had the apartment bugged. I did mange, once, to outsmart one of the bodyguards and I high tailed it to the police station and reported Liam’s physical abuse. I had hoped to obtain a restraining order against him.” I looked up into his eyes, “It wasn’t possible. He had most of the cops in his back pocket. They’d called me a liar, told me what an upstanding citizen he was, and then called him to have one of his men pick me up.”
Rafe loosened his hold on me, causing one of the sleeves to fall down, exposing most of my back. I quickly tried to pull it back into place; his hands caressed the exposed skin, but stopped when he felt the scars. He pulled the rest of my dress down and turned me. His voice filled with anguish, “Your beautiful skin. Please tell me these are from an accident, or that you’d hurt yourself. Don’t tell me that bastard beat you.”
“I wish I could. When he was done with me it was almost a week before I was able to wear clothes, sit in a chair, or return to work. The beating was worse after the police fiasco.”
All he could ask was, “Why?”
“He had placed cameras inside Dane’s condo and saw everything we’d done that night. He’d told me that if I wanted to be a whore and enjoyed being smacked around, then he’d give me exactly what I wanted.”
I felt his tears hit my shoulder. I couldn’t believe this man was crying for me.
“He never touched me sexually. He wouldn’t. He said I was too impure; that he’d have to beat the filth out of me. There was nothing I could do except take it. The more I complained, or fought, the worse it was.”
I didn’t like what I was about to show him, but I stood up and turned my back to him and lifted the bottom of my dress, pulling down my satin underwear. I heard an audible gasp. “Oh, God, no,” before I felt the gentle touch of his hands.
“When I came back from Orlando, he’d only used his belt on my ass. But after I'd gone to the police station, he was furious with me. This time he striped most of my back with his belt. To show that he owned me, he tied me down to the bed and hired a tattoo artist to come in and put his mark on me.”
His hands went down to the mark I knew he was staring at. It had been the sign of the trinity, similar to the company’s logo, but instead of McLeigh International Wealth, it read ‘Liam’s filthy whore’.
I thought Rafe would reject me, open the safe-room door and make me fend for myself, but he didn’t. I felt him rise from the bed, lifting my underwear in the process, before turning me to face him. He looked so sad, but I didn’t want his pity. I’d survived and gotten out of there.
I was surprised when he pulled me closer, kissing me gently on the forehead. “I don’t like what he put you through. I want to cut off the bastard’s balls and shove him down his throat, hoping he chokes to death on them. I think we can fix this; but even if we can’t, you are still the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I’ll get you the best plastic surgeons money can buy to try and reduce the scarring. His mark is only a tattoo; it can be removed or covered. If need be we can have it altered and I’ll get one too, so we match.”
I laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood.
He decided to change the subject. “I’m going to put the food away and draw us a bath.”
I started to argue because I didn’t want him to see what else I was hiding. “Were you going to argue with your Dom, little one? The bath is not open to discussion. We will have one. I’d like you to pull us out a couple of towels and some sleepwear to change into. This discussion is not over, not by a long shot.”
If Liam had given me that directive, I would’ve told him to go to hell. But I knew Rafe truly cared for me. He’d shown me numerous times I could trust him, but was he ready to find out something that could change his life?
I PUT THE FOOD away, taking note that some pre-made protein shakes were in the fridge. Maybe I could convince Dawn to drink one later. According to Marissa and my brother, she hadn’t been able to keep much down while she was there. I was surprised to see how little she was able to eat earlier. She’d dismissed it as stress at their place, but I wondered if Liam had hurt her badly enough to cause permanent injury. If this
continued, I’d ask dad if he could sneak a doctor in to take a look at her.
I was happy to see Dawn had followed my instructions and had a pair of boxers waiting for me on the bed, along with a long t-shirt for herself. I could hear the water running and followed the scent of lavender into the bathroom. I grew hard, remembering the night we’d enjoyed, many months before with her riding me in the tub. I wondered how much damage Liam had cause to her psyche, and whether or not we had any chance of being intimate any time soon.
I came up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to my chest. My nose stroked her hair and savored the subtle cherry scent of her shampoo. I pressed a kiss into her hair. “I’ve missed you, bella. It feels like a dream to have you here in my arms.”
She leaned back into me. “I’ve missed you too, Rafe. I did everything I could to protect you. I would have come to you instead of Marissa, had I’d known about this safe-room.”
I stroked my hands down the front of her dress and began working on the remaining buttons. She shook her head and stepped away. “Not until you’re undressed.”
She took her time undressing me, looking at every inch like she was committing my body to memory. Her hands shied away from my cock, which bobbed eagerly against my stomach. I didn’t want to scare her. “I’m sorry, baby. Whenever you’re in the room, my cock has a mind of its own.”
She smiled at the gesture, before stepping back and slipping out of her underwear. She started to unbutton her dress, but seemed to have second thoughts. “Why don’t you get into the water first and I’ll follow, but only if you close your eyes. I’m a little self-conscious about my scars.”
I knew the scars were there, and I wanted to beat the man responsible for putting them there within an inch of his life, but when I looked at her all I saw was perfection. I guess that’s what my family meant when you meet the love of your life. You’re blind to any imperfections and see only the beauty from within. To me she was radiant, glowing even.
I moved past her to step into the tub, but gave her a gentle swat to her thigh. “Just as long as you remember who’s in charge here.”
“I do, sir.”
I turned off the faucet and sank down into a sea of bubbles. I leaned back and closed my eyes, waiting for her to join me. It wasn’t long before I felt the water stir and her back mold itself to my front. She’d trusted me enough to relax against me. That was the first indication that her mind was in a good place.
I reached around and cradled her breasts, pulling her closer to me. A soft moan escaped her lips, causing my cock to harden even more. She tensed when she felt it against the crease of her ass. “Sorry, love. It has a mind of its own.”
She smirked. “And what a lovely mind it is.”
I could see this becoming sexual very quickly if I didn’t get things under control. “Are you ready to tell me how you managed to escape Liam and get down here to Orlando? You have me curious.”
She laid her head against my shoulder and drew circles with her fingers against my arms. “After a few months in hell, I realized I had no other recourse than to ask my parents for help. Years ago, we’d set up a system to use when one of us was in trouble. I just needed to wait for their call, which they already did on a weekly basis, since Liam refused to let me make any outgoing phone calls.”
She shook her head, remembering something, before continuing. “My mother had asked me how I was doing, and when I replied, ‘Happy as a lark,’ it sent a red flag that I was in trouble. Anything we discussed after that statement would be construed as the exact opposite.
“I couldn’t tell her what was going on because I found a tap on my landline and cell. So I had to be careful. She went on to ask me how everything was going, and I’d responded by letting her know I was fine. She kept asking questions until she finally brought up work.”
I didn’t want to interrupt, but had to know. “So she’d ask about something, and you’d answer the exact opposite to how things really were? How’d she know to ask you about work? How long have you had this system in place? Does she pretend to be your grandmother on the phone?”
She looked back at me and smiled. “The system has been in place since before I was born. We were taught to use codes for emergencies, learned several different languages, so we could easily acclimate to our surroundings, some self-defense moves, and even some computer hacking skills. We didn’t have the typical childhood, but it was fun learning all the insiders’ knowledge in our world. And yes, she carries on her grandmother persona over the phone in case anyone’s eavesdropping. It’s the safest way for all of us to keep in touch.”
“I’d always wondered why you never asked me to translate anything I said in Italian to you. Everybody else always asks me what I’m saying or to speak English.” I mused.
“I guess the report didn’t tell you that I speak fluent Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and French.”
I could sense the pride she had in her accomplishments and wished we’d met a long time ago. Her skill set with languages, along with her degree, would’ve made her an invaluable asset to our family’s company. If only I’d known, maybe all of this could’ve been avoided. But something deep in my mind told me that wasn’t the case.
Dawn went on to enlighten me. “After mom realized where the trouble was, she got my father on the phone. My birthday wasn’t for another month, but he’d asked me if I’d like a new hairdryer that my sister had been raving about because it had two speeds and several temperature settings. He emphasized two, which indicated there would be two burner phones hidden in the unit. He’d also told me that my sister had the latest tablet out on the market and wanted to know if I’d like her old one, since mine had been on the fritz.”
She leaned back, looking into my eyes. “My tablet was just fine, but I started cursing it in case I was being watched, so the gift wouldn’t be suspicious.”
She had me curious. “Okay, you have me confused, why the tablet?”
She smiled, the first genuine one I’d seen in a long time. “He’d offered to send the tablet with a few classical works already pre-loaded, along with a gift card from Amazon to download as many e-books as I wanted. He’d told me, ‘I know Charles Dickens is one of your favorite authors, so I’ll enclose a copy of David Copperfield. I was fortunate to find one with a very rare chapter that had been omitted from the original copy. Be sure to check it out.’ I knew instantly that he had something planted on the device that would come in handy.”
I had no clue where her story was leading or how all these electronics helped her escape. “So why the tablet and the copy of David Copperfield?”
Dawn shifted in the tub, her eyes lighting up a bit, as she continued. “Dad gave me a week to get the items. The security guards scrutinized all the gifts, but I got them. The book had a hidden chapter that, when opened, turned the device into a scanner. It emitted signals that triangulated the locations of bugs, video cameras, and any other devices that weren’t part of a normal household, and created an on-screen map, so I would know where everything was. That’s when I realized that he had cameras and bugs everywhere, watching my every move, except in the hallway. If I opened the door to the hallway and turned on the vacuum cleaner, I could do anything I wanted and not be observed.”
I was amazed. I had no idea how all the high-tech spyware worked, but I was never so thankful for her to have the family she did. But I was still curious. “How did you get the burner phones out of the hairdryer without being discovered? Wouldn’t they have tested the thing to see that it works?”
She nodded. “It worked and the phones were protected in a special case inside of it. I used it a couple of times, then faked that it no longer worked.” She laughed. “I faked a hissy fit, and ranted that my sister had sent me a piece of junk. So I went to the hall closet and pulled out a tool kit. I kept the door open and proceeded to remove the phones and place them inside an umbrella hidden in the closet for later use. I wanted to call my parents right then, but t
aking too much time would be suspicious, so I waited until I was vacuuming where I kept the door open, and used one of the burners to call my dad.”
She had me on the edge of my seat. “And?”
“He told me that my ‘Uncle’ Tony, would be calling to set up a time to secure me. He’d call me at work and arrange to have lunch. I was to take only my tablet, the remaining burner phone, and whatever I had to have in my purse. Nothing more, or else it would draw suspicion. When I was done, I made a quick call to Marissa, the one I’m guess you heard, then I vacuumed the entire apartment, took the trash from the bathroom and bedroom, along with the burner phone and the stupid hair dryer my sister sent, put it in my trash compactor and destroyed the evidence.”
She was on a roll, so I just sat back and listened. “That Friday, Uncle Tony called and told me he’d be in town for a few days on business and wanted to take me out to lunch the following Tuesday.”
Her shoulders slumped and the expression on her face changed. “When Tony got to the office, Liam refused to let me leave. Thankfully, Tony is the size of a tank, even larger than Liam’s bodyguards. Tony told him, “You have one minute to give me a good explanation why I can’t take my dead brother’s daughter to lunch. I haven’t seen her in years and I won’t be kept from my family. Do I need to get my friend, Captain Mitchell, down at the police headquarters to come and investigate why you refuse to allow one of your employees to have lunch with her uncle?” Liam was shaking in his boots and didn’t argue. A bodyguard didn’t escort me to lunch, but I could sense that someone was following us, so did Tony.”
I had to ask. “You’d told me that Liam had the police department was in his pockets. How could your uncle get away with his threat, if that were the case?”
She slapped at my shoulder. “My father and Tony managed to find out that he had fewer people in his pocket than I first thought. Turns out that the guy I’d reported Liam’s abuse to just happened to be one of his informants. Tony is a good friend of Captain Mitchell’s. He used to be an operative before turning to police work. He claimed it was less stressful.”
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