Forever Marked (Marked Series Book 1)

by Jesse Lorenzo

  “Ah, ah, ah, you're a wily one, you are!” Behr rolled with her, squeezing her tight against him. Her back was to his front, like they were spooning, before he started in on his tickle torture. Ellora wiggled and wiggled, and as a result of her constant squirming, her shirt shimmied up a few inches in the back. He stopped his onslaught abruptly. She could feel the emotional separation almost immediately. She wanted his caring warmth to embrace her again. Instead, she felt an icy chill coming from his direction.

  Ellora looked over her shoulder. Behr gave a heavy mournful sigh, tracing his finger over the healing gash. He traced it so softly she barely felt him. As he looked down at her, his eyes pleaded with her, silently begging for her permission. She nodded once. This large, oppressive man bent down and gently trailed soft kisses along her scarring back. Surprisingly enough, Ellora actually didn't mind. His touch was accepting, supportive, protective, and loving all rolled up into one. He laid one more long lingering kiss, then lowered her shirt down. He slowly sat up, bringing her up with him.

  “Are you ready to tell me what happened, Ellora?”

  Behr held both of her hands, gently squeezing them for assurance. Ellora turned around to sit Indian-style, facing him. Her anxiety level rose to where she had an extremely hard time breathing. With watering eyes and several ragged breaths, she slowly nodded as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t hide what happened anymore, and she didn’t want to. Not from Behr.

  He had been nothing but extremely patient with Ellora since the very first night she’d arrived. She struggled inwardly on how, or where, to begin. Shaking her head jerkily, she stuttered, “I… I'm not sure I know how to begin.”

  Behr scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. Just start from the beginning, love. There is no one else around, just you and me.”

  Her eyes darted around, not really focusing on anything in particular. Her mind was fuzzy whenever she tried to think about all the events that led up to her escape. It was like her thoughts were scattered and out of order.

  “Well, I guess I should go back to before my parents passed away.” Ellora could feel him nod his head as his stubble caught on her hair.

  “Start wherever you can, love.” She leaned into his hold and let her mind go back to a time she’d tried so hard to forget.

  “Well, my father grew increasingly agitated working with his corporate shark partners. I remember hearing him talk to my mother about how they did not work honestly. They were corrupt, immoral, and used threats and blackmail to get what they wanted. They had no honor or values, which was very important to my father.” Behr squeezed her arm supportively, agreeing with her loving statement about her father.

  Ellora reluctantly removed herself out of Behr’s all-consuming and loving arms. The separation instantly made her feel hollow and cold inside. “Behr, remember when I told you about the one man who demanded to take me out?” His caring and concerned expression turned rigid as he nodded once. “He is the very same man who’s responsible for everything that’s happened to me. He made several forceful passes at me, and every time, I refused him or ran, the more fixated he became with making me comply with his needs. Oh, Behr, I’ve never met someone so vile… so disgustingly creepy as this man. Just one look in his lifeless eyes, and you know you’re in the presence of evil.”

  Behr closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He would let her continue the story because she was finally opening up to him, trusting him enough to unload her deepest darkest secret she’d been keeping. But he had a devastating feeling deep in his gut that grew with each word uttered from her story. He had a pretty good idea where this story was headed, and he wasn’t sure how he’d take it when he heard his angel speak the words. Already, he wanted to find this bastard and end him. No mercy and no second chances for the man who dared put his hands on the woman he cherished.

  After several moments of sorting out the horrid events in order, Ellora continued. “Well, his advances escalated to the point where I pretty much clung to my father and any of the other colleagues we worked with, for fear of being alone. I was terrified that I’d end up coming face-to-face with him… Who knew what he would do if he ever got me alone? And I never wanted to find out.”

  Behr couldn’t believe his ears. Anger burned hot inside him. Beads of sweat formed on his temples from the effort it took to hold in his outrage. What man treats a woman like this? “Ellora, why didn’t you go to your father? To the authorities?

  She looked down in shame. Her hair fell like a curtain around her face, hiding herself off from him. “I felt like it wasn’t safe to tell anyone. He was very wealthy and had a lot of people who worked for him… including local police. He’d threatened my father, and he threatened me.” Ellora shrugged her shoulders after the short statement. She would always regret not saying anything, not trying. Maybe her father would still be alive if she had. That, or maybe she’d be dead with them.

  Behr’s heart constricted when he caught a glimpse of the pain that was imprinted on her face. He could feel the regret pouring out of her as if he was feeling it himself. Behr pulled his broken angel into the safety of his arms. “I understand why you didn’t. You loved them so much. You were just trying to protect them, even if that meant putting yourself in danger.”

  Ellora continued her story as her head rested against his chest. The sound of his heart comforted her. “Well, one day, the very thing I feared most happened… I found myself completely alone in the abandoned warehouse I was working in. He showed up like he knew I would be. That’s when he pushed me up against the wall and… and… it was the first time he actually assaulted me.” Ellora had a hard time verbalizing everything that was done out loud. She squeezed her eyes shut. An overwhelming ickiness crawled over her skin, and she felt extremely sick to her stomach. She was moments away from vomiting. Just the thought of Dalton touching her made her feel like she’d eaten a bucket of worms.

  Behr pushed her back to look her in the face. His was red with fury. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were completely dilated, making the blue irises disappear. Breathing raggedly, his chest heaved as he tried hard to keep his anger under control. Behr hissed out of clenched teeth, “Ellora. Did he… Tell me he didn’t…” Ellora quickly interrupted him before he could finish.

  “No. He never got the chance. My father walked in, and I struggled out of his hold and ran out.” She decided to skip the details of Dalton’s attack that day and move on. It wasn’t something either of them wanted to hear out loud.

  “That definitely was the straw that broke the camel’s back. My father handed in his resignation that very day. He came home a few hours later, while I was in the middle of preparing for my college admissions essays. I couldn’t wait to get as far away from Dalton as possible. My dad stormed in, demanding that we pack our things immediately. We were leaving. We would head out that very same day. Afraid I’d lose the chance of a lifetime, I refused to go with them. The admissions cut-off was in a few days. Stubbornly, I demanded that I stay behind. I told him I’d catch up with them in a few hours, and that I’d be fine on my own.”

  Behr shook his head. He closed his eyes and ran both hands through his hair roughly. Ellora knew what he was thinking… that she was stupid for staying behind. “My father reluctantly agreed, but not before checking my car over, making sure that everything was running properly, that the tank was full and I had a spare tire, just in case. I thought his behavior was odd for him. He was acting paranoid, and he wouldn't explain why. He would stop what he was doing every once in a while and look over his shoulder or up and down the street, like he was looking for someone.”

  Ellora paused the story for a moment, wiping the tears that streamed down her face with the back of her hand. Swallowing the dry lump in her throat, she took a shaky breath in and closed her eyes tight. Behr felt her petite little body quake. Seeing the tears fall made him feel hollow inside. He wanted to shield her from all the hur
t she’d ever felt. He wished he could take it all from her, and carry the pain of it himself. They sat facing each other, her legs over his and his around her. He rubbed her arms, trying to soothe her. After a moment she continued.

  “They left that afternoon. I kept so busy I didn't realized that I hadn't heard from my parents all night. I... I got news of their accident the following morning.” Behr let out a pained groan. He closed his eyes and dipped his head.

  A mournful sob escaped Ellora as she thought about her last moments with her parents. The painful ache she still felt ripped her heart wide open. Behr wrapped the fragile girl in his arms, rubbing her back in soothing circles. He let her cry out. After several minutes passed, Ellora reined in any lingering emotions that over took her, regaining some control, and after a moment, she finally continued.

  “I couldn't believe it.” Shrugging, she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the burning tingling sensation that always came when she tried hard NOT to cry. Ellora shook her head side to side. “I still can't believe they’re gone. I lost the only two people in the world who cared about me.”

  Behr cupped her face and rained kisses all over her wet cheeks and trembling lips. “I’m here, love. I care. You’re not alone anymore.”

  Ellora was deep inside her head relaying the story. She didn’t respond to Behr’s loving declaration. She just continued the story.

  “I met with our family's lawyer. He was the only man my father trusted, Mr. Jonathan Lawrence. He made arrangements for their funeral, and tried to tell me that he was going forward with his own investigation. Mr. Lawrence was taking a more thorough look at their accident. He had spoken with my father before he left, and there was definitely something in his tone that prompted him to look into the matter a little deeper before it was closed. He also tried to go over a possible change in the Will that concerned me if, what he found in his investigation, turned out to be exactly as he suspected. But I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to listen to anything more. I was stricken with so much grief, I was sick over it and just walked out. I just didn’t care.”

  Ellora sat for a minute, thinking. When she raised her head up, she saw grief mirrored on Behr's face. His concern for her was etched in his expression as he sat there with her silently, listening.

  “After several months passed, I was approached by Dalton Ramsey Claiborne himself. He actually had the gall to come to my house after all that’d happened. He was accompanied with two men that looked like his bodyguards. They threatened, strong-armed, and bullied a scared, weak-willed and grieving girl into going back to work. He was desperate to have me back… to finish the contracted project that had been put on hold for far too long -- the very same project my father was in charge of finishing. I reluctantly agreed to go back to work the following week, but I only agreed in order to get them out of my house. There was no way I would ever step foot in that place ever again. I didn't care what happened anymore.”

  Behr nodded, prompting her to go on when she stared off, lost in her own thoughts. “Go on, love. I’m still here. I’m listening.”

  “Lots of investors started backing out of the project, fearing incompletion. I’d cost the company LOTS of money. That's when I noticed things getting... weird.” Behr stiffened when he felt Ellora’s body shudder with the memory she was reliving. “I noticed dark SUVs following me. I felt like I was being watched whenever I went out. Then there were the late night hang up calls that had me thinking I was losing my mind. So I had my cell turned off for several days and just hid. I was reminded of the frantic look my father had when he tried to uproot us and leave. That was the first time I started wondering if their accident was really an accident.” Behr’s eyes narrowed in understanding as his jaw ticked. His tension had him coiled up so tight he felt ready to snap. His nostrils flared as he grasped what she was implying.

  “When I turned my cell back on, there were dozens of messages that I’d either ignored or missed from our lawyer, Jonathan Lawrence. I called him immediately and voiced him my fears, and made an appointment that afternoon to meet with him. I got myself ready, but when I walked outside toward my car, I saw that it was leaking some kind of fluid. It had left a large puddle. I was so paranoid I didn't think it was wise to drive it like that, so instead, I just called a cab to take me to Mr. Lawrence's office.”

  Behr’s breathing started to escalate the further into the story Ellora told. He clenched his teeth and fisted his hands at his side. Ellora paused, but he looked her in the eyes and nodded for her to go on. He had to keep reminding himself to stay calm for her. It was harder for her to tell the story than it was for Behr to hear it. It’d do neither of them any good if he flipped out.

  “When I arrived I told him all my fears, and he validated each one when he told me that it was no accident… My parents were murdered. He urged me to get out of there, to hide. I wasn't safe anymore. He handed me an envelope, which contained all the evidence he had collected along with some documents my father sent to him through the mail the day before his death. They contained incriminating and illegal events that he had compiled, collected, and saved while working with Dalton. He must’ve known something bad would happen. His findings were very detailed and thorough.

  “I told him to keep it, just in case anything was to happen to me.”

  Behr interrupted with one word, “Ellora!” He brought her in tight to him and squeezed her tightly. She hugged him back until he brought her back at arm’s length. “You better not ever think like that. Not ever again!” Ellora just shrugged. She still feared he would find her.

  “That was the only evidence available that could be sent to the proper authorities if needed. I let him know that I was being followed and probably watched, so the less I knew about the evidence, the better. I started to panic, thinking that maybe they already knew. Maybe my house was bugged. Maybe his office was, too. I scribbled on a piece of paper the only place I knew I could run and hide, where no one would find me. I folded it up and gave it to him, and I told him not to open it until something happened. He would know when that was.

  I took a cab back home to pack up my things. When I got home, I went up the stairs into my office to grab the necessary documents needed to hop on a plane out of there.”

  Ellora’s heart started pounding out of her chest as she remembered what happened next. Her breath came in and out rapidly, and she rocked back and forth unconsciously. The nightmare of the moment still shook her to the core. She squeezed her eyes closed, remembering the jarring details.

  Behr leveled her with his imposing glare. “What happened, Ellora?”

  “When I walked in the office, I tried flicking on the lights, but they wouldn't work. I noticed once walking in further, that the furniture was upturned and lying over. I heard one footstep next to me in the dark, creaking the floorboard, and I froze. I thought, oh my God, I'm too late. It's over. I’m dead.”

  Behr stood up when his pent up frustration and anger became too much for him to sit still. He paced the boat deck, but Ellora continued without pause.

  “A man lunged at me from out of the shadows. I screamed at the top of my lungs, absolutely petrified by the sudden attack. I jumped out of the way and dashed across the room to get to the phone, but tripped in the dark over the debris that littered all over the floor. I grasped the receiver and dialed 911 as fast as I could. The office window was open a crack, so I continued to scream at the top of my lungs, hoping somebody -- anybody would hear me.”

  Behr’s pace quickened as the climax of the story was rising. He clenched his fists like he was ready to go to war. But Ellora was in a trance, transfixed with the memory of that night. She had to continue now that the words flowed out of her like water bursting through a dam. She needed to get it out.

  “That's when I was hit, hard, on the side of my head. It knocked me to the ground. He saw what I was holding and ripped the phone out of my hands. Then he slapped me a few more times in the face. I tried shielding the blows with my arms,
but he grabbed them and pulled them to my sides, and sat on my stomach, pinning me down. He pulled out a six-inch blade that was serrated and had a curved point. When he held it to my neck, he pressed so hard I could literally feel that my flesh was about to break open.”

  “FUCK!” Behr bellowed out, losing his grip on his anger. All his muscles were flexed and tensed so tight he looked like a stretched out rubber band, ready to snap.

  “He leaned in close to my face. I could only see his cold, black eyes. They were filled with a blood thirsty rage. His eyes dilated as he focused on me. He asked me where the documents were. He knew. I really was being watched. I just shook my head back and forth and lied. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about, and asked why he was doing this to me. Losing his patience, he wrapped his hands around my neck, squeezing my windpipe so hard I couldn't let out another sound. He just looked down at me with an enormously eerie smile on his face. He was enjoying what he was doing.”

  Ellora paused the story for a moment because Behr had become increasingly upset. Balling his hands into tight fists, his knuckles turned white, and his face reddened the more she told him. Reaching up, she grabbed his fist, opened it up, and laced her fingers with his. Ellora kissed his hand tenderly, giving him a moment to calm down. He took a deep long breath in and forced it out slowly. After schooling his emotions, he gave a slight nod, letting her know he was good, and to go on.

  “Just then, we both heard a voice coming through the receiver. ’Ma'am! Ma’am! Are you all right? Help is on the way.’ My attacker reached over and yanked the phone out of the wall. In doing so, he loosened his grip on me, and I was able to use that one distraction to wrench myself out of his grip. I kneed him in the crotch and clawed my way up then dashed for the door. Before I could make it, I felt him punch my back, and then there was a dragging sensation. The force pulled me back a step. That’s when it finally dawned on me that he’d plunged his knife into my shoulder and slashed down my back.” Ellora unconsciously rubbed her shoulder. The memory was so raw and painful; she could still feel everything like it had just happened.