Noah started to move away, but Keagan stopped him. She gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. She whispered something to him.
They left and found a diner on the way back to the hotel. It reminded Cassie of when her mother died and everyone went to eat after the funeral. There wasn’t much talk during the meal.
“What did she whisper to you?” Cassie asked. “Keagan?”
Noah, who had barely touched his food, didn’t make eye contact. “She said she was sorry for hating me.”
When they got back to the hotel, Diana asked to see Cassie for a few moments. Cassie followed Diana to her room as Noah watched them go.
“I wanted to thank you,” Diana said. “I’ve been through this with Noah once a year since we were rescued. This is extremely hard on him, but you being with him makes it easier. I know he might not say it, but I know Noah. He loves you.”
Cassie smiled. “He actually did say it. And I love him, too.”
Diana looked surprised. “Good for him. I believe Noah thinks that his loving someone is wrong, but it’s good for him to say it. To feel it. You’re good for him.”
“I hope so,” Cassie said. “Can I ask you a question? How did Noah get those scars?”
Cassie watched as the color drained from Diana’s face. “I told you that Nathaniel wanted Noah to become like him. As Noah got older, he would tell him it was his turn to rape us. He refused.”
Cassie gasped. No matter how bad she thought it was, she kept realizing it was worse. “How bad will it be tomorrow?”
“Worse than you can imagine,” Diana answered. “The McMillians think they’re ready, but they’re not. Neither are you. To be honest, I don’t know if I’m ready to face him again. And he won’t see me. He’ll know I’m there, but I won’t be in the same room as him. Noah will. And he won’t complain. He won’t show that he’s upset. He won’t cry. Noah hasn’t cried since we got out of that hell hole. Even before, he’d hold it all in.”
“That can’t be good for him,” Cassie said.
“No, it’s not,” Diana agreed. “But you are. Take care of him.”
“What about you?” Cassie said. “How are you?”
Diana shrugged. “I’m dealing.”
“Why don’t we meet in my room?” Cassie suggested. “We can order a movie. Maybe Noah and I can run out and get some snacks. It’ll be fun.”
Diana shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude on you and Noah.”
“You’re not intruding,” Cassie said. “You’re family. Get changed into something more comfortable. Come on over in a half hour.”
Diana nodded.
When Cassie left Diana’s room, she wasn’t surprised to see Noah waiting there to escort her back to her room.
“Change of plans,” Cassie announced.
Twenty minutes later, they all met in Cassie’s room where she went through the movies. She tried to hide her shock that neither of them had ever seen Mrs. Doubtfire and decided that a comedy was just what they all needed.
When the movie was over, Diana decided it was time for them to go to bed. Noah walked her back to her room and then returned to find Cassie waiting for him in his room. She was sitting on the bed, her back against the headboard.
“I hoped you wouldn’t mind,” she said.
“Not at all,” Noah said as he leaned down to kiss her. “Thank you for that. I worry about her.”
“And she worries about you,” Cassie said.
“She shouldn’t,” Noah said. “I’m fine.”
Cassie sighed. “How could you be?”
“I really am,” Noah insisted. “Or at least I’m closer to fine than I’ve ever been.”
“Do you want to talk?” Cassie asked.
“No,” Noah said as he leaned in to kiss her again. “I really don’t.”
* * * *
The next morning, when Noah and Cassie came out of the same room together, they found Diana waiting by the car with a knowing smile. Cassie glanced over to Noah and had to restrain herself from laughing when he blushed bright pink.
When they arrived at the prison, they left everything in their car, and walked to the entrance where they were greeted by a man in a grey suit and three corrections officers, then escorted inside. They all had to go through metal detectors before they were brought into a room where the McMillians waited.
The room was plain in every way, with metal folding chairs set up facing a very large window. Through the window, Cassie could see a small, rectangular table. She could see where they would attach Nathaniel’s cuffs. Behind the table there was a door and a light above it.
A man in a blue suit who had an FBI identification displayed entered the observation room. He introduced himself as Special Agent Crowley.
“We’re all set,” Agent Crowley said. “We’ll bring your father—”
“Nathaniel,” Noah interjected.
Agent Crowley nodded. “We’ll bring Nathaniel down in a few moments. Once he’s secure, you can go in. When he gets around to telling you where Alyssa is buried, try and get him to give you specifics. There’s a team at Quantico that will be listening live by then. There’s a light behind him.”
Cassie looked to where the agent indicated.
“It’ll be lit up red when he comes in,” Agent Crowley explained. “When we feel we have enough, it’ll turn green.”
Noah nodded. “Once he gets bored with me, he’ll usually be pretty quick. I’m ready whenever you are.”
The agent nodded and went to a wall to pick up a phone. Everyone took a seat. Noah went to the McMillians.
“I want you to prepare yourselves,” Noah told them. “Nathaniel will know you’re out here. He may say things just to get you upset.”
“We’re ready,” Joy McMillian said.
Cassie saw Noah send Diana a look that said he didn’t believe it.
Agent Crowley indicated that Nathaniel would be down in about five minutes. They all sat and waited. Nobody spoke. Cassie could feel the tension rise as the seconds ticked by.
When the door in the interview room opened, Cassie watched a guard step in first, followed by Nathaniel James Hunt.
Nathaniel was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. He had to shuffle in since his feet were chained, as were his hands. Three more guards entered behind him. They sat him down roughly and bolted his feet to the floor. Then they did the same to his hands on the table. While one guard dealt with the chain, the others watched him like a hawk. When they were done, they nodded toward the window. Each guard took a position in one of the four corners of the room.
Cassie looked at Nathaniel, shocked at how much he looked like Noah.
He was older, bigger, and his face was much harder. Black tattoos wound up his neck like a vine and snaked down his arms. His hair was much shorter than Noah’s as well. He sneered as he waited.
But he had the same bone structure, the same build. And the same eye color. Physically, Noah clearly took after his father.
Yet all Cassie had to do was look in their eyes to see the difference. When Cassie looked in Noah’s, she saw kindness. All she saw when she looked in Nathaniel’s was cruelty.
Noah squeezed Cassie’s hand when Agent Crowley gave him the okay. He rose up and went to the door. With one last look at her, he went in to face Nathaniel James Hunt.
Cassie moved over to his seat so she was next to Diana. They took each other’s hand and watched as Noah sat across from his father.
* * * *
“Noah,” Nathaniel said with flourish. “How are you?”
“Fine,” Noah said.
Nathaniel stared at Noah, waiting.
“Not going to ask the old man how he is?”
Noah shook his head. “No.”
Nathaniel threw his head back and laughed. “So, is Diana with you?” Noah nodded. “How is the bitch? She was a hot one. I still remember when I first grabbed her up. She was no virgin, I tell you. I could tell when I fucked her. Although, she was pretty tight in the ass.”
Di
ana flinched as Nathaniel went on to revel in several of the more perverted acts that he had performed on her.
“How’s your mother?” Nathaniel asked. “I read that she’s got cancer. You think she has long?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Aw, that’s a shame,” Nathaniel said with glee. “Now, she was a virgin when I added her to my collection. Do you know that I played a little Russian roulette with her? I always had two bullets in the chamber. And I had the barrel in her mouth. She always had a great mouth, that little whore.”
Nathaniel spent another ten minutes talking about Noah’s mother, saying things that made Cassie want to go in there and gouge out his eyes.
“So Noah,” Nathaniel said. “What’s new with you? You’re in college now? I’ve heard about those rapes and attacks. That you?”
“You know it’s not,” Noah said.
“Oh that’s right,” Nathaniel said. “You’re too much of a pussy. You don’t know how to treat a slut, do you? Have you gone to any frat parties? Got one of those girls who’re so drunk they’ll suck just about anyone off?”
“No,” Noah said.
Nathaniel tapped his fingers as he studied Noah.
“Do you remember the time you and I went out together and I got you your first scoop of ice cream?” Nathaniel asked. Cassie could feel Diana, who was already tense, stiffen. “We had fun that day, didn’t we? I remember you begging me to take you out that day, but you didn’t seem to enjoy your ice cream. What was it you wanted to do again?”
“You remember very well.”
Nathaniel smiled. “Remind me.”
Noah sighed. “I wanted to bury Diana’s daughter, Kristin. You had shoved her into a trash bag and were going to throw her into a river. I begged you to let me bury my sister.”
Nathaniel smiled fondly at the memory. “Ah that’s right. You never did understand a man’s place is to take out the trash.” His smile turned into a sneer. “I tell you, I was just as happy to get rid of that little turd. She wasn’t going to be any good to me for at least fifteen years.”
Nathaniel paused again, waiting for a reaction from Noah. Cassie watched as Noah’s back tensed. She glanced at Diana, who had tears in her eyes.
“Does Diana still think about her little brat?” Nathaniel asked. “Do her tits ever get sore when she thinks about it sucking on her? I gotta say, Diana had some nice tits, even before I knocked her up. Probably look a lot better now than they would have if she’d let that thing suck at ’em.”
Again, Nathaniel paused, hoping for a reaction. None came.
“If I remember correctly,” Nathaniel said. “After our little outing, I left you guys alone for a bit. You guys didn’t have much food, did you?”
“We never did,” Noah said. “It wasn’t the first time we had to go days without anything to eat. It wasn’t the last either.”
“I’m just wondering if Diana whipped out her tit for you?” Nathaniel asked. “You were the closest thing she’d ever get to a kid of her own. Did she let you suck her tits? And if she did, did you get a woody?”
Diana cursed under her breath.
“Noah my son,” Nathaniel said. “I gotta tell you, you are one stone cold son of a bitch. I know you want to put your hands on me after that. You’ve got the advantage. Don’t you want a go at me? If only because of all those times I kicked your ass.”
“I’m not here for that,” Noah said. “I’m here for Alyssa. Why don’t you tell me where she is?”
Nathaniel shrugged. “Maybe I don’t remember?”
“You remember,” Noah countered. “You always remember.”
“Yeah I do,” Nathaniel said. “I remember where I buried that slut. Just like I remember where I grabbed her. How she begged me to stop. Didn’t she have a twin sister? Man, I’d love to have gotten her too.” He smiled salaciously. “Tried once. Went looking for her, but she wasn’t alone. She was with a group of friends by her school. She was with a guy in a letterman jacket. Bet they don’t know how close she came to being mine too.”
Cassie glanced over and she could tell by the looks on their faces that the McMillians hadn’t known.
“Alyssa was a sweet piece of ass,” Nathaniel continued. “Better once I broke her and she stopped fighting. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when they fight. But it’s even better when you break their will. When you reach that spot where they ain’t got no fight left in them. Then they just whimper. Alyssa had a lovely whimper. Especially when her mouth was full.”
“Son of a bitch,” Keagan said from inside the observation room. Her parents were crying as Nathaniel continued to detail what he had done with their daughter.
“Do you know what the key to breaking her was?” Nathaniel asked Noah. “It was the same for her as it was with most of the others.” He waited to see if Noah would venture a guess. “It was you. If I’d only stop whipping you, twisting your balls, shocking you, whatever it was that was amusing me at the time, they’d let me do whatever I wanted. Tell me, Noah, how does it feel to know that they let me do them for you?”
“You would have done it anyway,” Noah said.
Nathaniel waited for more, but Noah remained silent. Finally, Nathaniel shook his head.
“You’re different,” Nathaniel announced. “You’re more in control than I remember. What’s different about you?”
“Nothing’s different,” Noah said. “I’m just getting bored by the same crap every time.”
Nathaniel considered Noah’s words for a moment, but dismissed them with a shake of his head. “Don’t you bullshit me. There’s something different about you. I can see it. Now, you tell me what it is,” Nathaniel demanded.
Noah remained mute. Nathaniel glanced behind Noah, at the mirror that separated the two rooms.
“You got yourself laid,” Nathaniel said. “Didn’t you, boy? You got yourself a girl? Is she here? With you?”
Cassie could see Noah stir for the first time since entering the room.
“She is,” Nathaniel concluded. “You’ve got yourself a little slut. Well now, that’s just fine to start off with, son. You start fucking that sweet little cunt and get the feel of it. Once you do, you’ll want to spread it around some.”
“Shut up,” Noah said.
“No,” Nathaniel said. “This is a good thing. Did you think I wouldn’t approve? I think it’s wonderful. I can actually pass along some fatherly advice. I know about bitches. You’ve got to show them who’s in charge. Don’t let her be one of those uptight bitches that only puts out when she wants to. Tell me, Noah, have you fucked her in the ass yet?”
“Shut up about her,” Noah yelled.
In the interview room, Cassie stood up. “I think we need to get Noah out of there.”
Agent Crowley looked toward Diana, who nodded. He headed for the door.
“Leave her alone?” Nathaniel said with a laugh. “Well thank God you said her and not him. I was a little worried that you’re a fag. Now listen, you don’t worry. I get she may be too much for you to handle. I get correspondence all the time from fans out there. I bet you I can get in touch with one of them to pay her a visit. You leave it up to me. I’ll have her broken in for you. I only wish I could fuck her until she begs for mercy myself.”
Agent Crowley opened the door just as Noah launched himself at Nathaniel. Noah’s fist connected with his father’s face. Nathaniel’s body jerked back and would have fallen over if he hadn’t been chained to the table.
Noah went to strike again, but two guards and Agent Crowley were on him, pulling him away from Nathaniel, who was laughing as blood dripped from him nose. He spat out a bloody tooth onto the table.
“Get that piece of shit out of here,” Agent Crowley ordered as more guards swarmed into the room.
“Wait,” Fred yelled from the observation room. “He has to tell us where Alyssa is. That son of a bitch hasn’t told me where he put my little girl.” He tried to get in, but was held back by another guard.
“
Maybe next year I’ll tell you where to find that little slut,” Nathaniel said.
Cassie saw the open door and was through it before anyone could stop her.
“Hold on,” she said as she entered.
“Cassie,” Noah called. “Get out of here!”
Cassie ignored him. “Mr. Hunt, I’m Cassie Shaw. Noah’s girlfriend.”
Nathaniel’s face lit up with sadistic glee. The two guards who were getting ready to pull him out of the room hesitated.
“Tell me where you put Alyssa McMillian,” Cassie said.
Nathaniel laughed. “Now, why would I want to do something like that?”
Cassie took the seat opposite him. “Because if you do, then next year I’ll not only come with Noah, I’ll come in here with him.”
“And what makes you think I want to talk to you?” Nathaniel said. “I’d fuck you in an instant, but talk? What could you ever have to say that would interest me?”
“Have you ever heard of David Childs?” Cassie asked.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”
“My mother was his last victim,” Cassie said. “I witnessed the whole thing. If you tell me where Alyssa is, then you can ask me about Mom. But if you want both me and Noah, then you give me Alyssa’s location now and the location of two more girls next year.”
“Two more?” Nathaniel said.
“One for each of us,” Cassie countered. “You get double, so do we.”
Nathaniel considered it a moment. He looked to Noah and saw how much his son hated Cassie being this close to him.
“There’s a park,” Nathaniel said. “About three miles west of my old home. They were getting ready to put some playground equipment in. They had dug up the ground to put in one of those giant swing sets. It’s right across from a school. Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She’s under the swing set.”
“If you’re lying…” Cassie began.
“I’m not,” Nathaniel said. “I’ll see you next year. And you can ask me about Darcy and Lindsey. They’re before Noah’s time, but I’m sure he won’t mind. Think of me when you fuck my son. I’ll be thinking of you and your mother when I jack off tonight.”
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