by Bella Jewel
"I'm so sorry you had to endure such hell. I'm so glad we're together now, and we can help you. We will help you, Merleigh. I promise you that."
She nods, and I can see her hands are shaking. "Things got easier when Cova arrived. He took a liking to her and eased up on me. I was able to work around the house freely, he didn't lock me up anymore. I had my own room, and it wasn't so bad. I was drugged, every single day, and if I refused, I would suffer dire consequences. I figured it had to be better than what was happening to me when I first arrived, so I accepted it."
"He didn't treat Cova the same?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Oh no, he did. He did the same things to her when she arrived, but he was...I don't know, playing mind games with her. He'd do all this horrible stuff, and then treat her nice for like a week, it was horrible to watch. Even worse when she came to crave his attention. Cova had it harder than me in the world outside, so she was easier to break. She thinks she's in love with him. You should know that when she wakes up, she's not going to want to be here. She's going to do anything she can to get back to him."
That terrifies me.
I don't want to be the person who makes her think she's trapped here, captured again. But at the same time, I know what she feels for Bryant isn't real. It's a drug-induced haze of mental manipulation, and it's going to take time to get her out of it. I just hope that I don't damage her more in the process.
"Do you think she is truly in love with him?" I ask, worried now that I'm making the wrong choice.
What is she was really happy there?
What if I've gotten this all wrong, and I'm taking her against her will?
The thought makes me sick.
"Gosh, no. Please don't believe that she is in any way in love with that monster. The things he did to her, oh Briella, they were awful."
She's right.
No.
There is no way she's going back to that monster.
"She's confused and very, very drugged. He kept her that way more so than me. He couldn't break me, I didn't fall for his charms, but Cova did. She relished in the soft touches after the beatings, the gentle lovemaking after the rape, the wining and dining after being starved. She started catering to his every whim because it made him go easy on her. He treated her like a little abused pet."
And I hate to say it, but that's precisely what she is.
The dog that's abused so many times over, but when the owner gives it love, it comes running back.
She's going to need serious help. I'm just worried about her waking up, and realizing what we've done, is going to be too intense for her to handle.
"I should tell you," Merleigh goes on. "We're going to come down hard off whatever drugs he gave us. We're going to need to be restrained or locked somewhere we can't get out until our minds are clear again."
God, this girl is so strong it makes me want to cry.
She's an incredible force.
"I'll get Alarick to organize something right away. Tell me exactly what you need to get you through this as quickly and as effortlessly as possible."
She smiles weakly. "Just lock us up and let us ride it out, it's the only way. Then, and only then, will we be able to think more clearly."
"Are you afraid?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "No, I'm not looking forward to it, of course, but I am looking forward to having my life back. You think it's hard before until you're trapped in that horrible world, then you realize just how many opportunities you had but didn't take. I'm going to start taking some of those."
"And we're going to help you," I smile at her. "I promise you that."
A groan has us both glancing over at the bed, where Cova is sitting up, her eyes hazy, her hair a mess. She rubs her head and then looks around. When she sees us, she narrows her eyes. "What's happening?"
Merleigh stands and walks over.
If anyone can get through to Cova, it would be her. "Don't freak out, but we're free now. We're safe. These people...they saved us. This is your sister, Briella."
Cova looks confused, and her eyes swing to me. I do not doubt that one look at me confirms what Merleigh is saying. She has to see the resemblance. She stares at me for so long, I wonder if she's entirely with it, but then she shakes her head and looks back to Merleigh. "I have no family."
"You do, you have a sister. She's right here, just look at her and you'll see it. She has been looking for you, and she wants to take you home."
Cova stares at me and then shakes her head. "Where's Bryant? He would have never let me go."
"He's a monster, and he's not going to be near you or me ever again."
"You're wrong," Cova snaps, getting out of the bed, her legs wobbly. She sways a little and then looks at me. "I don't know who you are, but this is kidnapping. I want to go home. Now."
"Cova," I say carefully, not wanting to make this worse than it already is. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you. I know right now you believe that Bryant is special, but he's not. He paid for you, and he was using you as a slave. What he was doing is illegal. It wasn't healthy, and I know you don't believe it right now, but it isn't real. He was abusing you, and we're going to get you through."
Cova starts backing away. "I don't know who you think you are, but you don't know anything. I don't want to be with you. I want to be with him."
"Cova, if you'll just calm down..."
"No!" she screams, and then turns, charging towards the door.
She flings it open but comes flying back inside after only a few seconds when she slams into something. Bohdi and Samson step into the room, look over to me, and then to the girl who is now on the floor after stumbling backward.
"Sorry, girl," Samson says. "But there is no leavin' this room."
"You can't keep me here!" Cova screams, thrashing her head around. "You can't. I want to go home. He’ll be wondering where I am."
"You don't need to be worryin' about him anymore, he's taken care of," Bohdi mutters.
Cova's head whips around, and she stares at him in horror. "What have you done to him? What have you done?"
She launches up and charges towards Bohdi, hitting him with her body and a force I didn't think she had in her. She screams and starts trying to claw her way past him. He takes hold of her, wraps his big arms around her, and holds her until she can't possibly fight a single second longer. I look to Merleigh, who is pale and looks utterly horrified by what's happening right now.
"What can we do?" I ask her. "What is the best option here?"
"If you give her more drugs, she'll never come clean. I think you need to restrain her until she calms down."
"No," Cova screams, fighting once more in Bohdi's arms. "No, you can't hold me here. I'm not going with you. Let me go. Please, let me go. Bryant! Bryant!"
"Fuck, he did a number on this one," Samson mutters, before disappearing down the hall and returning with a soft rope.
Thank god he wasn't thinking of cuffing her, or something equally as horrible. Bohdi spins her around, and I have to fight my tears as they tie her arms behind her back. She's screaming and crying and calling out for Bryant. It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because right now, I feel like the monster. I feel like the person ruining her life. Even though I know I'm not, that's exactly how it feels.
It kills me to see her like this.
But I have to believe we're doing the right thing.
She needs to get clean, and then she needs to get help.
If, after that, she still doesn't want to be here, I won't hold her back.
I'm not going to keep her captive for the rest of her life.
I'm just hoping that once she's out of this drug-induced haze, she might be able to see a little clearer and things might come into perspective a bit better.
"Let me go," Cova screams as Bohdi walks her to the bed and carefully sits her on the end of it.
"Cova, please," I say, walking over. "Listen to me..."
She spits at me.
/> I look to Merleigh, who has a tear running down her cheek. "Cova," she tries. "I know you're scared, but I'm here, and I'm not going to leave your side, do you understand me?"
"Go to hell!" Cova screams.
This isn't going well.
At all.
I TURN AND STARE AT the back of the truck, where Cova is sitting, hands tied in front of her, seatbelt on, sitting next to Merleigh. She's glaring at me like her only thoughts are to murder me in my sleep. I know that's not what she's thinking, but I also know that she's not doing the best right now, and it's going to take a lot longer to get her past this.
We stayed at the hotel for the first three days of them both coming down from the drugs. They were hell on earth. There was so much screaming and crying, and a lot of vomiting and sweating. It was horrible to see. It made me realize just how bad things were. Just how many drugs had been pumped into their systems. Merleigh took it like a champ and only moaned and whined a few times. She was strong, so damned strong.
Cova took it as an opportunity to scream to the point we had to go to a different hotel, one that had separate rooms so that nobody could hear her screaming. Eventually, she tired of screaming and went to sleep for twelve plus hours a day. That's when we decided it was safest to take the trip home. The sooner we could get them back to the club, the quicker we could get them clean. They needed a safe space, and we had to show them we had one.
So far, the trip has been quiet. Alarick has been driving, and I've been in the front. Bohdi came along and sits between the two of them in the back seat, mostly to make sure nobody tries to make a jump out of the car.
They both look terrible, and it breaks my heart to know they're going through so much right now. I've been trying to research as best I can on how to get drugs out of one's system, but I'm not an expert. Alarick called a close friend of his who knew a doctor, and we got some tips on helping them through, but it was suggested both go to rehab for a few months.
We called around and found a really good one, but the problem right now with Cova is that she has only one thing on her mind, and that's finding a way to get home. Putting her into rehab could be dangerous because if she escapes, we're not going to get her back. We can't take that risk, which means, for now, we have to try and do this on our own.
Some carers can be hired to come around, and therapists who will do home visits, so we've done as much as we can for that so that they're able to help them from home. Other than that, we're doing all that we can to help them get through this. It's going to be a long, tough road, but it's one I'm willing to ride on with them the whole way.
They deserve to get better.
"How are you both feeling?" I ask them.
Merleigh looks at me and gives me a weak smile. "I'm alive, that counts for something."
I give her a soft smile in return. "You're going to get through this, I promise you."
I glance at Cova, and she scowls at me. She doesn't want anything to do with me, and I understand that. Her mind is all over the place, she's living a twisted reality, and right now I'm the monster of the show, the one who is making things harder for her. The one who is bringing her down. She's not going to trust me anytime soon, but I hope with time she will.
"Don't look at me," she snaps. "You're a god damned life snatcher. Leave me the fuck alone."
Okay, so she's not feeling any better.
"You should be fuckin' careful how you speak to her," Alarick growls.
"It's okay, Alarick," I say, reaching over and squeezing his arm. "She doesn't mean it."
"Oh, but I do mean it. I can't stand you. You're not my family. You've taken me from everything. I'll find a way out of this, mark my words."
Cova's voice is a low hiss, and I feel bad for her because she honestly believes what she's saying right now.
"Watch it," Alarick growls. "This girl right here has gone through hell and back to get to you. Her mother lost her life trying to find you. Her sister lost her life trying to find you. Everyone has fuckin' lost so much tryin' to find you and your actin' like a spoilt fuckin' brat. You were a god damned captive, does that not resonate with you?"
"Alarick," I say, my voice rising just a touch. "That's enough. Enough. She's not right in the head right now. You're not helping."
"I'm clear in the head, and I know where I want to be, and it isn't here. I don't care about the mother that gave me up and let me go down this path, and I don't care about her..." Cova spits.
"That's enough," I say, putting my hands up. "This isn't helping anyone at all. This is only making things worse. We need to calm down and get through this trip."
Nobody says anything else, and I'm god damned thankful.
This is going to be a hell of a ride.
I can just feel it.
25
FLICK
"The girl ain't respondin' well," King murmurs, staring at the room where Cova is currently smashing shit to try and get out.
"No, she ain't. She's that hyped up on drugs. The fucker had her completely at his mercy. He mind-fucked her, and she's all over the place. When she comes down from this high, she might see things clearer, but for right now, she doesn't want a bar of us."
"Understandable," King nods. "Can't be easy, bein' dragged out of a life you thought was good. Even if your mind tricked you, it's a fuckin' scary thing. She's hurtin', she's confused, and wants to go back to that piece of crap because she thinks that's better for her. She needs to see that life here is good, too."
"Can't show her that when she won't let anyone help her."
"Let her come down from the worst of this, and then show her what the club is about, what family is. Let her feel the freedom it brings. Show her some fun. It might very well just change her mind."
"She's got a therapist comin' this afternoon. No idea if she's goin' to respond to her, but it's worth a shot. Also gettin' them checked out for medical issues and gettin' some stuff to help them get clean."
"Merleigh is a strong kid," King says, staring at the other door that's open, where Merleigh is currently staying. "Barely heard a peep from her."
"Yeah, she's a fuckin' warrior alright. I've spoken to her when she's dripping in sweat and trembling, and she keeps her cool. She's likely one of the strongest people I've ever met."
"Probably a damn sight better than the life she was livin', so she's willing to do whatever it takes."
"Yeah, likely. Briella has been amazing with her, and even Cova. She has kept her cool no matter what her sister spits at her. That takes some guts. It must hurt."
"That girl is strong like her momma," King murmurs, and his voice trails off. "She'd be so damned glad to know we got Cova out and that Briella was takin' care of her. It's all she wanted."
"Thanks to you, she got it."
He stares at me and then exhales. "Feels like suddenly I've got nothin' to work for anymore. No mission. No club. Feelin' like there is little for me out there in the world now."
That's not good.
Not fuckin' good at all.
"You're part of this club. You'll always be part of this club. And you do have things out there; you have Cova who needs help. You have Dax who needs to be brought down. You have Briella, who needs a father. You might not be blood-related, but that girl sees you as a father, and more than anything, she needs that. You've got plenty here, you just need to let yourself adjust again."
King nods. "You're right; I'm bein' fuckin' stupid. It feels strange to be back into the world when so much has happened. It's fuckin' terrible not to feel like you belong anywhere."
I slap him on the shoulder. "Give it time, it'll come good."
He nods, and I walk out of the room and towards Merleigh's room, where Briella is currently sitting. She hasn't bothered to try and get in with Cova, for now, she's just letting her scream it out in there. Doesn't feel nice, hearing her yell and scream down the halls of the club, but it's also the only option right now until she's willing to let us in.
"Knock knock," I
say, popping my head around the door and glancing into the room.
Briella and Merleigh are sitting by the open window, just talking softly. Merleigh is holding a cup of tea, and she looks pale and exhausted. The poor girl must be feelin' like hell. The effects of coming down off heavy drugs are said to be horrific. I can't imagine what she's goin' through right now.
"Hey," Briella smiles and then frowns as something else smashes in Cova's room. "I'm so sorry you have to listen to Cova losing it and breaking everything."
I shrug, even though yeah, it's fuckin' driving me up the wall. "She can't go on forever; she'll wear herself out."
"Do you think we're making the wrong choice here?" Briella says, more to herself than anyone else.
"No," Merleigh answers before I even get the chance. "No, trust me. She is better off here."
That girl has probably seen things we can't even begin to imagine.
If anyone would know, it would be her.
"Listen to Merleigh, Briella. She knows what she's talkin' about."
Briella nods and then looks back to Merleigh. "We're thinking of going to the lake for a swim. Merleigh hasn't swum in a very long time, and it might help her to feel better. Do you think we can do that?"
I shrug. "Can't see why not. Take Bohdi with you, just to keep you safe."
In other words, make sure Merleigh doesn't lose it and do somethin' stupid. It's not that I don't trust her, but I don't trust the fact that she's had drugs in her system for a long time, and now she's coming down from that. They can trick the mind and make people do stupid things. Even if they don't want to. I'd feel better knowing they were protected.