Page 6 of Drifter (Redemption Riders #2)

Who Is Sasha?

Sasha

“ S pill! What happened to finally get Drifter to pull his finger out of his ass and make his move?” Etain asks, tapping her foot, with her arms crossed over her chest as she gives me a curious look.

I shrug. I look back at her blankly, still reeling from this morning’s experience with Drifter.

He literally knocked on my door, walked in, and became a bigger part of my life.

In one sense, it’s absurd. We come from two different worlds, and I’m nothing like the girls I’ve seen him with.

I don’t have big hair, big boobs, or a big personality.

I’ve heard about the club parties, and although I’ve not directly met the women who attend, they have no problem talking about their wild nights in the diner the next morning. These women go for a good time, and they seem to be more than satisfied the morning after.

Unfortunately, there’s always a lot of talk about Drifter.

He seems to be the prize that the women go after, and the one who lands him for the night lives her fifteen minutes of fame.

For the longest time, Hawk was the man the women were after, but since Hawk has made it clear that Etain is his old lady, Drifter has moved up in the ranks, and now the VP is the main prize.

“I have no idea,” I tell Etain. “He knocked on my door and told me he was tired of fighting what we were both feeling.”

“Oh my God!” She slaps her hands to her cheeks. “Just like that,” she says and snaps her fingers.

“Well, yeah. He said he wanted to bake cookies with me, and then rolled out dough and actually helped.” I quiet my voice. “It felt nice. Safe. Then he kissed me.” I touch my lips with my fingertips, remembering his warm, soft lips on mine.

“You like him,” Etain says with a Cheshire cat grin.

“Yeah,” I admit with a soft breath. “But every time Drifter was anywhere near me, he would take off. He always looked so angry. I thought for sure he hated me.”

“Not today, though,” she teases, and I blush.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, Etain. My family is a mess. You’ve seen firsthand that head case who is my father. The only one that matters to me is my brother, Simon. How long do you think Drifter will want to put up with that?”

“Drifter may not put up with it, but he may take matters into his own hands to resolve it,” Etain responds.

My stomach tightens at the prospect of Drifter trying to take on my father. Dad has many influential friends and a whole lot of money. “Drifter has no idea what he’s up against,” I murmur, then continue, “I can’t let him do that.”

Etain sees my panic-stricken expression. “Sasha, what is it? What aren’t you telling me?”

“He can’t go up against my dad. My father’s not a nice person.

He has powerful friends, and they’d make Drifter’s life miserable.

My father didn’t care that his best friend almost raped me.

He took his side because his buddy is high society stock and opened doors to make my father richer than he already was,” I blurt out.

I’m hyperventilating because this is the first time I’ve told anyone about the assault besides my family.

Etain’s eyes are wide, her jaw dropping open. “Sasha,” she says quietly, taking my hand and sitting me down on my sofa. She wraps her arms around me. “What kind of man does something so ugly?”

“Dr. Edgar Sutton. That’s who. I was so stupid. At first, I thought he was just a nice man. He’s my father’s best friend and has been our family doctor for years. But as I got older, he started touching me, and it felt wrong.”

“You told your parents?” she asks, her arms tightening around me.

“My mother called me a liar and said I was making trouble for my father. My father said it was a cry for attention, and I was making something out of nothing. Dr. Sutton caught me alone a couple more times, but I finally got good at getting away and staying hidden whenever he was around. It wasn’t until I turned sixteen that things turned really ugly.

The night of my birthday.” As I recall the events of that night, I shudder violently.

“Oh, Sasha. What happened?” Etain asks quietly.

“Everyone except Dr. Sutton and his wife left, and I went upstairs to get out of my party dress and go to bed, when Dr. Sutton came into my room. He cornered me, and when I started to scream, he slapped me so hard that I fell onto the bed. He was on me fast. I tried to scream, but he covered my mouth with his hand. When he went to pull off my panties, I bit his hand as hard as I could until he yelled out. My brother, Simon, came into my room and saw what was happening. He pulled him off me and started beating on him.” I choke back the tears.

“Simon made sure I was never alone after that.”

“Why isn’t that man in jail?” Etain asks viciously.

“Because he has money, and my father has threatened to throw Simon out if I made waves. Simon wanted me to go to the police, but I can’t do that to him. I was sixteen, and if he was gone, I’d have no one.”

“We can go right now,” she urges.

I shake my head. “I would be the one who would suffer. Dr. Sutton has money, plenty of it, and connections with many judges in the state. I’ll come off as the slut who lured him and didn’t like it when he rejected me.

Even if Simon backs me up, he’ll lose everything he’s worked for.

Simon is supposed to take over Dad’s business, and God knows he’s earned it. ”

“Your brother won’t care,” she insists.

“You’re right. But I do. Who would take me seriously? After all these years, they’ll make me look like a harlot who’s out to get a respectable doctor in trouble. I don’t doubt that for a minute.”

“Hell, Sasha, he shouldn’t get away with what he’s done.”

“No, he shouldn’t.”

“What if he’s doing this to other girls?”

“He’s not practicing any longer. I’ve never heard a word about him with another girl.

It could be that there are others, and they’re afraid as well.

I don’t know, and as selfish as it sounds, it’s taken me this long to move on.

I can’t go back and relive that time.” I go back to my breathing, inhaling and slowly exhaling, until I regain a sense of calm.

I look at Etain. “You’re the only other person, outside of my family, who knows about this. Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Sasha, my dear, sweet friend, you need to tell Drifter. If you’re in a relationship with a Redemption Rider, especially Drifter, he’ll protect you. And as a man, he needs to understand so he can handle you with care.”

“I won’t hide this from Drifter. But it was only hours ago that I found out he cared about me. This isn’t the type of conversation you have with a man while baking cookies.”

“I suppose not. But take my advice, don’t wait too long,” she says.

I take Etain’s hand. “I’m so relieved that you know, but I’m not fragile.

Or not as fragile as I used to be. I did get counseling.

Simon made sure of it. I’ve created a wonderful life for myself.

A life away from my parents and from the ugly memories.

I’m not in denial, and it’s never until my father comes pounding at my door or insists that I attend a gala where I know I’ll see Dr. Sutton again that I become anxious and upset.

” I manage a small grin. “I’m still working on that. ”

“You are so incredibly strong. I think you’re the most amazing person I know,” Etain says. “But I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself from kicking your father in the shins if he shows up here again with his disgusting behavior.”

“I don’t want you to get in any trouble on my account. Promise me you’ll try to control your temper. I don’t want to have to worry about you too. I have my hands full keeping Simon from losing his mind.”

“I wanted to know all about you, Sasha, but I never expected this,” Etain says.

“I’m more than what happened to me that night. I’m an excellent programmer, a yoga master, a flower lover, and hopefully, a good friend.”

“You’re all that and more.” Etain hugs me tight. Yes, it feels good to let it out to a friend. The weight on my chest feels lighter.