Page 37 of Sadistic Retribution (Rise of Phoenyxx #2)

Phoenyxx

As we get to the doorway, I hear a heated discussion. Synn is choked up. For some reason, I come to a halt, stopping Valley too. so we can eavesdrop.

As soon as I hear what Synn is saying, I go stock-still. My spine goes rigid, chills cropping up all over me. My eyes widen.

No. No. No!

Valley looks to me in shock, reaching over to squeeze my hand. She knows exactly why I’m reacting this way.

I step into the kitchen, and everyone turns to look at me. My blood chills in my veins as I walk right up to Synn. “You,” I whisper, reaching up to sweep his hair over his eyes. His stormy grey eyes. He can’t be... It makes no sense!

My voice cracks. “Ghost, give Synn your hoodie. Synn, put it on, over your head… then look down.”

No one questions my strange request, and Synn accepts the offered hoodie, pulling it on, and putting the hood up. He’s visibly trembling as he looks down. “Pazessca...”

That erases any doubt I had. Synn is HOODIE BOY.

How? My God...

I’m swarmed with memories. The time I was with... his father. The sick, abusive, child-abuser! God—how long was I prisoner there? I was so little, it seems like forever. I still don’t remember where I was before that. But now...

Phoenyxx Age 6

I shake so hard my teeth chatter. I look around my new... home. I'm inside a cold, empty cage. Somewhere cold and moldy smelling. I think I’m in a basement. Whose house is this?

A giant of a man comes down the stairs, and I shrink back as far as I can.

He walks right up, sticking his fingers through the bars.

“Hello, Bella. I'm your new Master. You will live here.” I start whimpering, but he raises his voice. “If you’re good, you get to come upstairs. If you’re bad, well.

..” He pulls the belt slowly off his pants, cracking it against his palm.

Tears and snot cover my face. I want to go home! I don’t understand!

He grabs a set of keys from his pocket, opening the cage. “If you promise to be a good girl, I’ll let you out. But you must do whatever I say.”

I nod, just wanting out of this scary place.

“Strip,” he orders. “Now.”

“Wh... what?”

“Don’t snark at me! I said now!”

I peel off my clothes, crossing my arms in front of me to hide my nakedness.

He impatiently yanks my arms away. “Turn around, slowly.”

I do it, sobbing hard. When I turn back the other way, he reaches towards me. I feel his hand probing me between my legs.

He grunts. "Good, still intact. Back in you go. Later, you get to meet my friends, since you were a good girl.”

The sudden memory has my mind reeling. “How is this possible? You… my whole life I’ve dreamed of you. Fantasized about you saving me from the Solomons. Wondering why you gave me to them in the first place.”

“How much did you hear?” Synn asks.

“From ‘you don’t understand’.”

He sighs, taking my shoulders in a firm grip, staring into my eyes.

“I saw an innocent little girl in my father’s dungeon, multiple times.

I saw her caged and shackled to the wall.

I couldn’t live with that. I couldn’t leave that child to that fate.

So, I went around my father, and asked Purge’s father to help me.

I knew asking any of the Italians was a bad idea, and I had a feeling Purge’s father would help me on the down low. ”

“That girl was me,” I choke out on a sob.

“Baby girl... God. Listen—I thought I was helping you. Giving you to people who would help you. I saw an old couple, and didn’t think for one second they were going to hurt you.”

“Show me a picture of him—of your father,” I beg, needing to connect the dots.

He takes out his phone, scrolling for a minute. He hands it to me. I look down, and gasp. It's him. It was Synn's father. He was the pedophile who kept me in a tiny cage. Who made me touch him. I remember it all.

“Synn... I remember. Your father... he was my rapist, my abuser. For so long. He let his friends violate me, too.”

Phoenyxx Age 7

He brought me upstairs again, and it’s so loud. There’s music playing, and the sound of a bunch of people laughing.

He pushes me ahead of him into the living room area, to the center of the room. Men and women all turn to stare at me, something scary in their eyes.

“So, what do you all think?” he asks them. “Isn't Bella magnificent?” Murmurs of agreement go around the room. “Take of all your clothes, Bella. Let my guests see your beautiful body.”

I immediately start to cry, covering my face with my hands. “I... I can’t. I won’t get naked in front of a bunch of grownups!”

He slaps me so hard in the face, it spins me around. He addresses his guests next. “Since Bella won’t cooperate, you all have the pleasure of removing her clothes.”

No, no! I scream, terror making me freeze in place. They surround me, pulling off my clothes.

“Can we touch her?” one of the men asks, looking up my captor.

“You have my permission to touch. Nothing past that will be permitted. Her virtue is still intact.”

They nod, greedily eating me up with their eyes. Bad smiles cover their faces.

Someone lifts me, putting me on a tall table in the room. I'm held down firmly and can’t get away. I scream until my voice stops.

Why? I don’t deserve this!

Synn pulls me into a hug, rocking me and stroking my hair. The others are hanging back.

“Can we talk more about this later? I can’t process this right now. It's too much,” I whisper to Synn.

“Absolutely, Pazessca. We’ll grab a moment when we're all caught up.”

I hear a big sob from Valley, and I see her shoulders shaking from the corner of my eye. Hunter gets up and goes to her, hugging her to him.

I force myself back, letting go of Synn. “We need to hear the rest. Please.”

Purge audibly swallows, and stands, reaching for me. I still don’t forgive any of them, and don’t know if I will ever be able to. But in this moment, I’ll accept the comfort.

I go to him, and he pulls me into his side. He explains everything they have found. Valley gasps, and my eyes well with tears. It’s all adding up now. There are still unanswered questions, though.

“Frost, the ‘F’ in my file must mean Franco. I don’t know what ‘H’ is, though.”

Hunter pipes up. “‘Home.’ I bet it means ‘home’.”

“Home? Did I really have one?” Tears stream unchecked down my face, Val crying along with me. “I mean, I had to have come from somewhere. Do I have parents? Siblings? People who miss me? What the hell am I not remembering?”

Hunter holds me tight. “I don’t know yet, Pretty Girl, but I won’t stop until we get you those answers. We won’t stop.”

Frost declares from across the room, “I have a feeling you were loved, Killer. I don’t know why, just a gut instinct.”

I blow out a breath. “I hope you’re right.”

I’m suddenly struck with a moment of clarity. “Guys! The Solomons? Every single bastard they brought to me in the attic to rape me… they were all Russian! That can’t be coincidence.”

Frost whips his head around to look at me. “Are you sure?”

I nod frantically. “I remember a lot of them spoke in Russian sometimes.”

Frost comes up to hug me, but I step back, not comfortable with any of them completely yet, though I let Synn and Purge touch me. I'm giving myself emotional whiplash. “Great job, Killer. This could help.”

I smile, my throat clogging up with so many emotions, I can’t sift through them all. I decide to table all this emotion for later, so I stand up straight, and motion I'm ready to continue.

“Alright,” Hunter breathes out. “I need to collect all the physical files. Purge, can you put everything else on a flash drive?”

“Yeah, man, no problem. For your... source?”

He nods. “Don’t ask. I have to talk to them first. But if the cards fall into place, the next step would be getting you all out of here.”

“Now that’s something I can get onboard with!” Razor exclaims.

“Bro, ditto!” Trikk fist-bumps him. “Let me make dinner for everyone. We all need to eat and rest, yeah?”

I shoot him a small smile. “Thank you.”

We settle into the living room to wait for the food. Val burrows into my side, and I hold her with all my strength.

We all went straight to bed after eating dinner. I slept with Hunter, arms wound around each other.

I wake up with a strange feeling of being alone and look at the clock—three am. Confused, I haul myself out of bed, throwing on my clothes and shoes. I tiptoe out of the bedroom, checking the kitchen and living room.

I see Hunter slipping out the front door, wearing a dark hoodie with the hood up. That’s weird.

I move to follow him, staying quiet. He goes outside, cutting through the courtyard.

I follow as close as I dare, watching every step.

He goes toward the winding drive in front of the main building that leads back out to the road.

He stays in the grass, head down, moving quickly. Where the hell is he going?

He keeps going, following the long and winding drive to the road. I look around, not seeing anything. He moves to the road, sticking to the trees. I almost have to jog to keep up he’s moving so fast.

He gets far enough down the road that The Retreat is hidden from view. I dart behind a close by tree, heart pounding.

A long, sleek black car with heavily tinted windows pulls up, and Hunter jogs up to it. I can now see he’s holding a bag. The car door opens, and a tall, blonde, very handsome man steps out. Hunter hands him the bag, and he hands a different one to Hunter. I strain my ears to hear them.

“This is all the files. There's a flash drive in there, too,” Hunter says.

“Good work, Harris. These are all disposable phones, for all of you. Nine in total.” The man says, in a deep, rich voice.

“Jax, I have to tell them now. I plan to get them all out. We need a safe house.”

Jax? Who the hell is he?

“Okay. I assumed you were going to say that. No safe house needed. They can stay at the compound.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Just so you know, the girl is intent on breaking out the prisoners in The Morgue to take with us. I can’t sway her. Frankly, I don’t disagree with her.”

What the hell is going on? What has Hunter been doing, and for how long? Is he someone I don’t really know? I scream internally, begging fate to let me at least have Hunter.

“Fuck,” Jax complains. “Fine, fine. You have my permission to fill them all in when everyone wakes up this morning. Meanwhile, I’m handing this off to the computer guys.”

They shake hands, and without thinking, I run out from behind my hiding spot. “Wait!” I yell, running up to the car.

They both lose all color in their faces.

“Pretty Girl!” Hunter gasps. “My God—you can’t be out here. Fuck!”

I whirl toward Jax. “Who the fuck are you? What do you have to do with any of this?”

He frowns, crossing his large arms across his chest. “Young lady, this was very foolish and dangerous. However… I’m the one Harris has been working for. Well, my organization.”

I raise my brows. “And?”

“I’ll let him explain. I don’t want to say too much in public. Don't worry, though, we're the good guys.”

I glance at Hunter, and he nods in agreement. “Come on, we have to get back inside. I'll tell you everything inside my place.”

I allow him to lead me back. But before we go, I turn around to look at Jax once more. He looks... powerful. Whoever he is, having him on our side has got to be a good thing.