Page 13

Chapter Thirteen

Elodie

T he ride home is pure bliss. It sucked having to leave Henley and everything behind, but that singular taste of freedom…

I mumble a quick thanks to the driver as he lets me out about half a mile away from the family compound, only a few hundred yards away from the tunnel entrance. Opening the small panel door, silence is what I’m met with. My heart beats quickly in my chest, the thought of possibly doing this again looming over me. If I can manage to sneak out again, maybe get a message off to Henley…

My cheeks suddenly hurt from the overwhelming smile that seems to have taken over my face. Our connection wasn’t something I thought was going to spark. I expected to be let down, told that I had to take it as needed to get rid of my V-card, and then move on to another few rounds of sex. It was all planned out in my head until Henley made it romantic. Especially when I laid eyes on him? Swoon. That man is so far out of my league, there’s no way he won’t see the mistake in me. Not that I’m complaining, of course. I know my worth, and right now, I’m perfectly content in pretending I could have it all.

I could have him .

The tunnel seems longer than usual as I daydream about the endless possibilities, and how meeting up with him in the near future would lead to more and more interactions. A deep blush creeps over my chest and cheeks at the thought of him taking me to other places in that room. The chair, from behind, from the straps that were hanging in the corner.

Turning the corner, I immediately halt in my tracks as Elton is stationed in front of my bedroom, his arms clasped behind him and his head down.

Oh, cracker jacks.

He must hear me coming because his head snaps up, his eyes are watery as he mouths ‘ I’m sorry ’. I give him a tight-lipped smile and tighten the straps of my trench coat. Gently waving my hand in the air, I squeeze his bicep as I attempt to fill my lungs with air. Anxiety rattles my body as I shakily open the door. At first, there’s no one there. Silence is met as the dark room comes into view.

Then, I see it. Things are flying from my closet as a low grunting comes from there. Terror rises in my body as ice chills my veins. Stealing my spine, I take several tentative steps into the room. He whirls around on me, his body so tightly wound I’m not sure how to react.

“ You fucking whore !” He roars out, barreling into me with a speed I have never seen him use. Instinct has me turning on my heels and fleeing, but I’m not fast enough. A fist manages to clamp into my hair, my head jerks backward, my body slamming to a stop from the hair follicle. Automatically, my hands raise to grab his wrists, screaming at him to let me go.

He does no such thing.

“Let me go, Father,” I sob as he drags me to the closet. I try to dig my heels into the carpet, but the damn material won’t catch. Clawing at his skin, he doesn’t release me until we are face to face with my dark secrets. Shoving me face first into the floor, his fist lands directly on my cheek to drive his point home. Something in my face cracks and liquid floods me, but I can’t see or feel it. Nothing in my body feels right now.

Slapping my hands to get myself free, he doesn’t appreciate the fight as he grabs them and hauls them above my head before slamming a knee into my rib cage. Pain bursts through me then, my entire body alight with agony as he does it over and over again.

“You think I will let you go? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” His shout vibrates my eardrums, my heart pounding in my chest so rapidly I may pass out from that instead of the pain. “When I told you to be ready, I didn’t mean go out and spread your legs like some common whore!” He kneels on my abdomen, his bony knee placed right in the center of my sternum as the flight slowly drains from me. “You’re used goods, damaged china, and you know what doesn’t sell? Broken shit,” his tone is suddenly calm, his face going from outraged to icy. I have never seen such a drastic shift in his demeanor before. My stomach turns because I know it’s not good. I shake my head, plead with him as best I can through my expressions. Talking hurts, everything hurts.

Tears pour down my face as I try to shove his knee off me, the lack of oxygen barely felt as he burns daggers into my head. His fists clench into tight balls before releasing themselves.

“I’m so sorry,” I sob out again, the air in my body gone within that second. There’s no bother in trying to convince him. Once his mind is made up, we’re all doomed.

“You’re not fucking sorry,” he spits, his words like venom in my blood, ready to take vice over my body. The coolness of his features slowly thaws, the outrage suddenly visible on his features all over again. With a feral shout, he launches toward me again. No time to move, his large hands wrap tightly around my throat and squeeze, pinning my whole body into the floor. “You’ve cost me too much fucking money just for you to pawn off your most valuable asset.” My face is hot, my body singing while I claw at anything I can. His skin is like leather and my nails can’t make purchase. Kicking and scratching, nothing seems to do the trick as black dots enter my vision.

“Stop,” I croak, though I’m not sure anything is happening or if he even hears me. Dark dots get bigger and bigger, my eyes no longer able to stay open as my body fights for air.

“If you want to act like a whore, I will fucking treat you like one.”

Then, nothing.