Chapter Five
Eloise
Once I’d opened the floodgates of my trauma, I couldn’t stop, despite the look of horror on my new friends’ faces.
“I thought if I agreed with him and pretended to repent, they’d let me go, but they didn’t. I just got weaker and weaker and I knew if I didn’t escape, I’d die in that fucking closet.”
“Eloise, sweet girl,” Blade said, taking my hand again. He looked so upset and I wanted to comfort him, but guarded my heart. I couldn’t stay. We couldn’t rely on each other. It would only hurt us more when I left.
I continued, “One day I pretended to be unresponsive. It threw him off enough that when he went to get help, I ran. I got so lucky because my keys were just laying by the front door of the church. Maybe he’d tossed them there in anger? I hadn’t even planned on taking my car. I was even luckier because my purse was still in the car from where I’d run from him the night it all happened. The forty dollars cash I had in my wallet bought me a bus ticket to Strickland. I left my car in the parking garadge and I’ve been here ever since.”
“Give me their names, Eloise,” Blade said, bringing my hands to his lips and kissing them gently.
“What?”
“I want Billy’s full name and the name of the church.”
“Um, Billy Lee and Friendship Fellowship, but please don’t tell the police,” I begged. “I can’t risk them finding me. They planned to leave me in the prayer closet for forty days. I would be dead by now, but more importantly, they will hurt you guys too, maybe not physically, but socially for sure.”
“Why forty days?” Tinsley asked, ignoring my warning and laying down on the other side of me. I twirled her blond curls around my finger.
“That’s how many days Jesus fasted in the wilderness,” Blade filled in.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Eloise, you are the strongest person I kn0w,” Tyler said, rubbing my foot. His dog tags rattled with his movements. “And I know some strong fucking people.”
“If he finds you, he will exploit any bad choices you’ve made. He will put all of your private lives into the public. It will hurt your careers, your families,” I warned again.
“Oh, honey,” Blade said, “that’s not something for you to worry about.”
“He’ll hurt your reputation. Strickland is a small town just like where I came from. Word will travel fast. It’s not something you want to happen. You don’t want Tinsely or Rogue to be outed as Littles either,” I tried to explain. Half my hometown thought I was in some sex club.
“We don’t care if they out us. We just want you safe,” Tinsley said,wrapping her tiny body around mine.
“I don’t know if any of you keep your kink life quiet, but he would out you, and that’s not something I want to happen to any of you.”
“You let us worry about that, okay? You just worry about getting better,” Elliot said.
I peeked up to look at Blade and he looked murderous. He was also grinding his teeth together. Slowly, I lifted my hand to stroke his face. “Are you okay?”
He chuckled. “Am I okay?”
I nodded.
“You have gone through something I’ve only seen in cult documentaries, and you’re worried about me?”
I nodded again.
“You’re too good for this world, darlin’.”
***
“Hey, sweet girl,” Blade whispered the next morning.
I rubbed my eyes and turned to look out the windows. It was still very early, judging by the darkness outside.
He rubbed my belly softly. “I have to leave and go take care of some things, but I’ll be back by dinner today, okay?”
“Are you going to work?” I asked. I hoped so, he’d missed yesterday already. I’d learned Leland was his boss and even though he seemed really nice, I didn’t want Blade to get in trouble because of me.
“No, baby, I just have to take care of some business. Rogue is on her way and Tyler and Elliot are awake upstairs. Hit the red button if you need them, okay?” he said, pointing to the button on my bed rail.
I nodded and Blade bent and kissed my forehead. “Sleep good, Little one.” He pulled the cover back over me and tucked me in tight. “Make sure you drink your water too. We want to flush all the yuckies out of your system.”
“I promise.”
“Good girl,” he said, making my kitty throb. “I’ll see you later, I promise.”
He turned to go, but I stopped him.
“Blade?”
“Yes, darlin’?” He turned around and closed the space between us. I loved how patient he was with me.
“Can I have a hug before you go?”
“You can always have a hug, Eloise.” He helped me sit up and gave me a big bear hug. His hugs felt like he was trying to love all the pieces of you back together. I took a moment to enjoy the sensation and the smell of him. I would need it when I left.
“Have a good day,” I said, releasing him and swallowing the lump in my throat.
“You too. See you tonight, sweet girl.”
But I knew he wouldn’t. I would be long gone by then.
***
Blade
I pulled my truck into Bash’s driveway and he hopped in before I’d even come to a full stop.
“Eager much?” I teased, but hell, I was eager too.
“To kill the asswipes that put that look of fear on Eloise’s face? Fuck yes.” I’d called him over to Elliot’s the night before to talk to him about what she’d shared with us. He’d been almost as angry as I was.
Bash and I had a lot of firsthand experience with the evil this world could bring. We’d met in foster care when we were just teenagers. We’d been through the system and seen the kind of scum that only the deepest corner of hell could produce. Early into our adult life, we decided if the justice system couldn’t protect innocent lives from the evil infiltrating the planet, then we would. We teamed up with others who had similar views and nine years later we were still at it—ridding the world of one piece of shit at a time.
“Did you call the others?” he asked, typing on his phone, probably sending our location.
“Yeah. They’re going to meet us at the factory.”
“Okay, I just sent Jasper our location. He put this together so quickly for us, he must have been seething.”
“Yeah, I had to talk him down. He wanted to take matters into his own hands last night.”
“Fuck, I’m glad he’s on our side. I’d hate to be in his crosshairs.”
I snorted. “Same.”
“I’m glad you brought him in. I know it had to be tempting to handle it yourself. I can see that Eloise means a lot to you already and I know it took strength to wait.”
“Like I’d plan anything without making sure the mastermind was available to cover our asses. I’m too handsome for jail,” I deflected.
Seriously, most of us operated off of emotions and testosterone. Jasper was the brains behind the operation. He handled everything from evidence to security cameras. I didn’t know how he and his teams worked and I didn’t care to. He took care of us, and we took care of whoever needed taking care of for him. He also had a plethora of information at his fingertips. When I’d told him who we were looking for, he’d been able to provide us with everything we’d need for today, including handling getting everyone in one place for us.
We pulled into one of Jasper’s large factories and I typed in the code to the keypad. The side doors opened and we drove inside.
Before we could get out of the truck, Smoke and his stepbrother Layton pulled in behind us.
“Let’s get this fucking show on the road,” Bash said, grinning ear to ear. Sometimes I really worried about him. Nobody should love violence as much as he did.
“Dude, I pulled up some information on this church last night. It’s fucking creepy,” Smoke said, grabbing a hoodie from the pile Jasper left us and sliding it on. The hoodies had a QR code on them so when captured in video, the link took people to a website that exposed shitty people around the world. I couldn’t wait for every member of that church to be on the damn site.
“I know. It made me sick,” I told him after I’d put my own hoodie on. I’d only been able to research it a tiny bit because it had enraged me.
Layton looked over some of the items we’d been left. “Do you feel taking out the church will help bring more closure to your girl?”
“Oh yeah. It’s going down too,” Bash said, holding up a control switch.
“I think maybe you mean up,” Smoke pointed out.
Bash shrugged. “Up, down, whatever. The building is going to be in flames by the end of the day.”
“Yeah. The church is supposed to represent a beacon of hope to the community, but this one doesn’t. Every time those bells ring, it reminds the community of those it’s hurt. I’m sure Eloise wasn’t the only one. It’s got to go,” I said, opening the truck and grinning. Just what I’d asked for.
“What the fuck is that?” Bash asked, studying the item laying in the truck. It was a twenty-eight inch long, one-and-a half-inch-thick Escrima stick made of rattan. Twisted around the body were two thorny vines and the handle was wrapped in a non-slip rubber. It was perfect. Jasper always came through.
“What is that?” Smoke asked, his voice carrying the same wonder at Bash’s.
“ My rod of correction,” I answered. That son of a bitch was going to pay.
***
I watched as Jasper’s men surrounded the church, their SUVs blending in with the other vehicles in the parking lot. His plan had been brilliant because he’d played off Billy’s pride. He’d called Billy and told him a news crew was interested in doing a documentary about his fundamentalist church. Of course, the wannabe pastor had fallen for the trap hook, line, and Bible. Once Jasper had gotten Billy to agree, he’d drafted a plan to send emails to the actual news stations to make this entire thing look like another cultish ending. Perhaps the town would think they’d just had a bit too much of the Kool-aid.
Maverick, one of Jasper’s men, walked out a side door and waited for us on the moss-covered stairs. Grabbing our things and raising our hoods, we met him in the front.
“He’s in his office ready for you.”
“Thank you. No innocents?” I knew we were about to kill two dozen people, but they were monsters who deserved it. Kids who didn’t have a choice, teenagers who had been forced to attend against their will, and women who were in the same position as Eloise deserved to be free. They’d be helped and spared.
“None. Jasper screened well and honestly, I don’t think any actual members were under forty. Eliose was the youngest registered member.”
That made sense as to how most of her trauma had occurred.
“Bash, you’re with me. Smoke, Layton, follow Maverick,” I commanded.
“On it,” they answered as we split into two groups.
“Second door on your left,” Maverick said, pointing to the opposite hallway.
Walking down the hall, Bash and I didn’t speak. Our anger reflected thickly in the air around us. Fisting the rod of correction tightly, I pushed open the door, walked in, and slammed the wood down on his desk twice. He shoved his chair back and tried to stand, but Bash was behind him already. Gripping his shoulders, Bash shoved him back in the chair.
“W-who are you?” he asked. His rotund face reflected his horror.
“That doesn’t matter. What does matter is Eloise Tomerlin and what you did to her.”
His face filled with rage and he tried to stand again. “I don’t know what the little whore told you—”
WHACK!
I didn’t let him finish his sentence before I hit him in the mouth with the rod. Once he’d called Eloise a whore, I was done listening.
“Wrong answer, asshole,” Bash said, his hands still firmly on his shoulders.
Blood poured from Billy’s face and I took pride in knowing his last few minutes on earth would be a literal hell for him.
***
I stretched my arms over my head. My back was sore from the physical exertion, but damn did I feel good knowing there were far less evil people in the world.
From the rearview mirror, I could see smoke from the church rising quickly, turning the sky a dark gray. It looked like its secret sins were being exposed and the thought of all is secrets being public fucking elated me.
“You good?” Bash asked, wiping his hands on his pants.
“I’m good, and more importantly, Eloise will be good.”
He nodded. “That’s all that matters at the end of the day.”
“Thank you for this,” I told all of the men in the SUV with me. “There’s nobody else I’d rather commit felonies with.”
Laughing, Smoke put his bloody hand on my shoulder. “I’d kill for you, man. Literally.”
Looking down at his hand, I asked, “Is that your blood?”
“Nope.” He grinned.
I wore Billy’s blood on my own pants. He’d screamed and cried like a fucking baby, but he deserved everything I’d given him and more for what he’d done to my baby. And she would be my baby. Once she realized she was safe and didn’t need to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. Eloise would let me love her, I just knew it.
Turning on my cell, I noticed I had dozens of messages and voicemails. What the fuck?
It rang before I could listen to any of them. “Hey, Leland. What’s up?” I answered with the call on speaker.
“Eloise is missing. We’ve been trying to call you for hours.”
“What? What do you mean she’s missing?” My heart dropped to my feet and I felt like I might actually puke.
“When Rogue got here this morning, she was gone. She took her IV out and her backpack is missing. Do you have any idea where she’d go?”
“Fuck!” Bash slammed his hand into the dash.
I felt like doing the same, but refrained. Barely.
“No. You checked the shelter?”
“I did. They haven’t seen her since she left yesterday morning.”
“Fuck!”
“We’re all out looking for her. I’m headed to the train depot just in case she’s trying to leave town.”
“That’s probably the best place,” I answered. “We’re headed back now. Call me if you find anything, Leland.”
“You got it, man,” he said before I disconnected the call.
“Layton and I can check the bus station in Dodge County. I’m sure you’re right and she was looking for some way to get out of town,” Smoke offered.
I nodded, unable to speak.
“We’ll find her, man, it’s going to be okay,” Bash promised.
We had to find her, I wasn’t sure I could live without her.