Chapter 17
Avery
T his bitch never told me the men she was shacking up with were hot as fuck. It's been six months since we've seen each other, and we have some major catching up to do. She definitely left out a good bit of the details about her time here. I've been sitting here in their lounge room waiting for her for almost an hour now.
"What the fuck is taking them so long?" I ask the guy on the other side of the room, who has brown eyes and a scruffy face. I think his name is Sebastian or something like that. He's been in here with me all morning. There was another one that popped in and out, but I forgot his name. He was busy watching something on his phone.
"They're on their way now," Sebastian tells me.
"You really aren't going to give me any insight as to what's going on while we wait for her?" I try asking him again. Talking to him has been about as entertaining as talking to a brick wall.
"She can tell you what she wants. That's her choice" is all he says. What the hell is that supposed to mean?
I hear a door open, and before I know it, someone slams into me with full force. Arms wrap around me, and she squeezes so hard it cuts off my air. "Fuck Cals. I can't breathe."
"Shut up and hug me back."
I laugh because I'm usually the one trying to get her to show me love. She isn't generally the lovey-dovey type. My arms wrap around her, and I squeeze tightly while moving from side to side.
"I missed you so much!" I pull back and look her up and down. She's lost weight, and there are bruises on her wrists. Some of them look like fingerprints. "What the hell?"
"It wasn't from them," she says, pacifying me for now.
"We have a lot to catch up on. Who are these three men?"
She shakes her head and leads me over to the couch before sitting down. "Where do I even start?"
"How about you start at the beginning. It's been months of short answers and sporadic phone calls. Let’s not forget the fact that I haven't heard from you at all in two months. Then, out of nowhere, that one shows up at my doorstep. You can say I'm a little out of sorts here." I point over in Sebastian's direction. "He's lucky I believed you were here and came with him."
"Okay, let's start with how the guys kidnapped me from Braxton Falls Park and then locked me in a cell at the bottom of their pool house." She laughs.
"Fuck’s sake." I hear the one she walked in with say as he walks over to the brown-eyed guy. The third one walked in at some point too, and joined their little get-together in the corner.
I narrow my eyes at the three of them. "You assholes kidnapped her?! Are you fucking kidding me?"
The one who was watching his phone earlier speaks up. He's got a stupid grin on his face. "We did, and she loved every second of it. I'm Barrett, by the way."
I look back over to my best friend and see her blushing. Holy shit. She really did love it from the start, didn't she? I knew she was into some kinky stuff, but being taken wasn't really something I expected her to be into. Whatever floats her boat, I guess.
"Fine. So, they kidnapped you, and you liked it. Carry on." I wave my hand at her, prompting her to continue.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the guys leaving the room, giving us some time to ourselves. She goes on to tell me about how Kyler seduced her and brought her back up to the main house so she could indulge in a little double-brother action. That's not what she said, but it's what I was able to surmise. She tells me all about them and the things she did with them while she was here, and I'm almost at a loss for words. Almost.
"That's just the first three months! Are you kidding me, Cals? You've just been living the dream here, getting dicked down by multiple men."
"They're pretty amazing, aren't they?"
"What's amazing is that it seems like you have them all wrapped around your finger. I can't even find myself one partner, and you're over here with three of them."
"Things with Seb are still a little tricky. Wait, I thought you had your man-woman trio going on?" she questions. It's been so long since we've talked that I haven't been able to fill her in on all the messy details of that break-up yet.
"Yeah, that didn't work out. Tessa went batshit crazy, and the three of us decided it would be best if we moved on. It all ended with me feeling used. Whatever. It was fun while it lasted."
"You'll find someone eventually." She tries to comfort me, but I don't need it.
"I know I'll find someone. I'm amazing," I proudly say. One thing I don't lack is confidence. My parents raised me to believe in myself. They make sure I know that if there's ever anything I want, I should go for it. I am so blessed to have them, especially considering how shitty Callie grew up. Hearing about her childhood made me so much more grateful for mine.
"If you've been here, what happened for the last two months? Why haven't I heard from you, and why do you have so many bruises?"
She glances down at the floor like she's ashamed or nervous about something. I reach out to grab her hand, reassuring her. There's something bad she's about to tell me. We’re about as close to family as two friends can get. She’s never nervous like this.
"Julian," she whispers.
"I knew that piece of shit was involved somehow. What did he do, and when can I castrate him?"
Her eyes meet mine. "His name isn't actually Julian, it’s Damien."
My free hand comes up to cover my mouth. "Damien, as in the guy your father wanted you to marry?" I ask.
"Yep, they are one and the same." She shakes her head a few times. "He came to the house, shot Kyler, and took me back to my father. I spent the last few months on Rogue's compound."
"Oh my god, Cals." I gasp.
"Ky was in a coma for a few days. They looked for me, of course, but they didn't know where I was for sure because my father had me moving around to a bunch of different places. They tried so hard to break me, and I was close to giving in." She tears up.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." I pull her in for a hug as the tears start to slide down her cheeks.
"That’s not even the worst part, Aves. I was forced to marry him, and he…" She trails off. "He did things to me on our wedding night. I tried so hard to not focus on what was happening. The only escape I had was to count in my head. For 295 seconds, he hurt me."
"That son of a bitch needs to be castrated. Fuck, Callie, I'm so sorry." I hold her for a few minutes, letting her cry onto my shoulder.
"When Seb showed up in the doorway of my room the next morning, I thought I was hallucinating. They came for me, and they got me out. My father spotted us while we were trying to leave."
"What happened? Obviously, you got away from him, or you wouldn't be here now."
She gives me a look I've never seen from her before. It's a mixture of accomplished and pained. "We killed him."
"You what?" I definitely wasn't expecting her to say that.
"I don't regret it," she says firmly. "He put me through hell my entire life, but even then, I couldn't be the one to end him. Sebastian had to do it for me, although I did inflict a little bit of damage myself first. Seb killed him with my permission."
"He deserved to die after what he put you through. I'll have to make sure I tell Sebastian thank you."
"I didn't think he cared about me enough to even offer to do something like that. I mean, they kill people all the time, so it's not like it’s the first time he's done it."
"Wait, what now?"
"It's what they do. They're hitmen. Anyway, this didn't seem like a job. The things he said and the looks he was giving me. It seemed like he was upset over the things my father said. Seb's been an asshole to me since they brought me here the first time, so this was a different side of him that I've never seen."
"Maybe you being gone made him realize how much he liked having you around. You know men don't always appreciate what they have until it's gone. It sounds like you have something to bond over now."
"Anyway," she says while rolling her eyes. "Did I mention my mom is alive and upstairs in the guest room?"
"The mother who was shot in the chest right in front of you is alive?"
"That's the one."
"What the hell? Go get her right now so I can meet her." I narrow my eyes. I can't believe she didn't start off by saying her freaking mother was alive.
"Fine. Jeez, you're so demanding. I'll be right back."
When she steps out of the room, I give myself a minute to process everything she's been through. It's way more than any person should have to deal with in a lifetime, that's for damn sure. I hope the Monroe brothers have plans to kill Damien, and it better be a long, brutal death.
My best friend comes back into the room, holding the hand of an older woman. She is a good bit taller than Callie, with bright blue eyes and blonde hair that rests just below her shoulders. I would have never guessed the two of them are even related, let alone mother and daughter.
She has sunken eyes, and her body looks frail and weak. Her nose leans to the right a little, almost like it's been broken a time or two and wasn't reset properly. She reaches out her hand for me to shake, so I take it.
"You must be Avery. I'm Natasha, Callie's mother," she says with a soft tone. It's almost as though she's not used to speaking to other people.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm glad you're not dead."
"Avery. What the hell?" Callie shakes her head and lifts her hand in a what the fuck motion.
"What?" I say, trying to hold back a laugh.
"It's fine, LeeLee. ”
"I'm so sorry you had to be there alone for so long. Callie told me all about her childhood with you. You are one of the few things she smiles about." I reach out to touch Natasha's shoulder as a gesture of kindness, and she jerks back.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to recoil from you. It's a bad habit." Her eyes fall to the floor, ashamed that she let us see the more vulnerable side of her.
"You don't have to explain anything to me. I'm just happy to meet you." I can't even imagine the things this woman must have endured at Gabriel’s hands. It's a wonder she's even standing here with us.
We walk to the couch to sit down, and the three of us spend the next several hours talking about everything. I catch Callie looking at her mother over and over like she has to try and convince herself she's actually here. It hurts my heart and makes me want to go see my mom.
The hours fly by, and I'm grateful to have this time with her. I'm not letting her go this long without talking to me again. Now that I know where these psycho kidnappers live, she can expect me to just show up if I don't hear from her.
"Alright, this girl needs to head home. I have to work soon."
"Ughhhh, just call off," Callie says, and as tempting as that may be, I need the cash.
"No can do. You'll just have to keep your ass out of trouble for more than five minutes so I can come over for a girls night. That bar over there is fully stocked, and you have three hot men to wait on us."
"Men waiting on women," Natasha says, almost astounded, as she lets out a little giggle.
I'm sure that, with what she's used to, the idea may seem foreign. Fuck that stupid society. The guys walk back into the room at the perfect time. It's like they knew what we were talking about.
"Alright, you." I point a finger in Sebastian’s direction. "Take me home." He nods as I give Callie one last hug before walking out to the car and slipping into the front seat.
"She needs you more than she needs any of us; you know that, right?"
"Of course, I know that. I don't plan on going anywhere. She was my best friend before she got involved with any of you, and that isn't changing anytime soon. You might as well get used to me. Thank you for getting her out of there."
All he does is nod, not saying another word before he starts the car. I can see why she didn't like him for so long. He's a grumpy ass, but I understand where he's coming from. He cares about Callie. I can see that plain as day. He wants to make sure she is taken care of, and I can respect that.