Chapter Nine
Fly
Cracking my knuckles, I waited for Brit to come down for breakfast. I'd been unable to sleep, imagining what had happened to her out there in that fucking place.
I'd been too young to participate in many ceremonies but as soon as we'd turned eighteen, we'd been allowed access.
All four of us had been disgusted and not able to watch.
We knew the difference between right and wrong and Chad, the almighty, or whatever he wanted to call himself, was wrong. In every sense of the word.
Footsteps alerted me to her presence before she entered the room. I stood and then sat back down on the stool near the island, not wanting to freak her out. What? Why the fuck did I care and why was I suddenly worried about how she felt?
“Oh,” she said softly as she came in, “I didn't expect you to be awake yet.”
Her hair was messy and unkempt, as if she'd been tossing and turning all night. What did that mean?
“It’s late morning,” I replied, waving at the coffee pot. “I’ve left some for you.”
Blinking, she smiled, just a touch, before going to the counter and pouring herself a drink. I watched her as she faced the wall, gulping several mouthfuls before turning to me.
“What happened last night?” I attempted to keep my tone light despite the hot flames that licked my stomach.
I knew something had happened from her demeanor as soon as she’d returned. She wasn’t an open book by any means, but I had a way of knowing when someone was hurting.
Clearing her throat, she leaned against the counter, holding her coffee cup in both hands and staring down at it. “I finally saw a ceremony. And…”
Her sentence trailed off as she glanced up to the corner of the room. We had no idea where the cameras were, although we suspected there were none in the bathrooms due to the floor to ceiling tiles and lack of mirrors.
“Come sit here,” I said, patting the seat next to me.
She frowned as I motioned with my eyes. If we were closer, we could talk quieter and hope that Chad, the dick impaler, wouldn’t hear. Something clicked and it showed in her eyes as she came over and sat next to me, turning so we faced one another.
The fire in my belly doused, just slightly, as she looked up at me, her wide eyes covered with a sheen of tears. I hated the woman, there was no denying that, but her vulnerability made it hard not to soften, even just a touch.
“I’m trying not to make jokes about catching daddy in the act,” I said, almost squirming under her wide-eyed gaze.
Rolling her eyes, she ducked her head and sighed. “I had no idea it was so public, so…”
“Degrading?” My voice was tight as anger squeezed my throat, rising from the memory of seeing a girl my age being subjected to Chad’s touch.
Brit nodded without looking up, her hair brushing against my knee. The simple gesture sent blood pumping straight to my cock and I shifted, trying to calm the beast down. What the actual fuck?
“I never knew the other men watched and…” Her whispered sentence trailed off and she hiccupped.
“This is what I’ve been telling you about,” I said, clenching my hands into fists on my lap to stop myself from reaching for her.
I didn’t know whether I wanted to shake her from her blindness or comfort her from the shock. No, I had to stay strong and on point. I hated her and needed to escape back to my friends, there was no room for empathy.
“You were lucky to escape.” She rubbed her hands over her face and looked up at me. “Both times.”
“After we saw what your father was doing to those women, to our friends,” I said, “We knew that we couldn’t stay any longer. That’s why I wanted Melody to come with me. I couldn’t bear the thought of her going through that.”
She pressed her lips together and looked past my shoulder, inhaling deeply. “Don’t worry,” she said quietly, “He never touched her.”
“Because she died.” My heart squeezed for the memory of her. “So, she never got picked to be a wife. I take a little solace in that, I suppose.”
I hadn’t held on to my love for her, not when she had refused to come with me. I’d let her go long ago but knowing that she’d died… it destroyed my inner teen.
Brit sobbed and rubbed her eyes, unable to meet my gaze. “I may have kicked off at the ceremony last night.”
“You did?” I asked, impressed by her defiance.
If she could go against her father, there was more chance that we – I – could get out of the compound. I didn’t want to drag myself down with her or the ties she had to her father, a man who was top on our hit-list. I was, however, interested to learn what she had done to piss daddy off.
She looked at me, her expression hardening. “Don’t take too much pleasure from me being a bad daughter.”
“What did you do?”
“I tried to make a run for the doors when the men were queuing up to…” She frowned.
“Violate the woman on stage?” I murmured under my breath.
Nodding, she ran her teeth over her bottom lip, pulling it into her mouth before she let go.
My body betrayed me again and I tried to distract myself.
I hadn’t thought much of Brit over the ten years since we’d left.
I hadn’t even known that she’d been friendly with Melody until she’d told me.
I'd always hated anyone related to Chad for being complicit with his actions and wanted to burn them all to the ground. But seeing Brit’s reaction, to what I’d assumed she’d already known about, gave me pause.
She was my enemy, and her kidnapping me was unforgiveable, but things may have changed.
Bringing my head down so she was forced to look into my eyes, I raised my eyebrows. “You didn’t escape, obviously. But I need to know something.”
She stared at me, all intense and shit. Waiting.
“Has it changed your view of your father?” I whispered. “Or do you still see him as the almighty savior of women?”
Her lip wobbled, her soft plump mouth pouting. I was on the edge of my seat, close to her, ready for her answer, almost anticipating it. But why? Why did I care so much about Brit and her views?
“You two are looking rather cozy this morning,” Chad’s voice boomed over the speaker. “I thought you hated one another.”
Brit jumped up and retreated to the fridge, pulling out the milk and cutting across to the counter to make herself a bowl of cereal. I slapped my knees and looked around, beaming a fake smile to my captor.
“We do,” I said jovially, “but there’s nothing wrong with talking to the person you’re trapped with, is there?”
His chuckle was forced. “Did my daughter tell you what she did? You remember how scary my ceremonies are, don’t you, boy?”
“Boy?” I smirked when Brit glanced at me, one eyebrow cocked. “I suppose I will always be younger than you, Chad, my man.”
His snort echoed around the room and I stood, stretching my arms high into the air. “Why don’t you come and try your luck?”
Brit glared at me. Clearly, she didn’t want me to antagonize her father. Without the answer to my question, I wasn’t sure why. Did she still want to earn his forgiveness or did she want to avoid having to leave the wing and witness another ceremony?
“My daughter needs to be punished.” Chad’s voice was tight, angry. “And I’ve been thinking about how she can be cleansed of the sin she committed against me yesterday.”
Brit went stiff, her spoonful of cereal halfway to her mouth. I assumed she’d been trying to play it cool by getting on with her day. Her shoulders tensed, almost reaching her ears.
Rage shot through me as fear filled her eyes. That man had hurt too many people, without them even realizing it. I wouldn’t stand for it, not when I was technically living in the same space as her. Plus, she had clearly suffered trauma at his hands last night, why force more onto her?
“You will not hurt her!” I kept my sights on Brit so she could see that I was being serious. “I will kill you if you do.”
He laughed again and my hands balled into fists. If I had the chance to go for him again, I wouldn’t wimp out like I had when the gun was pointed at me. There was no way he was taking her out of the wing without getting past me, whether I was shot or not.
“Oh, don’t pretend to care about what happens to the whore,” Chad said, “You hate her as much as you do me. Which is why I have the perfect punishment.”
“Dad…” Brit started, her throat closing on the word so violently, it silenced her.
“You humiliated me yesterday, child,” Chad went on, “and now you need to be cleansed. The best way to cleanse you is by using filth.”
Brit and I frowned at one another. The man had lost his fucking mind and if he didn’t stop playing games, I would have to take him out somehow, without my friends. They would be pissed that they didn’t get their retribution, but it had to be done.
“I see you’re confused.” Chad cleared his throat. “Here’s the deal. Fly, you’re the man, you’re in control. If you kiss Brittney properly, you'll get thirty days knocked off your confinement. If you touch her intimately, you’ll get to move back to the lodge.”
“What?” Brit snapped. “How dare you?”
My chest fired with rage. The man was a fucking sicko and I would never play his games.
“Sleep with her and you’ll both be freed, I give my word.” Chad’s tone was cold, calculated.
Shit, if the game could lead to my freedom, would it be worth the consideration to play?
Brittney placed her unfinished breakfast bowl on the side and walked out of the kitchen. A sob echoed from her as she left, slipping into my ear once she was gone.“You have time to think,” Chad went on, “but I won’t wait forever. If you won’t cleanse my daughter of her sin, I’ll do it myself.”
“YOU SICK FUCK!” I shouted, swinging around to try and see the fucking camera. “You’d fuck your own daughter?”
My blood boiled as I stormed from the room, heading for the living area, where Brittney now stood, looking out of the window. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were wet when she looked over her shoulder at me.
“I see it,” she said loudly, “finally.”
“Fly,” Chad interrupted her. “You can have your freedom the instant it’s done. I’ll leave it with you.”