Chapter 9 Reaper #2
“Anyway, he was stuck with me.” I frown at her conclusion, but from what little I know of how things turned out, I believe her.
It still guts me to think she’s spent her entire life with someone who resents her and treats her like shit.
“Like I said earlier, it’s not that I had a horrible life or anything.
My father paid for private tutors and provided designer clothes, shoes, bags, and anything else that could be seen as a status symbol.
I have a lot to be thankful for. Really. ”
I’m not sure if she’s trying to convince herself or me at this point.
There was a time I might have resented her for growing up in luxury, but I know money doesn’t equal a good life.
Look at the price my girl had to pay just for the right to exist. It’s written all over her skin.
The bruises have mostly faded, but her body still bears the scars from the worst of her father’s attacks.
“When did the abuse start?” I ask. Lynx deflates against me, and I tilt her chin up. “I said I wanted every piece of your story. Even the painful ones.”
Lynx closes her eyes as if looking at me while diving into her past is too much.
“His second wife always hated me. We got in fights over stupid stuff, and I ran my mouth off more than once. One night, my dad overheard us arguing, and I guess he’d had enough.
He… he grabbed my arm and threw me across the room.
I landed on a glass coffee table, which is how I got the scar on my shoulder. ”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter. “Did the doctors say anything? Did they ask how this happened? Why was no one there for you?”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Lynx murmurs, spreading her hand out over my chest. “It’s over now.”
“You shouldn’t be the one comforting me. God, Lynx, I’m so sorry you lived like that for so long.”
She shrugs, but I know my words meant something to her. I’ll remind my girl every damn day that she’s worthy of a safe, happy life filled with love.
“It wasn’t always like that,” she says, trying to reassure me. I hate that she feels like she needs to make her past more palatable for me. It’s something we’ll have to work on. “We went on lavish vacations, and I’ve seen a lot of the world. But… when things were bad, they were awful.”
“Is that why you ran? To escape his escalating abuse?”
“Not exactly. I… I found out my father was in quite a bit of debt. His last wife caught him cheating and took almost everything in the divorce. I didn’t know because he kept up all the appearances of having wealth.
I guess it was all on credit cards, and when those maxed out, he went to loan sharks. ”
I grit my teeth, hating her father more with every word from her mouth.
“His solution to his debt problem was to sell my virginity to the highest bidder.”
“What the fuck?” I sit up in bed, my heart jackhammering against my ribs. “Who? Who was he going to sell you to?” I swear to fucking God if it’s…
“An auction house that specializes in those kinds of… exchanges. He sat me down and just straight up told me I’d be fulfilling my highest purpose by clearing the family name of debt.”
“Your highest calling? Motherfucking dead man,” I grit out. We’re both sitting up in bed now, facing each other. Lynx has a sheet wrapped around her chest, while I’m too distracted by her confession to care about my own nudity.
“He seemed genuinely shocked and angered that I rejected his master plan. Like I was never a real person to him with my own thoughts and feelings. I was only an extension of him, a piece of leverage he could use when needed. When I told him exactly what I thought of his proposal, he snapped. It wasn’t the first time he attacked me, but I had never seen him so…
devoid of emotion. His eyes were black and empty as he punished me for my disobedience and ungratefulness. ”
“Lynx, I’m so sorry. I… I have no words.” I take her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together to let her know I’m here, even through the rough parts of her past.
“My dad tired himself out after dealing with me, and fell asleep on the couch. He must have assumed I was too beaten up to run, but he was wrong. I grabbed what little cash I had, some clothes, and a few essentials, and left that night. I rented a cheap motel for a few days while trying to find a job, but my money was running out, so that’s when I… ”
“Slept in the truck,” I finish for her. My heart is tattered and torn, especially knowing I added to her misery. I had no idea what she had just been through, but that’s no excuse. “I should have given you a job on day one. If I knew…”
“It’s over now,” she repeats, once again comforting me when she’s the one who has been suffering.
“Can you tell me more about the auction house? The Wicked Riders have been trying to take them down for weeks now. We know some of the players involved, and we have the location of their next auction. We’re still figuring out the exact date and time.”
“This Friday,” she says, her voice hollow. “At least, that’s the one I was supposed to be at.”
I growl and tug at my beard, needing to do something about this. I can’t just sit here while this kind of evil exists. Lynx, my precious, resilient dandelion almost got caught up in a human trafficking ring. That is unacceptable.
“Shit. What time is it supposed to start?” I’m already out of bed and tugging on jeans and a T-shirt. I need to get to the clubhouse and call church.
“Um… I can’t quite remember. I think it was late, though. My dad said something about picking up custom lingerie from a store in the next town over, and how he needed to have it by seven on that Friday.”
“Seven, eight, nine o’clock after drinks and cigars…” I mutter to myself, doing the mental math of when exactly the heinous activities will start. I’m already distracted, but I make a point to kiss Lynx on the forehead before leaving for the clubhouse.