Chapter Sixteen
Belle
I didn’t know what time everything happened with those bikers, I just knew it was still dark. Then I fell asleep and thought it was almost morning, and I hadn’t been out long, but then I learned I was out for almost twelve hours. My hip hurt more, but I wasn’t experiencing as much pain in my head or throat. I felt groggy and thirsty more than anything, but my neck felt stiff. I felt a warm body next to me and saw Valerie sleeping. I quietly rose from the bed and made my way to the bathroom. The rocking from the motor home made that a little tricky in the state I was in, but I made it there in one piece. When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw Koty sitting in the passenger seat.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” He stood from the seat and made his way toward me.
“Except it’s not morning, is it?” I rubbed my kinked neck.
“You have to be hungry and thirsty. Let me get you a few things. I can pull this thing up and make a table for you.” He sat me down and pulled on something and a table appeared. It was a nifty feature. He set a bottle of water in front of me, then went to the fridge. “Here’s your choices. Leftover cheesesteak casserole, tuna or chicken salad, lunch meat, or a peanut butter and jelly.”
I smiled. “I’ll take the chicken salad, thank you.” I glanced at Michael, and he was glancing at me from the mirror in the visor. I smiled then looked away. “Where are we?”
“Almost Oklahoma. Valerie talked Mike into stopping outside Norman for some rest. He has driven the entire time. They have family or something there and we would be safe there for the night.” Koty answered as he made my sandwich. “Pickles or anything else on it?”
“No thank you.”
He turned and set my sandwich in front of me then opened a cabinet to pull out some chips. “Drink up, we don’t need you getting dehydrated. How do you feel?” He put the chips in front of me.
“Better than before, but my right side feels pretty sore. A lot of my muscles are sore from not moving, but my hip is extra sore.”
“You had a tracking device in your hip, so Valerie had to open a wound up, explore, then sew you up again.”
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea It was in me, so I know it’s how we were found.” I felt terrible for not noticing anything.
“It’s not your fault, we’re just sorry we had to do it. I can flip on the television for you, if you like.” He offered.
“How would I even know what to watch?” We never owned a television.
Koty smiled. “This might be the greatest education tool for you to see the world around you and understand it a little better. What sounds good? There’s different genre’s just like books. Romantic comedies, documentaries, fake news networks.” I heard Michael laugh at that one. “Teen romance, comedies, military, and lots of things.”
I smiled. “Make me laugh.”
“Alright, romantic comedy it is, let’s take a look. Here’s a movie called The Proposal. It looks funny.”
“It is.” Michael spoke from the front.
“That sounds fine.”
He turned it on and went back up to sit with Michael while I ate and laughed. I laughed so hard through the entire movie it hurt. The grandma was so funny it was ridiculous. I picked up the remote and figured out how to use it and curled up on that sofa and watched one movie after another, until it was time to stop.
Two hours after we stopped everyone else was sleeping. We were at another clubhouse and the man helping us was named Charlie. He was something to them. They mentioned a woman named Wrenly and her father, Clint. Michael said they could be trusted, and I needed to try and relax. It was a large place, unlike the clubhouse in Arizona. We all had our own rooms, but Michael said we would only be there for a few hours.
I was laying in my bed, unable to relax. It wasn’t dark enough in my room, there was a light in the hallway, and I could see too well. I always needed a dark place to sleep, or at least lay alone with my thoughts and prayers. I wasn’t tired, and really wished I could walk around without waking anyone up. My body was stiff, and my mind still felt a little foggy from all the medicine. I didn’t want to take it anymore.
I thought about my papa and how he was probably already on the other side. I wondered if he went to heaven. The more I learned, the more I realized that my papa was faithful to his religion, but maybe not so much to God. It wasn’t his fault, it was the way he was raised, and he didn’t have a public education because most large schools weren’t built yet. He attended a few years, but it was a one room schoolhouse. He mostly learned everything he knew from the church and never had to work a job like the other men. He served his God and his followers. Unlike what we were taught, the people on the outside world were saying we have a forgiving God. Would God forgive my papa because he didn’t know better? But then I wondered why my papa feared the law so much if what he was doing wasn’t wrong.
I felt a presence then saw a figure in the doorway. It was Michael and he was looking in on me. “I’m not sleeping.”
“You should really get some rest.” He said.
“The last thing I need is more rest. I believe the one that should be resting is you.”
“I slept for a bit, but woke up and can’t get back to sleep.”
“Then come in.” I sat up and scooted over and patted the space next to me.
“I’m not sure that’s appropriate.”
“It’s not like we haven’t shared a room. I’ll decide what’s appropriate. Just come sit.”
He stepped in the room then sat on the bed next to me. “You must be tired.”
He was purposely not looking at me and sat back with his arms crossed. I didn’t care if he was uncomfortable, I laid my head on his arm and got comfy.
“Comfortable?” He chuckled.
“Yes, and safe. This room doesn’t get dark enough to feel safe and Koty keeps opening my door so he can listen for me.”
“Most people feel scared a lot more in the dark than the light.” He said.
“Really? Why?”
“Because they fear what they can’t see.” He answered.
“But they don’t fear what others can see?”
He scratched his beard. “I don’t really know what that means.”
“When I can be seen, it means others can see me. They give me strange looks, and looks that make me uncomfortable. I can see it in men’s eyes, they want something from me. In my community we are always being judged. You’re not faithful enough, you don’t pray enough, you don’t serve the almighty God well enough. You stand out too much. You’re too tall, and comments about my looks happen all the time. But when I’m alone in my bedroom and it’s dark, nobody is looking at me or judging me. My father has prophecies, and some of them make me feel uneasy because they come true. Sometimes I think when he stares at me, he’s reading my thoughts, or he can see what comes to me in my dreams. Except when you’re near. You don’t look at me like there’s something wrong with me.”
He chuckled. “How do you think I look at you?”
“Like I’m something you need and don’t understand why, because you don’t want to need me. I make you feel warm, adored, and good because you know you make me feel safe. You like it when I reach for you to hold me because I’m scared. I also think your attraction to me is strong and not like you’ve felt toward other women. I know because I felt you before I even opened my eyes. I knew you were meant to be in that hospital room with me.”
He drew in a deep breath. “That’s not a good thing, Belle. I’m not as good of a man as you think, and I’m not always this kind. You sort of bring it out of me. You look at me like I hung the moon, but I didn’t and I’m nobody’s hero.”
“That motorcycle didn’t crash because I was brave and jumped. It crashed because I was frantic and not thinking straight. I caused that crash, and a man died, but you don’t shame me for it. I can feel you before I even see you, and you make me forget it even happened.”
He shook his head. “That man caused his own death. I’m no kidnapper, but I think it’s well known that a well-planned kidnapping doesn’t usually include a motorcycle as your best mode of transportation. The man was probably a drunk and definitely was a piece of shit. You shouldn’t be ashamed or feel guilty. There is no reason why that crash would have been your fault.”
I gasped for the fiftieth time since we started our journey, just from the foul language.
“You’ll need to get used to the curse words before we get to Creed’s Lake. I’m afraid my friends and family will give you a seizure if you gasp that way every time someone uses a curse word. Even my little niece tries to get away with it from time to time and she’s only seven.”
I smiled. “How many nieces do you have?”
He smiled. “Just the one, Addie. My buddy and brother in arms adopted her with his wife, Morgan, but I guess we all kind of adopted her. I’m scared to ask how many nieces you have.”
I laughed a little. “That depends if you’re asking about nieces, great nieces, or great-great nieces. I don’t know for sure exactly how many, but in total and not including my siblings that left our community, my papa has somewhere in the neighborhood of over two hundred grandchildren. That doesn’t include his great or great-great grandchildren.” I explained.
“That’s absolutely insane and no wonder you don’t celebrate Christmas. That would be a huge shopping list. You have forty-seven siblings, and I have one. Her name is Kayla and she’s an attorney that works in the law practice Creed’s Lake owns. My mom lives with her, and they have a house about twenty minutes from Creed’s Lake. She isn’t married and doesn’t have any kids. I’m very proud of her.”
I curled in a little tighter to him. “What’s it like at Creed’s Lake?”
He scratched his beard again and I looked up to see he had some dry skin. He probably needed to shave it. Unlike most men I have seen, Michael is beautiful, and I can’t help but wonder what’s under that beard.
“I’m not sure what your community looks like, probably not like mine. It’s kind of like a military base and has very good security. We have to protect the people inside, most are people we’ve helped run away from terrible people that hurt them. So, when we pull up to the gates, you’ll be searched and so will the motorhome. They’ll even search me and I’m the Vice President. Inside we have family homes, a community center where residents can enjoy seeing a movie, playing sports, swimming and there’s even a salon where a lot of the ladies do the most of their gossiping. When the weather gets better, you’ll see a lot of motorcycles, and we have a lot of celebrations. This is a weekly thing. When we are sending operatives out, which are the people that go out to help people, we throw them a going away party then another one to celebrate their return. Morgan, who is Creed’s wife, has transformed everything into a Christmas wonderland. They even built a skating rink. Everyone is like family, but we all belong to different beliefs. Not all of us are religious, in fact most believe in God, but don’t go to church or subscribe to a certain religion. It’s seen as something that’s private and respected if they don’t want to share their beliefs. Nobody is judged for not attending services and nobody judges the ones that do attend. Our mission is to save women and children from sexual and physical abuse, but also to end human trafficking and slavery around the world. We have a school for the children, but most kids go to public school. We also help victims of abuse obtain an education and learn trade skills. Creed’s Lake isn’t permanent for everyone. We are just the first stop to people gaining back their freedoms.”
“It sounds wonderful.” I said.
He sighed. “I needed to talk to you about something, and it might make you uncomfortable.”
I almost panicked. “What is it?”
He scratched his beard again then swallowed hard. “Most… well all single people at Creed’s Lake engage in sexual activity and they’re not married. I think my sister might be the only adult woman that’s a virgin to step on to the property. She’s saving herself for marriage. Anyway, there is a club there and it’s very progressive, so if anyone invites you maybe you should decline. They all joke and talk about it too, so please don’t think everyone is a sinner and freak out over everything.”
“But that is what a sin is, Michael.” I was confused.
“Just because people don’t share your beliefs, doesn’t mean they are trying to pollute your mind and tarnish your soul. They want the best for you, and you have to keep in mind that you will be the only one out of everybody to hold those beliefs. It is not a sin for a man and woman to engage in sexual acts.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
His head turned to quickly look at me. “That’s it? You just accept it?”
I reached for his hand and flipped it over, then ran my finger up his arm until I got to his birthmark. “I have reason to believe that my papa wasn’t really a good man. I love him dearly, but I’m open to new ideas. That doesn’t mean he didn’t get prophecy’s right.” I softly drew a circle around his birthmark. “Actually, they were always right. He knew about Jeremy before he was even born. He knew when my mama was pregnant that I wouldn’t look like them, but God had a plan for me. He knew when his wives were going to die, and he was never wrong when he laid his hand on a woman’s swollen belly and said if the child was a boy or a girl. He never saw marriages coming, and he never claimed to know because that was a law made by a different prophet. He knew when Koty’s mama was pregnant with him that he would not be a believer. Just like he knew a soldier with a birthmark that matches mine would someday come to me. That is why I was never married to anyone.” I could feel the goosebumps on his arm as I lightly ran my finger along his skin. “He said this soldier needed to be heard, and would lead me to where I was supposed to be. You have the mark of God, see it’s the hand of God, just like mine. I am to trust you and not question what you lead me into.”
“Belle, that’s just…well that’s just not something me or anyone else would believe. Out here in the world, people will judge you for those sort of thoughts, maybe even suggest therapy.” He said, but he wasn’t angry.
“Nobody but us needs to know. If you weren't here with me, I wouldn’t be able to survive this trip. I’ve been raised my entire life to fear the outside world. I can’t explain how much fear runs through my body when you’re not near me. Please tell me you’ll still be near me during my stay with your community. I don’t think I’ll survive if you’re not near.”
He was looking down at me as I continued to run my finger up and down his arm.
“We have an apartment you can share with Koty. You’re going to be safe, I promise. Everyone at Creed’s Lake wants you to be safe and they want to help.” He said.
My nose tingled because the thought of not being with him frightened me. “Will you also stay in an apartment near me?”
He reached over and lifted my chin. “I have my own house, Belle. I also have responsibilities that need my attention. I’ll introduce you to some wonderful people and they’ll keep you busy as well.”
“What if they don’t like me because I’m different and I don’t know how I will react to their sins?”
He studied my eyes. “Is laying in a bed and talking with a man a sin in your fathers eyes?” He asked.
“I don’t know, probably.”
“Does it feel like a sin?” His eyes moved from mine to my lips then back up again.
“No.” I softly breathed out.
“Does my touch feel like a sin right now?”
“No, but you’re different.” I said.
“I am not your husband.” His lips lowered toward mine. “Will it feel like a sin if I brush my lips against yours?” He lightly brushed his lips against mine.
“No.” I wanted more.
He pulled back. “That was not a sin, and neither is wanting more. You’ll be just fine, I promise.”
I was in a daze, looking up at him and unable to make a clear thought. All I could do is look at those lips and wish they gave me more. My heart pounded against my chest so hard it almost scared me. All I could do was look into those beautiful eyes and try to control my breathing.
“I’m awake, so I better wake everyone up and we should hit the road. We’ll be at Creed’s Lake by tonight.” He turned away from me then stood to leave the room.
I didn’t want him to move, and I didn’t want my time with him to be over. He didn’t think he would see me too much once we got to Creed’s Lake, and that frightened me.
“Are you going to forget me when we get there because I’ll be someone else’s problem?”
He paused in the doorway. “I won’t forget you and I’ll still be there for you.”
Axton
What the hell was that? Did I almost kiss her? What the fuck was wrong with me? Jesus Christ.
I warmed the mobile home up after waking Koty and Bolton. I wanted to get on the road and get to Creed’s Lake where maybe she wouldn’t have been occupying my mind constantly. A fucking birthmark? That was why she was convinced it was okay to listen to me about all that stupid shit about sinning?
Bolton opened the driver’s side door. “I can drive, you barely slept. It’s only been four hours since we got here.” She was still half asleep, and I was awake after my encounter with Belle.
Hell, no I wasn’t going in the back. The further I stayed away from Belle the better. “Nope, I’m good. Let’s just get home, we’ve only got about ten hours left. We also need to stop and fill up. Are they ready?”
“Here they come now.” She shut my door, and I heard the back door open, and I shouldn’t have turned around. Dammit, I really shouldn’t have turned around. Belle’s hair was down in waves, and she was wearing a white blouse with no bra and a skirt with a belt. It must have been whatever that bohemian outfit Bolton told me about. Dammit, I could see her nipples brush against the shirt, and I was suddenly in pain and had to adjust my dick. Fuck! Then Belle smiled at me, and I about lost touch with reality. I looked at Koty and he knew what I saw and how much I liked it, and if looks could kill I would have been a dead man. Then I thought about the guys back at Creeds Lake seeing her that way and I gripped tightly onto the steering wheel. As soon as Bolton hopped in, I looked at her. “He can’t keep wearing women’s clothes and she needs a bra. Plus, they need winter coats.”
“She looks to be about Morgan’s size, so I can take her over there when we arrive. I’m sure Morgan has a few things she can lend her until we can order her some clothes. I have no doubt Morgan knows how to size someone. One of you guys can just run to Walmart for Koty.”
I pulled out of the clubhouse parking lot and stopped at the gate where we were checked before we could leave. I looked in my visor mirror and saw Koty putting a blanket over Belle and was relieved. He was a good brother, although he should have left that place a lot earlier than now.
We drove for about two hours before stopping to fill up.
“Okay, that’s it. Get in the back and Koty can sit up here with me.” Bolton demanded.
“Why can’t Belle sit up here with you?”
“Look at her, Axton. She is happy watching movies, she’s absolutely thrilled. Just bring me something to eat then get some rest.”
I groaned. “Fine.” I walked around the motorhome and got in the back. Belle’s eyes lit up.
“You’re finally going to rest?”
“Yeah, after I get us some breakfast.”
She stood. “Sit, I can do it. Let’s see what we’ve got.”
If she didn’t put those tits away soon, I was going to have to throw her over my shoulder and take her to the back.
“We gave some fruit, some cereal, and think there’s milk in the refrigerator, and there’s some breakfast bars and a few muffins left.”
I watched those nipples as she moved around and I could almost see through the shirt so when she bent over to look in the mini-fridge, I almost lost my shit.
“Just hand us the muffins and a banana.” Koty said as he got into the passenger seat. I watched Belle as she handed all of it to Koty.
“Water, milk, or juice? Obviously, we don’t have coffee.” She asked them.
They both said juice and I sat on the sofa, fully focused on those tits and small waist. I imagined holding on to that waist as she rode my cock, and suddenly my mouth was really dry.
“What would you like?” She asked me.
I swallowed hard. Holy shit, if she ever knew she would run screaming. “Hold on, here we go.” Bolton said.
Belle grabbed on to the counter and I was surprisingly disappointed she didn’t fall into my lap.
She giggled. “Glad she warned me. So, what can I get you?” She asked.
“I um…I can get my own, you’re injured.”
“I need to move around, Michael. My body is too stiff, and I don’t want that medicine that makes me sleep anymore. How about a bowl of cereal and I’ll even cut the banana up and put it in the cereal for you.” She offered, but I didn’t answer. She reached down and pulled up the little table and she smiled. “Nifty, isn’t it?”
She got two bowls and began getting our cereal. “I better not pour the milk until you’re holding the bowl.” She giggled. “That could get messy.” I was speechless as I watched in wonder as that copper hair swayed around, sometimes falling over her shoulder and brushing against her breast. She was by far the absolutely most gorgeous creature I had ever seen.
“After you eat, you should go back in the bedroom and get some rest. I’m perfectly happy to watch movies. I find they make me happy and take my mind off things.” She set a bowl in front of me. “Or I can make room on the sofa for both of us if you’d like to watch until you fall asleep.” She put the milk down with a spoon then brought her bowl over. “What do you think?”
I thought how bad I wanted to bite down on that bottom lip and squeeze one of those amazing tits. Holy shit I bet she would have been wet and tight for me. I bet she tasted like sweet vanilla cream.
“Michael, are you falling asleep at the breakfast table?”
No, I was just imagining eating you for breakfast. “I'll want to lay down out here in case something happens.”
Her eyes lit up. “I’ll grab a pillow and blanket for you.”
She was smiling so big as she took a bite of her cereal. Did I do that? She was that happy to be close to me? I could have went to the bedroom, but it seemed I liked punishing myself.
When we finished eating, she went to the bedroom, and I put the table down so I could get comfortable. I could tell by the way she was limping that her right side was hurting. She came back out with a pillow and blanket, along with a huge beautiful smile on her face. “Kick your boots off.” She instructed, so I bent over and untied them before taking them off and setting them aside. She spread the blanket over us then put the pillow in her lap then patted it. “Come on, get comfy. I can’t wait to watch this movie.”
“I’m not laying on you.”
“It’s my right side that hurts, not my left. Come on, you need some sleep.” She ordered.
“Maybe I should go back to the bedroom.” I reached up and scratched my face.
“You have dry skin, you should really shave and use some lotion. Come on, just get some rest.”
Was I really going to torture myself, and why the hell was she so excited to have my head on her lap? I knew those tits would be touching my head. Wait, what if I laid the other way and they were in my face? I had options. Holy shit I was going to burn in hell. Why wasn’t she questioning my self-torture decisions?
“Hurry, I want to start the movie.” She patted the pillow again, and I decided to give in. I laid down and Holy shit she smelled good. She fixed the blanket to cover me then suddenly I felt delicate fingers run through my hair. “Maybe this will relax you to go to sleep.”
She was right, Holy crap was she right. Each gentle stroke felt so good, and I didn’t think the movie started before I fell asleep. I fell into the deepest sleep I could remember.
I woke to fingers still gently running through my hair. I remembered quickly that she was near and didn’t want to open my eyes. I couldn’t remember sleeping so well. I heard sniffles and my eyes popped open, and I turned my head to see tears. “What happened? Am I hurting you?”
She shook her head and pointed at the television. “Jack could have fit on that thing with Rose. He didn’t have to die. I prayed for him, and I think he loved her. They barely knew each other, and he died for her. I think I know what they did in that old car and it’s okay. He still went to heaven, right?”
I reached up and caught a tear. “Don’t cry, Jack didn’t really die. His name is Leonardo DiCaprio, and he lives a very lavish lifestyle. He's an actor, and so is Rose.”
“But this really did happen. All those people died.” She sniffled.
“They all went to heaven, I promise.”
She looked down at me. “They did? The one man had his mistress pregnant.” She looked so concerned.
“Do you think God creates children that weren’t meant to exist in one way or another?” I asked.
“No.” She sniffled.
“Being unfaithful isn’t a good thing to do, but that baby was created because heaven needed more babies. God forgave that man and welcomed him to heaven.” What the fuck kind of shit was coming out of my mouth?
She hiccupped. “What about his mistress?”
“She got to hold her baby in heaven.” Where the hell in my mind did that bullshit come from?
She nodded then used a tissue to wipe her nose. Where the hell and how the hell did she get that tissue? She couldn’t have gotten up. “I am happy for them.”
“Yeah, so am I hurting you?” I asked.
“No, you were out of it pretty hard and didn’t wake when I lifted your head and got up a few times. Valerie stopped for gas and everything.”
My eyes grew even larger. “How long have I been out?”
She shrugged. “I watched two movies before this one.”
“Holy shit.” I quickly sat up. “What time is it?”
“It’s noon, we should be pulling into Creeds Lake in about four hours.” Bolton answered.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I scolded her.
“Because you haven’t had barely any sleep since you flew out to Arizona. It’s fine, Koty and I have it under control. Just relax and watch another movie or something.”
“Pull over and I’ll drive.” I ordered.
“Eat dick, Axton. I like this little mini motorhome. It’s fun to drive. Maybe Darren and I should get one.”
Belle gasped. “What did Dick ever do to you, Valerie?”
Valerie looked into the visor mirror at me, Koty hid his face, and I scratched my beard. Suddenly, we all burst into laughter.
After a very uncomfortable talk Koty gave his sister, she pulled me back to sit on the sofa. “I guess we don’t want to watch that movie.” She scrunched her nose and pointed at the screen. The movie Fun with Dick and Jane was being advertised.
“Well, that really is a guy with the name Dick.” I said.
She scrunched her nose again. “His papa must not have liked him much if he gave him that name.”
I couldn’t stop the laugh, the girl was funny as hell. “Maybe not.”
“What movie do you want to watch?” She patted the sofa next to her again.
“How about some lunch?” Bolton asked.
I looked at Belle. “Look for a movie and I’ll make sandwiches. Whatever you want to watch is fine. If you’re tired of movies, there's also some television series.” I could have done some work. Maybe made a few phone calls, but I didn’t care so much about all of that for the time being.