Chapter Two
They rode out of Sabine Pass. Then they flew once they were on the freeway.
It was almost midnight before they made it to downtown and slowed down to see the River Walk. They stopped and Kelly took off her helmet.
It wasn’t long before Kelly found Char, waiting on a bench half hidden under a canopy there for a bit of privacy.
Kelly stared at Char for a long moment. She turned out to be a beautiful young woman. She did have the same eyes and hair, but she was now curvy. She looked a bit pale but that was natural considering this situation. She kicked her stand down, swung her leg over her engine and rushed over to her.
Char stood slowly and just stared at Kelly.
Then Kelly reached out and pulled her into a hard hug. “God almighty girl, I’ve missed you,” she whispered in Char’s ear.
Char hugged her tightly and slowly closed her eyes. “I didn’t know if you would even remember me.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kelly exclaimed. “You were my best friend, then you were gone and nobody knew why or where you went. I tried to talk to your mom after she came home from the hospital but she was broken. She just sat there on your couch and she seemed to wilt a little more every day. She kept saying something about losing you and Rosie to her family. Then one day, I went to talk to her and she was gone. Her body had fallen to the floor but her eyes were just vacant. The state buried her because nobody else claimed her. I didn’t know where you were or if you’d ever be back.
I tried to find you but nobody knew anything.
I kept praying you would find me one day and tell me what happened to you.
It took you a long time to reach out. I almost gave up hope. ”
Char shook her head and said, “I didn’t know if you even kept the same phone number or not. It was a shot in the dark to even make that call.” Then she looked at Kelly like she was a ghost in the dark. “But you answered and it was really you on the other end.”
Kelly smiled. “I kept hoping you would remember my number.”
Just then, Char looked behind her and saw the three men waiting. “Who are your friends?”
Kelly smiled. “I met them along the journey to find my own past. We sort of stuck together through some really hard times and now we all have a good life, one that we can be proud of.”
Char looked at her again. “You got a man then?”
Kelly nodded.
Comanche snorted. “Oh yeah, Kelly went and got herself a good man.”
Char looked at her and hugged her again. “That’s wonderful. I hope he treats you good.”
The guys got off the bikes and the whole group went to sit down at a table next to the river.
Kelly looked at Char and said, “Ok, tell us all what happened to you and Rosie five years ago.”
“My mom’s brother showed up, that’s what.
” Char looked angry as she told her story, “Mom never told me her family was nothing but rich white trash. Victor showed up and they had one hell of a fight. He accused her of running away from her duty and she told him she left because she didn’t agree with their mother’s threats.
She said that she wanted to marry for love, not duty.
” Char paused then fresh tears fell down her paling cheeks.
“Victor told her that it took them too long to finally find her and take care of her little problem and that she was finally free to come back and do the right thing by her family. When she asked what that meant Victor just smiled and he whispered my dad’s name and how terrible it was that he had to die to get her to do the right thing. ”
“And just what was that supposed to mean?” Comanche growled.
Char turned her head and stared at him. “Mom asked him that and Victor told her it was a shame that scaffolding was so loose that it just gave way and her husband had to fall six floors down to his death.”
No one said a word for a long moment before Kelly asked, “Is that how he died?”
Char nodded. “My mom just went crazy when he admitted what happened. My dad’s death just about killed her and she only went on to raise us girls.
But she went into a rage when she heard this.
She got a few good slaps in before Victor hauled off and hit her.
That hit slammed her into the wall and she slid to the floor but Victor didn’t stop there, he kept hitting her, then he kicked her a few times.
Then when he finally stopped, mom was unconscious.
He just grabbed me and Rosie as he tried to drag us out.
I fought him until he told me if I didn’t cooperate he would cut Mom’s throat.
I had no choice but to go with him then. ”
“Where did he take you?” Crusher asked.
Char looked up and said, “To his mother’s mansion in Kansas City.
” She looked at Kelly and shook her head.
“Talk about a wake-up call. She was worse than a red-headed stepmother with a temper. I was sixteen at the time and Rosie was fourteen. When I asked her about my mom, that devil of a woman told me to never speak my mother’s name in her presence again.
My mother was dead to her but she told me I could take her place and try to make up for sixteen years of disappointment in her eyes.
I asked her what she was going to do with us and she told me I would be offered into a marriage that would benefit the whole family and she knew exactly who would be my husband.
She laughed and told Victor I would make them a lot of money in the deal that’s all she cared about.
I asked her about Rosie. She shrugged and said, Rosie would have to be trained first but when the time was right she would arrange a marriage for her as well.
That Rosie still had some growing to do. ”
Kelly gasped and growled. “That’s just evil.”
Char nodded. “That wasn’t the worst thing, what happened next was much worse.”
“What did she do?” Comanche wanted to know.
“She held an auction. She told me it was a dinner party but she forgot to tell me the men invited were bidding for me. I had to stand on a platform and my clothes were torn from my body. I had men touching me like I was a slave. When I fought back, Victor hit me then he tied my hands behind my back and the men all nodded approvingly. A fat man finally upped his bid and my own grandmother called out ‘sold!’ I hated that woman so much and all she did was smile at me. That fat old man dragged me out of the house and took me home with him.”
“What did you do to him?” Kelly asked softly as she stared at her.
Char grinned. “You remember, don’t you?”
Kelly nodded her head. “I remember.”
“Yeah, well I did what I had to do. I protected myself.” Char’s jaw ticked hard as she looked angry.
“You and I used baseball bats to protect ourselves in that neighborhood. But instead of a baseball bat I used a lamp once I got my hands free. He never expected that as he looked so stunned, but I wasn’t going to let him hurt me.
He fought back but he still went down.” She paused and her hands began to shake slightly.
“He got up one last time and he was going to kill me. I could see it in his eyes. No rape, just me... dead. I decided right then that it was him or me and I chose me.”
“Holy hell,” Kelly whispered.
“Then I got the hell out of Dodge. I grabbed his wallet and took all of his cash. Along with a gold ring he wore when he slugged me. I admit it. I knew stealing was wrong but I already decided to do what I had to do in order to survive. By then the house was a mess anyway and I figured the cops would call it a home invasion. By the time they found him I was long gone. I just ran. I changed everything I could about me, dyed my hair, found new clothes and just kept to myself. I kept my eyes open and my ear to the ground. But I knew I’d go back to try to get Rosie out of that house before they sold her off too.
I couldn’t leave her there. I didn’t want her to end up with a husband our grandmother picked for her.
Rosie wouldn’t know how to fight back, how to protect herself from men like that. ”
“What happened to her?” Chase asked her.
Char went quiet for a moment then she told them in a low, sad tone, “When I was on the run, my dear grandmother and uncle hurried their training. They managed to sell her into servitude when she was barely seventeen and some older man bought her four months ago. He was supposed to marry her but he hasn’t yet.
Not only is he a douche...he’s a mean douche.
But he’s also rich and thinks he can treat her any way he wants and there’s no one out there who cares what happens to her.
But in that he would be wrong, very wrong because I care about Rosie. ” Char snarled.
“Who is he and where does he live?” Comanche demanded.
Char turned her head and glared at him. “Ty Regis and he lives right here in San Antonio. That’s why I asked Kelly to meet me here.
It took me four months to figure out where she was.
I’ve been watching his house. I’ve seen her all beat to hell.
I’ve seen her eyes, they are vacant... empty.
I have to get her out of there and I won’t stop until I can’t fight him anymore. ”
Kelly reached out and took her hand. “Char, you aren’t alone now. I’m here, my guys are here. My man is going to look into your grandmother and your uncle. He will help us to tear down dear old Granny’s empire and set fire to her life.”
Char looked at her and seemed puzzled over this. “And why would he want to help me?”
Kelly smiled at her. “Because I asked him to and he’s got the connections to bring her down.”
Char just stared at her for a long moment then shook her head. “What did I ever do that you would keep your friendship with me?”
“Don’t you remember? I never had a sister and you were good for me. We swore we would always be friends and sisters, no matter what. Well, this is the... no matter what.”
Char smiled as she held up her thumb and showed her the scar she had from back then.
Kelly put her own thumb up and showed her matching scar.
The guys looked back and forth at them in some confusion as to what this meant.