Chapter 39
Sasha
I wake up to pale light shining through a curtained window. My mouth feels like cotton and I have a blinding headache. Groaning out loud, I turn from my side onto my back to stretch my body. It feels stiff and sore, like I’ve been crunched up in the same position all night. Scattered thoughts fly through my mind faster than I can comprehend.
Where am I? What happened last night?
And then the fear hits. Uncle is going to kill me if I passed out on a client.
The sound of a door opening wider causes me to shoot up in panic to a sitting position. Confusion settles over me while I stare into a woman’s wide, bright green eyes. It takes less than a second for recognition to set in, and then I hit extreme panic mode. I attempt to jump out of bed, but I’m hit with a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea that causes me to double over. Riley’s sister immediately rushes over and begins rubbing my back.
“You need to get back into bed and try to rest,” she says.
“I can’t be here,” I say, staring into her green eyes.
She gently helps me back into a sitting position on the edge of the bed before grabbing two pills and placing them in my hand, followed by a glass of water. I eye the pills warily. I’ve been drugged enough times in my life to be cautious about what I take from anyone. I flip the pills over in my hand and breathe a sigh of relief when I see they are indeed just Advil. Popping them in my mouth, I swallow them dry before reaching for the glass of water and downing the entire thing in one go.
Riley’s sister doesn’t say anything. She stares at me while I stare at her, wondering what the hell happened that I ended up wherever I am with her.
“You know, I can kind of see the resemblance now,” she says while placing her finger on her chin like she’s thinking. “If your hair was darker, you guys could definitely be siblings.”
Okay, this chick is certifiably insane. What am I doing here, and how do I get out and away? I look around the room, mentally noting where the door is and how far it is from where I am.
“You can’t go anywhere,” she states matter-of-factly, “Jonathan is out keeping guard until Xavier returns with Andre.”
“Shit, I am in so much trouble,” I say when I’m assaulted by quick flashes from last night. Xavier and Andre showed up, and Andre injected me with something. Random flashes of riding in a car, my head on Andre’s lap. My skin tingles when I think of his fingers running through my hair. Did I dream that?
“The guys will keep you safe. You don’t have to worry about getting in trouble anymore. By the way, I’m Corrine, Riley’s si…”
“I know who the fuck you are,” I growl out.
She cringes at my outburst before standing up straighter and glaring at me. “Look, I know you're probably freaking out right now. You have been through a lot. I also know there is a bad history with you and my sister. I want to help and be here for you because, like it or not, we will be in each other’s lives. I love your brother and will do anything for him, but do not mistake that love for weakness. I won’t allow anyone to walk all over me or be disrespectful, especially in my future home.” She ends her tirade with a hand on her hip and quirks her eyebrow, clearly waiting for a response.
She definitely inherited all of her family's sassiness, but I don’t have time to compliment her on her lady balls. Did she just say, ‘Brother?
“Brother?” I ask, confused.
Her face pales a bit before she looks around the room. Now, who’s searching for an escape?
“Shit,” she says to herself out loud. “We thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“I think we need to wait for Xavier to get back,” she says, fidgeting with her shirt. I’m watching her squirm, waiting for her to give me some clue as to what’s going on when it clicks. She said she loved my brother. She said we were waiting for Xavier. My eyes flick back to hers.
“Wait, Xavier is my brother?”
She nods her head yes while biting her lip nervously.
“Who was the paperwork I saw about then?” I mutter to myself out loud.
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing, never mind. I must have read something wrong. It doesn’t matter.” I rub my head, hoping for some sort of relief from the pounding headache I still have. “Look, I know you guys are trying to help, but this is dangerous. You have no idea what my uncle is capable of. You have to let me go back. If he finds out I’m here with any of you, he will kill you guys.”
“He already tried to kill me. Well, someone sent that bastard Devin to do their dirty work,” Xavier’s voice startles me from behind, and I turn quickly to find him leaning against the door with his arms crossed.
“Xavier,” I say curtly.
“Sasha, I…” He starts to speak, a pained expression crossing his face.
I cut him off before he can go on. “I don’t need your pity, Xavier. I am sorry you had to meet Devin, though.”
He flinches. “Look, I know we haven’t always gotten along, but if I would have known…I could have helped you.”
I slam my hand down on the bed in anger. “No one can help me. That’s what I’m trying to tell you both. I can’t be here. Don’t you understand?”
“He hurt you. He let other people hurt you,” Xavier growls out in frustration, walking towards me. “Do you want to fucking go back?”
“Of course not!” I yell out, tears welling up in my eyes. I blink them back, forcing my emotions into the chest I keep locked in my heart. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me either!”
He makes his way around the bed before standing in front of me. He puts his hand out like he wants to touch my face but pulls back, thinking better of it. Xavier has always been one of the more fun personalities of Bolt Corporation, but looking at him now…all I see is a man destroyed.
“We are family Sasha. I’m not letting anyone hurt you ever again.” He turns to Corrine before grabbing her face and kissing her forehead. “Everyone will be here in a couple of hours. Can you show her where everything is so she can get cleaned up?”
Corrine smiles and nods yes to him before turning and holding her hand to me. I grab her hand as she helps me off the bed and leads me toward a bathroom, where she fills a large tub with hot water and bath salts. I remove the T-shirt they must have placed me in and kick off the underwear. I’ve never been granted the luxury of privacy, so standing naked in front of Corrine right now doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
“I’ll be just outside the room if you need me,” she says as she gazes over my body. A look of worry is on her face as she closes the door. It’s then that I turn towards the mirror to see my reflection. My body is littered with bruises that I would typically expertly hide with makeup. My face, although untouched, is gaunt. Black bags are under my eyes, and my usually full, shiny hair hangs limp and lifeless down over my breasts. I look like shit. No wonder Corrine looked at me like that. My uncle would kill me if I went out in public like this.
Sighing, I turn and step into the tub before sinking into the water. It feels divine. As I soak, I imagine what freedom could be like. Absolute freedom, where I can go wherever I want and not worry about being followed or watched by dangerous men.
Could I ever truly have a life where my future is my own? Could I be with someone one day because I actually want to and not because someone forced me? What I wouldn’t give to experience a man who didn’t selfishly care about his own pleasure and desires.
Hope flares in my chest. I hope that Xavier and the other guys can help me. I sink entirely under the water. I sure hope they know exactly what they are getting into.