Chapter Forty-Eight – Ryan
Molly was back. Critically injured with gunshots, a concussion, cuts, bruises, and contusions. She’d been sexually assaulted and drugged. Somehow, she’d survived after months of torture.
Ryan had never felt as grateful. Or as conflicted. One problem was solved but another one hung over Ryan and stole his peace and happiness.
Harley.
Once Dr. Harlowe gave the news to them, CJ went in search of Harley while Ryan escorted the surgeon to the cafeteria to talk to Dad.
Ryan wasn’t sure if CJ found Harley or when he left. He’d given up his claim to Molly and left her in Ryan’s hands. He should’ve been overjoyed. Instead, the only thing he could think of was he had to extricate Harley from what he’d gotten her into.
It should’ve been just a matter of removing the cameras, but Willard and Wally’s fuckery went deep.
Ryan had no doubt they’d reveal his role.
They’d told him so when he talked to them the moment he got home.
Since he’d invaded Harley, Rebel, and Mattie’s privacy, it was a crapshoot who’d fuck him up first.
His guess was Uncle Christopher. Mortician would want to take him to the meatshack and Johnnie would, too. Uncle Christopher would just shoot the fuck out of him and not care who saw. Including Mom.
His treachery deserved death. Except he didn’t want his mother to hate him forever. He couldn’t rest in peace. No matter how much he feared what may or may not be on the other side, it was the only retribution worthy of his betrayal.
He sat at his desk in his room, alone, while everyone else slept. Mom was so happy that Molly was back. She and the aunts were already creating a plan of action to help her once she recovered.
Dad told Ryan how proud of him he was, while Devon looked relieved that he no longer had to bear the burden of Ryan’s terrible secret. His little brother probably expected the cyberbullying to have ended with Molly safely in their fold again.
Instead of sleeping, Ryan decided to take the opportunity to look at one of Harley’s recent videos. He’d stopped opening Willard’s multimedia messages days ago. He just hadn’t been able to bear Harley’s weeping and degradation.
But he needed answers. Either Willard ordered her to do unspeakable things or her body would provide evidence of Nardo’s abuse.
Or both.
Sighing, he studied his phone, a monster in his hands. He had to swallow his guilt and man up. Molly was back. There was no longer an excuse for this travesty to continue.
Biting the bullet, he opened the message he’d received from Willard sometime yesterday. It was old footage of the first time Ryan and Harley had been together.
Stupid motherfucker.
Ryan almost gave up. Willard was fucking with him, then he thought of Harley again and opened the message from last Thursday.
At first, he only saw Harley’s most private areas while Willard’s disembodied voice directed her. Ryan wondered what app that fuckhead was using to disguise his voice and sound like the villain from a B-rated horror flick.
“Sit up,” he ordered.
Harley laid there for a moment, exposed, shamed.
“Get up now, slut!”
Ryan’s dinner tossed and turned in his gut. He could barely take it and her sniffle broke his heart.
Slowly, she struggled into a sitting position. He thought she took her time because she did this against her will. Then, it hit him. Seeing the bruises across her belly, the welts on her breasts, the purpling on the top of her thighs, Ryan knew she was in pain.
He knew Nardo was beating her. Abusing her. And Willard was compounding her mistreatment.
All because of Ryan. Because he’d given the Bart brothers access to her.
Sucking in air, Ryan double checked the date stamp. She’d recorded this the day after Mattie came over with her suspicions.
Ryan had to help her, though he couldn’t do it alone.
If he remembered correctly, Willard had messaged him a couple of weeks ago asking if he’d seen Harley’s shower footage. He’d also bragged how much Wally, Jr. enjoyed it.
Willard and Wallace seeing it was bad enough. But their dickhead daddy and those other perverts, too?
If Harley showed evidence of bruising, Ryan could take a screenshot, crop it to make it look like a snapped photo, and then show it to CJ. It was the easiest way and worth the ass-beating CJ would give him for violating her space. Swallowing his self-loathing and unease, Ryan got to work.