Chapter 41 Laynie
Istood next to J.C. naked for an hour. She tried to grab my hand a few times, but I kept pulling away. I was so thirsty again and felt nauseous. My heart was racing, trying to hold it together, but I knew I was going to throw up. I backed away from J.C. and she looked at me, confused, until I vomited all over the floor. I felt like I couldn’t stand anymore, but I focused on what would happen if I fell down.
Alek left and told Eddie not to take his eyes off of us and to make sure I don’t sit down. He told J.C. she could sit, but she didn’t.
Twenty minutes passed, and I vomited again. J.C. started crying after that. “What’s wrong with you?” she whispered with desperation.
I shook my head. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I knew I couldn’t stand much longer.
A voice from the back of the warehouse made us turn our heads. Don.
“Daddy!” J.C. screamed, but didn’t move her position. She was staring at Eddie, who had a gun.
He walked slowly over to Eddie, his boots clacking against the concrete with every step.
I could see the sweat already forming on Eddie’s forehead. “Alek told us to do this. I mean, I thought you knew about it,” he said, vomiting excuses out of his mouth.
Don took out a knife and held up Eddie’s hand to the wall. Eddie begged him to stop, but Don smiled, stabbing his hand in the middle of his palm, pinning him to the wall. “I would kill you, but I need to give a message to Alek. Tell him I am going to hunt him down and kill, not only him, but those three whore daughters he has.”
Eddie was still screaming, clawing at his hand.
I was still naked and feeling sick.
“She needs water, daddy.”
He walked over and stared at all the scars on my body. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “My son deserves better than this.”
I shut my eyes and nodded. Of course he did. I was disgusting to look at.
J.C. didn’t hear him but said again, “Daddy, do you have water?”
“Did they touch you?” he asked J.C.
“No, but they hurt her.”
He nodded and told her to get in the car. She hesitated, not wanting to leave me alone.
“Now!”
I jumped at his command.
“Get dressed.” He kicked my clothes and shoes towards me.
I bent down with shaking hands, trying not to lose my balance. While I slid my riding pants on, I suddenly felt sick again. I stepped back away from him and vomited again. It was brown water.
“You better not throw up in my fucking car.” He grabbed my bra and shirt and helped me put it on. His touch was rough, and I tensed when he touched to help me. I slid my boots on and walked out with him, trying not to lose consciousness.
I focused extremely hard in the car to not vomit, but I had to tell him to pull over twice because I couldn’t hold it in. J.C. was rubbing my back the whole way.
“Daddy, she needs water.”
“I’m not giving her water, so she can just throw it up in my car. She can wait.”
We finally made it to Don’s house, and he sat me down on the couch with a trashcan and a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the bottle from him with a shaky hand. I couldn’t think of anything else but drinking this water until I heard a loud slap. When I raised my eyes, I witnessed Don delivering a powerful slap to J.C.’s cheek.
He dragged her by her arm to a bedroom and I heard J.C. crying out while he screamed at her, followed by multiple slaps. I downed the water in the bottle and filled it back up in the sink in the kitchen. Why was he hitting her? I remember Linc telling me he abused her as a child, but was he still doing this? She was a grown woman.
I couldn’t think any longer and dozed off on the couch.
* * *
It felt like I was only asleep for a few minutes when J.C. was shaking me awake.
“Laynie.”
I opened my eyes.
“Linc is on his way. Look, you can’t tell him what you saw, okay?”
I was groggy, trying to focus my brain on what she was saying. “Why?”
J.C. looked around. “Because it will make things worse for me. Please, promise.”
“Does he do that a lot?” I asked.
She looked down. “No.” She was lying. “Promise me?”
“I guess so,” I said. I hated making promises that hurt other people. If I didn’t tell Linc about J.C. being hurt, then she would continue to be hurt. I didn’t have the mental stamina to argue with her.
J.C. went back to the bedroom, and I looked over at my empty water bottle. Before I could get up to fill it back up, Don walked into the living room. He said nothing to me, but I was afraid to get up. I pretended to be asleep until I heard a rapid knock at the door. Linc. I sat up on the couch and started crying when I heard his voice.
He rushed to me and cradled my face in his hands. He saw the slap marks and busted lip, and I could see the anger in his eyes. It was fire that lit behind his pupils. He looked at the trash can next to me.
Don spoke from the kitchen, “She’s been vomiting every fucking 30 minutes. I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
He didn’t take his eyes off me. “You okay?”
“I want to go.”
He lifted me from the couch, cradling me in his arms. I leaned my head against his chest.
“Is J.C. okay?” he asked before going out the door.
“She’s fine. They didn’t touch her.”
He buckled me into the front seat and leaned the seat back. I thought about how silly I must look in these stupid riding pants and boots in the middle of Manhattan. He kept his hand on my thigh the entire drive, rubbing me reassuringly. I fell asleep again until I felt him pat my leg. When I opened my eyes, we were in a parking garage and it looked familiar. I realized this was his original apartment, the penthouse. We went in a back way and avoided seeing anyone.
The last time I was here felt like a lifetime ago.
“I’m thirsty,” I said as we walked into the apartment.
He sat me down and pulled water out of the fridge and poured it into a glass. I downed it with desperation.
I sat on the couch, exhausted. I heard him on the phone and I could tell he was talking to my mom. His voice was gentle and patient as he explained I was okay but needed rest. She must have put up a fight because he explained it again and eventually exchanged goodbyes.
He walked over and bent down next to me. “Are you hungry?”
I shook my head.
“Do you want to shower? Or take a bath?”
“Shower.”
He helped me up and walked me towards his room.
I undressed slowly while he started the water.
He turned around and saw the red marks on my thighs. “Did they rape you?”
I nodded and choked back a sob.
“Jesus Christ baby. I’m so sorry.” He pulled me into him. “I’m so sorry.” He held me for a few minutes before asking. “Who?”
I sucked in a breath. “Alek and Eddie. They did it in front of J.C.”
I didn’t look up, but I know there was pain in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Will you stay in here while I shower?”
“I’ll be right here, baby.”
I forced myself into the shower and scrubbed away all the piss and vomit. I scrubbed between my legs, wanting to get rid of any remnants of Alek or Eddie.