Chapter 12 #2
I shrugged. “Two years, so you do the math.”
I was stretching the truth about the timeframe, but no one needed to know Sergey protected me from Kelly and Ricardo the entire first year until someone broke in and murdered him.
That was one of the best and worst days of my life, and I would never tell anyone about the tears I shed for that monster.
“Why haven’t you told your brother so he can hunt them down?” Seth asked, and again, I shrugged. “How can you protect those vile assholes? They could be hurting someone else.”
I snapped my head at him, pissed that he was basically saying if someone else was hurt, it was my fault.
Pointing my finger at him, I began to take steps closer to him.
“Fuck you for saying that. I never asked for any of this bullshit, and I won’t be lectured by you about how I’m supposed to act or what I’m supposed to share.
” He took a step back when I poked him in the chest with my extended finger.
“Do you want all the gory details? About how, the first time, I was gang raped by four men who decided to see if they could all fit inside me at the same time. Is that what you want to know about?”
He shook his head, but I was on a roll and couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.
“How about I tell you the time I was beaten while he raped me, and how I had to have my jaw wired shut for close to a month because of the damage. Or I could give you all the details about the man who held my head under water while he sodomized me, just to see how long I could hold my breath. So, tell me, Seth,” I spat his name, “which one of my rapes do you want to know about?”
“I . . . I didn’t mean—”
“What’s the address here?” I asked as I walked to the island and grabbed my purse, pulling out my phone.
“Why?” he asked, and I cut my eyes at him.
“What is the fucking address, Seth? I need to order a rideshare.”
He held up his hands, obviously defeated, as he said, “I’ll take you back to your brother’s.”
“I don’t need a ride. I just need the address.”
“Jesus, Regan, I’m not letting you get into a car with a stranger at two o’clock in the morning by yourself, so put your damn shoes on and I’ll take you back to Rhys.”
Pissed, I pushed my feet into my shoes in front of the couch and watched as he grabbed his keys and walked to the front door. I felt like shit for yelling at him, but I was embarrassed by my sleep outburst and that, coupled with his pushing me, sent me over the edge.
We walked outside, and he locked the house behind me before we wordlessly walked to the SUV.
He opened the passenger door, and when I glanced at him, I could see anger and remorse in his eyes as I climbed inside.
Keeping my eyes on him until he got behind the wheel, I felt like I was losing something great before I had the chance to really get to know it, and tears began to build in my eyes.
Clenching my hands tight, I allowed my fingernails to dig into my palms, stopping the tears before they fell. The entire drive to my brother’s house was filled with silent tension, and when we pulled up to the gate, the guard was shocked to see us arriving so late.
“Should I alert Mister Weston that you’re here?” the guard asked.
“No need. I’ll see him in the morning,” I remarked, and he gave a nod before opening the gate.
Seth, still fuming from the driver seat, silently drove me to the front of Rhys’s house and placed the car into park. I looked over at him and shook my head before I grabbed the door handle and went to open the door.
A hand reached out and grabbed onto my shirt, tugging me back into the vehicle, and when I turned, I was met with a bruising kiss from Seth. He placed his forehead against mine and simply said, “I’m sorry.”
Reaching back over, I opened the door and slid out, giving him one final look as I replied, “Me too.”
Walking up the stairs, I glanced back and saw Seth sitting in the vehicle with his hands on the wheel and his head resting on his hands.
I lowered my gaze and unlocked the front door before walking inside and securing the locks behind me.
The small monitor at the front door showed the driveway, and I watched Seth look back at the house, staring where I walked inside for close to a minute before he smacked the steering wheel with his hand and drove away.
Walking to my room, I tried to stay quiet, not needing anyone else to witness my near breakdown.
Not only did I get visited by the monster who haunted my dreams with his sadism, but the man I was starting to open my heart to basically said that if anyone else got hurt because I wouldn’t speak my truth, then that was on me.
And that was bullshit.
Going into my room, I collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how the evening went from good to bad so quickly.
Then I realized it was me, and the only way to get past this would be to share my utter humiliation with the family.
And then watch them all walk away from me. Forever.