AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She frowns again, as if trying to think back to her time with him. I clench my teeth because I know this is hard on her. All her scars… they came from him and her time there. I wish I could wipe those memories away, but we still need them right now.
She shakes her head. “No,” she answers with a tremble. “He never said why.”
Captain nods, scribbles on the pad for a few more seconds, and then places the pen down. He looks at me. “There’s something you need to see, but I’m not sure if Aislin should. It may be too much for her.”
“No,” she states vehemently. “I want to see too. As long as I have Niko with me, I’ll be okay.”
I turn to her and tilt my head down so our faces are only a few inches apart. The old Aislin from my childhood shines through in the stubborn tilt of her chin.
“Aislin,” I call her name gently. “I know this can’t be easy on you. Tavers will stay in here with you while I go.”
She shakes her head before I get the words out. “I need to know. Please. I need to know why this was done to me.”
My eyes flicker back and forth between hers, looking for any signs this isn’t a good idea. I know it isn’t, but I recognize her need to understand why her life was torn away from her. She was tortured for years; she deserves to know the truth.
“Okay, but if for one moment it gets to be too much, tell me and I’ll take you away. Promise me.”
The breath she pulls in is shaky, but she nods, furthering my belief that she’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.
Captain leads us out of the conference room with Tavers taking up our rear. Our hands stay locked together as we’re led to another smaller conference room. A small TV sits on a stand by the table with the remote on top. Several books are on the table as well. Captain gestures for us to sit in a position where we can see the TV, and then he grabs the remote.
Captain’s concerned eyes move to Aislin. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Captain Morgan. Please just play it.”
Giving a firm nod, he presses a button, and the screen turns on. It’s static at first, and then the interrogation room comes across the screen. My anger meter goes from a simmer to boiling when I see Mr. Stewart on the screen with Captain sitting across from him. I note Tavers in the background leaning against the wall.
“Why did you take Aislin, Mr. Stewart?” Captain asks on the screen.
Mr. Stewart lifts his head. “Because she’s mine,” he states, his voice hard.
“Why do you think she’s yours?”
He shifts in his seat. “She just is. I made her, so she’s mine.” He snarls the word mine, and even on the screen I see the spit flying from his mouth.
I frown, not understanding his statement.
“What do you mean, you made her?”
Mr. Stewart leans over the table like he’s telling a secret, his cufflinks clanging against the metal. His voice is low, but what he says echoes across the room and leaves my stomach turning over.
“Me and Momma made her. She’s my baby. Her and Aaliyah are mine, so I took them. Momma made them go away, but I got them back. I got them back and loved them just like Momma always loved me.” He sits back in his chair, a frown pulling down his brows. “Aaliyah died. She got sick and died. My Lelu was the strong one and knew just how I wanted to love her.” His voice turns hard again. “She didn’t like it at first, but she learned real quick what happened if she was bad. Bad girls and boys get punished when they don’t do what their parents say. I taught Lelu just how to please me. I taught her how to—”
“Stop!” Aislin shouts beside me. “Oh God, please stop it.”
The screen goes black, and I turn to face her. She has her eyes slammed shut with tears leaking out the corners. I scoot both of our chairs back and drop to my knees in front of her. Her whole body is shaking like a fucking leaf.
“Aislin—”
“There was another,” she interrupts me, opening her red-rimmed eyes. “T-there was another g-girl. In the room n-next to m-mine. I remember her. S-she would c-cry every d-day, and I could hear it through t-the wall.” She stops and grabs my hand in a painful grip. “I remember the day she stopped crying. I remember him yelling at her and hearing crunching sounds. That was the day I escaped.”
“How?” I ask before Captain has a chance.
“I-I started screaming at him th-through the wall to stop hurting her. I don’t k-know why. I n-never raised my v-voice. I never spoke t-to him unless I had to, b-but that day I did. H-he came into the r-room and s-started hitting me too. It hurt so b-bad. I must have blacked out. W-when I came t-to, he was gone, and th-there was no more s-screaming. I got up to check on h-her, and she was gone. I n-noticed the door to my room was cracked o-open. I guess he left it open, and I-I e-escaped.”
Tears pour from her eyes, and her cries are hiccupping sobs. I pull her into my arms. “Shh… it’s okay, baby. Everything is okay now.”
My eyes meet Tavers’ and Captain’s over Aislin’s shoulder. I let them know silently that she’s had enough. I pick up her trembling form, carry her from the room, and take her into the same room where I slept off my binge several weeks ago.
