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"It took every ounce of strength I had not to bust into the house and take her down when she hit you."
I stare at him, his green eyes focused on me. "What do you want from me, John?" I ask softly, scared but hopeful at the same time.
"For now, I just want to make sure you're okay."
I swallow back the fear. I need to say something. "John, please don't hurt me."
"I won’t," he responds instantly.
I shake my head. "If I leave, I have nowhere to go."
"You will. I promise you, that no matter what happens, you'll have somewhere to go."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," I snap. Promises always get broken and I'm the one who always ends up getting hurt.
"Reli," he says; he’s the only one besides my dad that calls me that. "I don't make promises I can't keep. I have an idea of what I want to happen, but you'll be safe—that, I'll guarantee." His deep voice washes over me and I'm scared; all these promises make me hopeful, but I'm not naïve enough to think that they may never happen.
"What is it that you're hoping is going to happen between us?"
"Reli, right now, I'm taking this one step at a time." He's not making sense.
"John?" I question, not willing to let this lie. I need answers.
He sighs. "Fine. Reli, you're gorgeous, you're fucking sweet and vulnerable, but I can tell you have some steel. I want you, in my bed and in my life. I'm going to take that slowly because you're scared. But for this to work, I need you to be honest with me."
I nod, shocked at his honesty. He’s Markus’ son; the Princeton family has been a part of my life for a long time. I’m scared, I’m alone, and now that I’ve left Talia’s house, I’m worried about what she’ll do when she finds out.
"Tell me everything, Reli," he pleads, taking my hands into his and squeezing tight.
I open my mouth and I unload; it's like opening a wound and letting it bleed. I keep the worst of it to myself. I can’t, I won’t, tell anyone that. I can’t through fear of repercussion if she ever found out that I had told anyone. I’m sure she’d kill me, but I also have shame. Shame of the things I’ve done.
Eight
John
I feel physically sick after hearing what Reli has been through. When she opened the door, I bit back a curse as I took in her face. The split lip, the bloodshot eyes, not to mention the bruises that shine brightly on her face. She took a beating last night or this morning. A severe one, by the looks of things. I need to get her to a doctor. Preferably a hospital, but I’m not sure she’ll go for that.
By the looks of it, it looks like she has taken years of abuse, both physically and mentally. What she’s endured makes me want to track Talia Maine down and kill the bitch. Talia and her minions have turned a girl that was broken hearted from losing her father into their fucking slave. They’ve made her life a living hell, and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that they get the same in return. I’m going to fucking ruin them.
“Is this happening every day?” I’m not sure how I’ve managed to keep my voice calm and even but I’m fucking glad. The last thing Reli needs is my anger; it’s not directed at her, but she’s been mistreated so badly that she’d probably think it was.
She wrings her hands together and shrugs. Something passes through her eyes and I realize that she’s not told me everything. I can’t push her; if I do she could close up or run, and she's too frail to go anywhere.
“Reli, talk to me. I want to help,” I plead with her. I’m not used to feeling helpless and right now, there’s nothing that I can do. I want to pull her into my arms and hold her tight, but she’s fucking seventeen.
The sheer sadness in her eyes makes my gut clench. “You can’t. No one can.” She shifts in her seat; a strangled cry springs from her lips as tears form in her eyes.
Fuck. “Reli, you need to see the doctor. Will you let me bring you to the hospital?”
She nods, her entire body shaking as the tears fall down her face.
Thank Christ.
I quickly push the button for the intercom and speak to my driver. “Lance, take us to the hospital.”
“Yes, boss,” he replies instantly.
He’ll take us to a hospital that I trust. One that we use for my men if we’re injured. Where I know they’ll keep this shit quiet.
