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"Sally, it's ADA Ramirez. I know it's early, but I wanted to give you a quick heads up."
That had me sitting up, clutching the bedcovers tightly to my naked chest. Usually, receiving calls from the ADA was comforting. She would let me know that things with the case were progressing smoothly while reassuring me that all was still well. Hearing the tone of her voice over the phone this time was the complete opposite.
"Oh god. Did Dr. Stein disappear? Is he coming after me?" Even I could hear the panic rising as I spoke.
There was a tired sigh coming across the line. "No, he's still here. But there's been a small development in the case," She paused, but before I could begin firing more questions at her, she pressed on. "Another girl stepped forward. She—fuck! I'm sorry, Sally. Damn, I hate to even say this to you. This other girl has the same sort of scars you do. She gave an official statement that she was a willing… victim. She claims that Dr. Stein and she had a relationship and an agreement. She let him..." her words trailed off hesitantly for a moment before she continued, barely disguising her disbelief. My breathing grew more labored with every word she spoke. "...work on her and in exchange for a great sum of money. They were also lovers."
It sounded as if she was taking a drink of something, and I could just picture her gulping down a large cup of coffee. Then, the heavy thunk of a mug being set harshly down on a wooden desk could be heard clearly, all but confirming my suspicions. I rubbed my forehead. I was too tired to focus properly, and the distress from this new development was making my mind want to escape from reality. "Sally, I don't have to tell you how damaging this type of statement could be for your case. It paints a picture that you agreed to whatever he did to you and then changed your mind later. The defense attorney will run with that narrative to get the jury on the doctor's side."
"But it's not true," I whispered as I stared blankly at the strange pattern of the thin carpet covering the motel floor.
She sighed again. "I know, Sally. I know. We will keep looking into this, okay? I needed to let you know. We will do everything we can to fight the accusations so we can find you justice. Okay?"
I swallowed through the lump in my throat while nodding into the emptiness of the room. "Okay." My voice was barely more than a whisper, but ADA Ramirez heard me well enough.
"Okay, sweetie. You take care, alright? Let me know if you need anything, and I will contact you again soon."
I nodded silently again and waited until the beep sounded in my ear, letting me know that the call had disconnected. I brought my phone down to my lap to see the words CALL ENDED on the screen before it suddenly went blank. With numb fingers, I lay the phone back on the table and then sat in bed for several minutes, just staring at the wall without seeing it. With tears sliding down my cheeks, I lay on my side and hugged the extra pillow to my chest. I blinked while staring at the slight crack in the curtains.
It was morning, and the sun was trying to slip into the room, but all I could see were the white painted cinderblock walls of the basement I had been trapped in for months. I let out a shuddering breath, not allowing myself to fall into the hysterical cries my mind desperately needed to. Crying wouldn't change anything. All I could do was keep moving forward.
The numbness I had felt since the phone call stayed with me all through my shift at the bar. I spent the night moving on autopilot, ignoring the snide looks and remarks that Daisy threw my way. I barely registered the comments about being unable to please the president and, frankly, didn't give a shit what she had to say. I knew I had pleased him; there was no denying that. It was when the whole thing was over that he had grown cold and distant again. But I couldn't find my way out of the numbness to argue.
I had just finished mopping the floor and was rolling the bucket back over to the closet when I bumped into a table, sloshing dirty water on the floor. I gave a mental shrug, deciding I would wipe up the mess with a towel once I was done dumping and rinsing the bucket. I managed to prevent any more mishaps inside the mop closet and returned to the main room with a towel in hand before dropping to my knees with a defeated sigh.
As I wiped up the last of the dirty water from the floor, the air changed, and I felt him. I looked up to see him there, standing near the hallway, the low lights making the white of the bones stand out sharply on his arms. It was the Devil's Nightmare president. He was silent as usual, but I could feel his stare as if he were shouting at me. His steps came slow and steady toward me. Even though he was light on his feet, his heavy boots sounded like gunshots in the quiet room. When he stopped in front of me, I swallowed hard and craned my head back from my kneeling position on the wooden floor.
His hand went to his belt, already slipping the leather through the metal. I wanted to shout at him, to deny what he wanted. I urged my head to shake, my mouth to protest. Instead, I waited with bated breath. I could tell myself I didn't want this, didn't want to be used by him again, but it would have been a dirty lie. Though I felt a sliver of shame for it, I wanted it. I wanted to see his face change the way it had the night before and know that it was me that caused his mask to break into pieces.
He held his throbbing erection in his hand, not moving toward me. He was waiting for me to make the decision the same way he had the night before. I found myself leaning forward, my lips opening eagerly, carefully keeping my hands in my lap. Unlike the night before, I was in a position that allowed me to watch every change to his features as he sank into the bliss. I was already addicted to the thrill of breaking his carefully constructed façade, but being able to watch it crumble thrilled me. I controlled his pleasure. It was me that he needed.
When he growled out his release and backed away, breathing hard, his chest heaving, I licked at my swollen lips. He turned and walked away from me, heading toward the hall and out of sight, again not saying a word, but this time, I didn't mind.
He had made me feel something other than numb for the first time since I woke up that morning. It was power, and I smiled.
ChapterTwelve
THE NIGHTMARE KING
Istood in the shadows, watching to make sure the girl made it safely into her motel room, the same as I had done every night for the last few weeks. As soon as the door closed and the light turned on, I turned to leave, walking down the sidewalk back to the bar where my bike was waiting for me.
Everything was changing, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it, and that pissed me the fuck off. I needed to be in control of all that was around me. This little girl with her blood-red hair and the scars that she failed to hide was taking control from me. I never permitted another human being to see me vulnerable, not since I was too young to be the one in control. But somehow, I allowed this one person to.
I sat on my bike, starting the engine, trying to forget about the girl. Instead, the memories cascaded through every thought. Taking her mouth on the floor of the bar was a compulsion I couldn't walk away from. That alone pissed me off. I couldn't control myself when it came to her. Watching her face while she swallowed me, witnessing her stare into my soul, her blue eyes seeing what was impossible to hide, made me want to rage in anger. I should kill her and be done with it. But the mere thought of harming her made my blood run cold.
I would stay away from now on. It was a promise I already knew I would be breaking the moment I saw her again. There was a pull to her I couldn't fucking explain and couldn't stop. A part of me didn't want to. Because for the first time in twenty years, I wanted to be close to another living being that wasn't my dog.
As I rode past the clubhouse and turned onto the short road my cabin sat on, I could already hear Zero's happy barking. A white blur in the night ran straight toward my bike and began running alongside my tires, always careful not to get too close but not scared in the least of the engine's roar as I pulled into the drive. As soon as I turned off the engine, Zero began prancing around, waiting for me to climb off the motorcycle.
I reached into my vest pocket and produced the dog treat I always kept there and held it up. His rear immediately hit the dirt, his tail wagging excitedly, but his eyes glued to the dog bone. I tossed it in the air, and even though it was dark outside, Zero had no trouble catching it and chopping it down in just a couple of bites. He let out a happy woof and instantly began his prancing again, telling me without words that he was happy to see me.
I got off my bike, bending over to pet the white mutt. I had no idea what breed he was and didn't give a shit. I had found him in one of the many pumpkin patches that lined the back roads of the town. He had been a white smudge in the distance that had caught my eye, and something compelled me to stop. I had walked out through the pumpkins that day, stepping over vines and half-ripe gourds until I got to him. He'd been huddled under one of the larger pumpkins, barely bigger than my hand. Without a second thought, I picked him up and tucked him inside my vest.
"Come on, boy, let's get to bed."
He gave an approving bark and raced to the door, disappearing through the dog door before immediately reappearing, barking, then disappearing through the flap again. For a brief moment, I wondered if he would like Sally.
As I walked through the doorway, my cell phone rang. I considered ignoring it, but there were very few people who had my number and even fewer who would dare disturb me this late at night.
