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Father banished me four days ago. Yanni had been instructed to take me somewhere to heal from the wounds inflicted by my father as punishment. Then he’s to take me to Evergreen Boys Academy.
This motel is the second one we’ve been to and we’re only a couple of hours from home. Or what used to be my home.
“I’ll turn you into a man. No fucking academy can do what I can.”
“Yes, sir,” I say as tears well in my eyes. I blink them back because if he sees them, he’ll beat me harder.
Yanni whips me three more times, then shoves me toward the bathroom. “Go clean yourself up. You look disgusting.”
I do as he says, leaving the door open. That’s another infraction that makes the beatings worse. After I towel dry myself off, I go straight to the bed furthest from the door. I silently pray that Yanni stays away tonight, but when the mattress dips with his weight, I know God isn’t listening. It seems he never does.
“Take the shorts off,” Yanni demands.
I force my mind to take me somewhere else, somewhere warm. I’m always cold anymore, so warm sounds nice. I’m on the beach, and a pretty girl is walking toward me. I recognize her, she’s the one I hope got saved. I open my mouth to call out her name, but no words come out. I don’t know her name.
“Go to sleep,” Yanni barks, yanking me back to the present.
He rolls away from me. I count the seconds while I wait for him to fall asleep. When he begins to snore, I creep out of bed and go clean myself up… again. I think about trying to escape, but fear keeps me from doing it.
If I’d have known that there were eight more motels and countless beatings between that motel and Washington, I’d have run. If I’d have known that he would violate me every single night along that journey, I’d have run.
Fear be damned.
The sting of a palm across my cheek registers, and I’m dragged back to reality.
“What the hell was that?” Story demands. “Where the fuck did you just go?”
I blink to clear my head, and the room slowly comes back to focus.
“I need to call Malachi.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” she says and shakes her cell in front of my face. “You were wiggin’ out, so I called him.”
“Nico, is it true?” Malachi’s voice comes through the speaker.
“I wish it wasn’t.”
“Yanni’s back?” he asks, sounding as if he’s trying to garner a different answer from me.
“Yeah, Mal. Yanni D’Amico is back.”
CHAPTER21
Peppermint
“Congratulations.”
I absently rub the crook of my arm where Nate drew blood for the pregnancy test. My stomach has been in knots waiting for the results but luckily for me, the good doc has a contact at the lab, and he had them rush it. It still took several hours, but now the wait is over.
“Thanks.”
Nate looks at me with concern in his eyes. “Is this not a good thing?”
“What?”
“It’s just…” He shrugs. “You don’t seem happy about it.”
“Oh, no, I’m happy. It’s a shock for sure, but a good one.”
