Page 55 of Destroyed

“Who was the paperwork I saw about then?” I mutter to myself out loud.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing, never mind. I must have read something wrong. It doesn’t matter.” I rub my head, hoping for some sort of relief from the pounding headache I still have. “Look, I know you guys are trying to help, but this is dangerous. You have no idea what my uncle is capable of. You have to let me go back. If he finds out I’m here with any of you, he will kill you guys.”

“He already tried to kill me. Well, someone sent that bastard Devin to do their dirty work,” Xavier’s voice startles me from behind, and I turn quickly to find him leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

“Xavier,” I say curtly.

“Sasha, I…” He starts to speak, a pained expression crossing his face.

I cut him off before he can go on. “I don’t need your pity, Xavier. I am sorry you had to meet Devin, though.”

He flinches. “Look, I know we haven’t always gotten along, but if I would have known…I could have helped you.”

I slam my hand down on the bed in anger. “No one can help me. That’s what I’m trying to tell you both. I can’t be here. Don’t you understand?”

“He hurt you. He let other people hurt you,” Xavier growls out in frustration, walking towards me. “Do you want to fucking go back?”

“Of course not!” I yell out, tears welling up in my eyes. I blink them back, forcing my emotions into the chest I keep locked in my heart. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me either!”

He makes his way around the bed before standing in front of me. He puts his hand out like he wants to touch my face but pulls back, thinking better of it. Xavier has always been one of the more fun personalities of Bolt Corporation, but looking at him now…all I see is a man destroyed.

“We are family Sasha. I’m not letting anyone hurt you ever again.” He turns to Corrine before grabbing her face and kissing her forehead. “Everyone will be here in a couple of hours. Can you show her where everything is so she can get cleaned up?”

Corrine smiles and nods yes to him before turning and holding her hand to me. I grab her hand as she helps me off the bed and leads me toward a bathroom, where she fills a large tub with hot water and bath salts. I remove the T-shirt they must have placed me in and kick off the underwear. I’ve never been granted the luxury of privacy, so standing naked in front of Corrine right now doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

“I’ll be just outside the room if you need me,” she says as she gazes over my body. A look of worry is on her face as she closes the door. It’s then that I turn towards the mirror to see my reflection. My body is littered with bruises that I would typicallyexpertly hide with makeup. My face, although untouched, is gaunt. Black bags are under my eyes, and my usually full, shiny hair hangs limp and lifeless down over my breasts. I look like shit. No wonder Corrine looked at me like that. My uncle would kill me if I went out in public like this.

Sighing, I turn and step into the tub before sinking into the water. It feels divine. As I soak, I imagine what freedom could be like. Absolute freedom, where I can go wherever I want and not worry about being followed or watched by dangerous men.

Could I ever truly have a life where my future is my own? Could I be with someone one day because I actually want to and not because someone forced me? What I wouldn’t give to experience a man who didn’t selfishly care about his own pleasure and desires.

Hope flares in my chest. I hope that Xavier and the other guys can help me. I sink entirely under the water. I sure hope they know exactly what they are getting into.

Chapter 40

Xavier

Corrine exits the room and immediately hugs me, pressing her head into my chest.

“What’s wrong, Butterfly?” I ask her.

“I’m just so grateful for you, Xavier. I can’t imagine the things those men did to Sasha. It makes me sad to think she has never known what a real family could be like. My family isn’t perfect, but at least we know we love each other.”

I pull away slightly and squeeze her shoulders. “I am going to, no,wewill show her what a real family is like. But first, we have to get her somewhere safe. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m sending her away.”

A knock sounds on the door, and we both nod to each other before heading to answer. Both Jamison and Jonathan step through, followed by Kaz and Andre. Jonathan straddles a bar stool, pulling another closer and gesturing for Kaz to sit down. Jamison walks around, pulls the third bar stool close to the other side, and proceeds to sit down. I see Kaz roll her eyes as she hugs Corrine, then walks to the chair to sit. Andre sits in one of my armchairs while Corrine and I take up the couch.

“So what’s the plan?” Jamison asks.

I don’t get a chance to answer before we all turn to the sound of my guest bedroom door opening. Sasha emerges wearing one of my T-shirts. Her hair is wet, and she doesn't have a lick ofmakeup on. I've never seen her so dressed down before. She looks younger and more innocent. I can see the bruises on her arms and legs, and it makes me angry. I’m so angry I don’t realize my fist is clenched until I feel Corrine’s soft hand sliding over it. I relax and open my fist, letting her fingers entwine with mine. I look over to see Sasha staring at Andre while he completely ignores her. There is a tick in his jaw while he scrolls his phone. I’m unsure of his problem or why he won’t look at her now. It was practicallyhisidea to bring her back to Italy with him. He’s doing a shitty job of pretending to be on his phone, though.

Sasha must have gathered some courage because suddenly, she’s sweeping past Andre with her head held high, sitting on the couch next to Corrine and me. Andre watches her out of the corner of his eye, looking away again quickly once she is seated facing him. Thankfully, Sebastian and Riley chose the perfect moment to walk in and break up the tension.

Then again, this could get awkward. They approach the other chair across from Andre, and Sebastian pulls Riley onto his lap.

I breathe out before speaking: “Now that everyone is here, we should discuss the plan for keeping Sasha and the rest of us safe.”

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