Page 20 of Burning Truths

I decide it’s best to show interest in his gifts when he’s wild with reckless ideas. Hank Harlow is dangerous.

He shakes his head with a deep laugh, “Go”. It’s an order, but not one I fear.

He’s giving me a chance to run while I can and I fucking take it. I don’t take my eyes off him until I’m behind the bathroom door and it’s locked. Not that I’d let myself assume that the lock on this door would keep him out if he truly wanted to follow me. Hank let me run from him while he was knee deep in need for control. He gave me a moment to soak in the sun on my skin. And in his own way he gave me Jax. Someone to talk to while I’m here.

My body screams to fight with everything I have, but my mind is a muddled mess of confusion. The Stone family sold me. Made me a piece of property. Hank merely paid for what he wanted and gave me the chance to destroy the people who didthis to me. Ryker made my body betray me while turning me into nothing but his toy. Hank hasn’t touched me. He intends to, but he said he wouldn’t until I begged him to. Would I?

My stomach churn with the idea of his hands roaming my body, floating across my flesh, inside of me. Hank isn’t mine, yet I’m his. Turning on the water, I slide out of my bloody clothes and stand there waiting for the water to warm up. I avoid the mirror, instead choosing to stare at the wall. Once steam starts to flow from behind the curtain, I slip inside only to scream out from the biting pain.

“Fuck!”

The blistering scab on my hip smarts with the heat of the water. No amount of numbness can cover the boiling skin from the iron Hank pressed into my skin. Taking away the last thing I had from him. His name on the tip of my memory, but refusing to fall. No amount of training could have prepared me for this. Hunger, pain, torture. None of it is as bad as being sold like a pig at the market to cover the debt of a family you once loved. The Stone brothers did this to me.

He’s in your head.

His voice whispers in the back of my mind. The thought I refused to think.

NO.

I shout back at that voice refusing to listen. No. They are to blame. One down two to go.

Blood paints your skin.

Looking down, I watch the red water run pink until it’s clear liquid going down the drain. I tip my head back and laugh so loud it vibrates against the tile walls.

“Fuck! You’re talking to yourself now.” I roll my eyes at the irony of it all.

The hot water rolls down my back, loosening my muscles. Grabbing the soap, my hands scrub at the mess. Scrubbing untilmy skin is raw. Scrubbing until the water runs cold. Scrubbing until the bedroom door opens and closes again. Scrubbing until my hands prune, my legs shake, and my arms are heavy with exhaustion.

Stepping out of the tub, I wrap the large fluffy white towel around me and finally face the mirror.

Look for me.

I stumble back at those words.

I can’t.

Look for me in the lilies.

A single tear falls down my cheek.

I can’t. I can’t look for you because I don’t know who you’ll find in the end.

Find me in the lilies.

I won’t. You left me and now I belong to the monster in my nightmares.

Swiping at the lone drop, I grip the towel and turn towards the door throwing it open. Steam billows out around me masking the room, so I wait for it to clear before stepping forward. Expecting Hank to be standing near the door or sitting on the bed, I’m surprised to find the room empty. The only thing different in the room is a box.

The little red box sitting in the center of the bed sends a familiar rush through me. The color of the box morphed into something more delicate, yet the feeling of the unknown has my heart beating a little harder behind my ribs. Pulling in a lung full of air I push it past my lips on an exhale. Numbness sits in the center of my chest, but I can still feel the tingles climbing my fingertips with each step closer. My long blonde hair hangs in wet waves down my back. The slow drip of water sounds when it hits the floor. The beautiful new box is within reach as I step closer to the edge of the bed.

Hank promised to make me feel again. Promised to take off the collar if I wanted, and god do I want to. The skin under the metal stings with the direction of my thoughts. Lifting the corner of the box with measured movements, my gaze falls on a deep green fabric that looks like the most beautiful silk. My heart hammers behind my ribs at the notion that he may take me out of this building. Hope is a monster and I’ve let her sink her claws into me.

Hank is slowly taking away the pain they’ve caused.

No. He’s the one who did this to me. My fingers twitch with the urge to slap myself.

Is he? Look around you, Kenna. It’s written on the walls. They’ve forgotten about you.

---