Page 30 of Blackmailed to the Altar

I drew her into my arms, realizing right then that something terrible went down. She didn’t fight me and sank into my embrace. “I’ve got you. Just tell me everything.”

With that reassurance, her words stumbled all over themselves, as she showed me the horrors she’d endured.

“We lived in Pennsylvania, but vacationed in Florida every year. I hated going, but my parents insisted that I would have fun, and since I’d done so well in preliminary testing for school, I agreed.”

I rubbed her back, trying to give her strength, as she trembled beside me.

“What happened on that trip?”

She kept going. “My parents met a man on the beach. He was younger, fit, and he told them that I would make an excellent model.”

My stomach dropped, but I didn’t interrupt.

“My mother was on board, but my father said that modeling would take away from school, and wasn’t a good job to begin with. We left soon after.”

Confused, I broke in. “I don’t understand. If that trip was fine, then what happened to make you choose the choices you did?” I mean, I’m a monster. I was born one. Raised by one. And surrounded myself with like minded individuals.

Mya was different. She seemed like a smart, girl next door, super-genius, who wouldn’t risk her license, or break the law in any manner. An innocent.

“We went back home, and I forgot all about the incident. Until a few months later, when my father had me pack a bag. I thought we were going on another trip since I’d been so good. I’d had an outburst in school, but I thought all was forgiven.”

“What was the outburst about?” I could hear the pain in her voice, and it gutted me.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. A girl was sitting next to me, and I was ignoring her, talking to my friends. I guess she didn’t like that because she wiped something on my arm. It was her vaginal fluid. I saw red and attacked.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “She did what?”

Mya turned back to look at me. “She reached her hand down her pants and rubbed it on my arm. That’s unsanitary, and I defended myself.” Her fierce tone turned me on, and I had to adjust again.

“What happened next?” Her life story was riveting, and this was only a snippet of the missing information, I was certain of it.

“T-They hired someone to escort me onto a plane. No one told me where I was going. I was just told to behave, and at ten, I listened to my parents. I got to the airport, and someone picked me up. They took me to a mansion. I went along with it, and–” She broke off, tears in her voice, facing away from me with her shame.

I wished I could take the pain from her.

“They passed me around, and when they were done, the man from the beach was there. He kept me for a year as his special toy.” Her sobs stopped the rest of the story, and I squeezed her tighter.

“Give me a name.”

“W-what?” She peeked up at me.

“Give me the names of the men who hurt you, and I’ll take care of it.” Anger raced through my veins at the thought of these evil people touching my woman.

She shook her head. “I’ve gone no contact with my father, and don’t know any of the men. The guy from the beach made me call him Mr. D. He laughed about it as well, thinking it was funny.” She choked back another sob.

I soothed her, thinking of all the men who were about to have a painful death. Her dad included. I wouldn’t sit idly by, while these monsters breathed the same air as me. I would show them what truly went bump in the night.

“I–” She stopped herself, and I waited for her to get her words out. “Can I be alone now?”

I didn’t want to, but I gently kissed the top of her head, laid her down, and helped tuck her in. She didn’t need me at this moment. I was bad news for her. No, I couldn’t give her what she craved. Maybe someone else could. I walked away, giving her her wish.

I closed the door behind me, and like a fool, I allowed Sebastian to take control. It wasn’t like my little firecracker wanted to see me now. It was almost time for the sun to come up, anyway. He was due back in the office for tedious meetings.

I sank backward into that dark, inky pit I spent most of my day in, wishing that for once, things were different. That I could stay, but the Judas inside of my body was trying to get rid of me.

It was the first thought in his mind when he came to.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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