Page 74 of Watercolor Skulls

Faith.

Hope.

He doesn’t need to beat me to get me to submit. There are other ways. Ways that leave no marks. Not on the outside anyway.

I don’t know how long he holds me there. My lips match my hair by the time he pulls me out. If the hairdresser hadn’t shown up maybe I would still be there.

My decision has been made. Now I understand. Once you’ve lived in the sun it’s hard to accept the shade. I can’t live in the shadows, too much light has been shown there. It’s ugly and cold and not life at all. It wasn’t for Jenny and it’s not for me. If I can’t have the sun then I want nothing at all.

The hair dresser works her magic, transforming my beautiful carefree watercolor beginning into a restrictive black and white rendition of my demise.

Tomorrow my father will force me to marry Benjamin. No one will stop him. My protests will fall on deaf ears. Why? Because he is either paying or blackmailing those around us for their selective hearing.

Just like all those poor girl’s cries…all fell on deaf ears, except mine. I heard them. I felt their hopelessness, their fear. All I could do for them was pray. Pray that it would be over soon and that someday maybe they would get justice.

The Rebel Skulls were the first group of people I’d met that had banded together to raise money, to actually help victims get justice. I wish I could give that to the girls my father hurt. Just getting Jenny home would have been amazing.

I open the door to find not one but two security men sitting outside my door. They both turn their heads towards me. “Do you need anything Ms. Ramsey?” one asks.

“No. No, thank you.” I close the door quietly, pressing my head to the cool wood. What am I going to do? I have to get out of here before Benjamin touches me. If he touches me it’s over. I’ll never be able to look Dan in the face.

If I do find a way back, what prevents my father from coming for me again? What if he already knows about Dan? Would he hurt him? Them? This is why Jenny was so careful.Ineed to be careful. My father can never know about any of them.

I’ve never felt more alone than I am right now.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Dan

???

Thirty minutes after JD sounded the alarm was all it took to get everyone gathered around.

Dirk sits at the head of the table, Jesse, and I on either side of him. Even Bill is here. He semi-retired from the club after he bought the bar but for Lily he is here.

“So, what do we know?” Dirk asks, leaning back in his chair.

JD shakes his head. “We finished up her porch swing, I went inside for a drink and she came in a few minutes later saying her dad’s men were coming for her and to tell Dan she would find a way back.” His sad eyes meet mine briefly before he continues. “I went for my gun, but she stopped me and said they would be packing as well.”

Dirk focuses his intense eyes on me. “Do you know where her father lives?”

“I’m guessing San Francisco.” I bang my hand on the table. “Honestly, I don’t know a fucking thing other than I’m going to kill someone if she’s hurt.”

Jesse leans across the table, placing her hand over mine. “We’ll find her.”

“How? We don’t even know her fucking real name.”

Our resident computer geek, Travis, bops his head up over the laptop he’s been furiously tapping on since we all sat down. “The name on her ID says Lily Gladstone but it’s no surprise that is not her real name. Wait, I found something.”

He tips his glasses down on his nose. “Looks like she made a large transfer from her bank account a few days ago.

“How large?” I ask.

“Over two hundred grand.” Travis scratches his nose, before looking at Jesse. “The transfer went to your charity account.”

JD’s attention snaps to Travis. “Two hundred thousand dollars!”

“Yep.” Travis whistles. “That’s a hefty sum.”

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