Page 32 of Guarded

“The guy who took us, he would make us strip down until we were naked and take pictures of us. Sometimes, he would bring another man in and have us pose next to him.”

She’s fumbling with her hands again. I keep my eyes on them while pure masculine rage builds in me. The kind ready to wage wars and cut off kings’ heads. I want her to stop. I don’t want this to get any worse than I can imagine.

“One night after he drugs us, I wake up, and Genesis isn’t there. I reach out my hand beside me, and she’s gone. I spent the whole day sobbing. I felt like my whole chest was going to explode. I prayed that God would take me quickly. You know? Like I could at least have that mercy.” she divulges.

I didn’t just know that feeling. It was an old friend of mine. One that appeared the moment I stopped trusting the concept of mercy. It was foreign in this world. She wipes the fresh tears and shakes her head.

“Anyway, Gen came back that night. She snuck in next to me and grabbed my hand, but she refused to look at me. My dad came for us the next morning. He broke through the door and found the man dead in a pool of his own blood.

The shed in the back was set on fire. That’s how my dad found us. It’s where we found Guapo. He was trying to escape those men, too.” She reaches down, grabs Guapo, and pulls him to her.

“Ari-I’m so sorry.” I move and pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her.

“I saw him, Nero. I swear I saw his face in the Lobby. He’s looking for me.” She cries.

“Hey, hey, look at me. He’s dead. He cannot touch you ever again.” She sobs into me, and I kiss the top of her head.

I keep her there, wrapped in my arms. It’s the only place I know she’ll always be safe. There’s no client-employee relationship. Just our two hurting hearts bleeding into one another. Creating our own place of refuge.

My phone rings, and I ignore it. By the fourth attempt, Ari pulls away from my chest, and I release her to answer it.

“Hello.” Jasper’s voice sounds on the other end. I barely register what he’s saying, but I get the essential parts.

Cassiel. Shot. Life Support. The Italians.

Chapter 10

Ariella

Before I am forced to marry or die

(whichever comes first) bucket list.

Fill an entire class up. I had been almost there on Sunday. Short, manageable goals for the win!

Read a book. Like the whole thing. Not like The Alchemist or Art of War. Just something simple and entertaining.

Go to the fair and eat a funnel cake. Okay, before you judge me, I know I could eat a funnel cake anywhere, but it just seems weird. Like eating candy corn at Easter. Funnel Cakes and County fairs went together. I had never actually been to a county fair since my parents would never allow it. Public places were dangerous, my mother said. Genesis would tell me about it, though, and the way she described the funnel cakes as the best carbs to ever exist made me curious.

Go Skinny Dipping.

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