Page 31 of Cruel Savior

"I didn't leave. It really is that fucking simple. I was taken."

Those three words pierced my chest with the force of a lethal dagger. They could not mean what I thought. "What the hell do you mean, you were taken?" I pushed that question through clenched teeth as I tried to hold onto my sanity.

"I was on my way to meet you as we'd planned. But I obviously didn't make it. Less than a half a block from this place my father's SUV intercepted me. I knew I was in trouble, so I went with him. How the hell was I supposed to know he wasn't taking me home? Do you have any idea how many times I have berated myself for believing in that man? But I was a kid, and he was well within his rights to take me wherever he chose."

My eyes were wide, as the distress she must have felt that day came through now in her voice. Also in the tremble of her body against mine. I was perilously close to losing my shit. If I thought I wanted to kill Turner before, there was no doubt I would now.

"Why didn't you run? If you were that close, I could have helped you."

She shook her head. "Like I said, I had no idea about his plans. I had no way of knowing he'd already heard about the baby and was halfway to crazy town because of it."

"Halfway?" I snarled.

"You're wrong about me though. I did fight back. More than once. I didn't make it easy for his security team to get me on that helicopter. I fought them every step of the way. I knew—KNEW that if he got me away from Sultan, I would never see you again.

"I guess it wasn't enough." My stomach pitched thinking about my teenaged version of Mandy trying to escape the clutches of her own father. The one person who she should have been able to trust more than anyone on this earth.

"You have no idea. Things got crazy as they did their best to get me strapped into that helicopter. Whether they intended to be so rough about it, I wasn't sure. But somewhere in the middle of it I got slapped and punched a few times, which in turn made me fight even harder. I even got loose a couple of times and had I been a little stronger and a little faster, I might have escaped."

"Mandy." I touched her lips, unsure if I could hear anymore and remain upright.

She twisted her head out of my touch. "No. You asked for the truth, you're going to get it. All of it." She gulped for air until she was able to get enough air in her lungs to continue. "My father was getting mad that they couldn't keep me pinned. Even when two of them grabbed me at the same time, I fought like a fucking banshee. I had never been so scared in my life. Or certain that I had to stop them. That's when it happened." She bowed her head. "The true beginning of the end. I don't know if my father told them to do it, or if they were just desperate to stop me, it doesn't really matter now. But one of them kicked me as hard as he could, that blow landing in the middle of my body."

I ripped myself away from her, unable to hear anymore I needed to hurt someone so bad, but there was no one there who deserved it. So, I grabbed the closest thing, a tray of cookies and threw it across the room as hard as I could. And then another. And then another. I was shaking so hard I had to grab the island to steady myself.

I don't know if she thought I needed to hear the rest of the story right then like the ripping off of a band aid, but she continued. And as much as I wanted to stop the words from being spoken, Ihadto hear them.

"By the time the helicopter took off I was in agony in every way. My body hurt from the fight, my heart hurt knowing I might never see you again, and the fear for our baby consumed everything else. I lost all concept of time and location on that flight. It could have been an hour or four for all I knew. I put my head in between my knees to stave of the nausea rolling through me and I prayed to God the entire time, making every bargain in the book if he would only save our baby."

I wanted to say something to comfort her, but I could think of nothing. There were no words that could make any of that better. Especially now.

"By some miracle I didn't lose her that day. I thought my prayers had been answered and I was prepared to do whatever it took to follow through on the promises I'd made. I went quietly into the institution my father had chosen for me, even going so far as signing the papers that I was there because I wanted to be. My father had to sign, too, but I agreed to it all. They promised state of the art medical care and security to keep me safe."

"Jesus fucking Christ," I spat. "Did he put you in a mental institution?"

She nodded. "Yes, he did, and he left me there for three years. But that first night, I didn't care. Our baby was safe, and it was all that mattered."

I heard the butt coming before she said another word. "You don't have to tell me the rest. I can guess. I've been around enough pregnant old ladies to know that miscarriages happen."

"Do they? Because I didn't think so. Not when two nights later I found blood on my sheets. I also sure as hell didn't think so when the doctor told me that blow to my stomach had probably contributed to the loss. Nor did I think so when I couldn't sleep at night because every time I closed my eyes and relaxed I heard the words baby killer running through my mind."

"That's bullshit," I exploded. "You did nothing wrong."

"Really? Because nine hours ago you said the same thing."Her words were cold and steady as they hacked me into pieces.

"That's because I'm a fucking idiot. I've lived by a lie for ten fucking years. If anyone should be persecuted for anything it should be me. What the fuck is wrong withme?"

"You were taken in by a man who has spent his whole life lying to everyone. You. Me. His wives. My sister. Everyone. I wouldn't beat yourself up too bad about it. We were all in one way or another his victims. He never gave a shit about anyone except himself."

"If that's so, why in the hell did he hire us last year to find you? What exactly happened? How did you get out?Whendid you get out?"

Chapter Seventeen

Amanda

I stared backat Axel thinking he looked every bit as strung out as I felt after this. I'd known this morning that this conversation would happen when he returned and as much as I'd done to prepare for it. It wasn't enough.

Old wounds were opened and growing larger by the second. It was time to rein it in before we both hit the point of no return. I pulled on the old training to remind myself that the past was over and had no business here anymore. This was the present.

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