Page 4 of Redd

“No one is coming for you. And as far as your father goes...” Letting out a quick chuckle, he sighed. “You obviously don't know the man you call Dad. If anything, you should be thanking Diablo for not killing your whole family.”

What? What does my father have to do with this?

No. No he's lying!

“You lie!” Screaming, I tried to tear myself free from his grip. But Xavier dug his fingers in harder, piercing the thin skin at the surface.

Tugging me in close, he whispered into my ear. “I. Never. Lie.” A heavy thud slammed into my stomach, forcing me to drop to my knees. Holding my arms tighter, he held me up, keeping me from falling onto my face. “And you, you're going to learn to keep your fucking mouth shut. But don't worry, Diablo will teach you how to behave.”

I was struggling to breathe, gasping to catch even a sliver of air. Gulping hard, sounds tumbled out of my mouth. But they weren't screams, they weren't cries or wails for him to stop.

It was a whimper, like a wounded animal calling out for help, hoping that someone was close by and would come to the rescue.

Only no one came for me. I was all alone.

Xavier grunted, and I stayed still, hoping he would just drop me and walk away. I wasn't that lucky. The gates of hell had opened up, swallowing me whole.

I felt the wind off his fingers as they swooped in hard, tangling into my hair. With one swift pull, I was on my ass being dragged across the floor. Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I cringed as a wave of pain circled around my head.

Why is he doing this?

Clenching my hands into tight fists, I wanted to fight. I wanted to hit and punch and kick until I finally connected with something that forced him to let me go.

But I couldn't. The world was spinning around me as my heels scraped against the hard floor, turning them raw.

In the darkness of the blindfold, fireworks popped and crackled, exploding like bombs. The bright colors blurred together, turning from fizzled light into zipping streaks.

Scrunching my nose, I tried to will it away. I wanted the world to stop turning, I wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Lifting my hands to his wrists, I scratched and clawed, kicking my legs in a relentless effort to get him to stop. Nothing worked.

Coming to a halt, my scalp burned as he used my hair to lift me back onto my feet. Growling like a wild animal, Xavier yanked my head back. “You need to realize that you're going to go where Diablo tells me to put you. You can fight it if you want to, but I have a very simple way to make you understand exactly what you're dealing with.”

Cold metal pushed hard against my temple as he let out a sickening laugh. “Does this help?” Trailing the barrel of the gun up and down my cheek, he dragged it over my neck and pinned it under my chin. “Because if it doesn't, and you really want to leave, right here, right now, I can do that. One pull, one tiny, little pull on the trigger. . .” Pausing, he pressed his lips against my ear and let out a slow breath. “And you're free.”

I didn't utter another word. I stayed quiet, shaking my head no. I didn't want to die, not here, not like this.

“Good.” Shoving me forward, he walked a few feet and stopped. “Welcome to your new home, Bijou.”

Hearing him call me by name, hearing him add a French flare to the end, it made me sick. My heart seized to beat, my lungs refused to engage as I held my breath for the longest minute of my life.

He knows my name. . . He knows who I am.

Was he telling the truth? Did my father really have something to do with this?

Cutting my wrists free, he held them firmly in place with one large hand. Pressing a palm between my shoulder blades, Xavier gave me a hard push.

Stumbling forward, I tripped over my feet, falling onto my hands and knees. The creak of a door cut through the air, followed by the metal clink of a lock.

Reaching for my face, I tore off the blindfold, feeling my lips and cheeks, gently touching the tender skin. I was sore, but all of it hadn't really sunk in yet.

I didn't feel the pain, I didn't feel any of the hurt or anguish from being brutalized, stolen, taken for an unknown fee.

I felt numb.

I felt cold.

I felt nothing.

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