Page 164 of Triggered By Love
“Motive buys the means and creates the opportunity,” she said resolutely. “I’m sure once the pieces click together, people will come out of the woodwork, and evidence that we hadn’t seen before will come to light.”
“You’re so very brave.” He tipped her face up and kissed her. “Let’s roll.”
* * *
Avery and Jasonmet her father, mother, Damon, and Chase in the stables among their horses. Alex had already left, and of course, the other two weren’t on speaking terms with the family.
Jason held a video camera and had been cleared by Avery to do the recording. Her family didn’t object, because they didn’t know what would come out.
She laid out her story in an unemotional tone, but as soon as the gist of it was out, her mother became hysterical. Guilt streaked through her full force at unknowingly having brought predators into the household.
“I want you to withdraw from the race right now,” she screamed at her father.
“But that’s exactly what they would want,” Chase said. “This is our opportunity to deliver the kill shot. Let me have at them. I’ll get all of them. Leaches and Overtons. They’re dead.”
“No, Chase, you can’t go vigilante,” Avery shouted. “We have to be smarter about this. Bring him down legally.”
“Can you imagine the media circus?” Damon encircled Avery into his arms. “I think we all should lay low.”
“There’s no laying low,” Avery said. “It’s going to be rougher than anything we’ve ever seen, but I have to do it. Overton’s gotten away with it for years. He has presidential ambitions. I can’t let it wait until he’s the nominee.”
“They’d rather squash you and claim you’re lying than give up their homeboy,” Damon said. “The establishment media’s in Overton’s pocket. You’ve got to think this through.”
“I already have.” Avery jerked away from her twin and glared at him. “How could you, of everyone, want me to back off? We’re twins, Damon. How was it you never knew?”
Her accusations, the ones that ran in the back of her mind, stunned her brothers. It was true. While hiding inside the tunnels behind the bookcases, she’d often fantasized one of her hero brothers would play tricks and drive her abusers from the house.
Instead, they went off to play sports with the sons of her abusers, leaving her to fend for herself.
“I thought you stayed in your room doing girlie stuff,” Damon retorted. “You never wanted to play sports or watch the game.”
“I hid from them.” Anger riled her up, and she faced her parents. “Did you two have any idea how much I hated your parties? How I hated dressing up as your pretty princess and being paraded in front of the guests?”
“I thought you loved clothes and fashion,” her mother protested and collapsed onto a hay bale. “I’m so sorry. So sorry I was blind. You’re so beautiful that all I did was take compliments from all the wives and glory in how well you looked in the pretty clothes.”
Her father had a blank, stricken look. He loosened the tie he wore, even inside his own house, and slumped onto a rickety rocking chair used when waiting for a foal to be birthed. Even the nickering of the horses nearby couldn’t stem the bleeding in her heart at seeing her father so defeated.
She felt for him. Knew that as a man, he’d been rendered a complete failure. He hadn’t defended or protected his beloved daughter.
She went to him and sat in his lap, wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face on his shoulder. “Daddy, I’m sorry I disappointed you. I should have told you, but I was afraid you’d kill them all.”
“I’m going to hunt every one of them down and kill them,” Chase said in a tone so savage it stopped her heart.
He was an ex-Marine and a big game hunter. She could picture him plastered with greasepaint and mud, lurking in a jungle as he picked off first Overton, and then every last one of the perverts who pinched, groped, and plastered her with unwanted kisses.
“There will be no killing,” Dad finally spoke. “We will work with the authorities and destroy every last one of them.”
“The list is long,” Avery warned. “Business leaders, politicians, country club members, even priests and holy men, gurus, shamans, artists, journalists, and college presidents.”
“They all raped you?” Mother clutched her throat and gagged, retching onto the straw-littered ground.
Damon held on to Mom’s shoulders while Chase paced the stable like a caged lion.
“They were too smart to leave DNA or risk pregnancy,” Avery said. “But yes, fingers, objects, gloved hand jobs. They started by giving me candy, then went on to other goodies. Gift cards, clothes, electronics, and then modeling jobs. You guys always thought I lived a charmed life. Got everything I wanted. Fashion institute, top young designer, awards, honors, and even admission to Harvard, which I didn’t take.”
“You were talented and smart,” Damon retorted. “Don’t take all that away.”
“I’m not, but these guys need to be stopped. I was only fourteen, and Professor Leach knew all along. He not only watched, he videoed. He has the recordings which he enjoys. He never touched me. He’s a germaphobe, and he wasn’t into sharing germs. But he loved watching.”
