Page 123 of A Dark Duet

Her mother is out of jail, and it is only a matter of time before she contacts Briana for money. My sources tell me she is back doing drugs in the same trailer park. When her mother can’t pay, she’ll tell them that her daughter can pay them with either money or her body and they will come after her. Ethan and I know it. When drug dealers think they can get paid, they will give her mother the hard stuff, the expensive stuff. Her mother is too far gone for rehab. She doesn’t see Briana as a daughter. She sees her as a way to get her next fix without having the money to pay or work for it. Drug addicts will do anything for the next hit, and I know from experience the monsters they can become.

My gaze finds hers and I decide to give her a piece of me that I have given no other. Not even Nate knows the details of my dark past, but for her, I’ll do anything. My fingers trace the side of her face and I begin to tell her, “My parents were drug addicts. They would beat me and deprive me of food because it would hinder them from buying drugs. They figured if they had to buy me food, they wouldn’t have enough to buy drugs. So, they starved me as much as they could without killing me. I was made fun of at school because I smelled and was too skinny. I was malnourished and every time social services stepped in, the government checks would stop coming in from the state so my parents would clean up their act for a week and the state would send me back. It was a vicious cycle. When I was five, my parents decided to use me instead to fun their drug habit. They would bargain me to other druggies in exchange, allow them to molest me, and in return, they would get their next fix. They would grab me when I was asleep and have me strip naked. It was men and women. They would touch me with their filthy hands and masturbate. When I would resist, it would get worse, and they would hold me down because they were stronger than me, so I couldn’t fight back and had to endure it until the next time.”

Briana gasps as a tear slides down her cheek. “Five, Jaden.” She tries to hold in the sobs as she imagines me as a little boy. I can see it in her eyes, the pain she feels reflecting from their depths.

“After that, it became a regular occurrence. As I got older, it became worse. They forced me to have oral sex and then the men would rape me or make me have sex with the women as they watched. All for twenty dollars’ worth of drugs.” Her tears are silently sliding down her cheeks and my heart breaks for her because I know she feels the pain. She, of all people, could imagine it.

“When I was twelve, I started to fight back because I was older and stronger. So, they backed off but the damage was done. I would have night terrors every night because they would grab me when I fell asleep. They would beat me until I gave up. They made sure not to hit me on my face or arms so the teachers at school couldn’t see I was being abused. When I entered middle school, I needed to eat more because I was hitting puberty, but they wouldn’t feed me or clothe me properly, so when the school finally noticed, they called social services again. I was so skinny I was beginning to have breathing problems. I was tired all the time and my clothes were dirty and I smelled. They took me away and sent me to foster care and received medical attention for malnourishment. Then I met Nate, and we hit it off. You know the rest.”

“That is horrible. I want to find your parents and kick their asses.”

I smile. “Those asses were kicked in jail when the inmates found out they abused and prostituted their own son for drugs. They were eventually killed.”

“Good riddance, pieces of shit,” she snarls. She swipes a strand of hair from her face and snuggles deeper into the crisp white sheets of the bed. The humming sound of the air conditioner mixed with our freshly scented skin from our shower enveloping us in our own cocoon. She composes herself and looks at me with compassion in her gaze. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m happy that you made it out of that situation. That you and Nate found each other and have both become a success.”

This is the closest I have felt with any woman and it scares me, but not enough that I wouldn’t admit my innermost feelings, baring my soul. I lower my voice. “I have never told anyone what really happened to me. You are the first.”

“I would never say a word. No one needs to know what happened. I wanted to know because it haunts you in your sleep and I was there to witness the agony that plagues you in your dreams. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to make it go away.”

“If you stay.”

“What?”

“When you sleep with me. They go away. The same way I know that when you sleep in my arms, they don’t come for you. It is why I keep asking you to stay with me.”

She swallows and says the words I have waited to hear. “Then, I’ll stay with you.”

Briana

The next day, Jaden left for the gym to help train the guys for their respective fights in their weight classes. He is not only a fighter but also runs an MMA gym with other fighters as well as young students from government programs with dreams to become pro fighters. Nate and Jaden are also advocates to help eliminate bullying and child abuse. He wants to make a difference with his acquired wealth, and I feel proud just to be around him.

My cell phone pings with an incoming text message from Ethan. My skin boils in anger. Jaden told him to leave me alone and stop calling me. I have made the decision to pay the remaining balance for school myself. If not, they will not release the hold on my degree. It sucks, but what is a girl to do? I will not ask to borrow the money from anyone. This is something I have to do myself. When I unlock my phone, I read what he has to say.

Ethan Carter: I’m sorry. If you are ever in trouble, call me and I will take care of it. I also want to pay for the remaining balance of your tuition as agreed.

He is treating me like I’m a transaction. If I am ever in trouble? Really? If I’m dead, how could I call for help? My eyes find the key fob of the Bentley and the rage inside me erupts. There is only so much a girl can take. I’m tired of being a doormat. A possession to men until their need is filled and then thrown away. I am tired of being used and criticized.

A crazy thought enters my mind and I act on it. He is sorry. Yeah right. He is sorry that his plan with me didn’t go his way. Jaden did me a favor and shed light on Ethan’s deceit.

Placing the plastic containers in the trunk of the Bentley, I make my way to Ethan Carter’s office building. When I see the tall glass building, I enter the parking lot and make sure I park away from other vehicles but make sure the Bentley is visible from the windows of the tall office building. Knowing a man like Carter, he would have the best view from the top floor. Opening the trunk, I reach and grab the container filled with gasoline. The sun is shining bright and it is very hot. When I finish emptying the gasoline all over the car, I light a match and watch the flames engulf the beautiful car. Ignoring the heat and people shouting that a car is on fire, I make my way inside the building.

When I reach the lobby where his receptionist is located, I make my way to an impeccably dressed woman sitting at a desk. She looks up at me warily.

“I am here to see Ethan Carter. My name is Briana Jameson.” I leave out my title as a doctor because it isn’t official to me. Until I pay my debt to the school in full, I can’t officially practice outside of the center.

“Is he expecting you? Do you have an appointment?” she asks and the way she is looking at me dressed in my leggings and motorcycle jacket, she is curious as to why I am here. If my instincts are correct, this woman sees me as a threat. Noticing her attire, she is not dressed to be a professional but to seduce any available man that would give her a glance.

“No. I do not.”

She gives me a sarcastic smirk. “I am sorry but I cannot let you see him.”

“Just tell him I am here.”

Reluctantly, she walks over to the phone on her desk. The sound of her heels clicking on the black marble floor is the only sound in the reception area. She picks up the phone and in a low tone murmurs something but I cannot make out what she says. Her head rises with shock and the look on my face as I tilt my head has her fuming. She slams the receiver down. Quack! Clearly, this woman doesn’t like females having meetings with her boss. Interesting.

“He will see you now.”

“It is in his best interest that he does.”

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