Page 1 of Broken

Chapter One

KARA

Three months.

That was how long it had been since I was kidnapped. Nightmares haunted me. Sometimes Jose sliced my throat in those nightmares. Sometimes he let his men rape me. It was too much.

I wasn’t sure how I’d get past the damaging effect Jose Macias had on me. Granted, I was glad he and my dad were dead. Damon had been patient with me, but I constantly lived in fear. And I was not sure I was the same woman Damon took months ago. I didn’t even know if I wanted the same things as Damon anymore. Not after what I went through. Not after the humiliation. Not after what I’d seen.

Damon constantly told me he was different and how he could change. How different could mob bosses be from another? What made him so sure he wouldn’t snap if I misbehaved and he needed to punish me? There was so much to think about. There was so much at stake. Including my heart. Especially my heart.

“How are you feeling today?” Damon checked on me every morning. He gave me the space I craved. Yet, all I wanted was to lie in his arms while he told me everything would be okay.

I didn’t know if he was capable of that.

I didn’t know if I was capable of believing it.

Lying in bed, I turned my body so I was facing him and nodded. “I’m okay.”

He walked over to me and the weight of his body sunk into the bed. “You can’t keep punishing yourself. The bad guys are dead and no one is coming for you. So, you don’t have to live in fear, Kara.”

“I can’t just get over it, Damon. The humiliation…just…it took a toll on me. And I need to process it all.”

Damon reached over to squeeze my hand. “You’re a survivor. Maybe you should talk to a counselor,” he suggested. “I could have them come to the house if you want.”

I turned my back to him so I was facing the floor-to-ceiling window. It was serene outside and looking out there eased my mind for the moment. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I simply stated, pulling the blanket tightly around me.

His weight lifted from the bed. “I’ll have Susie bring up some breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“I won’t force you, but you really need to eat. You’re losing weight too fast and it’s not healthy. Bad enough you came back just skin and bones.”

And a lot of scars,I thought.

Damon left, shutting the door behind him, and I couldn’t help the cry that came after. I didn’t know how to get out of this funk. Everything had changed. I had changed. Even being here felt like it was another form of prison that I was trapped in. Damon told me I could come and go as I pleased as long as I had security with me. But I wasn’t so sure it was enough to keep me here with him.

“Good morning, pretty girl,” Susie sing-songed as she opened the bedroom door.

I quickly wiped my tears away and sat up in bed while she placed the tray of food over my lap. “I made banana bread, eggs and sausage.”

I could only offer a weak smile in appreciation. “Thanks, Susie.”

“Master says you should eat. May I?” She asked to sit next to me and I nodded while taking a bite from the banana bread.

“If you don’t want to talk to Master, you can talk to me. About anything.”

I blinked back the tears as they threatened to spill over again. The pity in her eyes was unmistakable and I couldn’t bear seeing it. The last thing I wanted was pity. But she was just being empathetic.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, you can’t keep it bottled up inside. Doing so will only eat you alive. You need to relieve that burden from yourself. Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault.”

My gaze met hers. “What if I can’t let it go? What then?” I constantly relived the scenes in my head like a bad horror flick.

Susie sat patiently next to me. Just her being here was comforting. Somehow, I managed to eat almost all my food. “You’re getting there. It’s the most you’ve eaten at a time.”

“Susie...” I started to tell her.

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