“My real name is Georgia.” Her whisper grazes my ear as she snuggles against me.
“That’s a pretty name.”
She laughs lightly. “Thanks. I thought maybe you’d prefer Mary.”
I pull her closer. “You aren’t a Mary. You’re much more of a Georgia.”
“You’re definitely a Noah.” She kisses my neck.
“Yeah?”
“You rescued Felix the stray, and you have a lizard. Come on. You’ve got a soft spot for animals.”
“I didn’t lead them two-by-two and save them from a flood.”
“Maybe you will one day.” Her voice softens, sleep invading. “I think you’ll save lots of lives. Just give yourself a chance.”
I pull the blanket up around us and dread the moment when I have to leave her here at the Cloister. She already sports too many bruises for my tastes, and I’ve spoken to Grace about it, who just brushes me off.
“I have to go.” I slide out from the covers and dress.
She rolls onto her side and watches me with big blue eyes. “Hate to see you go, love to see you walk away.”
I grin and drop one more kiss on her lips before leaving.
“She was beautiful,” I whisper. “I’d never cared about a Maiden until her. Never took a real interest. I was going through the motions until that night I saw her at the bonfire.” I toss the bottle cap onto the ottoman and take a drink. “Tequila. Damn.” It still burns, so I need to drink more.
I lay my head back on the cushion and close my eyes. I’m too tired to talk to myself anymore, and I’m certain Felix is happy for the silence.
Mom killed Georgia. The thought eats through my brain like a worm. My eyes well. And here, in the safety of my place, I let the tears flow. Felix doesn’t mind. Vengeance burns inside me, but the bond I have with my mother is still there. I hate her for killing Georgia. I take a drink at the thought. But I have to hold onto something. If I don’t, I’ll go upstairs and blow my fucking brains out. So I hold onto the hope that Mom can get us out of this mess, can free us from our father and offer a new way forward.
If she can’t… I toss the bottle and it shatters against the front windows. Felix jumps and runs. If she can’t, or if this is just a power play like Adam says, I’ll make her answer for what she did to Georgia.
Chapter 27
Delilah
“You’ll be in the TV room today. Senator Roberts forwarded some videos he thinks you’ll find instructional, and I have some business to attend to in Birmingham.” Miriam flicks the projector on with easy precision. “Enjoy.”
The screen flickers, and she disappears out the door at the back of the room.
I consider napping through the video, but quickly realize that’s not an option as the first set of images appear. A woman is bent over a table, her hands bound behind her back, a gag in her mouth, and her legs apart, the ankles taped to the legs of the table. Her eyes plead with the camera.
A man appears behind her. He’s wearing a black mask and nothing else. When he runs a hand down her back, she struggles and screams against the gag.
He laughs and motions for the cameraman to come around to his side of the table. Shaky, the camera refocuses on her backside.
The man in the mask smears lube all over her, then shoves his hard cock into her ass. She screams again as blood wells around his shaft, but he doesn’t stop.
I tell myself it’s all for show, that it’s porn, that she’s just an actress. But the blood is too real, just like her anguished screams.
He grunts as he fucks her, the table screeching across the concrete floor with each animal thrust. The camera zooms in and out on her bloodied body. The masked man pulls out and moves around to her face.
He yanks her gag away.
“Please, let me go! Help!” she screams.
Everything inside me goes cold. She’s not acting. It’s real. All of it is real. Evan is sending me a message, a promise of things to come. It won’t be her on the table once Evan has me in his clutches. It will be me.
She screams again, but the masked man slaps her hard across the face. “No one can hear you, slut.” He shoves his cock into her mouth as another man appears, also nude except for his mask. He takes the spot between her bound legs, pounding hard into her as she gags on the first man’s cock.
The camera pans out and shows a line of men, each of them wearing masks, each of them stroking themselves and waiting for their turn with the captive. Then the cameraman turns the lens around and focuses on himself. Senator Roberts’ all-American grin fills the screen.