The tension filling the room can be sliced with a knife it’s that fuckin’ thick.
“Brielle, can I show you a picture real quick?” Cane asks through clenched teeth as he pulls out his phone.
“Umm, I guess,” she murmurs.
Cane does something on his phone, looks to Whip and Venom as he steps forward turning his phone and handing it to Brielle. Glancing over her shoulder to see what he’s showing her, I tense even more as my woman gasps.
“That’s her. The little girl,” she cries.
“Fuckin’ hell,” Venom mutters as Cane nods his head and takes his phone back.
Lifting his gaze, he meets each of ours before he speaks. “I’m going to have to call this in to our Prez, Stoney. The little girl Brielle is talking about is Prez’s daughter.”
Oh fuck.
This shit just got even more fucked.
Chapter Seven
Brielle
At the mention of the little girl’s father being Bryan’s prez, I couldn’t hold it anymore. I covered my mouth and rushed out of the office moving toward the bathroom. Embarrassed by what I’ve done to survive, I needed away from them all.
This is the reason I never told my brother. I wanted to protect him from the darkness I’ve endured. That I’ve had to do to other people. So many women out there in the world were taken and sold into prostitution and slavery because I ran those sites.
Louis and Henry worked closely with the Lucifer Heretics in North Carolina as well as the Alcazar Cartel. I can still feel the belt Louis had taken against my back as Titus held me down to take the lashes. After he was done, Henry took his turn, but rather than use a belt like Louis he preferred to use a switch. When I was bleeding and leaning too far into Titus, that’s when Henry would stop, and Titus’ torture began. Still everything I did to those women guts me far worse than what the three of them did to me.
I barely make it to the bathroom. Sobs wrack my body at visions of each of those women. Every single one of them play on a roll in my head. The baby girl playing every few images on repeat.
“Brielle, baby, it’s okay,” Ryder mutters soothingly.
Oh God. Why is he in here? I don’t want him to see me like this.
I need to get out of here. Take my boys and run. Run as far as I can.
Australia would be good.
I could find somewhere like on that show ’McLeod’s Daughters and escape the rest of the world.
“Mon bijou, your gonna hurt yourself, baby. Come on let’s get you up off the floor.” How can he be so nice to me after hearing what I’d just told them all?
I’m shocked they haven’t put a bullet in my head for what I did or taken my boys from me. Most would think I’m an unfit mother for allowing them to be around such a negative environment for a majority of their lives. But I tried. God, I tried so hard to get them out of it. To keep them safe from not only Titus, but everyone else who would hurt them.
“Just leave me be,” I cry, attempting to shrug off Ryder’s grip on my shoulders.
“Not gonna happen, Brielle,” Ryder growls and I make a squeaking noise in my throat when he moves, lifting me off the floor. In his arms he adjusts me gently. “We gotta finish talking and this time it’s gonna be you and me alone doing it.”
Not what I want to do. Talk to him alone.
Out of all the men that were in the room with me while I spoke in Chains’ office, Ryder is the one who I fear the most right now. Not fear as in that he’ll do something to me but rather what he thinks of me.
“Can I at least brush my teeth first?” I blurt the question in distraction.
Peering down at me, Ryder watches me closely. “Yeah, baby,” he mutters and carries me out of the bathroom and heads for his room. Seeing all the men who’d been in the office with me standing in the hallway, I bury my face in Ryder’s chest. “We’ll talk later. Brielle’s had enough for now and needs to rest. Her ass is still supposed to be resting as it is.”
Oh.
My.
God.
The rumble in Ryder’s chest as he declares story time is over, causes my breath to falter.
“Yeah, she good,” Chains asks.
“She will be,” Ryder assured, moving passed them.
“Mini, love you just remember that,” Bryan shares when Ryder’s close enough for me to hear my brother’s whispered words.
Lifting my head out of Ryder’s chest, I meet my brother’s gaze. “You don’t hate me?” I ask.
“Couldn’t hate you Brielle. Never. Might be pissed as hell at you right now but that don’t mean I hate you. You’re my sister, my mini, we’ll be good.” Bryan states.
Nodding, I lean my head back into Ryder’s chest.
“Love you too, Bry,” I mumble, melancholy.
And I do love my brother. He’s the only one besides my boys I’ve always loved. Even when I was mad about him leaving and joining the Army; however, I wouldn’t have stopped him no matter how upset I was. He deserved to get out of there and the military was his way out of the household we were living in.
I didn’t escape the same way he did but if I had I wouldn’t have my boys. So, in a way I don’t think I’d change a thing. I’d sacrifice anything for them. They are my world. Marcus and Micah gave me the strength to fight for what I needed to do to protect them. I might not have been able to do it the way I wanted but I hope one day they’ll understand, I did everything and will continue to do so.
Without putting me down, Ryder opens his door and steps through before closing
