Saving Reli Read online

  When we arrive at the Maine’s house, I’m pleasantly surprised to see not only my father, but also my brothers here. Talia has also arrived.

  “That woman is a fucking bitch,” Matthew announces as soon as I get out of my car. “We arrived ten minutes before she did and managed to bug the house. She was out of the car and running through the house as soon as she pulled up out front. Screaming Yoreli’s name and making threats.”

  My entire body bristles at her making threats. “What did she say?”

  Matthew glances to Dad and then to the ground.

  “Someone fucking tell me what she said,” I say through gritted teeth.

  Cage sighs. “She called someone, and told them that Yoreli had gone. She’s sworn that she’s going to get her back. Whoever she was on the phone to must have been pissed. But, bro.” He shakes his head. “That fucking bitch has plans to sell Yoreli.”

  My vision goes black as Cage’s words filter through my brain. She’s going to fucking sell her? It’s bad enough that she’s fucking abused her for the past two years, but to sell her too?

  I storm toward the house, my father hot on my heels. “Take a deep breath, John,” he instructs, but I’m too fucking pissed to do that. “We have no proof that she’s doing this. Nothing that’s admissible in court. John. Think.” He grips my arm and pulls me to a stop, just meters away from the door.

  “What?” I bark.

  “That woman is Reli’s guardian; you’ve taken her from her care. That’s kidnapping. Right now, we have to play this right, otherwise if that bitch calls the police, she could end up having Reli back and we can’t have that.”

  Fuck. He’s right.

  “What do you propose I do?” I ask him, my head too fucking messed up to think straight.

  “Kill her,” Lance comments from behind.

  Dad glares at him. “I’ve been working on making sure that Talia can’t take her,” he tells me. “Son, I’m asking you please, to let me talk to her first.”

  What the fuck?

  “Trust me, please,” he pleads and I relent by nodding. “Thank you; as soon as I get what we need, you can talk to her.” He holds his hand out to Cohen, who hands him some papers.

  I step back and allow him to walk ahead of me. I move so that I’m away from view, as do the rest of my brothers and Lance.

  Dad knocks on the door and we wait for a few tense moments until she opens the door. “Hello, Talia.” Dad’s voice is dark and full of aggression; I can’t remember the last time I heard him this angry.

  “Markus,” she responds cheerfully. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Cut the shit. We both know why I’m here.”

  Talia laughs. “So the little bitch ran to you. I should have known. What lies did she tell you?”

  Dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone. “She didn’t have to tell me anything. The doctors have detailed notes on all the broken bones and injuries that Yoreli has sustained while in your care.”

  “There’s no proof that I’m the cause of her injuries. She’s very clumsy. Besides, what is it to you?” The bitch has some gall. She really doesn’t give a shit.

  “You’re going to sign this; it gives Sharon and I guardianship over Yoreli,” Dad says, handing her the papers he has in his hand.

  She laughs once again. “And why should I sign them? I should call the cops and have you arrested for kidnapping.”

  “Call them; I’m sure they’d love to hear this,” Dad says as he does something on his phone. Next thing, Talia’s voice fills the air.

  “She’s gone…. Yes, I know what we had arranged, but she’s not here!” I realize that Dad’s playing a recording of her phone call. “I’ll find her… I said I would… Look, I’ll find her and then you can pay me the two hundred thousand dollars and then she’s yours to do as you please.”

  My anger resurfaces as I hear her words. She was selling her for two hundred thousand dollars.

  “I’m sure the police would love to know that you’re trying to sell your step-daughter.”

  “You bastard.” She gasps. “Give me the damn papers.”

  Finally, I start to relax; she’s going to sign them. She’s not going to get her hands on Reli ever again.

  “You come near Yoreli again, Talia, and I’ll make you wish you’d never met Paul. He fucking loved you, and this is how you treated his daughter.”

  She barks out a fake laugh. “Oh, this is priceless. I didn’t love that bastard, he only cared about that stupid bitch. I was with him for his money.”

  “I’m done here. Heed my words, Talia. Leave Yoreli alone.” Dad turns and walks away; it’s my turn now.

  “You!” She gasps when she sees me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I should probably introduce myself,” I say as my brothers move so that they’re now in view. “I’m John Princeton.” Her eyes widen as she realizes who I am.

  I take a step closer to her and she starts to shake. “Let me make myself very clear,” I say in a low voice, but I know she can hear me. “I’m going to fucking ruin you for what you did to her.” My voice is deep and full of venom.

  She smirks. “I’d love to see you try. A little old for her aren’t you?” She raises her brow.

  “Same could be said about you. The difference between us is, I won’t sexually assault her. Tell me something, Talia; the man you plan on selling her to, does he know that you’ve abused her?”

  Her face pales at my words. I need to find out who the fuck she’s planning on selling her to. The fear she has tells me that she’s not going to walk away from this.

  “You get within five hundred feet of her and I’ll put you down.”

  She narrows her eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

  I shake my head. “No, I’m making a fucking promise. You so much as touch a hair on her head, I’m going to kill you.”

  Her face pales even more as my brothers nod in agreement beside me. They’ve got my back.

  “This is the only warning you’re going to get, Talia. Keep those minions of yours away from her too.”

  I turn my back on her and walk toward my car. I need to get back to Reli.

  Eleven

  Reli

  The bindings bite into my skin, every night it's the same. I can't even remember a night that she hasn't entered my room and bound my wrists and ankles.

  "Tell me, Yoreli, how much do you want this?" It's the same question asked each night.

  I pull against the bindings; they're definitely going to leave marks tonight. She hasn't been this vicious in a long time. Something must have happened today, a bad day at work?

  "Yoreli, how much do you want this?"

  I fight once again pulling at the bindings, my nostrils flaring as I try to breathe through the pain. This ball gag isn't helping matters.

  "You love when I do these things to you." Her fingers run up my body toward my breasts.

  I hate when she does things to me. I don't call her by her name while in bed. Never again; the last time I did I got fifteen lashes with the whip. It broke my skin and made me bleed; it was the most painful experience I've been dealt by the hands of the devil. Wearing clothes hurt; I couldn't wear a bra for three weeks.

  Pain hits me when the bastard twists my nipples. It's a game; see how long it takes to make Yoreli break. To have me a sobbing mess before she will have her way with me. Apparently I'm more compliant once I'm broken.

  Teeth sink into the skin of my rib cage. I don't cry out; I don't dare for fear of the ramifications that it will cause. I close my eyes as a lone tear falls. Yet another scar to add to the collection I already have. It's a never ending barrage of abuse. I don't see a way out. My days are dark and my nights are stuff only nightmares are made of.

  "You're a tough cookie to break this evening, Yoreli. But don't you worry; I'll have you begging by the end of it, just as I always do."

  I'm twisted; as much as I don't want this to happen, by the end of it, I
'm writhing in pleasure. Wanting more, begging the devil to bring me over to the other side. I'm so fucked up because when it ends, I have no idea what is pleasure and what is pain. I'm broken. That's the only excuse I have for it.

  "Give it up, Yoreli." The hardness in Talia’s voice tells me that this is just the beginning. Things are about to get worse, a hell of a lot worse. A blindfold goes over my eyes and I bunch my hands into fists. I hate the unknown and this bastard knows that.

  My scream fills the air as the boiling hot wax hits my skin. Monster, that word reverberates through my brain. I will the tears not to fall, not to let this bastard know that I'm close to breaking because right now, I am.

  "That's it, give me more."

  I shake my head; I can't, I won't.

  "Oh ho. Lookie here, Yoreli playing hard to get. You know how much I love it when you tease me."

  No, God no.

  Her fingers are at my pussy. I squirm, trying to get away, but I know that it's no use. She wants to play and I'm her favorite toy. Right now I'm helpless, sprawled out for her to do as she pleases. For her to show me just how much she hates me.

  "Yoreli." Lust coats my name. "You know how much I love it when you fight me; you are mine to do with as I please and right now, I want to finger fuck that pussy of yours."

  I cringe at her language; she's so vulgar. I hate her more than I have ever hated anyone in this world. I'm destined to be her plaything and there's no hope for me. I've been her toy for almost two years now; no one has saved me and no one ever will. Who's going to want to help the virgin orphan?

  As soon as her tongue flicks my clit and her fingers fuck my pussy I submit. I can't help it. The pleasure takes over and I'm lost in the moment. I'm withering silently wishing it’ll end as she continues to fuck me with her mouth and fingers. Tingles start in my spine and begin to build. God, please let this be over. Just as quickly as the orgasm began building, it's taken away.

  "Come on, Yoreli, you didn't think I'd let you get away that easily, now did you?" she taunts, the bed dipping as she gets off it. She's not far away though as her nails scrape across my breasts. My nipples pebble at the touch. "You're going to love what I have lined up for you this evening."

  A buzzing noise filters through the room; fear and anticipation spread through my body like a wildfire. The buzzing gets louder; my body bows off the bed when the vibration touches my clit.

  "Relax, Yoreli, let the pleasure take over." She places a hand on my leg, a slight caress before adding pressure. She's making me comply with her wishes; to be still while she has her wicked way with me.

  Tensing my body so that when the next vibrations come, I won't move. I need to come, I need my release, yet displeasing her will only make this torture worse, prolonging the agony and breaking me even further, although I'm not really sure that's possible anymore, I honestly believe that I've reached rock bottom.

  I cry out as she thrusts something hard into my pussy. Pain rips into me as she moves it in and out of me. Tears slip out of my eyes, I hate when she does this. "Oh my poor little virgin, yet to have a man fuck you." She laughs. "This is what a man would do to you if one could ever love you. He'd fuck you so good, you'd be screaming with pleasure. You don't have a man so a dildo is going to have to do. Because who would want you? Who would want an orphan with no job?"

  I think her words are what hurt me the most. I know that she abuses me but no one has ever cared enough to find out what's going on. Once she thought a teacher of mine was getting close to the truth so she pulled me out of school. That was the day I lost all hope of ever getting away, until that moment I had dreamed of ways of escaping. Now, I'm only allowed to leave the house when she's with me. Even then those days are few and far between. Sometimes it's better to stay home and be alone.

  "Yoreli, are you with me?" she asks brusquely and I nod. "Why do I get the impression you're daydreaming?"

  I shake my head. "I'm not." My words come out muffled due to the gag that's in my mouth.

  "We'll see about that." She thrusts the dildo into me once again and pain shatters me. "This is how much I hate you, Yoreli; how much I wish you had died instead of your father." Once again she thrusts the dildo into me.

  My scream rents the air with the force of her thrust. “Stop," I beg but she doesn't listen; she continues to fuck me with the dildo.

  The bed dips beneath me as she moves, the dildo still fucking me as she flicks my clit with her tongue, once, twice, three times. Yet again, the lines between pleasure and pain are blurred and my orgasm begins to build. I cry out as I come, my breathing hard and coming out in pants. Shame fills me as I come down from my release. I feel dirty, used, and pathetic. I should be able to fight her off; be able to tell her to leave me alone but every time I think about doing it, fear grips me in a choke hold. Where would I go? What would I do? I feel the bed move again and now she sits at the side of me

  Moaning fills the air and I cry; she's not finished with me yet. She's getting her fill before taking another turn on me. This happens once every couple of weeks, and these nights usually last for five or more hours. They're endless torture. Tomorrow I'll be completely drained, unable to do very much. It doesn't matter to the devil; she'll be right back here tomorrow night taking even more from me, because the devil never sleeps.

  I close my eyes as I hear the wetness from her; she's pleasuring herself. She hates me but yet she loves to get off on making me come. I've always figured it was some sort of power play with her. She gets off on having me submit to her, her being the boss of me and doing as she pleases.

  Her moans get louder, more erratic, she's close to the edge. Fingers grip my neck, squeezing tightly. "You know what to do, Yoreli."

  I can't breathe, the darkness is calling me as she squeezes tighter. Those tingles are back in full force, I know it's not going to take me long to reach my orgasm. Her screams fill the air as she comes, "Yoreli, do it."

  I detonate as her fingers squeeze my windpipe. "Good girl." It's the last thing I hear before I succumb to the darkness.

  “Reli, wake up.”

  I gasp as I come awake, my body drenched in sweat. I’m breathing hard as I try and shake the remnants of my nightmare.

  “Reli?” That deep masculine voice shakes me to the core.

  I let out a yelp as I try and scramble away from the voice.

  “Shit. Reli. It’s me, John. You’re safe.” He flicks on the light and the room illuminated and I see his face. “You’re safe, Reli, you’re safe,” he repeats, pulling me into his arms. “She can’t hurt you anymore.”

  God, I forgot that I’m here, in John’s house. I’ve been here two days and I still think of Talia.

  I choke back a sob. “Safe?” I have no idea what that even means.

  “Yeah, baby girl. You’re safe. I promise.”

  He rocks me in his arms as I sob, there’s no way I’m ever going to be safe. I know Talia; she’s never going to let me go.

  Twelve

  John

  Two Weeks Later

  “Mom, I know you want to see her but she’s not ready.” This is the fifth time we’ve had this conversation since Reli has been home. She’s seeing her counselor every day, and she’s taking things one day at a time.

  “But she needs us. It’s not right keeping us away.”

  “I know you want to help, Mom, but she’s working through things in her own way.” I’m tired; every night Reli has nightmares. The screams are enough to chill my bones, but whenever I go to her room and see her writhing in pain with tears flowing down her face makes me want to go to Talia and kill her.

  “I need to see that she’s doing okay,” Mom replies, and I know that it’s hurting her that she can’t see her. She wants to help. None of us Princetons are good at feeling helpless, if someone’s hurting we want to do everything we can to help. “I’ll stop by and bring dinner.”

  “Mom, Reli needs a routine. She needs to be able to make her own choices and right now that’s what I'm letti
ng her do. The counselor agrees with me.” I want her to know that she can and will make her own choices. She’s been through so fucking much but she’s strong and I don’t want anything to set her back. “I know you’re worried, but give her time.”

  She sighs heavily. “She’s got to be hurting. I hate that.” Her voice breaks. “We should have helped her a long time ago.”

  The guilt has hit us hard; we know that if we had checked in on her this wouldn’t have happened. We were her family, we were all she had left, and we left her there.

  “I’ll talk to her again.”

  “Thank you,” she whispers and I can tell that she’s crying. “Give her a hug and tell her that everything will be okay. I can’t help but wonder when was the last time someone held that poor girl.”

  Every single night for the past two weeks. The nightmares have come hard and strong every night, to the point they leave her shaking. I hold her tightly in my arms every single night whispering, reassuring her that she’s safe. It takes a couple of hours before she’s able to fall back to sleep. The last few times she's had them, she's been clinging to me when she tries to calm down.

  I glance up at the clock on my office wall and see that it’s almost three-forty-five. Reli is finished with her counselor in fifteen minutes. I push to my feet. “Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to Reli.” I exit my office and see that my brothers aren’t here. I know that Cohen and Talin are on a case, but Matthew and Cage aren’t here. I’m wondering where they are as I make my way to the exit.

  “Okay son, tell Reli that we’re thinking of her,” she pleads, sounding as though she’s still crying.

  “Will do.” I end the call and slide into my car. I’m anxious to get her. After Reli’s meetings with her counselor, she’s always shaken up and quiet for a couple of hours. I tend to stay in the background working, but close enough in case she needs me.