CHAPTER EIGHT
NOW – Pippa
“Oh God, Pippa,” Sofie cries, wrapping her arms around me the moment I step in for my shift at work a few nights after the night with Liam and Michael.
She’s been trying to call me, but I’ve just needed some time alone. I’m not angry with her—not even close. I’m angry with myself for trying to get out of my comfort zone when I should have just stayed the way I am. I’m just burdening everyone with my constant need to be protected. I’m tired of it.
“It’s okay,” I say, patting Sofie on the back.
“No, it’s not okay.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I assure her.
“It was, I invited them to sit down.”
I pull back and stare at her. “You didn’t know they were those sorts of people, so it isn’t your fault.”
She nods, but her eyes are welling with tears.
“Honestly, Sofie.” I smile. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “Promise we can still be friends?”
“Absolutely. What jobs have we been given tonight?”
“You’re taking rooms 345, 349 and 362. They’ve just checked out.”
“Okay,” I say softly, hanging up my purse. “Better get to it.”
Four hours later, I’m finished. I clean the toilets to waste the last few hours of my shift. When I’m done, I find Sofie and tell her I’ll give her a call on the weekend so we can try again. I don’t know if I’m going to do it—not because I don’t want to, but because I’m scared of how it’ll go. I have no idea how to interact with other people, and I can’t stand up for myself at all. How am I supposed to join in when I have no idea how?
Just as I reach front reception to add my hours, I see a tall, dark body leaning over the desk. I notice the Joker’s Wrath patch right away and watch in slight horror and slight fascination as Tyke turns to face me. He smiles, big and broad, and the receptionists all stare at me with their mouths open as he walks over and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Hey, little one.”
“Ah, hey Tyke. What are you doing here?”
“Had nothing to do. Thought you might want some company.”
“Ah, sure.”
“You finished for the night?”
I nod, walking over and giving the receptionist my hours. She’s still staring at Tyke, but takes the sheet off me with a nod, not in my direction. Tyke turns us both and leads me out the front door. “It’s late. Are you sure you want to do something?”
Tyke nods. “It’s only ten, Pip. The night is still young.”
I frown at him, and he laughs. “Come on.”
“Okay, but my car is here.”
“We’ll come back and get it tomorrow. Jump in.”
He opens the door to his SUV and I hesitate a second before climbing in. I don’t completely understand why he’s here, but I’m not about to pass up the chance to hang out with him. Even if our last encounter was . . . awkward. He’s obviously forgotten about it, so I will, too.
I climb into the car and watch as he slides in the front passenger seat. I feel safe with Tyke, warm and at ease. He flashes me a quick smile, and then takes off. We glide through the streets with ease. I have no idea where he’s going to take me, so it surprises me when he brings me to an old deserted park.
“I used to come here when I was a kid,” he tells me as he turns the car off.
“It’s . . . beautiful.”
And it really is. It’s old and rustic. The swings are rusted and the slide is an worn, metal one, but it has an edge to it, a feel of home. I get out of the car and walk towards it, sitting carefully on one swing. Tyke joins me, sitting on the other one.
“So, how’re you feeling tonight?” he asks me.
I shrug. “Fine.”
“Pip,” he says with a warning tone.
I sigh. “I’m confused. I just don’t know how to be different, Tyke. I don’t know how to be the girl they all want me to be. I want to make friends, I want to go out and have fun, but I honestly don’t know how. The very idea terrifies me.”
“Shit, darlin’, I had no idea,” he mutters. “You should have told me you were struggling to get out.”
“And make you think I’m weaker than you already believe I am?”
I close my mouth quickly, because those words weren’t meant to leave my lips. Tyke is off his swing in a second. He comes over and curls his fingers around the chains of mine, staring down at me. His eyes are intense and a little hurt. “You think I believe you’re weak?”
“Don’t you all?” I say, turning my face away. “I know how you all see me and you’re right, because it’s the way I am.”
“The essential years of your life were taken from you, Pippa, but it doesn’t make you weak. You just have to learn again. If you wanted to learn, little one, why the hell didn’t you come to me?”
“You have Andi.”
He sighs. “Pip . . .”
“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”
“Pippa.”
“I didn’t know how to ask.”
He reaches down, capturing my chin in his hand and tilting my head back. “You come to me. Do you hear me? If you have a problem, fuck, Pippa, you come to me.”
“I was afraid,” I whisper.
He strokes his thumb over my cheek. “Don’t be. If you want to learn, I’m here to teach you. When is your next day off?”
I blink. “Pardon?”
He grins. “Answer me, baby. I know you heard me.”
“Ah, tomorrow.”
“Good. I’ll be by at seven. Be ready.”
“For what?” I squeak.
His eyes flash. “To learn how to live again. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”
God help me.
~*~*~*~
NOW
Tyke arrives at my house at seven the next morning, as he said he would. He looks extra perfect today, wearing a pair of faded black jeans and a tight black tee. His jacket sits comfortably on his broad shoulders, showing off his colors. His hair is messy and he’s wearing a wide smile.
He puts me in his car and we drive. I have no idea where he’s taking me, but I fidget the entire trip. Even when he puts his hand over mine to help me feel at ease. He stops the car at an old lighthouse on the beach edge, a good two hours away from my house. There are a few people milling around, but it seems quiet.
“What is this place?” I ask in a whisper.
“This is The Lighthouse. I know, fitting name, right?” He smirks, climbing out of the SUV.
He comes around and opens my door for me, helping me out. I climb from the car, my hand in his, and stare at the beautiful red and white lighthouse sitting on a small cliff, the waves of the ocean lapping it at the base. Tyke joins me and we stare together. There seems to be a cafe overlooking the ocean.
“I wanted to start you small,” Tyke says, gripping my hand. “This is a good place to start.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
“No,” he says, turning to me. “Don’t whisper. You never have to be scared to speak, Pippa. Use your voice, and use it proud.”
“Okay,” I say, my voice shaky but in full force.
He grins. “That’s my girl.”
His girl.
That slams into my heart in the best possible way.
He leads me up to the lighthouse, limping slightly. I don’t make mention that he hasn’t got his chair, because I think it bothers him to be thrown in it when I’m around. I think it makes him feel less of a man. If only he knew nothing could take that away from him.
We reach the massive lighthouse and climb a few steps, entering a cafe. I was right. It overlooks the ocean, the big wooden deck the feature. It is covered with tables and chairs, and on them are red and white checked table covers. Fitting. Tyke leads me to a table and I sit down, and he sits beside me. Only a moment later, a waitress is by our table.
“Hello there,” she says, her voice thick with a southern twang. Her eyes, th
e beautiful green eyes they are, are fixed on Tyke. “What can I get y’all?”
“We’re just going to look,” Tyke grunts.
“Oh, of course.”
She turns and rushes off and I smile, unable to stop it. Tyke looks up at me, and grins. “What’s so funny?”
“You grunted at her.”
His eyes flash with humor. “She was looking at me like she wanted me to bend her over this table and fuck her. That’s not okay when I’m with my girl.”
My cheeks burn and Tyke’s grin gets bigger.
“Shut up.” I giggle.
“Fuck I love that sound,” he says, staring at my mouth.
God. My whole face is probably bright red now.
“Anyway,” he says, with a smile in his voice, “tell me what you want? But you’re going to order it.”
I jerk. “I can’t . . .”
“Pippa, darlin’, you can.”
I shake my head, and he reaches over the table and takes my hand. “You trust me, don’t you, Pip?”
“Of course,” I whisper.
“Sorry?”
Shit.
“Of course,” I say in a bigger voice.
“Good. Then know I won’t make you do anything horrible. You can do all of these things, you just have to believe you can.”
I nod, swallowing. He smiles, making a dimple pop out as he slides the menu towards me. “They have amazing food.”
I glance down and my stomach grumbles. This food does look amazing. It’s mostly seafood, which is great, because I adore seafood. It’s only morning, but I didn’t eat breakfast and this is something different. I’m okay with different. I pick the seafood chowder with freshly baked bread, and Tyke decides on the same. When the waitress comes back over, Tyke gives her a look, and her eyes dart to me. Here goes.
“Ah,” I begin. Tyke reaches over and squeezes my hand. God, why does it seem so hard to do something so simple? It’s just ordering a bit of food, nothing major. I can do this.
“I’d like two seafood chowders with the bread, please.”
Oh my God.
I did it.
Happiness swells in my chest and when I turn towards Tyke, he’s beaming. He winks at me and I turn back to the waitress with a smile bigger than any smile I’ve ever given.
“Any drinks?”
I lose my smile and panic fills my chest. I didn’t think about drinks. I didn’t even look at the drink menu. I turn to Tyke, panic in my eyes and he stands, coming around to sit beside me. The waitress watches curiously, but I know she can’t hear when he leans into my ear and whispers, “Calm down, baby. Just tell her to wait a moment while you decide.”
I nod frantically and turn to the waitress, “Please just wait while I . . .” My voice trails off. “While I . . . ah . . .” Oh God, I can’t do it. “While I . . .”
“We haven’t decided,” Tyke adds. “Put the food order in and come back.”
The waitress nods, staring at me as if I’m a freak.
Fucking freak.
My bottom lip trembles.
“Hey,” Tyke says, grabbing my hand. “Look at me.”
“I’m a freak,” I whisper. “A f . . . f . . . f . . . fucking freak.”
“What did you just say?” Tyke breathes.
“That’s what they all think. That’s what they all say about me. Freak. I’m a freak.”
“Jesus, fuck,” he mutters, and then puts an arm around my body, pulling my chair closer. “You listen to me, and you listen good. You are not a freak. You are a girl who has had things happen to her that most normal people couldn’t handle. You’ve been starved of the outside world for a long time, and coming back in is scary. The people that think that of you, Pippa, they’re the freaks.”
“Artreau called me that, because I was so afraid of him . . . and then Liam the other night . . .”
“That piece of shit. I knew I should have wiped him out.”
I jerk and look up at Tyke with wide eyes. “You wouldn’t . . . you wouldn’t . . .”
“Hush,” he murmurs, capturing my face in his hand. “What I do is of no worry to you. What he said, Pippa, was wrong. He was trying to take advantage of a frightened girl—tell me honestly, who do you think had the problems there? You would have reacted the same way any girl would have.”
“No,” I say, looking down at his throat. “Most girls would have fought back, maybe hit him. I just sat there, frozen in place, terrified.”
“Then we’re going to teach you how to fight. I promise you, little one, we’re going to fix this. All of it.”
“Are you ready to get your drinks?”
We both turn to see the waitress standing at our table again.
“You can do this, baby,” Tyke whispers into my ear, making me break out into a thousand little shivers.
I take a deep, shaky breath. Only I can change my life. Only I can change my life. Only I can change my life.
“I’d like two iced teas, please.”
I did it.
Tyke squeezes my hand and a huge smile breaks out on my face.
Only I can change my life.
CHAPTER NINE
THEN – Pippa
My legs tremble as the guard leads me down the long hall to Artreau’s room. Vomit rises and falls in my throat, burning a path right up my already raw passage. I have to force my feet to move step by step, praying they won’t give out and cause me to fall to the floor in a heap.
The guard shoves me forward and I stumble a few times, shrinking into myself with fear. As we reach Artreau’s door, I swallow over and over to stop the vomit in my throat from exploding all over the surface. The guard bangs twice and then stands back, waiting. A moment later, the door opens and Artreau’s eyes widen before a slow smirk appears on his face.
“I wondered when I’d hear from you.”
I flinch and yell, “What the hell is wrong with you? How could you do that to him? What sort of monster—”
Artreau cuts me off by grabbing my arm and hauling me forward. The guard lets me go. In fact, he looks almost bored as he mutters, “Call me when you want me to take her back.”
“Oh, I’ll be busy for a good long time with her.” Artreau smirks, slamming the door shut.
He doesn’t let me go as he walks me towards his sofa. I’ve never been in his room, but I’d always imagined it would be massive. I’m right. It’s huge. Half is set up as an office, with a mahogany desk, large plush carpets and bookshelves lining the wall. The other half is a bedroom, with a massive king sleigh bed and a soft looking sofa.
Artreau shoves me down on the sofa. I’m right, it’s soft.
“Now, you were saying?” he continues.
“Are you serious?” I whisper. “How could you do that to him?”
Artreau shrugs. “He made me a deal—that was my side of it. He made the choice to say yes.”
“He was helping me!” I scream.
“Again,” Artreau says coolly, “it was his choice.”
“You’re a goddamned monster. How would you like it if someone did something so . . . so . . . horrible to you?”
He leans down close, sneering at me. “I wouldn’t be so stupid as to let someone do that to me.”
“You can’t leave him like that. He’ll die!”
He shrugs, looking bored. “Next question?”
I want to scream and stab him, and hurt him in anyway I can possibly can. “He needs medical assistance. What . . .” I swallow and close my eyes. I have to do this for Rainer. “What do I have to do to get that for him?”
Artreau’s eyebrows hit his forehead.
“You care about the boy enough to come in here and demand that I help him?”
Panic swells in my chest. I don’t want him to know I care about Rainer, because he’ll end up hurting him even more. So instead, I keep my face blank and say, “No. I care about people in general, and when someone helps me the way he did, I’m not going to just pat him on the back and say thank you.”
Artreau grins. “Well, you haven’t learned much from me then, have you?”
I grit my teeth, but don’t answer.
“So you want him to get medical assistance,” he says, rubbing his chin. “I wonder what that’ll cost you.”
“Whatever it is,” I say through gritted teeth. “I’ll do it.”
Artreau flashes a grin at me. “Well, if that’s the case . . .”
His voice trails off and he stares down at my breasts, and I know, I just know what he’s going to ask. Bile burns my throat and my hands begin to tremble, but I’ll do whatever it takes to give Rainer the medical help he needs. If I don’t, he’ll die. I could never live with that. Not that I’m entirely sure I can live with this, either.
“Just say what you want,” I rasp out through clenched teeth.
“Oh, you know exactly what I want. If you want your friend to get the help he needs tonight, then you will warm my bed, dear Pippa, and I don’t mean just sleeping.”
I have to force my legs not to buckle at the words. Instead, I hold my head high and say, “If you promise to give me what I need for him, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“You list what you need, and I’ll give it.”
Lord help me.
“I need antibiotics, something to stitch his skin, and an ointment to keep infection out. I also need patches to cover him. Oh, and painkillers.”
“Done,” Artreau says.
I nod.
“Now,” he purrs, stepping closer and grabbing my hip. His fingers pinch into my skin and I want to vomit on the spot. “Where shall we start?”
“Wait,” I rasp. “You give me what I need, or have it delivered to the room before . . . before . . .”
“Very well.” Artreau sighs. He walks over and picks up his phone. “Yes, take the following items to the room and hand them over to the slave we whipped. Antibiotics, ointment for his wound, a needle and thread for stitching, a bandage and some painkillers. Call me when you’ve done this.”
He slams the phone down and turns to me. “Happy?”
“Not until you get that call back,” I say in a hard, steely voice.
Artreau rolls his eyes and pours himself a drink as he waits. I pray that something will happen and I will be able to get out of this, but I fear that’ll never happen. I just have to close my eyes, pretend I’m somewhere else, and tell myself that this is for Rainer. It’s for Rainer, who sacrificed for me.