MiaI had no idea how long it had been since Herbert had left me tied to the bed in this dark, dingy room, dehydrated, hungry, and tired. As I stayed there in that uncomfortable position, my mind drifted here and there, thinking about anything and everything, but most especially about James. When I got too tired, I’d accidentally fall asleep, only to snap myself awake again a few moments later. To be sure, I didn’t want to be in such a vulnerable position when Herbert returned.The light from outside scattering in through the thin curtain was getting lighter now, which told me dawn was approaching. That meant I had been held captive for one full night already, and it sickened me to think I would be in such a dire situation. Even more so that Uncle Herbert was the culprit behind this farce and not James’ enemies, like the Mexican mafia.I licked my dry lips and then gave a quick glance at the door, my chest tight with dread as I considered Herbert’s return.As if on cue, I heard heavy
MiaIt was only a few seconds later that he returned with a bottle of water in his hand. Of course he wouldn’t leave for too long since I was fully awake.Sitting back down on the side of the bed, he handed me the bottle.I took it, thoroughly noting that the seal was not broken and the bottle hadn’t been tampered with.I twisted the lid open and then drank to my heart’s content. Once I was satisfied, I put the lid back on and returned my eyes to Herbert, who was obviously watching me with something akin to adoration.I began. “Do you do this sort of thing you’ve done to me with other—”I wanted to say children but felt rather sick thinking about that word in relation to Herbert. In the end, I decided to use the word people instead.“People? I mean do you do this sort of thing to other people, too?” I asked.Herbert furiously shook his head in the negative as he moved closer to me.“Oh, no, sweeting. Not other people. Just you and your brother. Uncle could never imagine doing that sor
Matt & AndyMatt was busy with work, as usual, that night when he received a red alert from Scott on his cell phone. They were gathering the team for an investigation, and for Matt, one of the head honchos, to get the message must mean it was very important and they wanted his involvement. Instantly, he knew it had something to do with either one of the Maxwell brothers, their family, or their very close friends.He scanned through the message and then swore loudly in disbelief. “Shit!” He raked his hand through his hair. “What the fuck? You have got to be kidding me. Mia? Kidnapped? Fuck!”He quickly logged out of his laptop and rushed out of the office. With his steps quick and his mind racing, he got into the elevator and headed straight up to the top floor of the hotel.“Andy?” he called out loudly as he went in through the door of the penthouse. “Andy?”He rushed along the hallway and then straight toward the bedroom they shared. “Andy?”As Matt opened the door and switched on th
JamesJames calmly explained everything he knew so far about Herbert Weston. He noted that Andy looked utterly shocked to the core upon hearing this, which didn’t surprise him. He had no doubt that Andy had thought he and his sister Mia had been saved from that child molester, since they’d run away from home. But of course, that was not to be, as they had been hunted down by Herbert for years now.Andy was still shaking his head in disbelief. “He was looking for us? Hunting us down? Sick. Just plain sick.” He felt shaken and his knees wobbled. Shit! He couldn’t believe this was worse than he had initially thought. Herbert Weston. Their uncle. Their monster. If that beast did anything to Mia… Shit! Shit! Shit!James watched as Matt caught Andy before the boy fell to his knees on the floor.Matt asked, “You okay?”Andy managed to reply, “I… I think so.” He looked around for a chair to sit in. “I…” His head was in a haze of confusion as he straightened himself.James said, “You’re in sho
MiaI had no idea how it came to this. One moment he was telling me stories of his past, of his love and obsession with my dead mother Rose, and the next… The next? I… I was taken by surprise.As well prepared and cautious as I had been—since I knew this sort of shit was going to happen to me, was going to be done to me eventually if James couldn’t get to me in time—Herbert had still managed to take me by surprise. I let out a frightened gasp before he pounced on me and silenced me with his disgusting kiss.Oh, he hadn’t taken me yet. He just—as always, as he had done countless times before—teased me in his sick, twisted way. He pinned me against the bed, his heavy weight on me, suffocating me, and then he stripped me until I was bare, until I had nothing on me, until I felt weak, exposed, vulnerable, and completely at his mercy.He was greedily stroking my skin, his beady eyes leering at my naked body, feasting on my breasts and private parts. Oh, how I wanted to die. How I wanted th
JamesJames had never felt anything like it before in his life, this sick and nauseating feeling churning in the pit of his stomach. Is it fear? Is it uncertainty? Or is it something entirely nameless? Fuck! He didn’t know, but hell, he felt like throwing up.He had been receiving calls from his team, ruling out suspicious places around L.A. where Herbert could be hiding. Then suddenly, just like that… Bam! He felt a cold sweat breaking out and his head started spinning.Fuck! What the hell is this?He got up from his seat, which drew the attention of his brothers Scott and Eric as well as his best friend Matt.Scott asked, “James, you all right?”His brothers must have noticed his weird change in behavior. What the fuck happened to his in-command attitude? Hell, he didn’t know.He shook his head as he walked to the door. “I’m fine,” he said. “Just need to use the bathroom.”Once he shut the office door behind him, he closed his eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths.“Mia! God, Mia,
MiaI lay there naked and with my eyes closed, as the dull pain in my body continued to ache like hot coals burning my skin. I tried not to let it get to me as I mustered some sort of ability to get up and out of bed. But it was hard since I had been severely beaten.I had no idea how bad I looked. Sophie had said I was ugly, especially with all the bruises about my body. Then I wondered how James would react if he were to see me now. Would he, like Sophie said, be repulsed at the sight of me? God, I didn’t know, and honestly, I didn’t have time to think about that right now.Now I needed to take control of my weak, throbbing, inflamed body and tell it to get a move on if I wanted to get out of here before night came, if I didn’t want Herbert to take me out of town as Sophie had implied.Miraculously, in agony, I somehow managed to pull myself up. Then I raised my gaze to the window where the curtains were still drawn shut. What little light managed to sneak in through the dark room t
JamesMia’s frightened scream, “Let me go, Herbert! Let me go, you bastard!” echoed from the abandoned building across the parking section, loud and clear.James came to a jerking halt the moment he heard her voice. He stood frozen in place as his stomach sank and his head spun in fear. Fuck!He wasn’t the only one to come to a complete stop at Mia’s anguish. Matt and Scott did the same, while Andy looked so sick that Matt was worried and wondered whether it was a good idea for the boy to accompany them inside.“That was Mia,” Andy said, his voice shaking. “It was Mia. She’s here!”James nodded.Without hesitation, they all raced toward the entrance of the building. Once they reached the double doors, James kicked them open. A second later, they found themselves inside the warehouse filled with an assortment of rubbish and junk. The men rushed around, searching, but there was no sight of a human anywhere.“There’s another building out back,” Matt said, nodding his head in the directio
MiaThe day had been long and exhausting for me, especially after James, Aria, and I had started that lunch with Liam, Scott, Eric, Alice, and Yuki. Then, of course, once we were done with that, Liam had suggested we stay for dinner as well since Alice, Yuki, Aria, and I seemed to get along so well. He had said that the sisters needed company near their ages, someone they felt comfortable with, since America was so new and different to them. Of course, I had fun spending time with the sisters, but I must say both Scott and Eric—well, mostly Eric—had behaved poorly, a side of them I had not seen before.Boy, was I glad we were finally home. After helping Aria bathe and dress, I lay beside her—along with Sammy and Alfie, who were being very nice and obedient, snuggling comfortably near Aria—reading them a bedtime story. When I finished the book, I tucked Aria in.I was about to kiss her good night when Aria asked, “Mia? Do you love Daddy?”That took me by surprise, and I blushed intense
MiaWilliam arrived to pick up Savannah at eleven that morning for their return flight to Vegas.After Savannah and I had hugged tightly, Savannah said, “You have to come to Vegas again soon.”Beside me, Aria was excited. “We can ask Daddy. He did promise to take me there soon.” She turned to her father standing not too far away. “Isn’t that right, Daddy?”James nodded. “Yes, sweetheart.”Once William and Savannah departed, James, Aria, and I went to have lunch with Liam, Scott, and Eric at the main house. Of course, I had no idea this was happening until this morning after breakfast when James happened to just casually mention it. And to be honest, I wasn’t exactly prepared for it. Wasn’t it like my boyfriend taking me to meet his parents for the first time? Which freaked most girls out because they had to give a good first impression. But then again, what was there for me to prepare for? I had already met Liam last night, after all.Aria seemed excited to see her grandfather again,
JamesThe moment their father appeared at the door, James knew for a fact that Eric wasn’t happy. He knew also that, soon, the youngest brother would bring up the subject of their father’s future young bride and demand details. Of course, James had no idea why Eric was so riled up about something this trivial. After all, their father was very popular with the opposite sex, regardless of age, and for him to tie the knot again, with a twenty-five-year-old woman at that, wasn’t all that surprising.Currently, they were drinking, nibbling, and chatting about various topics—social and business. They even talked about Herbert Weston and the Mexican mafia, which didn’t much interest James. To him, what was done was done. Of course, what really interested James was Mia.Fuck! He wanted to kiss her and make passionate love to her, but alas, he obviously couldn’t do that until everyone left.It was around midnight when Eric finally brought up the much-anticipated subject. Of course, James was q
MiaI dismissed the thought of my brother and Matt from my mind and headed into the bathroom to shower. When I was done, dressed in a lovely loose, long-sleeved blouse and trousers, my makeup lightly done, since my bruised skin was still too sensitive, I headed out the door.I found Savannah sitting on my bed, waiting for me.“Hey,” I said. “Sorry, I think I might have overslept a little.”Savannah chuckled. “No worries. I did that this morning as well. I was so tired.”I nodded. Of course, her having found out about my kidnapping had really scared her, and the whole situation must have exhausted her. Now that I was safe and sound, everything had just kind of caught up to her. I didn’t miss the dark circles under her eyes, either.I was so moved by the fact that she had been so good to me, especially since we had only been friends for a short time, that I gave her a tight hug again. “Thank you for coming all the way here and helping out.”“It’s fine, Mia,” Savannah said. “You’re my fr
MiaThe next day, I was finally discharged from the hospital, and James, with Andy tagging along, came to pick me up that afternoon. Of course, both men watched over me like mother hens as I slipped out of bed and began to get myself ready.I was just reaching out for the luggage to start packing when Andy said, “I’ll do that for you. You go and get changed.”I nodded and headed into the bathroom, a dress in my hand.While Andy packed my stuff into the bag Savannah had brought for me, James was in the bathroom, aiding me with getting dressed since my movement was slow. Of course, I didn’t mind the fact that I was half naked in front of him, in just undies and bra and my bare skin marked with dark bruises everywhere. After all, he had seen me naked last night when he was making love to me, albeit under the dimness of the wall light.“Raise your arms,” he instructed as if I were his daughter. I thought he was being very parental toward me.I smiled as I obeyed him, raising my arms high
MiaI was finally judged to be well enough to allow a proper shower by myself instead of the occasional sponge bath by the nurse, which, to be honest, was rather embarrassing to say the least. And of course, now that I didn’t have an IV line connected to me, it was even better.After retrieving a towel and the bathroom essentials that Savannah had considerately brought for me yesterday evening, I headed into the bathroom. I took my time brushing my teeth and cleaning myself thoroughly, and, of course, enjoying the warm water on my skin. By the time I was done, I smiled with glee at the fact that I now smelled like the Garden of Eden.After donning the undesirable hospital gown once again and putting on some night cream over my still lightly bruised face, I headed back out, humming to myself.“You sound like you’re having a fine time showering,” the night shift nurse, Laura, said, chuckling.“Hello there. Yes, it’s the first time in five days I’ve showered, so…”Laura nodded. “I can un
MiaWhen I woke again, I felt a lot better. The headache was gone, as was the exhaustion.After cleaning myself up for the second time that day, I returned to my bed with renewed determination. I will no longer allow the thought of Herbert Weston to affect me. I will not cry remembering the trauma he inflicted on me nor the distress he caused me—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I will be free from that bastard!With that, I settled myself to read some magazines Brenda had left for me, and it wasn’t long before lunch arrived. It was also around then that Andy appeared at the door again. With my mouth still full of food, I stared at him wide-eyed as he walked toward me.“Hey,” he said. “Feeling better?”I quickly swallowed my food and reached my arms out for him, begging for a great big hug again.Andy came over and took me into his arms as I wrapped mine around his torso.I chuckled as I raised my eyes to look at him. “I hope you’re not driving Matt crazy because you’re so worrie
MiaWhen I woke, my hands were resting on the empty space on the side of my bed, and I wondered why it felt so warm, as if someone had been there only moments before. I shifted my body and then inhaled deeply. The scent that was unique to James caressed my nostrils, and I smiled.He had been here, hadn’t he? Sleeping next to me. My heart soared at the thought, though at the same time, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t wake me when he had arrived. We could have had a little chat and kiss.“Good morning.” A nurse I didn’t recognize greeted me as she came into the room. “How are you feeling this morning, love?”I gave her a bright smile, my lips and mouth a little sore in the process. Obviously, my wounds had not yet healed properly. “I’m good. A little pain, but it’s fine.”“That’s good,” she said, grinning brightly. Then she came over to stand at the end of the bed and picked up my medical record. She quickly scanned over the documents, and a moment later, looking rather satis
JamesWhen James came in through the door after a long day at the office and headed toward Mia’s bed in the hospital that night, he found her deep in slumber. Standing by her side, he gazed at her long and hard, noting the bruises on her beautiful face. Fuck! He wanted those unsightly marks gone as soon as possible. The sight of them reminded him of Herbert Weston and what the bastard had done to Mia, and once again, he felt rage erupting in his being.For perhaps the hundredth time, he swore nothing like that would ever happen to Mia again. He’d protect her. He’d cherish her.For now, she looked peaceful in her sleep, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. Soon, it would start, the nightmare, as it had the past three nights. She’d start crying and screaming and begging in her sleep as that terrifying episode of her kidnapping returned to haunt her. She’d scream for Herbert Weston to let her go. She’d beg for him to stop hurting her, and fuck, but the sheer fear and panic in her voice bro