“When I made my way out of my room wearing the scraps Rico had given me, I felt more exposed than if I’d been naked. At the top of the stairs, I stood there and thought of launching myself over the ledge instead of walking down them, then I met my father’s gaze and knew that he would prefer me dead and thought screw that. I held my head high and took the steps one at a time. Every person there was male, and I felt like I was on display, which I was. They all had this knowing look in their eyes, each one planning what they would do to me. The one saving grace was my prick of a brother wasn’t going to be privy to...my earning my keep. He informed me he wouldn’t be sticking around while that happened. Oh, and he was gracious enough to ensure one of his buddies was the first, so I didn’t have to lose my virginity to an old man with quote unquote saggy balls.” She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands.
Traeger gripped the bottle of water, wishing like hell he could’ve been there for her. Fuck, how the hell could a father and brother not only allow, but facilitate such shit?
Kailani inhaled deeply. “I don’t know why they hated me so deeply. Rico was older than me by twelve years so there shouldn’t have been any resentment. Heck, our father didn’t show me any favoritism, quite the opposite in fact. Of course, after that...that first night I realized it wasn’t me, or not just me, but women in general. Neither my father, nor brother respect women. I don’t know that they respect anyone other than themselves.” She turned to stare at him, her eyes shimmering in the darkness.
“I’d say men like them only respect power and who can give it to them. Whatever they see as below them is nothing.” He traced the water dripping on the bottle with one finger, thinking of how life for Kailani must’ve been. One huge nightmare, day after day, night after night.
She nodded. “I think you’re right. That first night...it was, is a blur mostly as was the next couple of days. I remember coming down to breakfast hardly able to move, every part of my body ached. I probably should’ve gone to the hospital to be checked out, at the very least. However, my father would never have allowed that. Instead, I suffered in silence, wincing with each movement. My father met my gaze, his steady as he’d regarded me. He’d left the house shortly after the auction, everyone there knowing what was going to happen next. I begged my father not to go, but he walked out without looking back. The bastard was too much of a pussy to stay and watch or be near when his own daughter was being raped by a man he’d allowed into his own home, yet that morning at breakfast he held my gaze as if he was lord and master.” She took another drink, her voice cracking.
“He is a pussy. Any man who must force a woman to have sex or allows a woman to be forced to have sex, is a pussy. No, a man, a father who does that, is worse than a pussy,” he growled.
She gave a mirthless chuckle. “In my world it is normal. You see, he thought by offering me a new car, it would make it better. Maybe I should’ve taken it, but I have pride. When he laid a set of keys on the table that morning, tapping them with one long finger, saying in his clipped accent ‘a present for you’, like that would make up for what I’d gone through. I got up from the table, pushing them back toward him with as much dignity as I could and told him I didn’t want payment for being his whore. I told him that was his son’s job. I limped away, which wasn’t such a great way to exit, but he let me go without another word. I remember walking out, my head high, holding my breath waiting for one of the bodyguards to drag me back into the room for a beating.”
He could see the fear and horror written on her face, could tell she’d relived the entire scene all over again as she’d sat there and told him of it. Son-of-a-bitch, how this beautiful strong woman stood up to the bastard of a father only days after enduring what she had, showed him just how much of a fighter she was.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
Traeger cocked his head in question.
“You’re feeling sorry for me. Don’t. I learned quick that night that wishes were for fairytales. You see the first man to take me had been Rico’s friend. He bought me for the weekend. That’s how my father had it set up, auction style. The bastard had slipped his jacket over my shoulders after he won the auction that night, making me think he might be gallant, like a knight in shining armor. That was the first and last time he showed any kindness. I don’t want a knight, or some fairytale prince Traeger.”
“That’s good, Kailani. I don’t think I’d look real good in a pair of tights. Besides, fairytales are for little girls and you’re all grown up.”
She laughed. “If I hadn’t been, I sure as hell did that night and every night since then. I thought I’d be saved once I went off to college in the fall, but as you probably figured out, that never happened.”
Fuck, his fist was clenched so tightly he felt his fingernails biting into his palms. “Can I hold you please?” he bit out.
“What?” she turned to him. Her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“I need to hold you, Kailani, but I don’t want to just pick you up. Will you let me hold you?” He held his breath, hoping like hell she said yes. If not, he would be calling King for someone to come and take his place while he went hunting.
With a cry, she leapt out of the seat and into his arms. Traeger closed his eyes, pulling her against his chest, and let her cry until she stopped. He felt his own eyes tearing up but didn’t try to stem the tears. What this woman had been through, no woman should have faced. A father, a brother, was to protect their family, not do what hers had done. For that, they’d signed their death warrant. Oh, he knew King and the other MC brothers would need to be brought in, but at the end of the day, Traeger would be the one dealing out the justice to them.
“Traeger, will you make love with me?” she whispered.
He stiffened. She’d been through so much, and he knew she was only asking because she was having some sort of Stockholm shit. “No, sugar, that’s not what you want or need. Let me hold you. I’ll keep your ghosts at bay, and then when the sun comes up, we’ll get some breakfast and maybe Keys will have some news for us.” Telling her no was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but shit, he should get a medal for it. His cock jerked in protest.
She sat up, her hip bumping against his dick. “You don’t want me because I’m a whore?”
Traeger gave her a little shake. “Don’t you ever call yourself that ever again. You are the farthest thing from that. Besides, there is nothing wrong with a woman who sells herself, if that’s what she chooses. Hell, prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, and it sure in the hell doesn’t define you. In my eyes, you’re still a virgin.”
Kailani snorted, but he gave her another little shake. “No, listen to me. Did you consent?” At her head shake, he continued. “Then you, sugar, are a virgin. I don’t want to take advantage of your vulnerability. I want you like hell, but I’ll be dammed if I’ll be in the same classification as those other fucks.”
She bent and pressed her forehead against his. “You’re nowhere near their classification. Those fucks are lower than the dirt in a shit-house porta potty. You, Traeger, are so much better than they ever were. Now, I’ll ask again, so please don’t make me beg. Will you make love with me, not to me?”