I have yet to get a hold of Barbi. Almost five, I’m getting more and more worried. If we’re not out of here soon, Scott will come looking for me.
“What’s up?” Carmen picks at lint on the arm of the sofa, while Rosalie keeps looking between me and Zeb. She knows something’s up, but waits for me to explain.
“Have any of you heard from Barbi?” I look to my friends.
It’s not unusual for Barbi to be out all night. She’s a party girl and enjoys single life. This wouldn’t be the first time she stayed out all night, but she’s usually back by now.
“I’ll text her.” Carmen pulls out her phone and taps on the screen. “Meanwhile, what’s up?”
I rub my palms on my jeans, trying to find the courage to speak.
“You’ve got this.” Zeb flexes his biceps and that poor shirt strains over the muscles of his chest. There’s a potency about him. An air of strength and power restrained only by his will.
It’s different with Scott. He doesn’t carry himself with the same confidence that oozes from Zeb.
With Zeb, I know he’ll look after my well-being above his own. With Scott? It’s exactly the opposite.
I can’t describe it any other way.
“Well, one of you needs to start speaking.” Carmen glances at her phone, frowns when there’s no text from Barbi, then looks to me. “What’s up, Kaye? Spit it out.”
“It’s Scott.” I know what needs to be said, but I don’t know how to begin.
“What happened?” Carmen leans forward.
Rosalie tenses but doesn’t speak. She’s still figuring out her place with us.
“Show them.” Zeb gestures with a flick of his chin. His eyes zero in on my wrists.
I stare at the bruises and cuts, sick to my stomach that I allowed it to happen.
“Show us, what?” Carmen scoots to the edge of the couch. “What’s he talking about?”
I glance down at the long-sleeved shirt I wear. When Zeb told me to dress, I moved like a robot, methodical and half-aware of what I was doing. Evidently, some part of my brain knew enough to toss on something that covers the bruising.
Slowly, I roll back my sleeves. First on the left. Then on the right. Words fail me as I extend my arms and reveal the ligature marks on my wrists.
Carmen gasps and hops off the couch. Rosalie looks from me to Zeb, then to Carmen and finally back to me.
“Scott did this to you?” Rosalie slowly rises off the couch and comes for a closer look.
“What did he do?” Carmen grips my hands and flips my wrists back and forth.
“He used Zip Ties.” Rosalie’s voice is flat, with zero emotion. “That’s how the women your…” Her voice catches, but she clears her throat. “That is what the wrists of the women your father imprisoned looked like after a night of…” Her voice trails off as if she can’t continue, but Rosalie doesn’t need words. She takes one look at my neck, then pulls back the collar to expose my skin. “He strangled you. For pleasure?”
A wave of intense shame overcomes me. My entire body trembles with the sensation. My face heats with shame. I don’t know if I can do this.
“He did, what?” Carmen raises her voice, alarmed. “When did this happen?”
Rosalie doesn’t appear surprised. She turns to Carmen and takes her hand. Then reaches out to hold mine.
“Scott is a bad man. Dangerous.” She looks to Zeb. “Kaye needs protection.”
“That’s what we want to talk about.” Zeb kicks off from the wall and comes to stand beside me. “I’ve talked this through with the team and Guardian HRS leadership. We need time to investigate Scott, and…”
Rosalie bows her head, then she fixes her gaze on Zeb.
“We’re here because Scott is a threat to us.” She glances at Carmen. “They want us to go back.”
“Back?” Carmen’s half a step behind Rosalie.
“Back to HQ.” Rosalie tugs at the collar of my shirt looking at the extent of the marks.
“Us?” Carmen glances at Rosalie. “Why us?”
I take in a deep breath, not ready to admit everything to my friends, but knowing it’s necessary.
“This was not done willingly.” Rosalie steps in with profound understanding. “I’ve seen other women do things such as this to protect the younger girls.”
“What are you talking about?” Confusion pulls at Carmen’s face.
“Tell her.” Rosalie turns to me, giving me the chance to explain.
Carmen looks to me, not understanding. I swallow my pride and explain.
“Scott ran into me a few weeks ago. It was the day after you moved back and Rosie moved in. He told me what would happen if I didn’t talk with him. I thought nothing of it, figured we’d talk and that would be the end of it.”
“But it wasn’t the end,” Rosalie speaks without judgment. Her affect is strangely flat.
“No. It wasn’t. He told me if I didn’t stay with him, I would regret it. At first, I thought it was just a threat against me, but then he threatened you.”
Rosalie covers her mouth with her hands.
“Yes.” I nod. “He told me what would happen if I didn’t. Every day I told you I was studying at the library, I was in his office. Then he would take me home. Things got weird. The sex…” My voice breaks, and I have to clear my throat.
It feels wrong to talk about having sex with Scott in front of Zeb, but things can’t get any worse than they already are.
“He became more violent. More controlling. He already was controlling, but things changed. The sex got rougher. He punished me for random things.”
“Punished?” Carmen’s eyes grow as big as saucers.
Do I tell them he beats me with his belt? Punches me in the stomach? Grabs me by the throat and shoves me against the wall? Do I tell them about the rest?
I can’t. I just can’t.
“Kaye, why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve done something to help.” Carmen takes both my hands and squeezes tight.
“He said if I mentioned it to anyone, he would make one of you suffer. I couldn’t do that.” Especially now that I know what it means to Scott to make someone suffer.
“You were protecting us.” Rosalie puts her arm around Carmen’s shoulders, hugging her. “Just like the women did for the younger girls—when they could.”
“How did we not know?” Carmen’s eyes shimmer with tears. “Kaye, I’m so sorry. I should’ve known.”
“How could you?”
“I’ve been so focused on my father and what he’s been doing that it never occurred to me something like that could happen here. Let alone to you.” She looks to Zeb. “So what now?”
“Guardian HRS wants the four of you to return to HQ. We’ll keep you on HQ grounds until we can investigate and neutralize the threat from Scott. We’ve classified him as extremely dangerous, and we can’t provide the level of protection you need here. I know you and Rosalie didn’t want to stay at HQ, but…”
“Of course, we’ll go.” Carmen doesn’t hesitate. “There’s no question about it. When?”