Protecting My Hart (Protectors Series Book 1) (25 page)

“How do we make Slyde my Daddy?”

“I already am, little man,” Slyde’s voice comes from behind me and my head whips around to see him moving from the door frame and into the room with us. He picks Ethan up and sits on the bed with him in his lap and pulls me to sit next to him. “I love you and Momma so very much and I’m never going to stop. I’m your Daddy, and you are my son, and Momma is my girl, and that means we are a family.”

“Do I still call you Slyde?”

“You can say whatever you want, you can call me Slyde or Daddy or just Dad. You can make up a silly name to call me too. It doesn’t matter what you call me. I will always be here for you little man. I’m always going to love you and that’s all that matters. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“Yeah. You love me and Momma and we get to live here forever.”

“That’s right, buddy.”

“Slyde?”

“Yeah, Ethan?”

“Thank you for taking away Momma’s bad dreams.”

That’s my undoing. My heart is so full I feel like it might explode. I never thought I would have this and now I do. It’s all right here before me. I have my son and the man who has held my heart since I met him, and I get to keep them both. The tears fall rapidly and Slyde pulls me closer.

“Momma, are you sad?”

“No, Ethan, I’m not sad at all. I’m very happy, just very, very, happy.”

“If you are happy, why are you crying?”

“I’m crying happy tears, sweetie. You are safe and happy. We get to stay here with Slyde and all of that is something that Momma has wanted for a very long time, and I really get to have it. So I’m crying because I’m relieved and happy. It’s all good, honey, I promise.” Slyde squeezes me tighter and leaves a kiss on top of my head

Right here, right now, in this moment. I let go of my past, the horrible things that happened to me, I let them go, and I reach out and grab hold of my future. My future with my son and his Daddy by my side, keeping us safe and taken care of. A future that holds so much promise and love and happiness.

We are on day three of Mason being here, and it really hasn’t been that bad. He has stayed outside even when sleeping. I have offered to bring him food, but he has refused, just gives me that creepy smile tells me he’s good. He’s left a couple of times, because he’s changed his clothes and obviously showered. I won’t tell Slyde about that because he’d be pissed beyond compare and there is no need for that. Obviously nothing has happened and we are both OK. Either Slyde will be home tonight or Kash or Beamer will be here tonight, and there’s no hiding how much better I feel about that. Ethan is getting restless having to be inside for three straight days, and I hate keeping him locked inside, but it’s for his safety. Ethan is in the living room watching a movie while I make him a sandwich for lunch. The door busts open making me jump. Mason comes charging into the kitchen his eyes filled with evil and my blood instantly runs cold.

“We’re leaving. Not time for shit. Let’s go,” he growls.

“No!” I tell him forcefully. I’m not leaving with him, my mind working to figure out an escape plan.

“Momma!” Ethan cries and runs toward me, but before he can reach me Mason grabs him keeping him far enough from me. Mason pulls out a gun and points it at me.

“Please! Don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you want. Please leave my son alone.”

“Momma…” Ethan cries.

“It’s going to be OK, baby. It’s going to be OK,” I tell him, tears streaming full force down my cheeks. “I’ll go with you, please leave him here. Leave him alone.”

“Not gonna happen, bitch. Let’s go. Outside, now. You try anything, and I kill him,” he growls and yanks Ethan’s arm. He cries out and my heart breaks. I move toward him but Mason aims the gun at my head. “Outside, slut. Now.”

“We can’t go outside with you holding him like that. If someone sees what you’re doing it will raise suspicions. Please, let me carry Ethan outside to wherever you want us to go. That way it will look as if we are just running an errand.”

Mason growls but then shoves Ethan at me. I quickly scoop him up, hugging him to me. He’s crying and shaking, he’s so scared. I have to keep him safe, I just don’t know how, but at least he’s in my arms right now. As calmly as I can, I walk out the front door. Mason has a rough grip on my arm and the gun pressed firmly in my back. We are forced into the back of a service van.

“It’s going to be OK, sweetie. Slyde will find us. I promise baby. Just do what he says, and be Momma’s brave boy. I love you, Ethan. I love you so much.” Mason has driven down the street, stopping at the park. He climbs into the back of the van, yanking Ethan from my arms. He ties my hands and legs, then ties a cloth around my mouth, effectively gagging me. Ethan does nothing but cry.

“I had no idea that this little shit existed when I found you again. Otherwise, I might have been more effective. Well, he’s no use to me now.” Mason grabs Ethan and drags him out of the van. I cry and scream and shout through the gag, trying to fight, but I can’t move. He’s taking my son, and there isn’t a single fucking thing I can do to stop him. Never have I ever felt this consuming helplessness. Ten seconds after he removes Ethan from the van, I lose sight of them. I can’t breathe, my son is gone, and I’m at the mercy of a crazy man and an FBI agent at that. His words echo, his voice still naggingly familiar, what did he mean when found me again? Ethan was in my arms four days ago. What did he mean by effective? Mason gets back into the van and takes off again. I have no idea where he is taking me or how long we have been driving when he comes to a stop.

“Got someone comin’ for you,” he sneers. SMACK! His hand flies across my cheek. “I never expected to find you shackin’ up with Cardoane. Does he know what a little slut you are? Wonder if that cunt of yours is still tight like when you were younger. Probably not since you had a fuckin’ kid. Man, your pops had a good thing going, a bottle of Jack was all it took to have you. Pissed as hell he was when you vanished, hell I was too. I lost my little fuck-toy. Then lucky me, several years later, I see a little slut out walkin’ in the middle of the night, and I’m thinkin’ she could be some fun. Then I see her face, and well, a face like that ain’t one I’d ever forget. You were runnin’ again, and that made me mad.” His hand fists in my hair yanking at it while his other hand slams against my cheek again. He was there in my father’s house. He was one of the monsters who raped me. I can’t breathe from the gripping terror coursing through me. “You abandoned someone else, deprived them of your tight little cunt. When I saw you running, somethin’ I hadn’t felt in a long time came back, and I knew you needed to be taught a lesson. Let me tell you, it felt good, and every time I sunk that cold blade into your body it gave me a rush. If I had known you were pregnant then at least I could have had a target. I knew you were going to survive, see I’m very good with a knife. After you were released from the hospital, I watched you. I watched you get bigger, fatter. I’m sorry I had to be on a mission for several months. I missed the opportunity to continue our game until after the little shit had been born. I gotta say it’s been fun messin’ with you for the last five years. You’d vanish in the night, and I had to track you. A few times you were able to outsmart me longer, but I always found you. See, I figure you deserved this for abandoning your pops. He was good to you. You had a good life, a place to live, a nice steady stream of people to train you on how your life would be. Our cat and mouse game has been fun, however, this time when you left it was like you fell off the edge of the earth, pity too cause I had plans for you. I must be a lucky bastard, cause here you are, practically dropped in my lap. I don’t know how you ended up with Cardoane, but I don’t care. I figure by the time he figures it all out I’ll have my cash and be long gone. Not sure what’s gonna happen to you, but my man Sully will take care of that.”

I’m trying to process all of this, but I can’t—my head is throbbing. Ethan is in trouble, and I’m just praying that Slyde finds him. I can only hope that Slyde is looking for me too, that somebody noticed that I was missing.

“I’m thinkin’ we have some time, and I can have one last taste of your little cunt even if you went and ruined it by having a fucking child.” He grins wickedly.

I back up as far as I can—which isn’t far. He laughs while I cry and beg through my gag praying for a rescue. Mason has reached me. Pulling my hair, he straddles me, grabbing at me roughly. His tongue licks my cheek, my stomach convulses, and I have to fight the urge to not vomit. I continue my struggle and his palm connects with my face again and again and again. He starts to remove his belt when a car horn blasts three times.

“Aw shit, looks like I’m not gonna get another taste. Oh well, the price I’m being paid for you, I can buy as many cunts as I want.” He laughs and gets up exiting the van. Relief is brief knowing Mason isn’t going to rape me, but fear quickly fills up again because I’m still being given to another man, and I have no idea where he will be taking me. I hear voices exchanging words outside, one of them laughs, and then I hear a car leave. A few seconds later a different man climbs into the driver’s seat. This must be Sully. He looks back at me, gives me a wicked smile before turning back around and driving away. The longer we drive the worse the fear gets. The fear for my son— that I will never see him again. The fear of never seeing Slyde again. The fear that I have felt only one time before, when I was stabbed—it’s the fear of knowing that I am going to die. The van stops, and I’m dragged from the back. When I get a glimpse of where I am, I begin to panic. How is it possible? Did they know who I am? Mason said he has been the one stalking me but could he be working for him like I thought? Is this just a coincidence or has JD been behind all of this from the beginning? I have hope Slyde might still be here. He might see me and get me out of here. Oh my god what if Slyde was part of the plan all along, he’s been in on it?
No
. No that’s not possible; he would never bring me back here. He knows what I went through here. He promised to help me end my nightmare and he did. He took them away, he loves me, I love him, and he would never do anything to hurt me. He will find me, he will come for me. For that reason I will fight for that, for my future with him, for my son who I’m not done loving yet. I will fight for my life inside that house. I’m back in hell. I survived once, I can do it again.

I’m dragged into the house, and ironically into the room I once occupied. I’m left alone but not for long. The door flies open again and in walks JD.

“Well, well, well, long time no see, Hartley.” SMACK! Pain explodes through my head.

“I’m not sure if I’m lucky or cursed that you found your way back here.” SMACK! Tears fall.

“I have no idea how you managed it—escaping and then ending up back here. How stupid can you be?”

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

“Stop with the motherfucking tears. You know I fucking hate that shit!” His foot connects with my ribs, hard, kicking the wind from me, and I’m pretty sure he broke a couple. He yanks me up by my hair.

“How the fuck did you escape?” His fist connects with the side of my head. Stars appear before and behind my eyes, and a ringing has now occupied my ears.

“You cost me a motherfucking fortune, Hart. Lucky for you, I can still get that fortune back.” SMACK!

I can’t open one of my eyes, I can feel the blood in my mouth, and I know that my lip is split. Breathing is beyond difficult and mixed with crying and the pain in my head, I’m dizzy. Sounds in the room are almost distant. I barely realize that I’ve been put on the bed. My body protests as my arms are pulled tightly over my head and tied there. My feet are tied too. I try to move and discover that I can’t and that my entire body hurts like hell.

“I think letting the boys have some fun with you will teach you a lesson.” SMACK! A final blow across my cheek, just before darkness consumes me.