Cyber Seduction: Across A Crowded Room (IATO Series Book 3) (10 page)

Chapter Eleven

The children were playing tea party in the playhouse with Kate when Emily and Cade got there. Pete and Harry waited silently in the kitchen. The entire family had gathered together when the report reached them about Jason’s abduction. Everyone should have been elated that he was okay, but Kincaid’s involvement, for some reason, had dimmed the mood.

Emily felt the threat of tears, the ones she hadn’t thoroughly shed for Mosel, tugging at the edge of her emotions. Later, when she could feel something again, she was sure they’d come. Mosel’s death unnerved her, and she was sure when the tears started, they would appear in torrents. He’d died protecting her and had actually saved Jason. The way he cared for her and why would be a mystery to her forever.

Now the bigger mystery remained. What were these people, her family, hiding from her?

Hours passed, and the mood didn’t lift. It was past dark when Jason and Harrison came in with Andrea. Looks passed between everyone, eyes shifting to avoid contact. Emily went to Jason and touched his arm lightly. He finally looked up, as if just realizing where he was, like a man coming out of a coma.

Andrea nodded reassurance to Emily. “Let’s all sit down in the family room. Rosa will take the girls, won’t you please?”

The old woman smiled at the two sleeping children flung over the couch. “I’ll carry this one,” Harry offered. And Peter picked up the other sleeping child.

“Emily needs to know,” Andrea said. “Who is going to fill her in?”

Jason began to speak…

“As I recall, “I sensed the danger the minute I heard the door creak open and smelled the stench of alcohol fill the closed room. I’d faked sleep to keep from drawing attention to myself until the man’s perverted motives became obvious.

“Harry had been the perfect age, trusting, naïve, innocent. That night he’d slept soundly on the bottom bunk and barely stirred when Kincaid approached.

“The man had carefully placed his large hand over Harry’s mouth to keep him from waking me and Cade. Even as the startled little boy squirmed beneath him, protesting, the man’s greater bulk pressed the child deeper into the mattress, muffling his frightened cries. Although Harry kicked and tried to punch, I believed he was doomed…unless I did something.”

Remembering the past made Jason want to tear the memories from his mind, gouge out his eyes that replayed the scenes like and old film in slow motion.

“The muffled sounds coming from Harry’s bunk urged me to action. I yelled for Cade, and we both jumped Kincaid.

“We pounded him with our fists. I tugged him by the arms—trying to pull him off Harry while Cade kicked and shouted. All the while Harry screamed, begged, and fought back as best he could.

“Useless. It all seemed useless against the man’s greater size and strength. Our foster mother couldn’t help. Kincaid broke her arm the last time she’d tried, and with it, her spirit. He’d finally succeeded in cowing her.

“My arms grew heavier with each strike. Cade and I pummeled the man until, as luck would have it, the drunk slipped off the bed on his own. Distracted, he backed down, rubbing his knee with nothing more than a groan. His body stilled on the floor for a brief moment before he managed to get to one knee then stand, and finally, he stumbled from the room, cursing them all under his breath.

“All three of us exhaled a sigh of relief when the outside door slammed shut. I swore and wiped away Harry’s tears with a T-shirt. I told the others we had to get out of there.

“Kincaid’s abuse hadn’t escalated beyond physical violence to sexual abuse with any of them, but I knew it was just a matter of time. We needed a plan, but we didn’t know where to go for help against the powerful Senator Adam Kincaid? Who’d believe us? I hoped an idea would come to me…then

“A chill ran through my blood when I thought about what Kincaid could do to us.”

Jason shuddered. “Instead of scaring the younger boys with my fears, I told them everything would be all right, to go back to bed. I would find a way out the next day.”

“Harry had said he couldn’t sleep and wiped his forearm across his nose.

“Rocky always made him feel safer, so I asked him if he wanted me to bring him in.

“Harry bobbed his head and sniffled, and I crept from our room at the end of the upstairs hallway. When I reached the outside door, I quietly called for Rocky, hoping the stray hadn’t wandered too far to hear me.

“But the dog had been nearby and appeared as if manifested by magic. With only a stump of a tail to wag, it moved his whole rear end with emotion. I found it impossible not to smile at the crazy-looking dog staring up at me with round, trusting eyes. I bent over and hugged him, rubbing his furry head. Harry would be relieved to have another ally. The dog could at least give a warning bark, the edge we’d need.

“I locked the door, blockading the boys, the dog, and me inside. For good measure I barricaded us in with my desk chair. Only then did I release the breath I’d been holding and risk inhaling, relieved for the moment at least.

“The mangy mutt we’d dubbed Rocky nuzzled the boys and licked the remnants of salty tears off Harry’s face. The dog, oblivious to the earlier threat, jumped on the single bed and waited for me to join him. My heart was still pounding hard and fast in my chest. I settled for resting, since sleep wasn’t an option. Instead, I watched the dog sleep. Dreaming a dog’s happy dreams, Rocky occasionally puffed little muted barks as his paws jerked spasmodically in merry chase.

“Soon I heard the steady breathing as the two younger boys finally slept. Much later, I drifted into a light sleep until some sound woke me. My eyes burst open. What seemed like only seconds before, Rocky had been sprawled over my feet sound asleep. Now the dog stood at full attention in front of the locked door, his back hair bristled, his teeth bared in a snarl. Kincaid was back
.

“I stepped toward the door, my heart beating wildly, the sound of my pulse thumping in my ears. I almost choked on the lump in my throat.

“I gasped, realizing my horrible mistake…I’d
forgotten the others, the little ones. My mind raced through a million possibilities while fear crystallized in my gut, temporarily paralyzing me.

“Cade, Harry, grab the chair. Help me, quick.”

“I heard the bastard stumble up the stairs, scuffling at the far end of the hall toward the two youngest children, Kate and Pete. The sound of Kincaid’s pronounced limp seized any hope I had.

“I moved the chair away from the door and paused, fingering an old belt, one from a green flannel robe I’d outgrown long ago. I stared at the plaid, overwhelmed by fleeting thoughts. My old normal life had disappeared the day my grandfather died. The year before, I’d been cast into foster-care hell with the senator.

“My stomach turned, and I fought the growing nausea, knowing I couldn’t risk showing any sign of weakness. I couldn’t ignore the dog’s growl.”

Jason trembled as he recalled the story of that night…

“Revulsion fought coherent thought. A jumble of options spun through my mind. I couldn’t afford to panic or hide in our room. The muffled sounds coming from the hallway beyond our locked door were getting louder. Someone had to put an end to it.

“I turned around and winced when I saw fear flashed across the younger boys’ faces, along with the look of expectation. I’d have to be the one to stop Kincaid before he hurt the others. The expression on my foster brothers’ faces  suddenly helped me understand why fate sent me there. None of the others would have to face the monster alone.

“Harry stuttered and trembled when I put an arm around him. Cade started to open the door, but I stopped him with a gentle hand and whispered, ‘Please, stay here. Stay with Rocky and watch my back.’

“I tied the dog to the closet door. ‘It’s for your own good.’ I held a hand up to Cade and Harry. ‘Remember, stay put.’

“Despite the questions clearly showing in Cade’s eyes, he obeyed.

“Harry? Well, he just seemed relieved. And Rocky growled, straining against the cord when Jason turned to leave. He went back to his dog, squatted next to him, and gestured for silence. Rubbing a calming hand over the pet’s furry head, he whispered reassuring words softly in his ear. The dog quieted.

“I listened at the door for sounds before moving out of the room and down the hall.

“At first, all I heard as he listened at the other children’s closed door was quiet pleading from behind the thick wood. ‘Please, don’t hurt me.’ Then I heard the whimpering escalate.

“Kate’s voice ripped through the silence. ‘Please stop. No, no.’

“As the sound of more terrified cries broke through the quiet night, My mind went blank. I turned the knob, wrenched the door open, and entered the room with no clear plan of action.

“I paused, took in the scene, and before I had time to think, a furry blur rushed past me, flying in front of me. Too late I realized Rocky had broken free with Cade and Harry right behind him. The boys bumped into me just as the dog jumped Kincaid. The unexpected attack forced the senator to divert his attention and release Kate.

“Kincaid shoved a thick black stick he was holding in between Rocky’s teeth, preventing the dog’s powerful jaws from chomping down on his arm, then he snatched the dog by the scruff of the neck with his other hand, lifting him high off the floor. The dog growled and twisted to free himself from the man’s grasp, but the senator ignored his vicious snarls and turned with a wicked backward glance at me as the dog dangled, snarling and snapping at his captor.

“‘Well, Jason, what have we here?’ he asked, looking at the animal still squirming in his hand. Rocky wasn’t a small dog, but the senator was a big man who easily overpowered the pet.

“As the devil tail unfurled behind Kincaid, I noticed the stick was more than I first thought. In fact, the handle was attached to a black leather whip.

“I gasped, but noticed Kate scamper off to the far side of the room as soon as Kincaid shifted his attention to me. In an attempt to disappear in the shadows, she hid in the corner by the closet. Pete, the youngest, wisely buried himself beneath his covers.

“I stood my ground, afraid for the kids and the dog more than myself, and stepped back, not saying a word, both my arms outstretched, as if defeated.

“‘Good idea,’ the senator said, a snide curl on his lip. ‘Back off. Go down the hall to your room while I get rid of this vermin.’ Kincaid shook Rocky in the air, and made the dog whimper before he stubbornly growled.

“Anger welled up inside me, overcoming some of my fear. Then I lifted my fists, moving toward Kincaid, but he raised an eyebrow and shook the dog in warning. ‘Don’t think about it. If you want to see your little furry friend again, you’ll do as I say.’

“The senator’s speech was still slurred, but I noted he seemed steadier on his feet than he had earlier. A nagging thought pierced through my fear, making it worse. What would happen to the others if something happened to me? Who would protect them then?

“‘Head back to your room and lie flat on your stomach.’

“‘I didn’t think I was your type.’ I goaded him then the whip snapped at my feet.

“‘Be ready to take your punishment when I get back.’

“The thought of the sting of the whip terrified me. The pain, the marks, the scars it left for weeks, months. Filled me with fear and disgust, I took my time retreating. I moved slowly, cautiously backing toward my room, keeping the senator carefully in sight.

“Rocky whined as the senator dropped him out the upstairs back door before spinning quickly to grab me. He snatched me, roughly gripping my arm before I could slip out of reach. He delivered two blows, the first one doubling me over, and the other knocking the remaining wind out of me. He followed both with a quick punch to my jaw and another to my eye, then I dropped to the floor.

“Waves of nausea pounded through me while he twisted my arms tightly, high behind my back, further immobilizing me as he forced me backwards into my room. Then he pushed me roughly to the bed.

“With my face pressed into the pillow and the man’s good knee pressed against my spine, I could barely breathe. Millions of black spots danced across the blank canvas of my vision while I gasped for air, hoping I wouldn’t suffocate. Then what would happen to the kids?

“I struggled, searching for an opening, holding out for that one breath of oxygen to stop my lungs from burning, until the surrounding shouts faded, and soon so did my pain. I fought blacking out.

“Kincaid wrapped the whipcord deftly around my wrists and stepped back, finally allowing me to turn my head right before I lost awareness. I gulped in huge drinks of air, blinking back to consciousness. My vision was hazy. One eye had already begun to swell shut, and with my hands wrapped in the whipcord, I felt trapped, defenseless, helpless. Those emotions triggered another one—fury.

“Too angry to feel the pain any longer, I chanced a glance at the expression of delight on Kincaid’s. His usual aristocratic features were contorted in sadistic glee. Gone was the well-known image, the famous smooth good looks, the control of the ex-football-star-turned-politician. There was the monster nightmares were made of.

“Kincaid punched me again, this time in the temple. “I’m going to discipline you, boy.”