I 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 more 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’s 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 footsteps from the other side, followed by the rattling of the doorknob. I gasped and silently swore. Because I was so weary and my mind and body weren’t functioning properly, my reaction was slow. My plan of action had been to once again play unconscious if Uncle Herbert were to return, but of course, he caught me off guard.

I stared wide-eyed in defense as he burst in through the door.

The moment he laid his eyes on me and noticed me wide awake, he grinned, which sent a shiver of dread down my spine and my stomach churning in sickness.

Shit!

He eagerly came toward me after shutting the door behind him, which only made me groan in despair deep down.

He was rubbing his thick, fatty hands together in glee as he came to kneel on the concrete floor beside the bed. The moment he was next to me, I turned my face away from his. God, I felt like crying but knew I was a grown woman and must overcome the fear I had for this man.

My whole body was shivering as I commanded myself to face the music, to stand up to the man who had molested me since I had been a child.

“Mia,” Herbert called out my name. “Sweeting.”

I felt his sweaty fingers stroking my cheek, and I recoiled in disgust.

God, no. Please don’t touch me. You make me sick.

He moved his hands now to stroke my hair, and I felt his face close to mine. “I’ve been looking for you for so long,” he said. “Finally, I’ve found you, and now I’ve got you.”

He grabbed my small chin in his large hand and forced me to turn my eyes to him. I resisted at first, but he was persistent, and I found myself staring at him, at the face that sometimes haunted me during my sleep.

Greasy brown hair, deep-set eyes, large crooked nose, and thin lips—Hebert Weston was an ugly man. He was the type that’d appear in any child’s nightmare, just like the boogie man.

I glared at him to show him how much I hated him and how much he disgusted me.

“Why have you kidnapped me, Herbert?” I asked, my voice stern. I wanted to show him I wasn’t afraid of him as I used to be. This time, I wasn’t going to let him hurt me. This time, I wasn’t going to let him touch me if I could help it.

“Why?” I asked again. “You must know by now that Andy and I want nothing to do with you. You do know what you’ve done to us is wrong, right? That if anyone were to find out, you’d be in deep shit, right?”

He chuckled at my queries, as if he found it rather funny. “Oh, my little Mia has grown up all right. So you do know what I’ve done to you and your brother is wrong, eh?” He leaned closer to me, and God, the stench of his body odor was overwhelming.

“But then…” He continued with an amused smile playing about his face. “That’s what makes it thrilling, isn’t it? That’s what makes it fun. And let me tell you something, love.”

Suddenly, he kissed me on the cheek, and I immediately recoiled in disgust. My stomach churned in sickness, and I wanted to cry. God, I knew this was only the beginning, this kissing. I knew more disturbing things—things I had dreaded every time I’d ever thought of him, things that would stay with me and haunt me—would be done to me very soon.

“Once you’ve tried it—because you can’t help yourself, because you’re curious—after that one time, you’re hooked. And, my sweet Mia, it’s the best thing ever. It’s like a drug.”

My whole body was shaking now, and I knew I had to somehow distract Herbert from proceeding further, from touching me and molesting me again. Oh, I knew it wasn’t possible, considering my precarious situation, but I had to do what I could. If I could somehow delay the inevitable, that was better than me doing nothing to protect myself. If I could stall him until James and his team found me, all the better.

I took a deep breath, telling myself to calm down and think clearly. Think, Mia, the little voice in my head said demandingly. Just think. You’re a smart girl.

Herbert was stroking my cheek and marveling at my face, as if he were in a trance or something. He seemed lost in his own little weird, disturbing world. Perhaps he was thinking about me, imagining the many things he would do to me.

I felt a shiver of fear rushing down my spine again. Shit! No! Don’t think about that, Mia. Think of a way to stall him, to distract him.

I took another deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment as I thought deeply. Then I got it.

I opened my eyes once again and licked my dry lips with nervousness.

“Uncle Herbert?” I asked, my voice soft. I wanted to convey to him with my docile tone that I wasn’t going to fight him, that I wasn’t going to try and run away. I wanted him to trust me.

He smiled at me, his gaze on me. “What is it, love?”

He didn’t seem suspicious, which was a relief to me.

I wiggled my body and groaned in pain. “I’m sore,” I said. “Can you please untie my arms?”

He raised a brow at me. “Is it that uncomfortable, love?”

I licked my lips again. “Yes, it’s very uncomfortable. And I think my wrists are bruised.”

He raised his heavy body and leaned forward to look at my tightly bound wrists. “Shit!” he swore as he quickly untied the rope. “Uncle is sorry, love. I didn’t mean to bruise your beautiful white skin like that.”

Once I was untied, I gladly moved my arms to my sides, sighing a breath of relief. God, I felt numb all over.

I sat up and rested my back against the head of the bed while I rubbed my wrists.

“Are you all right, love?” Herbert asked.

I avoided looking directly into his eyes. God, how I wanted to laugh. “Are you all right, love?” Truly, this man genuinely sounded worried about my well-being, but of course, I knew better than to trust him or his concerned words. This guy was fucking twisted, after all.

I said, “I’m dehydrated.”

Herbert sprang onto his feet immediately. “I’ll get you some water,” he said and rushed out the door.

I noted he left the door wide open, and I knew I still wouldn’t be able to escape if I wanted to. Firstly, I knew he was in that front room, ready for any retaliation. He is always ready for any retaliation from me. And secondly, even though he was heavy, his movement was quite quick when it came to hurting those weaker than him, such as me and Andy when we had been young. He’d pounce on me the moment I made a move, the moment he knew I was trying to escape his clutches.

It 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, making 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 sort of thing to other people, not even your aunt.” He laughed as if he found that funny. “That old hag is the last person I’d ever want to make love to.”

Make love? That was what he called what he had done to me and Andy? Lovemaking? When we had barely reached our teens. When we hadn’t even reached the age of consent yet? When it had been forced? When it had been molestation and rape?

I felt sick to my stomach once again and wanted to throw up all that water I’d just drunk.

I closed my eyes, commanding my stomach to stay calm. Once I managed that, I turned my attention to Herbert once again.

“Why?” I couldn’t help asking. “Why does it have to be me and Andy?”

Herbert looked at me for a long while, as if he couldn’t understand why I was asking him such an odd question. He was giving me the type of look that told me bluntly, Isn’t it obvious?

Of course, I certainly couldn’t understand why it was supposed to be obvious, and I asked again, to reinforce my question, “Why me and Andy? We’re kind of related. It’s wrong.”

Herbert shook his head. “Not by blood, love. Not by blood, so it’s not wrong.”

Not by blood, so it’s not wrong? Seriously?

Yes, of course we weren’t related by blood since he was married to our mother’s sister, but it was still fucking wrong because he was still part of the family.

“But Andy and I were children,” I snapped. “You took our childhood away from us.” I was seething now. God, how I wanted to stay calm, but I couldn’t help myself, especially on this topic and thinking back on what had happened.

“Yes, you both were children, but you both had been so adorable and beautiful,” he said. “So much like your mother, my Rose.”

What? Mom? His Rose?

Had he been in love with Mom?

The moment that very thought hit me, realization settled in. Shit!

“You were in love with Mom, weren’t you?” I asked, my eyes wide in surprise.

He smiled sheepishly as he nodded. “Yes, sweeting, I loved Rose. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever known. But when I met her, it was too late. She was already married to that bastard, and I was engaged with the old hag.”

The new information made my head spin. Once the details were absorbed into my mind, I asked, “Why did you even bother to marry Aunt when you obviously have never liked her?”

He chuckled in amusement, giving me that look again, telling me it was obvious.

“So that I can see Rose whenever possible. At every family event, Thanksgiving, Christmas…”

Obviously, this was Herbert’s logic, and it didn’t surprise me after all. Come to think of it, he must have been obsessed with Mom as he had been with me and Andy.

Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and kissed it with his wet lips, which made me want to recoil with disgust. But I held myself in check and stayed as still as I could. I knew if I were to withdraw my hand, he’d get angry and hit me like he did when I had been a child. After all, this was one of the rare occasions that Herbert was behaving pleasant, and I had to keep on his good side lest he change to his other side, the nasty tyrant that hit women and children simply to ease his irritation.

I knew he was in a good mood—his pleasant, happy disposition—simply because things had gone his way and he’d gotten what he wanted, which was me.

“You are so much like your mother, your looks and behavior,” he said. “And that’s why I adore you. Then Andy came along, and he was the apple of Rose’s eye. I used to love both you and Andy like my own children, you know. I used to imagine us four together, Rose, you, Andy, and me. I used to imagine what it would be like to make that bastard disappear. And then he did.” He chuckled brokenly. “The only problem is Rose disappeared along with him. Rose died in that car accident, and I blamed that bastard for it.”

I listened carefully as I slowly slipped my hand from his grasp. It now occurred to me that Herbert had always referred to Dad as that bastard. He would never mention Dad’s name. And of course, his wife was the old hag.

“When I found out she died…” He continued. “I lost a part of me. I became depressed and saw no way out. But then…” He raised his eyes to me.

I gasped the instant we made eye contact. God, this man was truly ugly, especially when he was smiling at me like that, like a demon who’d found his prey, his food, even though his eyes were teary.

“Then you and Andy came to me like little angels, and I couldn’t help myself. Day in and day out, I held myself back, telling myself it wasn’t time yet, but then… then I couldn’t help myself and took a sample of the forbidden fruit. I got hooked, just like a drug.”

I swallowed hard as I listened to this man, my body tense as the memories of that night, of that first time, came to me once again.