Chapter Two
Clove
This revelation has me panicking. When? How long will it be before she tries to take Journey away from me?
My fingers stroke the softness of her chubby cheeks, thankful she is too young to understand the chaotic world she lives in.
“I have to get us out of here,” I whisper softly into her hair. She stirs. Her eyes move back and forth in rapid movements, and a smile spreads across her face.
“Sweet dreams, for a sweet girl,” I coo at her. Her features soften as she drifts back to sleep.
Tina is right. She never was nor ever will be my mother. I am nothing like her. She is a prime example of a waste of a human being. One who spreads her legs for money . . . nothing more than a common whore.
I learned the true meaning of love from the best person in the world; my dad. He sacrificed his entire life for my brother and me, showed us the beauty within a kind person’s soul. He taught us unconditional love. You love, protect, and cherish your child, not because you have to, but because you want to. This beautiful, loved, and much wanted daughter of mine means everything to me. I sigh loudly.
God knows how long I have been inside this place. This really is a prison, with cameras in every corner of this room and the bathroom. Fucking freaks. It’s about damn time I take charge of my life and get my daughter and me the hell out of here. The plan I have in mind has me cringing on the inside, but I have to do it. It’s my only chance. If it doesn’t work, they will have to kill me before I let them take the only piece of Turner I have left away from me.
The key to my escape is coming faster than I thought. I feel that sick bastard Trent behind me, watching me bathe Journey in the bathtub adjacent to my room. Her little digits wrap around my fingers as she kicks and splashes in the three inches of lukewarm water. This is one of my favorite parts of the day, watching her eyes get wide as her legs move a mile a minute. Cradling my chin on one hand along the edge of the tub, I suck in a deep breath.
“You know,” I say without turning my head, “I remember not so long ago, when you had me on my hands and knees in a bathroom similar to this.”
His growl sounds like a fucking lion coming from behind me. Oh, how I wish I could see his face, but I can’t look at him yet and see Turner’s image. I’ll break if I do.
I know good old Mommy Dearest is watching right now. Damn trampy troll. It’s game time, bitch. I lock down my smug impression, to give nothing away to the camera’s view.
“Come here, pretty girl.”
I lift Journey up out of the water. Her super-sweet temperament is addictive as she squirms when I wrap the towel around her.
“Would you like to hold her?”
My open, straightforward behavior startles him. I focus my gaze on my little girl instead of him.
“Oh, come on, Trent. She’s a baby, and she’s your niece for God’s sake.”
I peek at him. Out of my peripheral vision, I see him looking from me to her, his arrogant, crooked smile tilting the corners of his mouth.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to do, but whatever it is, you can stop now,” he commands, his voice a little deeper than usual.
“I’m not doing anything. Geez, get a grip. I’m lonely. I’ve been held prisoner in this room for how long now? Whatever reason the two of you have for keeping me here, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I’m never going to get out of here.” I shrug my shoulders. “We may as well try to get along, for God’s sake.”
Storming past him, I lay the baby on the changing table, dry her off, and apply her sweet-smelling lotion, all the while keeping my back to him. I feel him come up behind me, his front making contact with my backside, making me uncomfortable. The feel of him brings back memories I want to stay hidden for the rest of my life. I let him touch me. I let him fuck me, and I liked it. Every single time, I liked it – except when he raped me in the back of his truck.
That memory right there tamps down any tender sentiments I feel toward him. Stick to your plan, Clove. It’s only the beginning. Don’t waver. Don’t steer away from doing what needs to be done.
I need to play it safe, slowly build up his trust in me. This plan needs to move in the direction I want it to. Interestingly, he hums in my ear the same way he used to.
“What are you saying exactly? That you want to fuck me? Is that it?”
His erection presses firmly into my back.
“Trent,” I say breathlessly.
“Clove,” he mocks.
“What’s Tina going to say when she sees you standing so close to me?”
Trent laughs, snaking his arm around my waist.
“The cameras are off, Clove. They’ve been off for about a month now.”
My mouth smiles, but my eyes hold all the warmth of a serpent. Is this a test, a trick of theirs somehow to see what I will do?
“There you go, sweet girl,” I croon to Journey while sidestepping his statement.
I pick up my baby and walk over to the rocking chair to feed her, continuing to act as if Trent’s presence in the room isn’t a low level of torture. Shamelessly, I unbutton my shirt, exposing my larger than normal breast. My hungry, greedy daughter latches on tightly to begin her evening meal.
The sensation of being watched is my undoing as I lift my head to his heated dark eyes. My composure gives away nothing. My broken heart pretends this is my husband standing in front of me, gazing down, watching me with nothing but the utmost admiration as I feed our daughter. My stare travels down his body leisurely, stopping just below the waistband of his hip-hugging jeans.
His cock is enlarged, I note with elation. I have him right where I want him- for now, anyway. Getting his interest only scratches the surface of my plan to seduce him, although the thought of him touching me after all this time makes me want to gag. I will play this through until I have him begging me to let him fuck me, but there is no way in hell he will ever get what he wants from me again. I look up and find Trent looking at me narrowly.
“What gives? I’m not as stupid as you think I am. I tell you the cameras are off and you act as if that doesn’t matter to you. I know you. You’re a fighter, and ever since you’ve had her, you’ve hardly spoken a word. So tell me. What kind of shit do you have stewing in that beautiful head of yours? Because even though I would give anything to bend you over and fuck your tight, sweet pussy until I have you begging me to stop, you have something up your sleeve. Don’t play me for a fool, Clove. You won’t win.”
Oh, he’s cocky, all right. I may not have been able to save my husband’s life, but Trent is truly misjudging me and the determination I have to save my life now. I have a reason to live, one I am thankful for every second of every day, and by God, I am going to get us out of here.
“Oh for God’s sake, Trent. Now you’re acting all paranoid. What do you think I could possibly have up my sleeve? I’m a woman. I have needs, or have you forgotten all about those?”
My eyes skip away from his for a moment and I notice the door to my room is wide open. Shit, I have no idea if my whore of a mother is even here to enjoy this show. I might be doing all this for nothing. I try to calm myself down and take the edge off my frustration. I’d love nothing more than to kick this prick in his junk. The thought of him even being inside of me at all, let alone after he screwed her, is enough to make me want to slice it off and shove it up his cold-hearted ass.
These two are a match made in hell. Assholes. I put on my plastic Barbie doll face and bring my attention back to his darkened eyes, which are still ogling my breasts.
“Fuck. I would do anything to be able to bury myself inside of you. I have missed your taste, your smell. No one grips my cock and milks it like you do. It’s just not that easy anymore.”
He shoves his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. His shoulders slump and he turns his gaze to the floor, shaking his head.
“She threatened you, didn’t she?” I whisper.
His head snaps up and the hangdog look of his face gives it all away. Priceless.
“Look, Trent,” I continue, “You once told me you had a shit life growing up. Don’t you ever think about what a real life would be like, to be with someone who truly loves you simply for who you are?”
A part of me does feel sorry for him, even though I shouldn’t. He killed my husband. I will never forgive him for that, not even after I take my last breath, but he is tangled in my mother’s web of lies and deceit and he needs words of encouragement to get out of it. He will never know the contempt I hold for him, not until I’m ready to expose him for the fraud he really is. And especially not until I see my brother Zack, so he can put this lowlife behind bars.
It’s funny how the human mind develops when you feel trapped, growing up with no love, no support, nothing but heartache and loneliness your whole life. Even though my father gave us all the love and support we ever needed, I know what it feels like to be abandoned, distant from a parent who should always put their children first, to see them succeed, be happy, grow into a person they can be proud of. Stand tall with pride next to the life they helped create.
That is why I’m more determined than ever to get Journey and myself out of here. She, more than anyone, deserves to have a life full of love, laughter, and happiness. The sad part is she will never know how much her father would have righteously loved his little girl, worshipped the ground she walked on.
As she unclenches her tiny mouth from my breast, falling fast asleep, I vow to her I will make sure she knows every detail about her father. And even though he isn’t here to show her how much he would cherish her, just as my father was enough for Zack and me, I will make sure I am enough for her.
“What the hell are you doing in here?”
Mother of the Year is back, and she is pissed. Good. This is all setting up according to plan. Her face contorts, showing her age and all the wrinkles usually well hidden by all the makeup she cakes on her face. Even though she is the queen of hell, I will give her credit for looking as good as she does for her age.
“Answer me!” she snarls at him, but her atrocious resentment is aimed directly at me. “You’re standing here watching her feed her baby like it’s an everyday thing, as if the three of you are one big happy fucking family.”
Woo hoo! I so want to jump for joy.
“Oh, Tina. Quit being so dramatic, for the sake of all things holy.”
Trent approaches her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. I roll my eyes. She’s calming down now as she lowers her pitch.
“I told you not to come in here when I’m not home. I don’t trust her.”
“I came in here to see if she needed anything, and she was giving the baby a bath. Besides, you know I don’t want her. It’s you I want. It’s always been you.”
Stroke her ego, you dickweed pansy ass. Better yet, go fuck her to death, please. And I mean that literally.
Her gaze settles on me with a distinct lack of trust, searching my mask of innocence for signs of deceit.
“It’s true, Mother,” I say as I stand and carry Journey to the bed.
I fake a yawn, tuck my still exposed breast into my bra, button up my shirt, and lay down beside her. Her chilly, silent reaction doesn’t have me fooled for a damn minute. When the door finally closes and I hear the flick of the lock from the other side, I know damn well she will be back in here as soon as she thinks she has Trent right where she wants him.
However, I may have underestimated Trent. That motherfucker is playing her, too. Bring it on, Tina. I’m willing to take your rage one more time, because bitch, I am about to make your life a living hell, I think as I drift into a light but troubled sleep.
************
I’m wide-awake and ready for her when I hear the lock turn and the door open. The pitch-blackness of the room lightens up a fraction, illuminating her in the doorway.
“Hello, Mother.”
Her short, see through nightie hides nothing. She is one sick, good for nothing hag. I almost pity the wench. Well, not really. I hate that fucking cunt. Yup, I said it. The one word I despise. Such a degrading word, but perfect for her.
The time will come when I will tell her exactly how I feel about her, but now I just sit here with my head up against the headboard, waiting. She stands there with waves of anger radiating off of her.
“Stand up,” she commands.
“No, I’m not arguing with you in here. Journey is sleeping. If you want me, then let’s talk somewhere else.”
I allow my voice to come out in a fearful waver. Let her think I’m scared of her. The truth is, she’s more afraid of me than I am of her. I can see it in her beady little eyes. Hear it in the tone of her voice.
“You’re not in any position to make demands.”
“No, but I would really like her to sleep.”
Submitting to her when I finally have remembered everything she has done to me makes my skin burn as if someone were pouring salt over the wounds caused by the damn leech that is sucking the blood completely out of me.
Her hand sweeps out, gesturing for me to come out of the room. For the first time in I don’t know how long, excitement weaves through me. Finally. It’s when I stand face to face with the leech herself that I hesitate for a moment about leaving Journey alone.
“This is as far as I’m going,” I say firmly.
“Damn right, it is,” she hisses, backhanding me across my face.
My head snaps to the side and I feel the sting of her ring cutting my cheek open.
“You think you can one up me with him?”
She deals me another blow from the same hand, only this time to the other cheek. I feel the blood trickle down my face. Oh, Mother, may I kill you now?
“I’ve been waiting for almost a damn year for you to finally toughen up and try and challenge me.”
Her hands wrap around my throat, shoving me backwards a step until my head hits the closed door. I stare the bitch down, not saying a word. Even though I desperately want this to end, to be able to get my baby and walk out the front door, I have no clue where in the hell I am. And until I do, I will stand here and take her beating and her hateful, vindictive words. They mean absolutely nothing to me.
“What do you think you were going to gain today? Do you think he’s going to betray me? Help you escape, maybe?”
I shake my head ‘no’ as best I can with her gripping my throat.
“No!” she screams.
Spit flies in my face as her eyes bulge out of her head. Jesus Christ, she is warped out of her damn mind!
“You fuck with me one more time, just one more fucking time, and I will take Journey away from you. You’re damn lucky I haven’t taken her yet. The only reason I haven’t is because I don’t have the time to take care of the little brat. But so help me God, I will take her away from you and fucking kill you if you ever, and I mean, EVER speak to Trent again. Do you understand me?”
I simply nod. At that, she releases her grip on my throat. My hands fly up to my chest, which heaves in and out rapidly gulping air. While I am still trying to catch my breath, she wrenches the bedroom door open and shoves me inside, slamming it shut and locking it behind me.
I stumble badly but catch myself before I fall to the floor, a grin spreading across my face. I may be losing my ever-loving mind, but it felt so damn good to set off her inner alarm. To make her jealous over Trent. In the space of one day, my plan has been set in place. Now all I have to do is find out exactly where we are, and get Journey and I the hell out of here.
“Life is dreadfully unfair, isn’t it, Mother?” I say to the thin air as I wipe the last bit of blood off of my face.
“One of us is about to leave this little party, Tina, and I’ll bet you that twenty million dollars you will never see that it sure as shit won’t be me.”