The Ink That Haunts Us

Chapter Twenty-Three

Three months.

    It had been three months since Declan abducted me from the underground fight to bring me back to Washington. It felt like three years, but things were going according to plan. The girls and I had fallen into a routine, and Declan kept our time together strictly to evenings. Unless his day was bad, then the nanny would take the girls and Declan would take me.

    Once I convinced Declan he could trust me, he let me have free range of the house. With my new found freedom, I began to plan my escape. Initially, I wanted to get the girls out with me, but that was too big a risk. I wasn't their real mother and I didn't have any rights to them and going to prison for kidnapping wasn't part of any plan.

    My only option was to return them to their mother and that would only hold up until Declan reclaimed them. Involving the police was out of the question as long as I was here. Declan's reach was long and anything I tired would never hold up in court. Or like last time, I wound up in a mental institution for a week, then returned to Declan.

    Getting out of the Washington before exposing Declan was the best plan. I would have to leave the girls vulnerable for a while, but in the end it might work. With Declan behind bars, the girls would be reunited with their mother, and I would be free to return to Colorado, back to my family. They were my main focus. I had to get back to them no matter how long it took me.

    "Girls," I called. "Lunch is ready!"

    Their giggles carried as they ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. They were such lively children. I credited it to the fact that Declan didn't have a lot to do with them unless it benefited him. My hope was that they would forever be oblivious to the monster their father was. I would do whatever I could to protect them from the truth.

    "Mommy, mommy," Libby called. I held open my arms as she leap into them.

    "My baby," I cooed, sitting her in her chair.

    The girls giggles and chatted as they ate their lunch. They really were beautiful children and I was so happy to know them. Being away from them for three years had been the hardest part of leaving. I missed them terribly. It made my heart swell to know they are the same happy girls I remembered, expect a little older.

    The front door slammed open, then shut causing all three of us to jump. Declan's voice cracked through the air as her called my name.

    "Okay, my babies, why don't you both go to your room and play, hmm?" Before they could answer, I grabbed their plates and tossed them in the garbage, then ushered them from the room. Their nanny would have heard the door slam and know what to do.

    I tore the apron from around my waist and stood with my hands in front of me, waiting for Declan to enter the room. The look in his eyes when he found me shot fear down my spine. He was pissed, beyond pissed.

"There's my good girl," he spat. I immediately dropped to my knees and knelt down. He loomed over me, glaring before raising his hand and striking me across the face. "You stupid bitch!" I had to set on my hands in order to keep from caressing my cheek. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. 

"Not yet, you're not. Do you know what your nosey little friends have done?" The mention of my friends made my pulse race. He thrust a paper in my face, giving me a paper cut across my nose. "They filed a fucking police report! They reported their dear friend as a missing person."

Eyes wide, I read over the report in shock before Declan snatched it from my hands letting it drop to the floor. He hauled me to my feet and before I could find my footing, he slammed a fist into my ribs, knocking me back to the floor.