TWELVE DAYS OF REIGN

MANY MASKS

He looked as human as Joseph did. He had two eyes, a nose, lips and a fine physique beneath his T-shirt and jeans. For a forty-seven-year-old man, Reuben truly was quite the looker and good at keeping up appearances. He even came with a notepad and ink pen, ready to jot down the description of my assailant.
His cobalt blue eyes met mine. He licked his finger and flipped to a clear page in his notepad.
"So, what did this guy look like, Reign?"
I was silent, stunned at how amazing an actor he was. It was like he had many, many years of experience putting on masks for every occasion. A mask for fatherhood. A mask for brotherhood. And now a mask of servitude as a cop.
"Go ahead, Reign," Joseph nudged my shoulder. "Tell him what he looks like."
I looked beside me at Joseph feeling the tears forming in the pit of my stomach, wishing I could do something to help myself. But I could see it in his golden-brown eyes, the confidence he had in his brother, was pivotal to him. I could not bring myself to crush that. They were brothers after all, and I was nothing but a prostitute.
"How about we begin at his height," Reuben looked me in the eye with a straight face. "How tall was he?"
I rubbed the palms of my hands together looking down at them, searching my thoughts. They were so many and all of them had to do with running out of the house and onto the nearest bus going west.
"He was tall like you," I confessed lifting my gaze to his.
"Like me?" Reuben asked.
"Yeah," I nodded. "He was exactly your height."
Joseph angrily slapped his knee and shook his head in disgust. "So he's a tall bastard, huh?"
"Yeah."
Reuben scribbled the information down then turned back to me. "What else? How about his hair? Was he bald, long haired, short cropped, shaved?"
I entwined my fingers together setting my elbows on my knees, rocking from one side to the other thinking of what to say. I wasn't a liar but I was in a situation where I had to."
"His hair was short cropped like yours, but spiked. Much like a rabid dog whose fur stands on end when it's about to attack," I added. "He has blue eyes that turned red like fire when he hit me. His fists were as hard as rocks against my face, but I doubt his fists would have been as strong against another man. But I'm sure he doesn't know if that's true or not. It's not like a wimp like him would ever deliberately try to find out."
I leaned back on the couch and crossed my legs glaring at Reuben as he continued to take notes, playing the part of concerned brother/cop well.
"He's strong," I continued. "He works out a lot. Oh, and make a note of this as well. He's got a small penis and one testicle. At least, to me, his sac is so small it looks like only one is there."
Joseph laughed. I joined in.
"No wonder he's mad all the time!" Joseph joked.
Reuben sucked on his teeth while we laughed, tapping the pen against the notepad. I flashed him my middle finger while laughing hard with Joseph.
"Anything else I should know about this guy?" Reuben asked with a shrug of his shoulders, "Any distinguishing marks like a tattoo or scars?"
Our laughter died down. I cleared my throat and smiled like the preacher would have, showing all my teeth.
"He hasn't got any tattoos or physical scars but there must be a scar over his heart because this man is a weak, spineless, pathetic waste of human hide who can only feel powerful hitting and abusing women. Because I'm a prostitute it's easy for him to get away with it. But, I wonder if he's married. If he is then he's doing the same thing he's done to me to his wife. Maybe you'll catch him if you look for her, a woman who doesn't get out much and wears sunglasses when she does. I'd bet she'd confirm my story."
I smirked, catching Reuben's eyes as he met my glaring gaze. "You know what, Reuben," I leaned forward a bit, "Men like that, when they get caught and sent to jail, only a handful of hours pass until they become another man's woman themselves. I mean at the end of the day, there will always be someone whose bigger than me—and bigger than you."
Joseph's chest heaved.
"Wow. This guy sounds like real bad news. But, take confidence in this, Reign, what's done in the dark will always come to light. Right Reuben?"
Reuben closed his notepad and shoved it in his back pocket along with his pen.
"Yeah," he added giving me an icy glare. "Sure does."
Joseph and Reuben stood up and headed to the door.
"So, will you, Stacy and the kids, be back for dinner later?" Joseph asked. Reuben smiled and glanced at me.
"We sure will."
Joseph slapped him on the back and ushered him out the door. A cold wind blew through me coming out of nowhere. That look he gave me, I had seen it before. It came with the promise of pain.

______________

That night they came like Reuben said they would. His wife had even brought with her a few pieces of clothing for me. After dinner, Joseph played with their two boys and Reuben's wife came upstairs with me to help me try on the clothes she brought.
She was an average looking woman. Someone I was surprised was actually married to Reuben. She was a curly brunette. With brown eyes and a tan. She had thin lips, a long neck and a slender curvaceous build. What she lacked in the face she made up for in her body. She took out a long sleeved pink shirt and set it up against me.
"I think that will fit you perfectly," she smiled.
"You think so?" I glanced down hopefully. Pink was my favorite color.
"I do," she added digging in the bag. "That with these black jeans will go great together."
She set them against me and shrugged.
"They may be a size too big, but I did bring a belt just in case."
"Thank you. I mean it."
"No problem, dearie. I brought you a pair of walking shoes too but I think I left them in the car. You try those on and I'll go get them. I'll be right back," she smiled.
"Ok."
With that, she left and closed the door behind her. I went to the bathroom with the shirt and pants, stripped down and slid the shirt on. Just as my head was pulled through the shirt I heard the bathroom door open. I tugged my hair out, not bothering to look behind me.
"This is so pretty, Stacy," I smiled smoothing the shirt out. "How did you know I love the color pink?"
"I didn't," a deep voice answered.
I jumped. My eyes bucked wide as I glanced over my shoulder.
"Reuben!"
His blue eyes were shadowed beneath an aura of fury as he shut the door. He advanced towards me. I took a quick step back only to hit the wall. I snatched the belt off the counter and smacked him across the face with it. His head snapped to the side. I took the opportunity and dodged for the door. He grabbed me and slammed me into the wall.
"Help! Joseph!"
His fist collided with my jaw sending me to the floor. I struggled to pull myself up using the edge of the counter. He took a towel off the rack and pressed it against my face, muffling my screams before yanking me up by my hips and flattening me against the counter. He one-handedly pinned my arms behind my back. His zipper loosened. His hand pressed against the back of my head, shoving my face in the towel.
"Now tell me if it's small or not!"

______________

Stacy came into the room and shut the door.
"I'm back!" she sang and opened the bathroom door. Her smile died away in an instant. Reigns muffled cries of help fell on her ears. The bag of shoes slipped from her fingertips. Reuben turned and looked her in the eye. Large veins popped out in his forehead and neck.
"Get out."
Stacy quickly obeyed and closed the bathroom door behind her. Her hand fell over her chest fighting to breathe. She took a step forward only to collapse on the floor. Her face fell in her hands as tears dripped from between her fingers.