Dangerous Lies

Chapter 17

Honestly, I always want to put the Right emotion into my stories so tell me if I did this chapter justice.

Please enjoy!

-Warning: There Is Content Not Suitable For Anyone Under Fourteen-

Alone. That’s how I wake up. But it’s not the worst way. I’ve been some pretty crappy places and seen even worse things. My wrists are bound to the bed. If I had to take a guess, it would be because they think I'm a suicide risk or they think I'll try to hurt one of the doctors. Maybe both. On the plus side, I could see out of one of my eyes again.

The door opens and Monica’s tear streaked face is the first thing I see. Not far behind her are Jake, Ricky and Ryder. “Nic,” her eyes find me and fill with tears. She comes to my side and takes my hand.

“Erin, how are you feeling?”

Ha! “Like you need to go.” She flinches. “You’re not safe. Monica, you’re not safe, not after what I did. I promised I’d keep you safe. I'm so sorry.”

Her hand soothes back my hair and she squeezes my hand, “tell them, Erin. Let them help us.” Jake comes up behind her and squeezes her waist, offering comfort. “I don’t want to run and hide forever Erin. What kind of life is that?” he voice is soft, honest.

“One where you don’t get dead. You can't trust people. I tried to tell you that.”

She shakes her head. “That’s not true. You just have to trust the right people.”

Tears fill my eyes, “who can you trust if you can't trust your brother? He left me and I-I didn’t survive it.”

Her eyes fill but she holds them in, “no more tears,” she whispers as she wipes mine away. “Give them one more chance to prove to you that they can take care of you. Let them help you.”

“okay.” My will is broken and I have nothing left to give.

The three men straighten up and my eyes must have portrayed my wish to close down because Monica squeezes my hand and says, “Tell me, Erin. Just ignore them. Tell me everything.”

I pull in a ragged sob and tears pour down my face. “They came into my house. I had been trying to sleep. My dad was down stairs passed out from all the alcohol and drugs he’d done. They already knew where my room was. They’d been there before but this time was different. They came in and one by one they-they—” my voice choked off and Monica’s grip on my hand is almost painful.

“Shh, it’s okay. You don’t have to say it. What happened after?” her voice gave away her own horror, or both of us. I had no doubt she was reliving her own nightmare.

“I tried so hard to fight back, I never did that before. I got tired of fighting a long time ago but this time was different. It wasn’t the first time they’d been there, doing the same thing. He sent them out of the room. He loved that I fought back. He called me his firecracker. He-he beat me until I was almost passed out and then he raped my ass. God, he left me on the floor and he told me I was his now and he’d see me tomorrow. Then he was gone.” I didn’t look at anyone, I was just so dead emotionally, just so tired. “I ended up in the hospital somehow. They called the police and the police tried to question me but I was mute. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to breathe. I didn’t want to live. In the hospital I tried, god, I tried to kill myself but they found me before I could finish. I was almost free. I was so close.” Distantly, I heard the door open. “They took me home and the police told me I’d be hearing from them in a few days. But he came back for me. He got me into his car and he drove. I don’t know where he was going but I didn’t care. It was in my hand. It was so cold and I knew I could do it. I could see it all so clearly.”