Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-4-

Not edited. Ok I thought I'd surprise you. Possible tissue warning... I cried writing it soooooo... yep. xxxx

The hours ticked by and he was grateful that he'd remembered to grab his laptop to cure the boredom.

His brothers were depending on him to find out more about their father. That arsehole that had treated their mother like she was a piece of trash had done the unspeakable and betrayed her completely. Thank fuck he was dead or he would have been as soon as he got the message feom his brother. The fucker deserved to be dead.

He went through lists and found names that he wished he hadn't but the kicker was that after everything he did he still turned Grayson against their mother. He knew how much she suffered at the loss of her son and for a time it was fairly obvious that she was in mourning for him. Fuck Nicholas Price!

A small whimper had him turning back to look inside the room and he saw that Tara had woken and was looking around in horror. Her eyes landed in him and he cringed at the fear he saw in her expression.

Standing up he stepped into the room and stopped as she moved backwards up the bed until she couldn't move anymore. He watched as she sat with doe eyes pulling the sheet up over herself.

"Please" she whispered "don't hurt me."

His blood boiled while his face hardened for a moment as he pushed his hands into his pockets.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry about before. Your father told me you had experience."

"I was a virgin" her words were murmered so softly that he wouldn't have heard them if he was still outaide on the balcony.

They sliced through him as the weight of his actions bore down heavily on his every belief and moral.

"I'm sorry your first time was like that. I can't undo what I did but the next time..."

"Please no! Not again. I'll do anything else..."

"Tara. What did your dad say for you to get you to marry me? Did he tell you that I only wanted to get married to have children?"

She shook her head.

"What did he say Tara?"

"He told me I had to marry you whether I wanted to or not."

"Surely you understood that we'd be having sex?"

"He just said I had ti make you happy."

"Your father told me you knew and accepted what I wanted. Why did you agree?"

"I didn't."

There was silence as Lucas thought over her words and the memory of her shaking through the wedding ceremony.

"Tara... what exactly did your father say to you? The truth Tara."

Tears fell from her swollen eyes. The sleep she had had done little to reduce the puffiness that surrounded them. Her fathers words screamed through her mind just as they had when he said them.

"Tara..." Lucas prompted softly.

"He told me that he'd" she broke off sobbing.

"He'd what Tara?"

"He'd sell me to the brothel on Dresden Road and.."

Lucas clenched his hands as his jaw matched the intense rigid movement.

"And what Tara?"

"They'd pay him well because I was a virgin."

She grabbed the pillow beside her and buried her head into it as she cried for everything that she'd lost by coming here. She cried for the father who never had any qualms in telling her that she was useless and he never wanted her. She cried knowing that she'd probably never see her friends again.

He watched her with emotions he couldn't stop feeling. He was beyond furious witb her father for doing this to her. She wasn't willing at all. The distaste he had for himself was bordering on loathing disgust, no that was exactly what he was thinking.

He had an unwilling wife.

"Tara I killed your father and if I hadn't then I would now. I'm sorry that he did this to you. I'm sorry that lI did that to you. I can only say that it won't wver be like that again. I want children Tara and you are my wife. I'll give you time but I won't wait forever.The choice will be yours if you stay or go once they're born."

She looked up from the pillow and wiped her face the back of her hand.

"What about school? My friends?"

"You can see your friends if one if the guys goes with you. I have enemies; you need to be protected. What Uni do you go to?"

She shook her head "I don't."

"But you said..."

"Highschool. I go to highschool."

The world stood still as the atom bomb repeated the explosive destruction it caused.

"Tara" his voice raspy and hoarse "how fucking old are you?"

"Sixteen."