[Forbidden book 02] Forbidden Rapture (14 page)

this. You need to get guardianship over Makayla. That’s what we

need to work on.”

“Come on, Blaine,” Dane sighed. “We’ve been friends for

years. I know something’s going on. Something’s eating at you.”

“I’m okay.” He stood up, stretching. “And I’m going to get out

of here. Darius is keeping taps on things. I’m heading out. One

more major business thing to take care of and finish with my

father’s bullshit.”

“Then you staying put?”

Blaine shrugged. “We’ll see.”

Dane caught sight from the corner of his eye a shadow that

quickly disappeared. Inwardly he wanted to groan. Samara heard

everything, he was pretty sure.

He followed Blaine up the stairs and out the front door.

Shaking hands, Dane waited until his friend was gone before

going back into the house. Samara stood in the kitchen, washing

dishes by hand slowly. He almost shook his head at the scene

because of the simple fact that he had a dishwasher.

“You heard, didn’t you?” he asked her. She nodded, keeping

her attention on what she was doing. “Samara, I was going to tell

you.”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” She rinsed a dish, put

it in the strainer and begin to wipe the counters down.

“Samara—”

She held up her hand, cutting him off. “I’m going to bed. We’ll

talk in the morning.”

Was this their first fight?
Instead of letting her go, he followed

her up the stairs and into the bedroom. She kept her back to him,

opened the dresser and pulled out a nightgown.

“You really don’t think I was going to keep this from you?”

“I’m not upset about that.” She sat down on the side of the

bed, pulled a leg up and took her shoe off.

“Then what?”

After the second shoe was off she stood up, crossing her

arms over her chest. Tears formed but didn’t fall. “My father just

80

Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

fucked us both, Dane. Do you understand that? He was going to

sell me like a piece of meat, and now that the meat isn’t fresh,

he’s going to sell my sister. That’s what I’m pissed about.”

“And you have every right to be pissed.”

“But in a way you don’t get it,” she went on. “That’s the way of

things on my side of the neighborhood. Our fathers can sell us—

get rid of us girls like trash. We are either worth something or

nothing. The nothing gets sold to the Compound. How fair is that

shit?”

“Nothing in this town is fair, Samara. It never has been. Our

founders who started this believed in the old ways and, for

whatever strange reason when it comes to the Compound, the old

ways stay. Personally, I don’t think they ever thought that when

they started this shit it would come out fair.”

“Fair!” she huffed. “There’s nothing fair about the Compound

or the rules.”

Dane held his finger up. “Yes there is. At the Compound,

when you drink that stuff it doesn’t give a shit if you’re rich or

poor.”

Her frustration showed. Samara ran both hands into her hair,

sitting back down on the bed.
“He sold her, Dane. My father sold

Makayla and tried to whore me out. Who does that to their

children?”

“Someone who doesn’t give a damn about anyone but

himself.” He went over to the bed, sitting down next to her. He

took her hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed it. “I promise

you that I’ll get her out of there and keep her safe.”

“But the Compound,” she said, pausing when he put his finger

on her lips before she could say more.

“One thing at a time.” He smiled at her. “Besides, she can’t be

expected to go to the Compound if she isn’t in town. Right?”

“What’d you mean?”

“I mean that once we get her out of that damn convent I can

send her off to school where no one knows about. If she isn’t in

Treece, then she’s not expected at the Compound when she turns

eighteen.”

“But you have to get her out?” He nodded. “Can you?”

“If Darius comes through, yeah, I can get her out.”

She leaned to the side, resting her head on his shoulder.

Dane wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. “There

81

Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

really isn’t a happy ever after, is there?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” He squeezed her. “I’m thinking I found

mine. Hell, I’m starting to think I’m falling for you now.”

She raised her head and Dane kissed her gently, lingering on

her lips for the longest time.

“Don’t look so shocked,” he told her with a smile. “It was going

to happen eventually.” He stood up and headed for the bathroom.

“I’m going to take a fast shower.”

Dane whistled all the way into the bathroom. When he closed

the door he stopped, smiled and even chuckled. Damn, it was

priceless the look on her face when he told her he was falling for

her. Now he wondered what she would look like once he told her

he was falling love with her. Now that look would be priceless

without a doubt.

82

Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

Makayla Tabor stood starring out her bedroom window, which

had bars on it, wishing like hell she was any place but here. She

was only sixteen and should be home with her sister, not in this

prison.

Drab, boring gray clothes on her body, pointless classes and

no contact with the outside world. That was her life. Boring! Even

the food here lacked excitement. She wondered what was going

on with Samara. Was she okay? Was their father torturing her,

making her still do the pictures and see the man in those clothes?

She didn’t know, and that worried her.

At sixteen, Makayla wasn’t too sure what she wanted to do

with her life. One thing she did know was that she didn’t want to

be here. This place was sucking the life out of her. But she also

had a gut feeling that if she was home then it wouldn’t be any

better.

The bell rang, indicating lunch before the last class of the day.

With a depressed sigh, she turned from the window and left her

small room. She got in line with the others, another gray dressed

girl among so many others forced to live here.

Down to the dining room and into the food line she went. She

picked up the tray, as did the others, walked down the line as the

kitchen workers placed food on the tray. The meal consisted of

meatloaf that was too dry, lumpy mashed potatoes and mixed

steamed vegetables that were soggy from being overcooked. She

picked up a carton of milk and napkin-wrapped silverware then sat

down like a robot.

Damn she missed Samara’s cooking.

“I swear I’m losing weight.” Makayla pushed the food away

and sighed. She looked around. The other girls had the same

hopeless expression on their faces.

She couldn’t eat. Not this food for one more night. And she

83

Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

sure as hell couldn’t stay here for a moment longer.

Makayla stood up and walked away from the table, leaving

her food where it was. She left the dining room and acted like she

was going back up to her room. Peeking over her shoulder,

seeing that no one was really paying attention to her, she dashed

to the back of the convent.

Right when she showed up she heard a few of the girls talking

about this place they would hide at in the boiler rooms. They

would drink and smoke. One even said there was a way outside

from there and Makayla was going to find it. She was getting the

fuck out of here!

Since everyone was eating she didn’t see or hear one person.

She went down to the basement, found the door that led to the

boiler room and headed down deep under the convent. It was hot,

but quiet down here. She also saw the buds of cigarettes from the

girls that snuck down here to smoke.

Deeper into the darkness she went, keeping her fingers on the

walls, her steps slow and quiet. She did stop when she heard the

bell go off over head. She could even hear feet over head
running,

and her gut dropped. Fear hit causing Makayla to start running in

the darkness. Something told her that they knew she was gone

and were out looking for her.

Faint light showed itself at the far end. Makayla felt a small

sense of relief at seeing it, and had to swallow down her panic.

She was almost free, but they were looking for her. This wasn’t

the first time someone tried to run away. But that girl was found,

and she didn’t try to leave in the manner that Makayla was trying

either. That girl went out the front door and had been caught in

town. And no one ever said what happened to her after that.

Makayla stopped at the old rusty door which she knew without

a doubt led to the outside. She listened, both in the front and

behind her. She didn’t want to have to rush out and be caught, but

she also didn’t want to be discovered from behind.

Cracking the heavy door open, she peeked outside. Her

position was toward the rear of the convent, right next to the

woods. Now according to memory, they passed those woods

coming here, so the main road was to the left. That gave her a

plan. She could walk the road, and anyone that might be a

threat…well she could lose them in the woods and make her way

back home to Samara.

84

Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

Makayla slipped outside, kept herself pressed to the wall and

scooted out. Nuns were out looking for her as were the

groundskeepers.

Time felt like it was standing still. It also felt like it was taking

her forever to make her way to the woods. If she could get there,

then she could make her way to town and call Samara.

She made it about halfway only to stop when she heard a guy

yell her name and her sister’s.

Makayla stopped and stared at the man who was holding

papers in his hand and yelling at the head of the convent. He was

large, easily six foot, had golden brown hair and body language

that screamed power. But it also appeared that the power he

welded wasn’t getting him anywhere at the moment.

“I have the paper work!” he yelled. “I want Makayla Tabor

brought to me right now.”

The nun shook her head and backed away, closing the iron

gate in his face.

Makayla licked her lips and thought for a second about what

she should do. Should she flag him down or let him know? He

could be someone her father knows, but then he wouldn’t be here

without Ryland to get her. Ryland would make sure to collect her

himself if he was bringing her home.

I know him from some place.

He turned away from the gate in anger, and Makayla quickly

racked her brain to place where she’d seen this man before.

When he got into this car and started the engine it hit her.

The grocery store!

Makayla ran for him. She waved her hands in the air and even

yelled at him. For one second she thought he was going to leave

but then he shocked her by stopping, parking, and getting out of

the car. As she ran for him, the ones looking for her ran after her.

The man got back in the car, and the hope of her getting away

left. She screamed, for him to stop, and then he surprised her. He

floored the car, turned it and came right toward her.

Skidding to a stop, the passenger side door opened and he

leaned over. “Get in!”

He didn’t have to tell her twice.

Before she had the chance to fasten her seatbelt, he was

spinning the tires, taking off as fast as the sports car would take

them. She worked at catching her breath and looked behind her.

85

Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

With the convent getting further and further behind her she could

relax now.

“Okay who the hell are you?” she snapped, staying sideways

in the seat. “And what the fuck is going on?”

“Hey, watch your language,” he snapped back. “You’re only

sixteen.”

“What? You think you’re my father? I don’t think so.” She

crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m waiting?”

He looked at her quickly with a frown. His attention went back

and forth between her and the road. “You related to Kera Noved

by chance?” She shook her head. “Sure as hell act like you do.”

She started to look around, opening the glove compartment.

“What are you looking for?”

“A phone.”

“For?”

“I need to call my sister.”

“Samara’s fine.” Makayla stopped searching and looked at

him. “Worried about you, but fine.”

“Okay what the hell is going on?” She raised her voice this

time.

He took a deep breath, “My name is Dane Knight. I’m your

sister’s husband and—”

“Wait a damned second.” She held her hand up, stopping him.

“Her husband. When’d that shit happen?”

“I told you to watch your language.”

“I don’t give a damn what you told me.”

The car skidded to a stop in the middle of the road. He parked

and turned in his seat, a finger pointed in her face. “Okay, first off,