Relinquished (24 page)

My talk with Dante a few weeks ago had gone better than I’d thought it would.  Both he and Holden were so set in their ways, I figured he’d give me more of a fight.  I was grateful he’d already been open to the idea of teaching me more than to escape and run away.  It also made me feel like a real part of a team when he asked for my help with Holden. And on top of that, both he and Holden agreed to include me in their weekly employee meetings so I could become familiar with the business side of the gym before they started to give me any work. 

Standing here in the gym and learning how to truly protect myself gave me more confidence than I had expected. Christina took another hard swing at me, not holding anything back, and I managed to jerk away in time to avoid the blow.  I hadn’t been so lucky just minutes ago when she’d nailed me in the ribs.

Dante clapped off to the side. “Good dodge, Jules. Keep it up.” He rested his hands on his hips, closely monitoring us. It was nice to finally see him out of his suit and in gym clothes, even if he was just as focused as ever.

My body buzzed with energy as sweat dripped down my skin, drenching my workout clothes.  I was stoked about the moves I’d learned and felt confident I had a chance to take down anyone who came after me. We’d discovered that I moved quickly and was pretty skilled at avoiding strikes while using my legs to attack back. I’d also learned every way to take down an assailant by injuring their weak spots.

We only had a little more time to work today before Holden would be done with his client, and there was one move I wanted to master. I’d started paying close attention when my opponent was distracted, even just the slightest bit, and figured out ways to strike. I was plotting how to take Christina down the moment her attention was diverted.

A few punches and kicks later, Dante stopped us. Christina was thankful as she excused herself to go get a snack. I swear that girl ate more than anyone I knew, but she also busted her ass in the gym to burn off those calories.

“I want to teach you one more thing today.” He scanned the room and smiled when he spotted something behind me. I turned, but only saw some white gym towels and a yoga ball. “Using your body in a fight is always important, but sometimes it’s better to utilize things around you while keeping your wits about you.” He held up his index finger and looked sternly into my eyes. “
Always
be aware of your surroundings and anything you can use as a weapon.”

I took my defensive stance and waited to see what he was going to do. As I spun around, I didn’t take my eyes away from him. He sideswiped me and grabbed a towel, and in a split second, he had my hands tied and bound. He pulled my hands straight up above my head, forcing me up on the balls of my feet.

That didn’t go quite as planned.

I shouldn’t have, but I started to freak out, picturing Travis in front of me in that same position so many years ago. I closed my eyes and tried to steady my raspy breath, but the harder I tried, the more lightheaded I got. My shoulders and wrists began to ache from the weight of my body.

“Jules, breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose.” Dante’s soothing voice broke through my panic attack.  My eyes popped open, and I stared directly into his. “He knows what you’ve been through and will use it against you.  You’re safe right now. Work through this with me and calculate how you can get free.” He was a lot taller than me, so it didn’t take much for him to lift the restraint higher, forcing me up on my tiptoes.

He opened his mouth to say something when the door opened and Holden appeared. “What the fuck are you doing, Dante?” he yelled.

Before Dante had a chance to release me, I took advantage of the distraction. Picking up my legs, I hooked my heels around Dante’s knees and yanked his legs open until we both fell on our asses, and he let go of the towel. I jumped up as Holden stalked over.

I held up my hands. “Wait, I told him to show me that.  It’s not his fault.”

Dante cocked his eyebrow from where he laid. “Please Jules, let me leave here with some dignity.  Not only did I get knocked on my ass by a girl, but now you’re sticking up for me?” He let out a loud laugh. 

If the unsympathetic look on Holden’s face was any indicator, he did not think this was funny. “We had an agreement.  I was going to handle her training.”

Dante pushed himself up and dusted off the back of his shorts. “Yeah, well your way is gonna get us all killed.  It doesn’t matter if she asked me to help or not, she needs to learn how to fight.  There’s no way we can guarantee that any of us will be available if we’re attacked. She needs to be able to fight any motherfucker that goes after her.”

I rubbed my sore wrists, hoping they weren’t going to bruise. “Wait, what am I missing?  Why wouldn’t you guys be available if it’s just Sam?” I thought about it for a second, then my eyes widened as a thought hit me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Both guys glared at each other, purposely avoiding me, which only confirmed my suspicions.

“Dammit!” I stomped my foot on the floor. “What the hell are you keeping from me?”

Holden took a step toward me, his arms stretched out, but I took a few steps back.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he insisted. “We’ve got it under control.”

This was the final straw.  I refused to be sheltered like a China doll any longer.  He’d told me he thought I was strong, but his actions said otherwise. It was time he realized I couldn’t have survived my past if someone had been there coddling me. I had never seen myself as a survivor like he’d said I was, but now I wondered if his views of survivor mingled with his look of pity. I didn’t need pity to overcome my lot in life. I needed strength and determination, and I refused to back down now.

I looked at Dante just as he rolled his eyes. “Why do you keep telling me not to worry about shit?” I paced back and forth, furious. “I’m not a fucking child.  I deserve to know what the hell is going on if it concerns me.”

Holden’s worry lines deepened around his exasperated expression.  He reached for my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. “Stop patronizing me. Tell me what’s going on.”

He dropped his head. “All we know is that somehow, in the process of everything going down, we all have to keep our eyes out.”

“What does that even mean?” I ranted. “I already know we’re all keeping our eyes out for Sam.  That’s not news.”

His defeated face and Dante’s knowing look told me there was still more, but they weren’t about to share that with me.

I stepped closer to Holden, watching his nostrils flare from the quick exhales he was trying to hide. His eyes begged to know if he’d finally pushed me too far. Regardless of what was going down right now, I knew his condescending attitude stemmed from his protective nature, but that didn’t change the fact that I was livid.

“You asked me to trust you, but you’re proving right now that you don’t trust me.” Tears brimmed around my lids, threatening to fall, but I refused to let them go. If I did, he’d take it as another valid reason why he should put me behind glass doors and not accept me as an equal partner in this relationship.

“I don’t know what to say to you.” He looked behind me at Dante, then back into my eyes. “Neither of us has the answers.”

Dante stepped up beside us, placing his hands on both of our shoulders. “Jules, you deserve to know what’s going on. We all do, and the only way to get answers is to see dear old Dad at the benefit.”  He looked at us like his plan was the most brilliant thing ever.

Holden blinked at him like he was crazy, and I just stared.

When no one said anything, I filled the silence. “Well then, I guess there’s no more arguing about it. We’ll all go to the benefit next week.”

It was time to go lick my wounds, alone, so I stepped just outside the door where one of Marcus’ men, Abel, was standing. 

Peering back at Holden and Dante, I asked Abel, “Can you take me home? I suddenly have a headache.”

It’d been a week since my blow out with the guys, and although things had quickly fallen back into place, I still didn’t understand why they’d felt the need to keep secrets from me.  On top of that, I was a ball of nerves when I stepped into the town car that was about to take us to the airport. Not only had I never been on a plane before, but supposedly, I was on my way to getting answers from a man I’d never met and who also happened to be my boyfriend’s father.

Holden tapped my outer thigh, asking me to scoot over to make some room for him as Dante got in on the other side. Both doors closed, the driver got in, then we were off, along with a security team in front and the other behind us.  I couldn't wait to see the passengers’ faces as we all entered the plane together.

We drove down the road, away from the freeway. Even though I hadn’t been there before, I was sure this wasn’t the way to the airport. “Why are we going this way?” I asked curiously.

“We need to show you something I only recently learned about,” Holden said cautiously, as he leaned forward and eyed Dante. “I don’t want anything else to come as a shock to you because,” he grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles, “I do want you to trust me as much as I trust you.”

He hadn’t mentioned my remark from last week until now, but I’d seen the hurt in his eyes.

Dante spoke while lifting the privacy divider between us and the driver. “We both need your trust, Jules. I’m putting all the cards on the table tonight.”

Perplexed, I turned to Holden, who looked just as serious as Dante was.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll have to wait for that part then. Tell her about tonight since I just heard about it myself.”

I slid closer to Holden and gave my attention back to Dante as he sighed and started explaining. “What you are about to learn may change your view on some things.” He straightened his tie, stretching his neck to the side and clearing his throat. “As you know, our father runs a national battered women’s organization, but what you don’t know is, although it does help women effected by domestic abuse, it’s also a front for a human smuggling rescue.”

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

My eyes were probably bugging out of my head, but I couldn’t help myself. The thought of people being kidnapped and forced to work, or worse, become sex slaves against their will, had always made me sick to my stomach. Even more so after what I’d gone through, after what had happened to Casey. I understood that it existed, but I’d never come into contact with that world. So how the hell did my guys get involved?  

“We keep that part off the grid, but the money raised for the organization covers all of our services.”

Okay. I needed a minute. When I glanced out of the window, I realized we were pulling up to the motel I used to live in. “Wh...why are we here?”

Dante looked almost pained, but he kept his business face on. “Because I found out a few days ago that this was a new scouting location for one of the larger trafficking rings. I’ve already arranged to have all the girls safely removed. We’ll only get a little time with the motherfucker that runs this place before Carr and his troops come arrest his sleazy ass.”

The car came to a stop as I struggled to process that information.  I’d been afraid of so many things in my life, but
while I’d been living in this dump, my biggest fear had been that I’d have to take a job with that porn producer.  Little had I known that the scuzzbag from this cesspit could’ve easily turned me over to worse predators.

There’s no doubt in my mind he’d do anything for a buck. He’d already proven he had no conscience in that malicious mind of his. Now I wanted to cut his dick off, shove it down his throat, and watch him choke on it.

Infuriated, I reached over, ripped open the door, and attempted to maneuver myself over Holden just as his hands latched onto my waist. “Let me go,” I growled, ready to try out some of my new moves on that asshole.

“We’re all going.” His grip didn’t loosen as he scooted out from under me, then helped me out.

The moment my feet hit the ground, I took off running toward the front office, heavy feet racing behind me. I yanked open the door and looked angrily around at the empty room. “Where is he?” I snarled at no one in particular.

Racing past the front desk, I noticed the office door was cracked. I shoved it open, causing it to bounce against the wall behind it. The first thing that hit me was the smell.  I wrinkled my nose. Didn’t that motherfucker ever shower?

I spotted him lounging on a couch in front of a small TV and realized this wasn’t really an office. It was a makeshift apartment. It also didn’t seem to have any windows.

“What the fuck do you want?” Owen stood up, putting his cheap can of beer down as he started toward me, apparently oblivious to the two large, very fit men behind me, as well as a bunch of ex-military men in the parking lot.

I didn’t want them stepping in to take over, so I waved my wrist behind me, hoping they got the hint to stay out of sight.  I knew they’d only let me take it so far, but I was ready to deal with this fucker all by myself.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to keep my intake of breath to a minimum. “We have some unfinished business.”

He rubbed his protruding belly with an evil smile.  “I like the sound of that.” He stretched his hands toward me, his expression saying he actually thought I was into this.  Stupid motherfucker had no idea what was coming.

The moment his palm touched my shoulder, I clamped my hand on top, holding on as tight as I could while I used my opposite arm to elbow him smack dab in the face.  I heard a crunching sound when my arm slammed into his nose.

Dazed, he took a few steps back, touched the blood gushing out of his nose and looked at his fingers. Peering back at me, he barked, “You fucking bitch.  I’m gonna make you pay with your ass for that.”

Sure you will.

I ran toward him, but he expected me this time and grabbed my fist before it made contact, then he spun me around, holding my arm awkwardly against my back.

Holden rushed toward me only to be pulled back by Dante, who prompted, “Remember what you learned, Jules.”

I took an unpleasant, deep breath to steady myself as he pulled my arm up higher, triggering a shooting pain in my shoulder. I hissed, but that was all the show he was going to get from me. He was the one getting the ass beating tonight, not me.

“Who the hell are you?” His grip loosened for a split second as he focused on the guys. “Wait, you’re the asshole who snatched that bitch I was fucking.”

That’s all the motivation I needed to take this guy down. Taking advantage of the brief interruption, I head-butted him, and as soon as he freed my hand, I let him feel all the wrath and fury I’d kept bottled up all these years. I was enraged as I pummeled him—face, jaw, neck, and stomach—over and over until he fell to the ground, moaning in agony.

When he hit the floor, I began to kick his torso, delivering my final, precise blow right between his legs.

My stomach churned as I stood above him, watching the blood pour out of his nose while he cried out, clutching his nutsack. It brought a crazy sense of satisfaction seeing him like that. That animal was responsible for ruining so many lives, and although I’d gotten a little justice for them, I wondered if I should feel bad about beating the shit out of a defenseless, weak man.  He never stood a chance against me.

Dante’s phone chimed. “Cops are almost here, time to go.”

Even though I was a little conflicted about hurting another person, I couldn’t lie and say it didn’t feel damn good to take that douchebag down a few notches. Stepping over the pile of shit, I followed the guys out of the stuffy, vile room, taking in the fresh evening air as soon as I stepped outside.

Holden came up and whirled me around, crushing his mouth against my lips. Eagerly parting my lips, his tongue tangled and danced with mine, fiercely engulfing me with as much passion as I’d just unleashed moments ago. Except this time, it wasn’t a rage-inspired passion.

After breaking away, he rested his forehead against my heated skin. “That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Man, I should've taught you that stuff myself. I plan on being your sparring partner next time.”

I gave him my wickedest smile. “I think that can be arranged.”

Suddenly, sirens blared in the distance, breaking our trance.

“Hello!” Dante yelled. “Cops are almost here, and the shit is about to hit the fan.  Get your lovey dovey asses in here, now.”

Before I got into the car, I took one final look at the motel I had once called home. To the life I once lived because I hadn’t dared hope for anything better. How had I ever survived it all?

Now that I’d tasted what life could offer, I vowed right then and there that it would be a cold day in hell before I’d ever go back to my old ways. I planned on taking my new life as far as I could. And for the first time ever, I truly believed that the possibilities were limitless.

Between yesterday’s ass kicking and Holden keeping me up all night, showing me just how hot he thought I’d looked during said ass kicking, my muscles and joints were sore. Pulling myself out of the comfortable bed, I turned to see my prince charming snoring loudly, his face buried in the hotel pillow. I wouldn’t mind showing him how sexy I thought
he
was, but I figured I’d let him get some sleep.

I headed toward the bathroom, enjoying the feel of the textured, lush carpet under my feet. Stopping by the armoire, I looked at my dress for tonight. It was breathtaking—sleeveless and nude, embellished with black lace on the chest and connected to a daring sheer fabric until it reached the hip area where the black lace began once more and wrapped around the low backline.