Savage Cinderella (19 page)

She disabled the alarm and made her way up
the steep staircase along the side of the house, feeling good about
facing down her fear. She wouldn’t let him keep her locked away
again.

Brinn soon found herself sitting amongst the
boxes. She shuffled through them and smiled nostalgically at
various items. When she opened a box of stuffed animals, it only
took a moment to locate her favorite teddy bear. She hugged the
worn animal, reminded of sleeping with it as a child. She thought
of Kitty and wondered how she and the cubs were doing without her.
They must be getting big by now. A sad sense of longing filled her
heart.

There were few objects of value left behind
at the cabin, but Brinn thought about her drawings as she opened a
box with layers of old pictures, some drawn with crayons, others
with watercolor paints. A memory of her mother hanging her art work
on the refrigerator with pretty magnets flashed in her mind. She
smiled, closed the box and set it aside.

She opened another box, pulled out clothes,
and smelled each article. Vivid recollections of childhood
experiences popped into her head. The playground at school, her
parents taking her for ice cream after dance lessons, going to the
park on a Saturday afternoon...

Brinn froze, clutching a pink sweater in her
hands. Images flashed sharp in her mind. A thin man with dark eyes
was looking for a puppy. Before she knew what happened, she was in
the backseat of a big car, riding far away from her mother, too
frightened to do anything but cry.

She pressed the tiny sweater to her chest,
the burn of tears hot on her cheeks. Memories flowed with the
tears. Her stomach seized as her mind twisted with images. Images
that were so horrible, no one could ever know about them and see
her the same way. She felt his hands on her, inside her. He was
inside her. She screamed, shaking off the crawling sensation that
covered her flesh. Shame and grief poured from her soul in wracking
sobs until—taking a deep breath—her lungs froze.

The smell of cigarette smoke reached her
nose.

I’ll find you. I promise. His voice crept
into her mind.

She recoiled at the assault and skittered to
the corner of the room, her nose upturned to the open window.
Gaining control of her emotions, she cleared her eyes and sniffed
again. Yes, definitely smoke. Brinn pushed back her fear and
thought past the memories of her captor. It must be Cody. Relief
seeped into her rigid body. Justin and Cody must be here.

Still shaking, she made her way to the
window. Looking out over the empty driveway, her nerves pricked and
a sense of dread spread through her body. The smell grew stronger
and Brinn peered around the room for something to use as a weapon.
There was nothing in the room except her childhood belongings, none
of which could be used for protection. Why had she let her mother
convince her to leave her knife in the nightstand? She clenched her
teeth and closed her eyes. Her cell phone was right beside the
knife.

Her thoughts scattered when she heard the
creak of footsteps on the stairs. The prickling sensation in her
forehead instinctively spurred her to action. She ran to the door
and locked it, just as the doorknob began to turn. She backed away
from the only exit. Her voice choked in her throat. She knew who
was there without asking. She could smell him—the sick, harsh scent
of old tobacco. Memories of yellow-stained thick fingers, foul
breath, and sallow skin, raced through her mind. She couldn't
scream or cry out; she could barely breathe.

The doorknob turned harder and began to shake
and rattle. Trapped, Brinn looked for escape. She ran to the open
window. She looked down at the steep slope of the roof and the far
fall to the ground below. With only a moment’s hesitation, she
crawled through the window, latched onto the top edge of the
dormer, and hoisted herself up. Her bare feet slipped on the mossy
shingles. She sucked in a breath and recovered her footing.

As she quickly made her way along the peak of
the garage and scrambled across to the high point of the roof, she
heard the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. She crouched
behind the large chimney and hid from view, then darted a peek
around the corner. She found a deep breath of relief at the sight
of Justin's shiny blue car.

Justin and Cody stepped out, and when she
rose from behind the chimney, Justin called out, "What are you
doing up there? Come down before you fall."

Her voice shook as she called out in a hoarse
whisper. “He’s here.”

Justin’s eyes widened and he and Cody ran to
the garage stairs.

Brinn sank down onto the roof, curled her
knees into her chest and buried her face, afraid to move, afraid to
cry, afraid he would hear her. But she knew he was gone. She felt
it. She felt him as if he lived inside her. He had found her and he
would come back. He would take her and she would be punished.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but
when she raised her head again, Justin was standing on a ladder,
propped against the house, his arms outstretched. "Come on, Brinn.
It's okay. You're safe, now. What happened?"

"He was here, Justin. He knows where I live.
He found me. I knew he would." The words sounded hollow in her ears
and it took some time before she could move to climb down the
ladder.

Once inside, the police were called and
Brinn's parents came home. Her father was furious and made
assurances that she would not be left alone again. He would hire
someone to guard her around the clock if need be, but she was not
to worry, she would be safe here. She wanted to believe him, but
she knew better. There was no safe place as long as that man was
alive and free.

Brinn’s father sat in front of her, his face
solemn and strained. “Both guards were drugged. The security
cameras were disabled. The patrol officers reported no unusual
activity in the neighborhood. Whoever did this is efficient, smart,
and determined. He took a huge risk, which means he’s desperate.
Brinn, I’m not trying to scare you, and I know I’ve said this
before, but you need to tell us everything you know about this man.
Every detail is important. We want to catch him so he can never
hurt you again. If you help us find him, I promise I will make sure
he pays for what he’s done."

Brinn eyed her parents and then looked at
Justin, but kept silent, weighing her father's words.

Justin brushed the hair back from her face.
"You didn't do anything wrong. He’s an evil bastard and he has to
be stopped. You've already proven that you’re stronger than he
is."

Brinn pulled away and set her jaw firmly.
"You don't understand. None of you knows what he is capable of.”
Bitterness flowed from her trembling lips. "I couldn't fight back.
He had total control over me. He drugged me to make me sleep. He
decided when I ate or drank. He told me that every breath I took
belonged to him. He could do anything he wanted and I couldn't stop
him. How do you think I can stop him now?" Brinn shook with
repressed rage.

Cody, silent and nearly invisible until now,
turned from the window. "If you don't want to be prey, then you
have to become the hunter." His eyes met Brinn's and his lips
curved in a half smile. It wasn't a happy smile, but more like that
of a mountain lion stalking a deer, cold and focused. His tone took
on the distant monotone of detachment and his youthful face looked
ten years older.

"You lived on your own in the mountains for
eight years. You were forced to become a hunter, and I imagine
you’re a very good one. If you let him paralyze you with fear, he
will keep you prisoner forever. But if you act and turn the hunt on
him, you can, and you will, win.”

“
How? How can I win against
the Devil?” Brinn leveled her gaze to Cody, tears about to well
over again.

“
You have a distinct
advantage now; you have us to back you up." He looked around the
room at her parents and then at Justin. "If the enemy wants a
fight, I say we gather the troops and give him a fight." His eyes
narrowed at Brinn, the sharp slope of his nose, squared jaw, and
sheer massiveness of his broad frame giving force to his
words.

Justin wrapped a protective arm around her
shoulder, "You aren't alone in this, Brinn. Whatever terrible
things he did to you, it’s all in the past. You did exactly the
right thing; you survived. You have nothing to feel sorry or
ashamed about." His eyes warmed with encouragement, a reassuring
smile replacing his somber expression. “You will win this fight.
And we’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Dark Confessions

Brinn’s mother didn’t look happy about it,
but her father insisted she reveal as much detail as possible about
her time in captivity. It was the only way to stop the man. To
Brinn’s surprise, Cody helped more than anyone. He didn’t treat her
like she was fragile. To him she was a fellow warrior. He related
his experience of being captured and tortured by Taliban rebels,
narrowly escaping death when a team of Marines, including Justin's
brother Steve, finally extricated him and destroyed the compound
where he'd been held for over two months. That was six months ago,
and he was still on leave recovering from broken ribs, a ruptured
spleen and a severe concussion. He didn’t talk about the counseling
he was receiving—just that he was going and that it seemed to
help.

Cody gave only the facts necessary for the
events to be understood, as if telling the story about someone
else. Brinn could now see why he treated her differently. There was
no pity in his eyes, just simple comprehension of a shared wound
and the need to give it time to heal.

Justin stayed close and squeezed her fingers
gently, “You can do this, Brinn. It’s only words. The words can’t
hurt you. You’re safe.”

Brinn looked into the strained faces of her
family. Her mother’s skin was pale. Tears welled in her eyes and
spilled down her cheeks. Her father’s features were like granite,
his jaw twitching with the effort to curtail his rage as Brinn
described the tiny room in the decaying old farm-house.

“
He left me alone for long
periods—sometimes even days. There was a window, but it had bars
and shutters. He kept me... handcuffed or...chained...to the bed.”
Brinn winced as her mother gasped and choked back a sob, covering
her mouth with both hands.

Some details Brinn knew she would never
share, not with her family, not with Justin, probably not with
anyone. The ugliest moments of her life were behind her and would
stay there—hidden in her soul. Yet, some part of the truth had to
be told. She knew that now. She had no choice anymore but to face
her past. She couldn’t hide or run away forever. Her enemy was
closing in. Brinn swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat.
She held back the tears as she’d learned to do as a child.

“
He made me call him ‘Pa
Roy’.” She couldn’t meet her father’s eyes—ashamed that she hadn’t
even been able to refuse her captor’s demand that she forget her
father.

“
It’s all right, Brinn. I
understand. You didn’t do anything wrong. Whatever you did or
didn’t do, you had no choice.” He touched her hand, “I will always
be your Dad.” Her father’s eyes glistened but his voice was deep
and strong. He encouraged her to continue.

Brinn took in another breath and went on.
“There was a root cellar behind the house.” She hesitated, catching
Justin’s pained expression. She looked down at her hands. “I tried
to escape a few times. He...he put me in that dark hole and left me
there for days with no food or water until I was so weak I couldn’t
cry anymore.” She knew her face was pale from the frightful images
that loomed in her mind, but she felt the blood surge to her face
with shame.

“
Can you remember anything
else about the property?” Her father’s question saved her from
ruminating further on the ugly indignities that flashed through her
mind.

“
There was a barn...a
slaughterhouse...” The images she’d banished from her mind surged
to the surface, setting her senses on fire. The sound of his
footsteps approaching, the long wooden spoon and the thick black
belt he’d used to beat her, the smell of smoke, sweat, and blood
that clung to him—the vivid orange glow of the end of his burning
cigarette.

I will punish you. I promise.

She stared, sightless, her arms wrapped
tightly across her middle, fists tucked into her ribs as she rocked
back and forth.

Justin touched her shoulder. Brinn jumped.
“Are you okay, Brinn?” His brown eyes were liquid with emotion and
concern. “You don’t have to do this now if you don’t want to.”

The compassion and pain on his face nearly
undid her. There was no denying the sorrow that lay beneath. She’d
lost her innocence to a monster and it was something she could
never get back. There was nothing she could do to change what had
happened and there was no way she could soften the blow of the
truth.

“
I have to, Justin. If I
don’t tell someone what he did, it’s like I’m letting him keep me
locked away in that dark hole or chained to that bed.” A slow burn
of resolve seeped into her chest. “I can’t let him take any more of
me. I want my life back.”

A flicker of a smile lifted the corner of
Justin’s mouth, despite the concern in his voice. “I get it...and I
admire your courage.” His warm hand and solid strength permeated
the blanket of cold around her. She’d been afraid he would never
look at her the same after he knew what she’d been through. Relief
swept through her when he met her glances with eyes full of
compassion and admiration.

“
I’m...scared,
Justin.”

“
I know, me too.” He held
her hand gently between his. “What else can you tell
us?”