Page 65 of Make Us Yours
“He… he started f-forcing himself on m-me whenever he felt like it. No matter how m-much I screamed or begged him n-not to… no matter how many ti-times I said n-no and cried… And then he… h-he’d pass me around to his f-friends…” I sob out the broken words.
“Fuck…” Noah comes to the couch and takes me in his arms as I cradle into his chest, crying against him.
“I t-tried to leave… I did, but he thre-threatened to k-kill me. He went after my parents t-too. Sending me p-pictures taken f-from in their room while they s-slept… I didn’t know what to d-do.”
“Shh… It’s okay, Kitten. You’re safe now. We won’t let him hurt you again,” he says, stroking my back.
“But I’m not,” I cry harder. “He’s back… He’s f-found my number somehow, and he’s been t-texting me pictures of myself. Th-threatening me. Telling me that I ca-can’t hide. He’s been following me.” I shake my head against his chest and weep.
“How did you finally get out of it?” Gabe asks quietly after giving me a few minutes to calm down. And when I turn my gaze to him, I don’t understand the look in his eyes. He seems… lost.
I wipe my face with the back of my hand and try to steady my voice with a few calming breaths. “I was out doing the groceries, one of the rare times he ever let me out. An FBI agent approached me and gave me his card, told me to call him when I could talk alone. I refused to talk to him at first. I was so scared of what Victor would do to me if he found out. But after a week of going through more of his cruel touches, I couldn’t do it anymore. I had to get out, and I was willing to risk it even if it killed me.”
I push back from Noah, needing a moment to collect myself. Gabe gets up to get some tissues and passes them to me. I wipe myself again and focus on my breathing. Aside from my therapist, I’ve never told anyone about what happened. About Victor.
“On my next trip out. I used a public phone to call the agent. He told me to meet him at a café just around the corner in five minutes. That’s when he explained that they had been trying to infiltrate the gang Victor was a part of. That they had been trying for years to take them down. Apparently, they were involved in drug shipments, and Victor was even suspected of murder. They wanted my help. Anything I could tell them.”
I remove myself from Noah, sitting back down on the couch between them, and pick up my beer bottle that now sits on the table. I hadn’t even realized it was taken away from me. Draining the last of it, I finish my story.
“It took us three months of meeting once a week, giving them as many details as I could. Since Victor wouldn’t share much with me, it took more time than I had hoped. But finally, a plan was in motion, and all I had to do was act naturally. But somehow, Victor found out about the takedown at the last minute, and he escaped. Everyone else was arrested but him.”
“Shit… and he figured out it was you?” Noah asks.
I nod. “While the takedown was happening, I packed my bags and bought a bus ticket out of there, as far as I could get from him, just in case. I guess my gut told me something was gonna go wrong. And I was right.” I shrug a shoulder and force a small smile.
“It’s how I ended up in New York City. I thought a big city crowded with people would make it harder for him to find me. I only found out the next day that he hadn’t been caught, and I knew once he got home and noticed me gone, he would put two and two together.”
“That’s why you change your look every month,” Gabe says, putting the pieces together.
I nod. “I didn’t have a choice. It was the only way for me to stay hidden without having to move nonstop. So, every month, I dye my hair a different color. I got tattoos and piercings. Everything to look different. I never even dressed like this until I ran away.”
“The other day, you told me it’s been over three years since you last saw him. How do you think he found you after so much time?” Noah questions with a furrowed brow.
“I’m not sure… the only thing that’s changed in the last months is you guys. Maybe he saw me on TV at one of your games or fell on a picture of me with the girls online. I don’t know.”
Gabe nods. “That must be it. Even if you aren’t directly in the spotlight. There are tons of pictures of you with the team or the wives of players. Cecilia was often in the headlines, and she has pictures of you on her Instagram, so does Emma. If he somehow fell on those, it would be easy to narrow down where you are.”
My head drops into my hands as I push the heels of my palms against my eyes. “Fuck. I got careless; that’s what happened, and now he’s found me…”
“We won’t let him get to you, Vixen. I promise.” Gabe takes my hand once more.
“Maybe you should think about staying here from now on, with us. Just until we figure out what to do. I don’t like knowing he’s out there following you around,” Noah offers.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to feel caged in again, like I can’t leave the house without being afraid. I’ve been going through years of therapy because of that. I feel like it would be taking a step back if I started hiding out here.” I shake my head.
“But I also don’t want to put the others in danger or make them a target. I don’t know what he’s capable of exactly. But if what that agent had told me was true, then it could get really bad…” I chew on my lip, hating how weak I feel in this moment. Hating that one sight of him made me turn back into the small little girl that I fought so hard to break free from.
“Kitten, you wouldn’t be caged in. We’d still let you do whatever you wanted. But at least here, you’d have two people watching over you, two people who would have your back if anything happened. Plus, this place is super secure; there’s no way he would get in here,” Noah says as he puts his hand on my thigh.
“Just think about it. But until then, we’ll continue to pick you up and drop you off when you work. And if you need to go shopping or whatever, I’d feel better if one of us stayed with you during those times. Just to make sure you’re safe.” He smiles tenderly.
“Okay,” I say softly.
As much as I hate feeling like I’m regressing, I’m happy to know I won’t be alone in this. Not like the first time. I know I can count on Gabe and Noah. I know I’ll be safe with them.
I sit back against the couch, closing my eyes for a moment with a deep sigh. Reliving those memories was painful, but it feels good to finally talk about it. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest.
“But wait, weren’t you studying at NYU not long ago? Wasn’t that risky, since you had to give all your documents and shit?” Gabe questions with furrowed brows. “Weren’t you afraid he’d find you like that?”
