Bed of Roses by Becca Van

Author:Becca Van [Van, Becca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

She blew out a breath, aware of the three men’s intent gazes as they waited for her to answer. “I wasn’t raped, but I was assaulted.”

Luc rubbed at the back of his neck, spinning away from her. Her chest hurt and she wondered if he was going to ask her to leave now. She steeled her spine, waiting for the ensuing verbal blow, but it never came.

“How did you survive?” Fin asked.

“I used to sneak into a church each night. There was a bathroom in the back where I was able to shower and change clothes. I wasn’t beyond begging for money and when I’d saved up enough, I’d go to the local laundromat and wash my belongings after buying a few days’ worth of food.

“One night an older girl found me sequestered in the church. She didn’t even ask if I’d share what little food I had with her.” She gulped. “She beat me up, knocked me unconscious and stole everything I had. The priest found me and called the authorities and an ambulance. I spent a week in the hospital recovering and though I wanted to run again, I was too scared to.” She shook her head. “I went back into the system.”

“Were you sent to good people?” Lyle asked.

“No, it was worse. They already had a teenage son. He hated me from the start and set out to make my life a living hell but he was sly. He never did anything while his folks were home. I was terrified of him. He was so mean. One day on my way home from school, I caught him in an alley torturing a stray cat. I must have made a noise, because he looked up and saw me. The pocket knife in his hand was dripping with blood. While I stood there rooted in shock, he slashed the cat’s neck, killing the animal. He didn’t say a word to me, just gave me an evil smile while placing a finger over his lips, pointed at the knife, then me and slashed his finger across his throat in warning.”

“Did you tell his parents?” Luc asked.

She met his gaze, her eyes dull with her terrible memories. “What would’ve been the point? He was a fucking angel whenever his mom and dad were around. It would’ve been my word against his. Do you think they would’ve taken my word over the word of their own flesh and blood? I was a stray to them. They didn’t just take me into their home out of the goodness of their hearts even if they treated me better than I’d ever been treated before. They were very religious but all they cared about was appearing as saints in the eyes of their neighbors, friends and the congregation they mixed with on Sundays.”

“What else did that fucking bastard do to you?” Lyle asked from between clenched teeth.

“He’d lie in wait for me. As I was heading to my bedroom after getting home from school, he’d jump out of the shadows, hit me on the back of the head or punch me in the back.

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