I allowed myself to float to an alternative world, a world where none of this was happening, where it was just Ky and me in our cocoon that couldn’t be reached. Where laughter was the only thing I heard, freshly baked muffins from the diner was the only thing I smelled, and Ky’s kiss was the only thing I tasted.
“Get the fuck off her!”
Time froze and the world stopped and tilted on its axes the moment I heard Ky’s panicked voice fill the room.
Jeremy pulled away with a snicker, and I took the moment of reprieve to collect a deep gasp of much needed air.
“Ky?” I whispered hesitantly, not believing what I was hearing. My head fell to the side in the direction of his voice. My body was quickly overcome with weakness due to over twenty-four hours with no food or water, the simple movement was torturous. Chris stood beside the bed holding out my phone and that was when I saw Ky’s beautiful face filling the screen. “Ky!” I shouted as loud as my dehydrated throat would allow.
“Eden, baby, hang on. I will find you.”
“You are a fucking weak prick Crawford. What’s this? The second time you’ve allowed me to get my hands on her. You aren’t worthy of this pussy,” Jeremy spat toward the phone. My eyes were transfixed on Ky. The pain etched over his face was excruciating to witness as he listened to Jeremy’s taunts. This would be killing him. He blamed himself for the first time and now this. I didn’t know if he would get past this.
Ever since I arrived his protection of me had been paramount. Ky had been the reason I was the person I was today. He had unleashed the fighter within me. He’d encouraged me to be the girl who refused to be the victim. He’d motivated me to find my voice, and now I refused to remain silent. Now it felt like I had to protect him. I had to give him his voice back, and I had to return everything he gave me.
I mustered every bit of strength I had before I spoke. “Ky owns me Jeremy. I give myself to Ky and Ky only.”
Jeremy growled like a wild animal and ripped me by my aching shoulder until I was sitting up against the wooden headboard. I screamed at the stabbing pain that seared through my body.
He snatched my phone from Chris who had remained silent as his cousin completely lost it. “See this little bitch,” Jeremy jeered as he thrust the camera into my face. I closed my eyes and looked away. I didn’t want Ky seeing me like this. “She is mine Crawford. See these tits. They are mine. See this sweet delicious pussy. That is mine. She put me away for four fucking years so now it’s my time for payback.” As he spat his taunts, his hands ran over my breasts, squeezing them merciless and then he cupped my core roughly. “Answer this Crawford; do you want to watch me fuck her because I am going to fuck her right now? Your fucking choice!”
I felt a piece of me die inside as it hit me what was going to happen. Ky couldn’t see this. He would never come back from witnessing it. This was my moment to protect him as the risk of my safety. I had to grow the balls that I didn’t have four years ago. I had to play the game.
“Jeremy, don’t share it with anyone. It was just you and me the first time so it should be just me and you this time. Do you really want to share me with Ky or Chris?” I swallowed the vomit that sat precariously in my throat, I just hoped like hell it worked. I looked at him with pleading eyes and pushed my body forward so my chest was against his in an act of submission.
My pleas weren’t for me; they were entirely and without hesitation for Ky.
“Eden! What the fuck are you doing? No! Fucking no! Get away from her asshole.” I heard Ky’s anger spearing through the phone still held near my face, but my gaze didn’t fall from Jeremy.
Evilness spread over Jeremy’s face, and I knew I had him. It had somehow worked.
“Goodbye Crawford. I’m going to fuck my girl.”
It was official. I was going to kill a man with my bare hands.
I paced my apartment crossing every inch of the living room with demanding steps, all the while twitching and fuming like a mad man. Anger seethed within me, piercing my very core with murderous thoughts and ways that I would eliminate Jeremy Davis forever. My reaction to the call was immediate, desperate, and frantic. My eyes had witnessed images of Eden that I knew would be tattooed in my memories for life. They would be the knife in my heart that would continue to taunt me for the rest of my living years and into my death. Seeing Jeremy’s hands and mouth on her body was like putting acid on open wounds. My girl was hurting, fuck she was more than my girl, she was my world. And now she was locked away, facing the evil of a ruthless maniac head on. I felt completely and utterly useless.
The living room was abuzz with frantic energy. My ears ached from the constant noise. Douglas was shouting orders to the police officers and the calls were being traced. Mom and Eden’s mom huddled together on the couch, quietly sobbing from what they had both witnessed, and Dad and Mike were in quiet conversation in the kitchen.
Jeremy Davis was a dead man fucking walking.
My gorgeous, courageous, strong girl was fighting him. She was fighting the fuckwit that had taken her. The sheer determination on her face and her clear desire to survive hit me so deep that it had knocked the air from my lungs and twisted my heart.
“Ky, get over here,” Dad bellowed from the kitchen. I hurried toward him and noticed that Douglas had joined them along with a man in his early forties who held paperwork in his hands.
Douglas turned his large frame toward me and leaned back on the kitchen island, his arms crossed over his chest. “We know where she is. The motherfucker isn’t a smart man, and we were able to trace her cell phone and know the exact location she is.”
“We have to go now,” I demanded and stormed out of the kitchen in search of my keys. Hearing that they knew where Eden was like music to my fucking ears. They didn’t follow me. “What are you waiting for? We know where she is!”
I couldn’t understand why they were standing around looking at me like I had completely lost my mind.
“Ky, we have to ensure that the premises is secure. If we barge in guns pulled and he isn’t there this whole thing will be useless. He could be watching and what do you think would happen then? He will take off with her, and he will not make contact again,” Douglas said, trying to calm my erratic behavior.
“He has my girlfriend. He has my life in his fucking hands, and we have to wait for confirmation,” I breathed out in frustration. I roughly ran my hands through my hair and gritted my teeth. “He has my life.”
My dad’s hand fell to my shoulder, and he gave me a slight nod. A nod that I knew meant that I should listen to what Douglas was saying.
I couldn’t stay there. I needed to get away from all of them. How could they just stand there when Eden was going through…Fuck I didn’t even want to imagine what was happening to her.
“Ky would you come and sit with me?” Anna Rivers’ soft voice fell to my ears halting my escape. I turned to look at Eden’s mom, and my heart broke all over again.
Without another thought I slipped onto the couch beside her, and her hand grabbed mine tightly and her head fell to my shoulder. Her characteristics were so similar to Eden’s and my throat tightened under the realization.
I needed her back.
I had failed her yet again.
“I need my baby girl back. I need to see her happy. I need to see you two together.” Anna sobbed against my shoulder. “Bring my baby girl home Ky.”
“We are heading off. We will call through when we have word.” Douglas’ voice shattered the moment with Anna.
I shot up from the couch and stormed toward him. We came face to face. His face was concrete steel and his eyes almost black while his chest was covered by an intimidating bullet proof vest.