and enraged that my body took the punishment remaining
from his adrenaline rush. The losers were as violent when they got their turns.
Eventually, I felt nothing at all. I often prayed to die, so I’d never feel
anything again.
Waking to someone shaking me, I realized I was
screaming. Much like I couldn’t find my voice in the past, I now couldn’t turn
it off. Mom consoled me while Dad was on the phone with someone. I also saw
Harlow and Jace staring at me from the doorway.
These people weren’t real, not like the dream had
been. This house and my life in Ellsberg were a fantasy. Only the hell with
Sugar Bum was real and I was drowning in the memories.
Mom hugged me and spoke in soft tones, but I
understood nothing over my screaming. Dad left the room then returned with the
emergency medication prescribed by Doctor Koryluk. I stared at him, unable to
stop screaming. While Mom held my wrists to keep me from clawing at my face,
Dad fumbled with the medicine bottle. All I heard was my screaming and the
cussing of men fighting to fuck me next.
“Shut up, Winona!” Dad yelled, startling me.
He stood bigger than usual and his face was ugly like
the monsters I feared.
“Take this pill!” he demanded.
Shaking, I obeyed for the same reason I obeyed Sugar
Bum. Compliance was better than pain.
I rocked back against the headboard, pushing away
Mom’s tender touch. The screaming was over, replaced by fear of the man
standing nearby. Occasionally, I noticed my brother and sister peeking at me
from the doorway. I wanted to tell them to run before the monster got them too,
but my voice didn’t work now.
Soon, the medicine made me drowsy and I no longer
rocked. My body rested lazily against the headboard as Mom cleaned the
scratches on my arms. The memories of Sugar Bum and his club faded into a long
ago nightmare.
Harlow and Mom helped me into the shower to clean up
the mess I’d made. So numb from the medicine, I couldn’t even feel the water on
my skin.
I returned to the bedroom to find Dad had changed my
sheets. He was different now. No longer the monster, he returned to the man who
saved me from a life in foster care. This was the only father I ever knew or
needed.
Sleep didn’t come for a long time. Mom and Dad stayed
with me until Harlow crawled into bed with Cookie Monster. She stared into my
eyes and told me she would keep me safe. I believed her too. Harlow was strong
in ways I wasn’t and she’d saved me before.
Chapter Eighteen ~ Dylan
Already treating Cooper’s office as a club hangout,
Vaughn was like a destructive toddler on a rampage through the construction
site. Judd sat nearby throwing sunflower seeds at his buddy. I could only
pretend not to notice the mess they were making. After all, they were
enforcers.
Nick arrived for his shift to find mayhem. He frowned
at Vaughn juggling metal pipes then glanced at the seed throwing Judd. Finally,
he looked at me
“What’s in this spray bottle?” he asked me.
“Water and maybe a little bleach.”
Nodding, Nick took the bottle and sprayed Vaughn.
“Hey, dickweed,” Vaughn growled.
Judd pointed a finger at the approaching Nick and
shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”
“You want to stay dry then stop making a mess.”
Judd glared. Vaughn glared. Nick only smiled and
pointed the bottle.
“What’s it going to be?”
“Asshole,” Vaughn said, wiping his shirt.
Judd said nothing, continuing to glare. He did stop
throwing seeds though.
Nick walked to me and set down the bottle. “You can’t
let them run all over you. Trust me. My old roommate, Danny Boy, was a fucking
slob until I started spraying him and he finally learned to pick up after
himself.”
“Why spray them though?”
“My first roommate had a cat and it worked on her, so
I figured I’d try it on people.”
Leaning forward, I whispered, “They do kill people for
a living.”
Nick rolled his green eyes. “They won’t kill us. In
the future, feel free
from his adrenaline rush. The losers were as violent when they got their turns.
Eventually, I felt nothing at all. I often prayed to die, so I’d never feel
anything again.
Waking to someone shaking me, I realized I was
screaming. Much like I couldn’t find my voice in the past, I now couldn’t turn
it off. Mom consoled me while Dad was on the phone with someone. I also saw
Harlow and Jace staring at me from the doorway.
These people weren’t real, not like the dream had
been. This house and my life in Ellsberg were a fantasy. Only the hell with
Sugar Bum was real and I was drowning in the memories.
Mom hugged me and spoke in soft tones, but I
understood nothing over my screaming. Dad left the room then returned with the
emergency medication prescribed by Doctor Koryluk. I stared at him, unable to
stop screaming. While Mom held my wrists to keep me from clawing at my face,
Dad fumbled with the medicine bottle. All I heard was my screaming and the
cussing of men fighting to fuck me next.
“Shut up, Winona!” Dad yelled, startling me.
He stood bigger than usual and his face was ugly like
the monsters I feared.
“Take this pill!” he demanded.
Shaking, I obeyed for the same reason I obeyed Sugar
Bum. Compliance was better than pain.
I rocked back against the headboard, pushing away
Mom’s tender touch. The screaming was over, replaced by fear of the man
standing nearby. Occasionally, I noticed my brother and sister peeking at me
from the doorway. I wanted to tell them to run before the monster got them too,
but my voice didn’t work now.
Soon, the medicine made me drowsy and I no longer
rocked. My body rested lazily against the headboard as Mom cleaned the
scratches on my arms. The memories of Sugar Bum and his club faded into a long
ago nightmare.
Harlow and Mom helped me into the shower to clean up
the mess I’d made. So numb from the medicine, I couldn’t even feel the water on
my skin.
I returned to the bedroom to find Dad had changed my
sheets. He was different now. No longer the monster, he returned to the man who
saved me from a life in foster care. This was the only father I ever knew or
needed.
Sleep didn’t come for a long time. Mom and Dad stayed
with me until Harlow crawled into bed with Cookie Monster. She stared into my
eyes and told me she would keep me safe. I believed her too. Harlow was strong
in ways I wasn’t and she’d saved me before.
Chapter Eighteen ~ Dylan
Already treating Cooper’s office as a club hangout,
Vaughn was like a destructive toddler on a rampage through the construction
site. Judd sat nearby throwing sunflower seeds at his buddy. I could only
pretend not to notice the mess they were making. After all, they were
enforcers.
Nick arrived for his shift to find mayhem. He frowned
at Vaughn juggling metal pipes then glanced at the seed throwing Judd. Finally,
he looked at me
“What’s in this spray bottle?” he asked me.
“Water and maybe a little bleach.”
Nodding, Nick took the bottle and sprayed Vaughn.
“Hey, dickweed,” Vaughn growled.
Judd pointed a finger at the approaching Nick and
shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”
“You want to stay dry then stop making a mess.”
Judd glared. Vaughn glared. Nick only smiled and
pointed the bottle.
“What’s it going to be?”
“Asshole,” Vaughn said, wiping his shirt.
Judd said nothing, continuing to glare. He did stop
throwing seeds though.
Nick walked to me and set down the bottle. “You can’t
let them run all over you. Trust me. My old roommate, Danny Boy, was a fucking
slob until I started spraying him and he finally learned to pick up after
himself.”
“Why spray them though?”
“My first roommate had a cat and it worked on her, so
I figured I’d try it on people.”
Leaning forward, I whispered, “They do kill people for
a living.”
Nick rolled his green eyes. “They won’t kill us. In
the future, feel free
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