TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of sexual abuse.
Giving all three men a heart attack whilst in the water had to be my favorite part of the whole day. I had found a rock at the bottom of the water and held onto it for as long as I could. When I resurfaced, they blew up on me and nearly dragged me out of the water to 'scold' me for making them panic.
Then they kissed me, wrapped me up in a towel, and told me we were going back home because I was planning on killing them.
Now we were up on the balcony, still wet, and shoving food down our throats. I looked out into the horizon, admiring the view.
"Where exactly are we?" I ask, sipping my lemonade. Zachary smiles and leans forward, wiping something off my face before sitting back down.
"Cayman Islands. These are my condos." Zachary said, almost bragging. I chuckle softly, remembering how they mentioned something about condos. It was on that first night we spent together. The night I signed the contract. The night I officially became theirs.
Come to think of it, we never did go through the whole contract. Callan got too needy and couldn't take it anymore. I remember how they looked at me when I said I was a 'virgin'. I had lied, of course, I wasn't a virgin because Joshua had very much taken that from me. But I couldn't tell that to them. And I didn't consent to anything he made me do so technically I was still a virgin.
Until these foolish men went and fucked me brainless.
They knew how to take care of me. In bed and out. I didn't know what I was thinking when I started to doubt staying with them. I have a way better chance of staying safe when I'm with them than when I'm not.
I'm staying with my men.
"They're beautiful." I compliment, smiling at him. I look at all three of them for a moment, wondering how my life went from shit to this. Standing to put away my trash, Atticus grabs my wrist softly, making me put it back down.
"They'll pick up the trash, let's go talk." He murmurs softly, getting up and leading me inside. I started to panic a little, not expecting to have this conversation so soon. He noticed the slight hesitance and stopped, turning to me and smiling softly. His dimples welcomed me with warmth. I relaxed a little, letting him lead me into the room with all the swings and stuff.
He sat on a beanbag, pulling me into his lap. I relax into him, feeling his arms wrap around me.
"What do you want to talk about?" I whisper, feeling him adjust under me to tuck me to his side. He held my thighs on his lap, his arm wrapped around me.
"Everything." He said, breathing in slowly. I tense, not wanting to discuss everything that happened. I didn't want him to think of me differently. I didn't want to run him away again. "Baby, please tell me. I promise you it won't stop me from loving you."
"How would I even start?" I whisper, feeling my hands start to shake. I was starting to sweat cold and my eyes were brimming with tears. Why was this happening now?
"Baby girl, look at me." His finger hooked under my chin and forced me to look at him. He leaned down and kissed me slowly, passionately. The kiss was filled with nothing but love and warmth. "Start wherever you want. I will listen to anything you tell me."
I took a deep breath and began explaining from the start. From how Alek had taken me to how they drugged me. I watched his expression through the whole thing. He was staring off, hatred and anger evident in his eyes. I told him about how Joshua treated me and how I acted like I had Stockholm syndrome.
I had trailed off at some point, the feeling in my chest stopping me from breathing properly. I felt eyes on me. I turn my head over my shoulder, seeing Zachary and Callan start walking in. They sat on the other chairs, looking at me softly.
"I uhm... Can I have a second?" I whisper, feeling my lungs shrink. Atticus helped me up and let me pace the room. I was still a little wet, leaving damp footprints on the floor. "He told me to give him information on the blood angels."
"What did you say?" Zachary asked softly, watching me. I shrug and sigh, running my hands through my hair. I needed to cut it properly.
"I don't know anything about them. I just said a load of bull. I told them you have a base in Costa Rica and that you'd be getting a shipment of substances. Every gang deals with drugs, no?" I ask, looking at them expectantly. I widen my eyes when Callan and Atticus look at each other in shock.
"How the hell do you know about Costa Rica?" Atticus asked in shock. My jaw drops and my heart stops. "It's not a major base but we are getting a shipment of marijuana and morphine."
"I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh, I was just saying stuff! I promise I didn't know anything!" I panic, feeling my bones go stiff and my organs start to fail on me. Zachary jumps up and brings me to his chest, kissing my head softly.
"Hey, we're not mad. We know you didn't know. If they had already infiltrated, we would know. We just need to make one quick call and everything will be okay." He whispers, gently rocking me in his arms.
"Correction, a text." Callan murmured, texting something on his phone. After a few beats, he looks up and smiles at me. "Everything is fine. I promise."
"Are you sure? I didn't mean to give them information." I said worriedly, holding on to Zachary a little tighter. He kissed my forehead softly and pulled me to sit with him. They stay quiet for a bit, letting me calm down before asking me anything else.
I told them about how he hurt me for the information. They were all on edge as I described what he did to me. And what he did before that.
"I... I didn't want it. I swear." I whisper, sniffling from the fresh tears. Atticus puts his head in his hands, making me try desperately to not begin crying again. Callan looked like he was on the verge of bringing Joshua back to life just to kill him again.
Zachary just held me closer, not keeping a tight hold on me so that I could breathe. He whispered reassuring words to me but they went through one ear and out the next. I just wanted to forget about everything and not talk about it again.
It was as if they knew what I was thinking. Atticus stood and walked towards me, gently picking me up out of Zachary's arms and into his. The other two stood and followed behind us. Atticus walked to my room and gently placed me down, placing a small kiss on my forehead.
"How about you go take a shower, and wash off all that sand and saltwater? Then we can all watch a movie of your choice. Yeah?" He says softly, I grab his wrist before he can walk away, frowning.
"Just because I told you all of that doesn't mean I want to be treated any differently." I tell him, making sure to keep my voice firm so that he knows I am serious. He smiles softly and kisses me, nipping my lip playfully.
"Trust me, baby, we'll never treat you any differently than we do now. You'll always be ours. And if any man dares to touch you again, they'll lose their hand." He whispers against my lips, pulling away just a bit to look at me. He smiles softly and turns around, walking out of the room. Before he left, he murmured something to himself but I heard it as clear as day.
"Or a life."