12 comments/ 48143 views/ 33 favorites Breaking Taylor By: turner28 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2010 by Evelyn Faye Turner All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. Breaking Taylor "Chris, I found her." David shouted as he stuck his gun in the back of his pants and poured himself a drink. I didn't dare move but I tried to watch through the mess that was my hair. I could feel the heat and it felt good not to be cold anymore. The blood had dried on my lip and there were needles of pain in my fingers and feet. David walked over to me and kicked me in the stomach. "Get up. Get to your feet bitch." I rolled in pain but he snatched me by my hair and to my feet before I could protest. Chris was standing in the doorway. Those blue eyes seemed happy to see me. I didn't move or speak. "Well, had a little excitement didn't we?" Chris smiled as he walked over to me. "Are you ready to behave yourself now?" He caressed my face with his hand. I flinched away and David pulled my hair harder. "Let go of me David!" I spit as I tried to free my hair from his hand. "I hate you!" I yelled at Chris." David let me go and I almost fell from the sudden freedom of movement. "You killed an innocent man! Why? Just to hurt me?" I screamed at Chris. "I will NEVER love you. I would rather die than love you!" I was furious at him. I hit him with my fists as hard as I could and he laughed at me. "Phillip is dead and all you do is laugh?" I fell to my knees crying. "Taylor. Phillip is not dead." Chris stated. I dared not believe him. I saw David shoot Phillip. I stared at him waiting for him to speak. "I want you to get cleaned up then we'll talk." Chris reached down to help me up. I jerked away. "Tell me about Phillip. I SAW him get shot. I saw the blood. I saw" Chris put a finger to my lips. "Shhhh. I know what you thought you saw. Let's get you downstairs and cleaned up, and then we'll talk." Chris tried to sound so soothing. He cupped my head in his hands. "I don't want to go downstairs. I never want to go down there again." I cried. "I want to know about Phillip. If he's not dead where is he? What have you done to him?" I sounded desperate. In a way I suppose I was. Phillip had given me hope. I thought he was dead. If he was alive then I had reason to hope again. "He was hit in the arm. I had Simon take him home." Chris softly said. His eyes appeared truthful. He let go of me and I backed away – right into David who was standing behind me and I didn't see him. "I don't believe you." I whispered. I could not move with David behind me and Chris in front of me. "I don't believe you." I could not stop the tears. "You're just saying that so I'll cooperate. I don't believe you!" I screamed. I raised my fists to hit him again but David grabbed my wrists and stopped me. "LET GO OF ME!" I struggled against him. It was useless. David was really like Goliath he was so big. "Take her downstairs and make sure she gets cleaned up. I'll be down later." Chris turned and left the room. I fell against David crying. He held my wrists crossed in front of me. David drug me to the stairs and almost flung me down them. I paid no attention to the specifics of the house, maybe I should have. My only concern was getting away from David before he turned his wrath on me. At the door to my room I stopped and David was right behind me. He shoved me in so forcefully I fell against the bed. By the time I turned around he was locking me in. CHAPTER 3 I was in hell again. Resigned, I went to the bathroom and started the shower. David left, locking me in. Chris had left a dress on the bed for me. He always chose my clothes, when he allowed me to wear any that is. Always dresses, flattering but nothing underneath. His choice of clothing for me provided easy access for them. The simple dresses were made of lightweight material and did nothing to protect from the temperatures. That's probably why he chose them. As the hot water poured over me, I recalled being in the crevice. Why had I fallen asleep? Why didn't I run when I had the chance? Instead of dwelling on that I remembered what I had been dreaming about. ************************************** I was on the floorboard. Ben was talking to Rico asking him not to say anything about me. I felt the car stop and heard Ben get out. He was talking to someone. They laughed and everything sounded ok. Ben said to someone for them to let Rico out. I could barely hear them talking but I could tell things were not going as planned. I heard a gun cock. "You brought someone else here? Ben" A man said. "It wasn't deliberate. She needed help. I couldn't just leave her there. She hasn't seen anything and I'm sure she won't say a word." Ben explained nervously. Someone was coming to the car. The door opened. I felt the barrel of the gun at the back of my head. My heart stopped momentarily. I had just escaped hell only to fall into a new level of it? Terrified of what might happen I listened and did as I was told. "Put your hands where I can see them. Don't look at me. Get out of the car and keep your back turned." A man commanded me. I complied, terrified of what I had just gotten into. Could this be worse than what I had just gotten out of? The gun barrel never left contact with my head. I got out and raised my hands in the air. "She's not a threat to you." Ben said. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a gun pointed at his face. His gun was gone. Rico was laughing. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. "Who is she?" the British accent asked. "She's the Internet queen. You know the one I told you about a few weeks ago." Rico stated. "What are you talking about Rico?" British accent asked again. "There's a website that shows her in all sorts of fun. I think she likes it to tell you the truth." Rico smirked. "Why is she so filthy?" British accent asked. I still had my eyes closed. If I could get out of this it would be a miracle. "She escaped her captors and I found her fleeing from them. That's why she's with me." Ben piped in. "What's your name girl?" British accent asked. The gun poked the back of my head. I was trembling and terrified. "Taylor, sir." I said quietly without opening my eyes. "Please, sir I didn't mean to be here. I just want to go home." "Turn around and look at me." British accent demanded. I did as I was told. The gun still at the back of my head. "Open your eyes." I obeyed. "Please sir, if they find me they'll do terrible things to me." I was interrupted by Rico. "Yeah I love watching you misbehave." He bragged. Rico had the look of a gangster. His head was shaved, he was covered in tattoos and his speech revealed his lack of education. "You're trembling. Why are you so afraid of me?" British accent asked. He was so handsome and his voice so soothing I relaxed a little. "There's a gun to my head." I stated. "I just escaped a man who has held me captive for over a year. I'm afraid he'll find me. All I want is to go home and be safe." I looked down hoping I had not just made the situation worse. "Take her inside and get her a blanket. Get her something to drink as well." He ordered. Then gun was lowered and the man behind me took me in the house. As the door closed I heard arguing. Then I heard a gunshot. I jumped and let out a little scream. The man came from behind me and wrapped a blanket around me. "It's all right ma'am. Please, sit down." He pointed to a couch. Terrified, I followed his direction. He was a large man, not handsome; there were scars on his face. He handed me a glass of bourbon. "This will warm you up." He said as he sat across from me on a chair. "My name is Simon." I was too terrified to speak. I sipped the bourbon as the door opened and the men came in. British accent came over and sat next to me. Rico went into another part of the house. Others stood like sentries around the room. "My name is Phillip. My home is your home. No one will hurt you here." Simon brought him a glass of bourbon. "Simon, please open up Sarah's room and have Maria set out some food for our guest." He looked at me as if this were the most normal thing happening. Simon left. I couldn't speak; I was still trembling from both the cold and the fear. Phillip sipped his drink. I studied his face. His dusty blonde hair framed his face with a days growth of beard that needed shaved. His eyes were a very intense shade of green. I looked down at his hands, they looked soft and gentle. "Don't fret over Ben. He was a dirty cop. He would have left here and taken you right back to where you just left. I couldn't allow that to happen. Right now they don't know where you are. Let's keep it that way." Phillip stood and offered his hand. "Please, come. You can get cleaned up and change clothes." I cautiously took his hand and he led me upstairs. He took me into a very beautiful room with a wall full of windows. He let my hand go and walked to the windows. He closed the drapes. He was very handsome, polite and well dressed. What would he have to do with the likes of someone like Rico I wondered as I watched him cautiously. "This was my ex-wife's room. It is yours while you are here." Phillip opened a door. "This was her closet. There are many clothes still in there and you are about the same size as she was. Choose anything you like." He came back over to me and softly said, "I give you my word that you are safe here. Simon will stay with you to make sure of that. You take care of yourself and I'll come back shortly." His thick British accent was almost hypnotic. I believed him. I watched as he left the room. "I'll wait just outside the door, ma'am. If you need anything just ask. The restroom is just over there." He said as he pointed to a double door across the room by the windows. "Thank you." I said quietly, not sure to make of this situation. I went over to the doors as Simon went out of the room leaving the door open. I could see him standing guard. I felt safe, but what was happening? What would happen? I walked into the bathroom and it took my breath away. It was a suite in itself. A raised garden tub, a separate shower area, a dressing table with an entry to the closet and tons of care items that looked new and unopened. I looked in the closet. It was full of brand new clothes, all designer. I chose a simple pajama outfit and underwear. I haven't worn underwear in so long I've forgotten how they feel. I laid everything on the dressing table and started the shower. I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland I suppose. I had fled hell and fell into a safe haven. Soon I would be home I prayed. After the shower, I dressed and applied some fragrance. I was sitting at the dressing table looking at all of the combs when Phillip appeared behind me. He had tears in his eyes. I chose a comb and lifted it to my hair. "May I?" He asked. "Sarah used to love it when I combed her hair." A tear slowly slid down his cheek as I said nothing but offered him the comb. He was so gentle. He knew how to handle hair and the tangles so they did not pull. I was still terrified, not knowing if I would be captive here or safe. The trembling had finally stopped thankfully. My hair was long so the process took a while. When it was done he laid the comb back on the table and kneeled at my side. He took my hands from my lap into his hands and looked into my eyes. "Rico showed me the website." With that the tears formed in my eyes. "You have nothing to fear in my home. When I think about what they done to you it makes me angry." He looked down then back to me. "You'll be safe here." He still had my hands in his as he stood up. His hands were soft and strong and I wanted to believe him. I knew Chris would stop at nothing to find me. I stood as well. "Are you hungry?" Phillip asked. "Famished actually." I didn't want to let go of his hands. What was it about them that made me believe there was safety here? He took one hand and began across the room. It was then that I realized just how badly I had hurt my feet. I could barely step without wincing. Phillip stopped and looked down questioningly. He scooped me into his arms and carried me to a settee. There he set me gently down and kneeled in front of me. "Let me see." He said as he lifted my foot and examined it. "Simon. Please come in here." He commanded and Simon appeared out of nowhere. "I need the first aid kit and the slippers from Sarah's closet." Simon left to get the items. I must have been in some sort of shock because all I could do was look at him. "You went through hell to get out of there didn't you?" His eyes were still cloudy with tears. "Yes." I whispered. "Why are you helping me?" Why was he helping me when it would have been easier for him just to take me back to Chris and be done with this whole thing? "You know he'll come looking for me." I said as fear edged my voice. "When I first saw you get out of the car, I knew something terrible had happened to you. I knew you needed help and I also knew Ben would not give it to you." Simon returned with the first aid kit and Phillip began attending to the cuts on my feet. "I could see the fear in your eyes. I have never seen anything so intense in my life.." I winced as he applied the antiseptic and iodine. "Rico showed me the website. There is nothing live at the moment, but he pulled up the archives." He wrapped gauze around my feet tenderly. "I saw that man, I saw you shoot him and how terrified you were." He slipped my foot into a slipper and began treating my right foot. "How long were you there before you escaped?" I didn't know how to answer. I just realized that I had no idea how long I'd been there. I didn't even know where "there" was. I answered honestly and timidly. "I don't know. When he took me it was summer. It seems like I've been there forever." I looked away, ashamed that he had seen what I had endured. "I'll have Chip look at the time stamps and see if we can clear up some of that for you, ok?" Phillip assured as he began wrapping my foot. "Who's Chip?" I felt a little more at ease. Conversation is nothing to be afraid of. "Chip is my computer genius on staff. He designed the security system here and can do just about anything with a computer." He gently slipped my foot into the slipper. "I think it might be best to stay off those for a few days. I'll have your meals brought up to you." He turned to Simon and said, "Have Maria bring her a tray." Simon left. Phillip turned back to me. "You should come to see Chip first though." He looked a little angry. "Tell me about the implants he put in you." I could feel my face turn red. How did he know about those? "How?" I began. He put a finger to my lips. "It's on that horrid website. I saw how he implanted them. I saw the demonstration. It's so cruel!" He declared. "I don't recall him putting them in. I woke up in a basement room that had been made into an exam room. Chris was there and explained the implants to me. He demonstrated them. It was very painful. I can tell you they work at a distance but I don't know the range." I said slowly. Phillip stood and picked me up. "Let's see what Chip can do about them." He carried me out of the room and to a small elevator. We rode it to the first floor and went into a remote part of the house. Simon was there. Phillip placed me on a chair. "Taylor, this is Chip." He introduced us. Chip was a typical computer geek. Glasses, skinny and surrounded by computers. "Nice to meet you." He said barely looking at me. "Someone is coming up the drive." He said to Phillip. I could feel the fear creeping up my spine. It was Chris. I knew it was. Phillip saw my fear and came to me. "I give you my word that he will never know that you're here." Phillip assured me. I began trembling. How could all of this have happened in one day? I got away. I was safe. How could Chris come and take me away now? I did not want to go back. I watched the monitor as the car crept up the long and winding driveway. It didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. "If he, if he activates the implants he'll, he'll know I'm here." I stammered. I saw the car on the security monitor. It still had a way to come before arriving. "Well then, Chip I think you have your work cut out for you. We can't remove them but maybe you can deactivate them. I must go and meet him. I'll return as soon as I can." Phillip stood up to leave. "Simon, don't leave her. Shoot him if you have to but do not allow her to be harmed." And Phillip left. "Yes sir." Simon looked back at me. Chip was pecking away at his keyboard. "What can we do Chip?" "Well, first I am going to isolate the frequency and try to override the programming. It'll take a few minutes." Chip never looked up. "Simon." I said with a little urgency. "Yes" he squatted in front of me and looked at me with concern in his eyes. "If he gets close enough to activate the implants I'll need your help." Tears formed in my eyes. "They're very painful. I won't be able to keep from crying out. I'll need your help to," I wiped away a tear from my cheek. "Keep quiet. He can't hear me. Please don't let him hear me. Promise me that you will do whatever you have to, to keep me quiet." I was crying. I was scared that Chris would find me. I wanted to believe that Chip could help and Simon could protect me but it was difficult. I feared what Chris would do if he found me here. "It won't come to that." Simon did not sound so sure. "Promise me. If he finds me...," I couldn't finish I was sobbing too hard. "Whatever it takes. You have my word." Simon stood up and went to Chip. "How's it going?" "It hasn't located the frequency yet. We may have to wait for it to go live. I have located a frequency coming from the car in the driveway and I'm trying to isolate it." Chip kept pecking away at his keyboard. "Any idea what the range of the device is?" "THIS CLOSE!" I shouted as I felt the first sting of the implants. "Noooooooo. Please!" I took a deep breath, "Simon, the closer he gets the worse it will get. Do whatever it takes please don't let him find me I beg you." Tears coursed down my face from the pain as I watched him. "You have my word that he'll never know you are here." He turned to Chip. "Can you stop them?" He said with urgency. He appeared almost frantic. Chip came over and pointed something at me. I was too busy taking deep breaths to fight the pain to care. I closed my eyes and prayed. "Where is he now?" I heard Simon ask. "In the house." Chip responded still typing. "Damn I can't get a lock on the implants." "Try harder." Simon urged. "Simon. Simon. It's time. He's closer. It hurts." I was biting my lip to keep from crying out. My hands were clenching the chair arms so tight my knuckles were white. My nipples felt like a knife was being run into them. My vagina felt worse. I felt Simon take my hand. "Here squeeze my hand." He offered a handkerchief for me to bite on. I took it and bit hard. I was groaning in pain. "SHIT!" Chip exclaimed and rushed to a wall where a door opened. "In here quick, they're coming down the hall!" Simon carried me in and laid me on the floor. Chip left and the door closed. I could hear Phillip and Chris talking to Chip. The pain increased. Simon put his hand over my mouth. "Shhh." He whispered. "I'm sorry to do this but he's right outside. Shhh. I wish I could make it better." He looked like he was about to cry. The pain was so intense I was writhing on the floor. Simon was doing his best to keep me quiet. I could hear nothing. All I was aware of was the pain. When I thought I was going to pass out it just stopped. My body went slack. I hadn't noticed that I was sweating. Simon took the hanky from my mouth. "Are you ok?" He whispered urgently. I was so exhausted that I couldn't speak. I tried to nod but I am not sure if I actually did. He kept his word I thought thankfully and passed out. CHAPTER 4 Back to reality. I shut the water off and got out of the shower. As I dried off I wondered what Chris would do to me. I went to the dressing table where Chris had left a pretty, light blue, poet's dress. In any other setting the dress would have been romantic. It looked vulgar here. I put it on and sat down to comb my hair. I remembered how gentle Phillip had combed my hair and sighed. Would I ever get out of here? Was I doomed to be Chris's play thing forever? Before I got up the door opened. It was Chris. He looked serious and angry. How I hated him now. He had changed so much and I hated being anywhere near him. Breaking Taylor "You know there has to be punishment for what you did." He looked stern at me. He had those damn zip ties in his hand. I loathed those zip ties. I found it hard to believe that something as simple as a piece of plastic could so effectively bind me. "What did I do wrong? You lock me up and it's only natural for me to want freedom. I hate it here!" I spat at him. "You may keep me here. You may do terrible things to me. But I will NEVER love you." I smiled defiantly. Instantly I realized I shouldn't have. He slapped me hard across the face knocking me to the floor. "Maybe not. But you'll always be mine." He sneered and grabbed my wrists. I did not struggle. What was the point. He would do to me what he wanted whether I fought or not. He used the zip ties to secure a short chain between my wrists. He secured it to the "bracelets" they had made for me. He did the same to my ankles. The chain between my wrists was about a foot long, the one between my ankles a little longer. Both made moving difficult. "You'll wear these until you can prove me to me that your running days are over." He took the chain between my wrists and pulled me to my feet. "I hate you." I stated angrily. I pulled away from him. "I have a surprise for you. So you can see I didn't lie to you Phillip will be online shortly and you can chat with him. I'm not uncaring. I know he means something to you. I will not be back tonight. Rest, you have a long day tomorrow." With that he left and locked the door behind him. I was angry. I hate the restraints. They make me feel so helpless. I hated the zip ties worse. He made sure there was nothing I could use to cut them off. I looked at the computer, then to all the cameras around the room and wondered if the site was live again. I sat at the chair in front of the computer and waited. There were times I wished that computer didn't exist. Chris fed everything that happened to me to the Internet. People viewing his horrid website could see everything. Sometimes Chris allowed viewers to chat. I never replied to the chat windows that came up on the screen. They had no care about me so I had nothing to say to them. I often wondered why no one had traced the IP address and came for me. It wasn't long and the chat window popped up. I could see Phillip. He looked tired. "Taylor. Oh Taylor I was so worried about you. Are you all right?" How that accent soothed me. "I'm all right. Are you? I saw you get shot." I was so relieved he was talking to me. "I couldn't find the gate. I think I went the wrong way." I wanted to pour my heart out to him. "It's ok. It just grazed me. Nothing serious. A few aspirin and a band aid fixed it right up." He paused and looked at me intently. "Do you remember the movie we watched? The one you liked so well?" He asked seriously. "I think so." I tried to remember, we had watched quite a few. "The one we watched over and over again." He went on. "Yes." I did remember. "Why?" "Do you trust me?" He asked. "You know I do." I was concerned. Something was wrong. "I will come for you." He said simply. Then I understood. In the movie the hero said that to his love. Even death did not stop him. His friends brought him back to life and he came for her. I smiled, understanding what he meant. "I will never doubt again." I quoted from the movie. He relaxed and smiled. "Good. No matter what happens remember that. I want to tell you something." He seemed to shy a little. It was something I liked about him. Before he could say anything else the door to my room opened. I turned to see who it was. Ice went down my spine. It was David. I couldn't move. The very sight of him could stop my heart at times.He looked so angry. He looked at my hands and smiled. "You know, out in the woods, do you know how I saw you?" He grinned and secured the door behind him. "I don't know." It was almost inaudible. I really didn't want him to be there and wondered why he was. "Your bracelets. I saw the sun glint off them. Do you remember what I told you?" He walked toward me. I tried to stand up and move away but only tripped over the chain and fell to the floor. "I told you Chris would be the least of your worries. Did you understand what I meant?" He reached down and snatched my hair pulling me to my feet, forcing me to look him in the face. I could hear Phillip on the computer pleading with David but I was so terrified that I couldn't speak. "Well, did you understand me?" He demanded. "You're hurting me David. Please let go." I asked timidly fearing the consequences of upsetting him. Surprisingly, he let go. I noticed he had a gun on his belt. He saw me looking at it and smiled. "You'll never get a chance. Why do you think you're restrained? You think that was Chris's idea?" He was laughing. "I told you Chris isn't running this show anymore. I am. Chris can't control you. It's time you learned why you're really here." He lunged toward me. I tried to move away but the chains stopped me. He shoved me to the floor face down. I struggled but could do nothing because of the chains. He threw up the skirt. "David no please no. Don't do this. Please God don't do this. David please." I begged as I cried. I tried to fight him. I couldn't even pull my legs up; the chains prevented me from doing anything to protect myself. Still I fought him. He grabbed my hips and entered me. I screamed and struggled. I tried to reach for the chair, not knowing what I could do but I tried anyway. He took the chain between my wrists and pinned it to the floor. "Please stop David you're hurting me." I pleaded. He moaned and thrust harder. It hurt so much. It felt like he tore me open. I could feel the warmth of blood between my legs. Still I fought him. I heard the door open. It was Chris and he was pissed. "David get off her this instant." Chris demanded. David stopped, turned and never said a word. A gun went off and Chris fell. All I could do was scream. David still had me pinned to the floor with his weight. The gunshot had my ears ringing. Then he turned back to me. He leaned close to me ear. "Now do you believe me?" He sneered and entered me again. I was so terrified I stopped struggling and just cried. It seemed to last forever. I didn't even hear Chris leaving. When David was done he stood up but didn't leave. "Your training begins tomorrow. Get some rest." He left me laying there. I was crying, my ears were still ringing and I heard someone calling my name. It was Phillip. I had forgotten he was on the computer. I realized he must have witnessed everything. It hurt so bad I could barely move. "You're bleeding." Phillip said. I could tell he was crying. "It hurts." I said. I didn't want to look at him. I felt ashamed, like I should have done something to stop it, but what could I do? "I'm sorry you had to see that." I managed to set the chair back up and sit down in it. Pain shot through me and I winced. "I will come for you." Phillip said firmly and the computer went dead. I put my face in my hands and cried. How could he come for me when David had taken over? Chris was a vacation compared to David. I cried on the keyboard until I fell asleep. Once again I was back at Phillip's house. ********************************* "Is she all right?" I heard someone say through the fog of my brain. I was waking up, but where was I? The last thing I recalled was being in pain in a room behind Chip's computers. I fought to open my eyes but realized a damp towel was over them. I reached up and slid it off and tried to sit up. "What, what happened?" I couldn't sit up it made me dizzy. So I lay back on the pillow. I realized I was in Sarah's bed. Phillip was standing over me looking relieved. "You fainted. Simon brought you up here after Chris left." Phillip took the towel and gently wiped sweat from my face. "Chip." I could barely talk. "Did he.." "He couldn't deactivate the implants so he deactivated the remote. Are you all right?" Phillip placed his hand against my cheek. It was as soft as it looked. I had not experienced tenderness for so long it felt reassuring that someone really did care. "Thank you." I was beginning to clear the fog out of my head. "He's gone?" "Yes. I'm pretty sure he's convinced that you're not here." Phillip was sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were so beautiful and he looked so concerned. But somehow I couldn't bring myself to trust him or any other man for that matter. "We must leave, get away from here. Send the police to arrest him." I wanted to sit up, I wanted to leave and get far away from Chris. "Slow down. If we leave now he'll know something and he will follow. We'll wait a bit. Make everything normal so he won't be suspicious." Phillip made sense. I worried about what might happen if he came back. "What should we do?" I asked as I sat up. "Well, for starters, you should stay away from the windows. I've had all of the drapes closed so that you should be able to move around the house without being seen from the outside." Phillip stood. "I also had Maria make you some dinner. Please eat something and get some rest. Things will look better tomorrow." Phillip walked to the door and turned back to me. "I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. We'll talk tomorrow." He left the room. A few minutes later a young woman brought a tray of food in. She set the food on a small table and waited. "Can I get you anything else ma'am?" She was so professional and pretty. "No thank you. I'm fine now." I walked to the table and sat down. She uncovered the food and served it. "How long have you worked for Phillip?" I asked her. "All my life. My mother works here. I learned from her to care for the house. Mother is his personal assistant now." She explained as she poured some wine in the glass. "What kind of man is he?" I wondered out loud as I began eating. I was starving. "Mr. Phillip?" Maria said as she set the wine down. "He's a good man. Honorable. He'll take good care of you. You can trust him." "Tell me about Sarah. Phillip said she is his ex-wife. Why did she leave?" I wanted conversation desperately. I had not spoken to another woman in a long time. "Ms. Sarah. She died in childbirth. Mr. Phillip is a widower. He has kept this room like a shrine to her since she passed about six years ago." Maria seemed to relax a little. "Died? What about the child?" I asked then took a bite of the most delicious meat I had ever tasted. "Stillborn. It broke his heart. Mr. Phillip has rarely been out of this house since. He's been a recluse. He runs his business from the office downstairs but never leaves the house. It's a good thing you came. I haven't seen him with such purpose in many years." She elaborated. "Mr. Phillip and Ms Sarah had problems before the child came. I don't know the extent, but things were bad. Ms Sarah kept threatening to leave but her pregnancy was riddled with problems and she was confined to her bed. Mr. Phillip took such good care of her. But he was never enough for her. When the baby came it was like he died that day too. When you came it's like he's alive again." She smiled. "The food was delicious. Thank you." I complimented as she began clearing the dishes. "I think I should try to rest. Can we talk some more tomorrow?" I inquired. "Yes ma'am. Have a good night." She took the dishes and left, closing the double door behind her. I went back to the bed and crawled under the covers exhausted. I did feel safe and secure here. Sleep came quickly. CHAPTER 5 ************************************** Someone was touching me. Caressing my face. I shook my head and looked around. My eyes were blurry from the crying. It was Chris. "Stop it. Just stop." I said as I shook my head. "Leave me alone." He took his hand away and looked at me. He looked defeated as he sat down on the settee. As handsome as he was I no longer fell victim to his charms. I knew his viciousness and prepared myself for it. "What the hell is going on here? What training was David talking about?" I was furious at Chris. "Why didn't you stop him from hurting me?" I was the demanding one now. "It was never supposed to involve you." He looked down. "When David brought you I changed the plan. He broke the rules and you are paying the price." Chris looked as if he were about to cry. He was obviously in pain but I didn't care. "What are you talking about? You need to explain because David is a loose cannon and he'll kill me if I don't know what the hell is going on." I spat at him. "And take these chains off I hate them." I thrust my hands out to him. He ignored my request but did start talking. I rested my hands in my lap and let him talk. Maybe he would explain what David was talking about. Maybe he would finally tell me something I could use to get myself out of here for good. "For many years now David and I have been partners in business. We find and train slaves." He paused. "Love slaves." He looked at me seeing that I was confused he went on. "Our business is very successful. David acquires the women and does most of the training. I handle the auctions and private sales. We ran the good guy, bad guy routine. He was the bad. I was the good. It worked. We successfully trained dozens of women. We sold them overseas for millions. One day he went out. He said he was going to try a different class of woman. He came back with you." He stood and walked across the room "Why me? How did he even know about me?" I was stunned. Why had I been targeted for this? "I have pictures of you everywhere. I had no idea he had been tracking you for months. We had agreed to stick to prostitutes and homeless women. He changed the game." Chris sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "This room was created for you. No other woman has been in this room. We have had to move several times to avoid detection. When we bought this place you were all ready ours. I designed this room for your comfort. He made changes to the plans without consulting me." He sounded sad, regretful. How could I feel sorry for him? It was his fault I was here. But something was dawning on me. Something that terrified me more than being stuck here. Something that would be done to me during this training. "You act like I should be grateful to you. Why? I never asked to be brought here. All I want is to go home and leave this place forever." I stated angrily. "Do you even remember how you were taken?" Chris looked at me. It took me off guard. It had been so long and I had not thought about it for a long time. "I remember walking in the park. It was July and very warm." I concentrated, trying to recall everything about that day. "Someone was behind me. I didn't look back I just walked on trying to enjoy the day. It was very quiet. No one else was around. I remember an arm going around my neck and a cloth put over my face. I woke up tied to a bed blindfolded and gagged." I remembered the fear. The men in masks. The rapes. Every painful detail. "That was almost a year ago." Chris commented. "A year? I've been here that long? Where you ever planning on letting me go?" I stammered. Where had the time gone? Was anyone still looking for me or did they assume I was dead? "Do you even remember the move to this house?" He inquired. "No, not really. I remember falling asleep in that hell hole and waking up in this one. That's about it." I had no clue where he was going with this. "When he brought you I was pissed. We argued. He had agreed to let you go but by then you had all ready woke up and it was too late. No one was supposed to touch you except me. That way I could control what happened to you. I knew you would never be trained and I expressed that to David. He insisted that you would. However, you would not be sold. He was going to train you as his personal slave." He took a deep breath but went on. "I know I have been an ass and I'm sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you. But I had to do what I did to keep David away from you." He stood up and walked to the dressing table, looking in the mirror. "You want me to believe that you have tormented me for nearly a year to protect me?" I was shocked. How could he justify that? I wanted to throttle him but could not find the strength to move. I was suspicious of everything he said. Chris had a history of lying to me and I could tell some of what he was telling me was not the entire truth. "I tried to find a way to get you out of here. I knew he never wanted you outside. It was my plan that you escape that day. I waited until he was working on the security and then took you out. The call was faked. It had to appear real to David. I still don't know how he found you." Chris seemed sincere, very sincere and it scared me. "Why are you telling me this now?" I didn't know what else to say. There were a thousand questions I wanted to ask him but could not find the words. "I no longer control the operation. Things are going to get bad. Real bad. If he gets upset he'll kill you and I don't want that to happen. You have to do whatever you can to cooperate with him so he doesn't kill you." Chris looked very serious. He was staring at me. "I am sorry this has happened and I will do what I can to make it right." He actually had tears in his eyes! I stood up. I was shaking with anger. "Let me get this straight. For over almost a year now I have been your personal play toy. You say you tormented me to keep me safe from David. All of the times you could have shown compassion, you didn't. How many times could you have let me go? How many times have I been raped, sometimes very brutally? Twice today alone! YOU put me in a position that caused a woman to be killed because I didn't believe you would go through with it. YOU control those horrible implants. WHY would you cause me so much pain if you were trying to protect me?" I screamed at him. I crossed the room and struck him as hard as I could. "Now you tell me I am in danger from David and there's nothing you can do to protect me? Kill him just like you did those women who did not cooperate. Stop him from hurting me. Just what does he have in mind anyway?" I demanded as I backed away and leaned on the bed. "He is going to train you. If you cooperate with him it won't be so bad. But he has a price for disobedience. He will make you wish you were dead. You would probably welcome death if he does to you what I have seen him do to the other women." Chris sat down at the dressing table. He looked distant and far away. "How many women failed his training?" I whispered. "Too many. Their deaths were not quick either. He made them slow and painful. They suffered terribly." Chris was crying. I became irate. What right did he have to feel bad about what he has done? "Just how long did you think he was going to wait before he did as he pleased with me?" I was not sure I wanted to hear what came next. "I had him acquire other women. That kept him busy for a time. He began to get interested in you when he set up the cameras and created the website. He watched for hours. He had the men come in and torment you just so he could watch you fight. He admires your spirit and he swears he will break you. He will. If he can't he'll kill you. I know you and you're too strong willed to allow him to break you. But if you don't do as he says he'll hurt you and I can't stand to let that happen." He sighed again. "If you didn't want that to happen then you should have let me go a long time ago." I stood up and walked around the room, hobbled really. I was beginning to make some sense of this I thought. "I see what's going on. You are trying the good guy, bad guy routine with me. David is a dead shot. If he wanted you dead you would be. I saw him shoot Lucas between the eyes and he never hesitated or flinched. He didn't kill you because this is some sort of sick plan. I don't know what you hope to accomplish from it but whatever it is I am not buying into this crap!" I was screaming at him. "Take these chains off me!" Again I went to him to see if he would.