We ventured outside into the clear night sky, stars shining brightly above us, his black sedan waiting at the curb with a blond driver hovering near the open back door. He didn't even look at me, only nodding his head in acknowledgment to Trevor, who obviously knew him quite well. Unveiling his mystery further, Trevor's true identity now revealed itself as one of power and authority. It was a side of him I hadn't seen before and suddenly it seemed as if he had been protecting dark secrets all along.Hell, maybe his father was too. Because there was no way he got this powerful on his own.Over the years, I had tried to avoid him like the plague. But it wasn’t always possible, and the side of him I saw around my mother and his father was different. Now looking at him, I knew how poisonous he really was. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and though others thought him to be so wonderful, I knew he wasn’t.Would I really get into that car and let him do whatever he wished? Would I

VanessaThey say that when you hit rock bottom, the only path is up, but for me, I wasn’t sure how true that actually was. One minute I was happy with a man I enjoyed being around more than anything, and the next minute, I was a prisoner to a man who tormented me for years. My freedom was just outside my grasp, and I was thrown into darkness by a drug-induced coma only to awaken feeling heavier than I had before.My eyes fluttered open slowly, hope filling me that Nash would appear at my side any moment, but instead, I was met with leather chairs and dim lighting. Grogginess once again filtered through my mind, and it didn’t matter which way I tried to move, my entire body felt heavy as if a weighted blanket was placed over me, and I couldn’t get comfortable.With my eyes focused, I took in the overhead storage bins with wall-to-wall cream coloring and a variety of other beige leather seats as well as small tables and men. The same men I had seen with Trevor.Oh god…it was t

“Thank you everyone for coming,” Trevor’s words rang loud and clear across the twelve-seat cherry wood dining table, standing next to me at the head of the table and addressing the men and women that sat around us. I didn’t know who they were, and I didn’t care to.I had tried to stay in the warmth of the shower for as long as I could, avoiding what was going to end up happening once I was finished, but Sophia wouldn’t allow me that luxury. The moment I stepped outside of the bathroom wrapped in a white fluffy towel, she was waiting for me with the most concerned expression on her gaze as she realized I was far from ready.“Tonight, I want to welcome back the woman I have loved for far too long. She was away at school, and now has returned to take her place by my side while I begin the transition with my father to take his place in leadership.”I didn’t have the slightest fucking clue what he was talking about and honestly, I didn’t care. But I was sick and tired of him telling p

When she said he was coming, I had expected the same day. Instead, though, it was two days later and I was no less a captive than I had been the day he took me. Every second that trekked on, part of me was losing hope, but a stronger part of me refused to give up. And as for Sophia, I hadn’t seen her in twenty-four hours. The idea that she may have been caught troubled me. She had been nothing but friendly towards me, but what if someone found out that she was plotting with me to escape?Standing in the sunroom of the large villa, the glass walls and roof let the sunshine down on me. The warmth of its rays tried to light the fire in my heart, but no matter the light I felt empty and alone. Trevor hadn’t tried anything with me since that night on the stairs, but every time I was around him, I had to endure his slow caresses against my back and hips that made me want to tear off my skin.I hated him. More than anything in this world, I wished him dead.He had taken to planning our

Fear and panic filled me as Brady dragged me away from the Villa. Away from the chaos out of the south wall where men in dark green and black suits with masks, eyewear, and guns stood waiting for us. My feet halted me at our approach, but they weren’t interested in us. They stared beyond me, from where we had come with their guns raised ready to attack anyone who followed that was a threat to us leaving.“Brady, stop! What are you doing? We can’t leave him.”He spun to face me; his eyes narrowed as he snatched me by my wrist. “I am keeping you safe, Vanessa. Either you follow me willingly, or I will toss you over my shoulder and carry you the rest of the way. Do you understand me?”Brady had never been serious with me before, at least not like this. And as much as I wanted to protest, I didn’t. I let him pull me behind him to the jagged hillside, down towards a wooden staircase that led to the coast. A coast so black that I could barely see my hand in front of my face, but I put