AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Feebee, honey,” he said in a voice laced with fake adoration.
The creaky mattress dipped as he sat, causing my weight to wobble closer to him and the knife, conveniently pointing my way.
I steadied myself, hating that I had to use his hairy shoulders to do it.
The soup he’d been eating—some horrible dish he and my father always enjoyed—stained his once-white tank top, and he used that dirty tank top to wipe the disgusting soup from his mustache.
“I thought those men had come for you to collect your father’s debt.”
“His debt ended with his life!” I snapped.
“But they could still earn money from you. They still wanted what they were owed.”
“How do you know that?” I wondered aloud.
“Honey.” His hand landed on me, callouses scraping over my bare leg, and I thanked the Gods above that I couldn’t fucking feel it.
But I still felt sick.
“They were coming back. Your value had decreased, but they thought it would be enough to cover what your father owed. No one lives for free.”
“My life cost my father his,” I reminded him, pushing his touch away from my leg. “And the life of another young woman.”
“And a hefty price, which wasn’t paid in full. They told me the debt would be collected, but I didn’t have the kind of money they expected.”
I stared at him with all the hate in the world. His knife edged closer, the blade hitting my knee, piercing the skin as he leaned closer.
The hint of iron in the air pulled Mercer from the closet. He watched in the shadow of the doorway as my uncle confessed his sins.
“You told them they could have me?”
“That’s why I did the things I did. I was preparing your body, but I knew time was running out. I had no idea when they would show up.”
“You were pr-pr-preparing me!” I stuttered, the anxiety in my voice pulling Mercer another step closer.
“I knew the legs would be an issue, but you being a virgin would make you worth more. I knew they were coming, but I didn’t think they would bring you back. I thought you would be sold to some old pervert, and that would be the end of it.”
“For you. But not for me.” I shook my head, looking away from the selfish bastard. It was hard to believe he and my father came from the same cloth...clearly, his half had all the stains.
“You knew they were coming for me, and you didn’t protect me?” I shouldn’t have been surprised, not after what he had done to me. His hand moved to my hip, and I flinched, hating the feel of his touch.
“Get your hands off my girl,” the voice, powered by Mercer’s keyboard and quick fingers, said.
Uncle Sam jumped, the blade pushing deeper into my skin.
Mercer moved around the bed, his feet swallowing the distance between us in three long strides.
Uncle Sam followed him with wide eyes, his neck almost snapping.
Mercer took a seat at my side, close enough for the mattress to pull me from my uncle and lean me into him instead. A grateful breath escaped me, and a deadly smile crawled on Mercer’s face, making him look all the more haunting as he stared with hidden emotions and his rigid body moved toward my uncle.
His fingers wrapped around the blade at my knee, his blood mixing with mine as he guided it from my leg.
“You’re not the one I met before.” Uncle Sam retreated slightly. He seemed uncomfortable.
“Because I wasn’t taken by traffickers.”
“And you never will be,” Mercer promised. “The men in question should already be dead.”
