Chapter 5

Bulldog stood before Abby. He ran his hand down her cheek, loving how she turned into the touch. "Are you sure this is what you want? I'll try to be as respectful towards you and your body as possible. I need to know that you're comfortable being with me."

Abby visibly took a deep breath and shakily let it out. Despite her nerves, she nodded, "Please, José. I need it to be you."

Bulldog's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. He was just as nervous as she was. "All right. Let's do this."

When Abby had asked for his assistance showering, Bulldog's mind had immediately blanked but for the image of the two of them intimately embraced beneath the spray with steam all around them. He was man enough to admit that—if only to himself. Though malnourished and extremely thin, except for her pregnant belly, Abby had a natural beauty about her that Bulldog had always found enthralling.

However, he'd quickly brought himself back to his senses. Abby was asking for his help, not to have sex with him.

Bulldog was still trying to figure out the logistics of how to assist her in the shower without seeing anything, or as little as possible at least. First step was to make her as comfortable as possible, and that meant keeping himself covered.

The Via Daemonia's clubhouse was a great place to hang out, especially during the summer. Even on the hottest days of the year, the shade and the metal roof made the interior cool enough to keep the doors open and allow for natural airflow. The outdoor pavilion area, equipped with a bar, grill, firepit, and picnic tables, was a great place to gather for parties. Certain types of parties prohibited children and club family members from attending. Those events tended to be raunchy and explicit. Bulldog himself had partaken in many of them over the six years he'd been a member of the club.

However, the family-friendly parties were his favorite. There was even a swimming hole to the left of the clubhouse where kids and adults alike could jump in and keep cool during the warm weather.

Bulldog held the title as Cannonball Champion. According to Scotty, he made the biggest splashes, "like a tsunami".

Generally, Bulldog kept his swim trunks at his room in the clubhouse for those summer parties and cannonball competitions. At the end of last summer, Bulldog had decided to clean out his apartment room. He rarely used it, except for sex, and the sight of it was beginning to churn his stomach. All the clothes he kept there, including his swim trunks, were brought back to the house to be washed or discarded if necessary. Carlos had even congratulated him for cleaning out his "sex room", a term Carlos thankfully did not use in front of their mother.

Bulldog was extremely grateful for cleaning out his sex room, because it meant his swim trunks were in his bedroom instead of at the clubhouse.

Except he'd realized his error as soon as he'd returned to his bedroom wearing only his swim trunks. While wet jeans certainly were not ideal, at least the jeans would somewhat hide the erection he felt starting to grow at the sight before him.

Abby was sitting up in bed. Her long hair was draped over one shoulder. She had her head back, taking in the sunlight coming through the window. Her arms were wrapped around her baby belly in a maternal pose as old as time. He'd never realized he had a thing for pregnant women until he'd seen Abby like this.

If it wasn't for the bruises marring her skin, Bulldog would have described the scene as ethereal.

He gently cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her but also needing to break the trance he'd found himself in. He really needed to get that cowbell ordered.

Abby looked over her shoulder. Her eyes trailed down his chest to his legs to his toes. He'd put a white undershirt on along with his swim trunks to cover the tattoo on his chest he wasn't ready for her to see yet. For reasons unknown to him, she stared at his toes for several moments before lifting her eyes back up to his face.

"I tried to stand and nearly fell over," she admitted to him. "I thought it was safer to stay here and wait for you to return."

Bulldog didn't like hearing she'd nearly fallen. "Because of the baby? Do you have balance issues?"

She shook her head, tipping her chin up as he approached her. "Only when I move too fast, which I was not this time. Tessa said I might have dizzy spells with my concussion. I believe that was what this was."

"You've also barely eaten today. I don't want you pushing yourself too hard. You have a lot of healing to do plus you're growing a baby. Let your body heal. I can carry you." To ease the tension in the room, Bulldog did an exaggerated couple of arm poses that flexed and showed off his muscles. While she didn't smile, her eyes did light up.

He'd take it as a victory all the same.

* * *

After some interestingfinagling while keeping his eyes clamped closed, Bulldog found himself sitting in the bathtub with his long legs spread as wide as the tub walls would allow. Abby was naked with a bath towel tucked under her armpits to cover her breasts and another draped over her lap, sitting between his knees. Per his mother's instructions, he was applying conditioner to her hair before she started her shower. Initially, they'd tried with her sitting on the toilet seat, but it was too cramped for him to maneuver.

Folded on the bathroom counter was a pile of Tessa's old maternity clothes. Abby's dress, which upon closer inspection Bulldog realized was handmade and not store bought, was lying in a heap by the door ready to be discarded. It didn't skip his notice that she had no bra.

Though he hadn't looked as she'd gotten herself covered by the towels, Bulldog's eyes had been open ever since. He didn't like how emaciated her body was. Her shoulder blades, collar bones, and spine were all prominent around the towels. Bulldog could make out marks that appeared older than her current injuries. In addition to her bruises, various scrapes and cuts were scattered all over her body, especially the backs of her shoulders and her elbows.

Before getting Abby from the bedroom into the bathroom, Bulldog had gone into the living room to discuss with Jenna and his mom how best to wash Abby's greasy, matted hair. Other than cutting it off, both suggested a conditioner bath prior to her shower.

Then they had to explain what a conditioner bath was to him.

Bulldog was not so oblivious that he didn't miss the women's shared glances or the smirks both wore as they spoke to him. Even Steel, who was sitting by the fireplace in Bulldog's La-Z Boy chair with his eyes closed and Caleb asleep in his arms, looked to be fighting a smile.

Then, because the universe decided to punish him for some unknown reason, Carlos walked through the front door to see Bulldog standing in the living room in his swim trunks and undershirt. He made no such effort to hide his shit-eating grin. "I have a snorkel and fins if you need it."

Bulldog gave Carlos the middle finger, for which his mother slapped his arm for and scolded him for not being nice to his brother. Bulldog informed her in Italian that he hadn't been nice first.

When Carlos announced he was heading into the kitchen for a meal—he tried to go home for meals as much as possible to spend time with their mom during his long shifts—Lila also claimed she was hungry, and Cassie soon followed the sentiment.

Bulldog went back to Abby to avoid the total annihilation of his kitchen. He was going to need to go grocery shopping soon. Lila and Cassie were on their fifth meal of the day.

After their failure with Abby seated on the toilet, Bulldog had made the suggestion of her sitting in the tub with him outside the tub. It had been Abby who said it would be easier if he was seated behind her with room to move her hair without fighting with the edge of the tub, so into the tub Bulldog went. He grabbed the conditioner Jenna had in the bag of supplies she'd brought and started applying it to sections of Abby's hair. It had a relaxing, flowery scent to it. All the while thinking of a math teaser Scotty had given him almost a month ago and he had yet to figure out. Scotty had said it was easy, but only a few of the members had been able to figure it out.

Three guests check into a hotel room. The manager says the bill is thirty dollars, so each guest pays ten. Later the manager realizes the bill should only have been twenty-five dollars. To rectify this, he gives the bellhop five dollars as five one-dollar bills to return to the guests.

On the way to the guests' room to refund the money, the bellhop realizes that he cannot equally divide the five one-dollar bills among the three guests. As the guests are not aware of the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest one dollar back and keep two dollars as a tip for himself and proceeds to do so.

As each guest got one dollar back, each guest only paid nine dollars, bringing the total paid to twenty-seven dollars. The bellhop kept two dollars, which when added to the twenty-seven, comes to twenty-nine dollars. So if the guests originally handed over thirty dollars, what happened to the remaining one dollar?

Bulldog considered himself to be a smart man, but he was still stumped. Scotty, finding it hilarious that he'd been able to confuse so many of his uncles, had announced that he was not telling them how to solve the puzzle. Each of them had to figure it out and whisper the answer to him. And if any of them used Google, he'd be very disappointed in them and withhold future nose-kisses for a year.

Unsurprisingly, no one had dared defy the kid.

Keys had been the only one to whisper the answer to Scotty that first day. However, Bulldog had caught Scar slip Scotty a piece of paper later on too.

He'd been concentrating so hard on the math riddle in order to keep his mind off of the fact that Abby was sitting naked before him in a bathtub, it took him a moment to realize she'd spoken. "I'm sorry, what?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder as if she wasn't sure why he hadn't heard her the first time. "I wanted to thank you for helping me."

"I told you earlier that you never have to thank me for helping you." He held a knot between his palms and gently rubbed the conditioner into it.

"I do," she corrected him.

Rather than arguing, he asked, "Why is your hair so long? Cassie's and Lila's are long for their ages too. Why not cut them?"

Abby let out a derisive snort. "Women are not permitted to cut their hair." Her tone was snarky.

Bulldog fought to keep the anger out of his voice. "Red, I'll go get the scissors right now if that's what you want."

She looked over her shoulder with wide eyes. He dropped his hands from her hair. "Really?"

He smiled widely at her. "Hell yeah. I can't guarantee it'll be pretty, but it'll certainly be shorter."

"Yes, please!"

Rather than get up or move her again, Bulldog texted his mom very specific instructions that only she could bring him the requested scissors. The shaving kit that his mom and he used for their own heads would not work on Abby's long hair. And he would not allow Carlos or Steel to see Abby like this.

Louisa thankfully kept her face blank, and her lips sealed as she brought in the kitchen scissors. Likely she was saving her numerous questions for later when she could get Bulldog alone. The woman was a master at cornering her sons and getting them to confess things they didn't even know they needed to confess. That hadn't changed just because her sons were now grown.

Now armed with scissors, Bulldog looked back at Abby. "How short do you want your hair?" Her eyes landed on his bald head and Bulldog let out a laugh. "Not happening, Red. I'm leaving some hair on your head. We'll cut it so we can more easily wash it and then I'll take you to a salon to have it professionally styled. Okay?"

She nodded eagerly. "Maybe to my shoulders?"

Since her hair was currently past her butt, that was a good two feet of hair he was about to chop off. "Are you sure you want to do this? I am more than happy to continue giving you a conditioner bath."

"I want this." Abby met his eyes, and Bulldog believed her.

"All right." Bulldog indicated for her to turn around again. "Just remember, I can't glue it back on once it's cut."

"Perhaps we can make you a wig with it. Your head must be cold."

"Hardy-har-har. Behave, Red, or I'll turn you over my knee."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bulldog stiffened. Shit, he was so stupid. Why would he say something like that? Of what little he knew about what she'd been through, of course she'd take it as a threat. She'd already had one panic attack, and he just went and?—

Abby turned her face to look at him over her right shoulder…and smiled.

Bulldog about lost his breath and sanity. Christ, she was beautiful. Her smile was radiant and made her eyes sparkle like emeralds. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest and no amount of math problems could stop his body's reaction to her.

He wanted to kiss her. Claim her. Own her. Fuck her.

Bulldog didn't know what expression she saw on his face, or even if she understood the heat in his eyes directed only at her. She ducked her head down, a blush spreading across her bruised cheeks.

Slowly, so she saw it coming, Bulldog reached his right hand forward and tilted her head back towards him. "You should do that more often, you know."

She blinked, not understanding. "What?"

"Smile. Red, it lights up your whole face and makes you look like an angel." Carefully he rubbed his thumb down her lips, conscientious of the cut there. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."

Her cheeks darkened even more, but another smile appeared. Bulldog smiled back and then twirled his finger in front of her face. Silence fell between them as he started to cut her hair.

* * *

The one thingBulldog hadn't considered upon offering to cut her hair was where to put her hair after it was cut. The long, knotted strands were everywhere. His legs and the bathtub were covered in them. Since he didn't want to pause halfway through, Bulldog continued until Abby's ginger hair lay just above her shoulders. Bulldog was impressed at how even the ends of her hair looked and patted himself on the back for a job well done.

Then he texted his mom for a kitchen trash bag.

Bulldog brushed off any loose hair off Abby and her towel. He placed her on the closed toilet seat so he could clean out the tub.

"My head feels lighter," she said, breaking the silence.

Bulldog lifted the trash bag full of her hair. "It should. Pretty sure this weighs as much as you do." She beamed at him, and Bulldog's breath caught. Christ, this woman was going to be the death of him. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to put this outside the door and then we'll get you washed up."

"Should I sit in the tub again?"

Bulldog made sure his brother or Steel wasn't in the hall before he opened the door to place the bag of hair against the wall. He'd throw it in the trash outside later; he didn't want to leave her to do it now. Turning back towards Abby, he looked between her and the tub. "I think it'll be safest."

This time Bulldog remained outside of the tub. He sat on the floor on his knees while she sat against the long side of the tub. The towel would get soaked, which was fine, and it would continue to give her a sense of modesty. He brought down the showerhead, grateful for the long hose. He had Abby test the temperature of the water under the faucet first before he turned the water on for the showerhead. Gently, he rubbed his right hand through her newly cut hair while his left held the water over her.

"Can you tell me about the letter?" Bulldog poured a dollop of shampoo into his palm. "You don't have to. I was already at basic when my mom forwarded it to me."

Abby dropped her chin towards her chest as she admitted, "My dad was furious when he got your final letter. He'd already taken my phone. I knew you were calling and texting multiple times a day because I heard my parents talking about it before they decided to destroy my phone." She let out a small sob. "I was more upset about losing all our pictures than I was about being locked in my bedroom."

"I still have everything," he admitted. "Mom kept the box while I was deployed, but as soon as I'd retired, she handed it right back to me. Never even questioned my sanity for holding onto a stuffed panda for a decade either."

Abby giggled, making her shoulders shake. "Can't believe you still have Po." He'd won the panda for her when their class had gone to the county fair on a field trip their junior year. Knowing her parents would never allow her to keep it, Bulldog had kept it in his bedroom for her.

"Most of our pictures are in that box. You're welcome to go through it."

"I'd love that."

Bulldog was still massaging her head but she didn't continue. "The letter?" he prompted.

Abby took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "They knew how much we meant to each other. They thought you'd move on from me on your own when we left." Bulldog snorted. He hadn't moved on, even after receiving a letter that she had sent. "They were getting ready to move us again. Never thought I'd miss being locked in the same room for weeks on end, but I had no idea how deeply my parents had fallen."

Bulldog picked up the showerhead and started rinsing out the suds.

"My father sat me down with a pen and paper and told me to break it off with you. Make it so you'd never come looking for me." She swallowed hard. "I refused. And he beat me."

Bulldog jerked at her words. Beat her? His eyes landed on the various marks visible on her shoulders and back. Those marks were by something other than a fist.

"I thought I was going to die." Her voice cracked. "I'm fairly certain he broke some of my ribs, but it wasn't like he'd take me to see a doctor. When I was well enough to write, he told me to break your heart or he'd break my hand. He had even brought a hammer with him to show how serious he was." She sniffled. "So I broke your heart."

Holy. Double. Fuck.

Bulldog turned off the water and set the showerhead back down. Unable to keep himself back, he leaned forward and took Abby into his arms. His chest pressed against her upper back, the tub separating their lower bodies. His arms wrapped around her front, and Bulldog dropped his head to her right shoulder.

He felt tears gather in his eyes for the suffering his woman had needlessly endured at the hands of her father and later men who would demand to be called her master. How could anyone look at this beautiful woman and see her as anything less than extraordinary? Guilt swarmed him for not having been there to protect her.

Abby didn't fight his embrace, thank God. He would have punched himself in the balls if he'd scared her or made her uncomfortable. She leaned against him, laying the back of her wet head on his left shoulder. Her hands came up and gripped his forearms.

They remained like that for a long time. Unable and, more so, unwilling to move. Eventually, his mom knocked on the bathroom door to ask if they were doing okay and if they needed help.

Bulldog pulled himself upright, quickly wiping any wetness from his eyes. "We're fine!" he called out to her.

"I have dinner ready for you when you're done." His mother's tone said she didn't believe him.

Abby turned to look at him. There was a question in her eyes that Bulldog was not prepared to answer. Instead, he reached over her shoulder for the conditioner bottle. "Let's finish up. I'm sure you're hungry. The girls have been eating me out of house and home."

* * *

As soon asthey'd finished Abby's shower, José had helped her dress while keeping his eyes closed. They fumbled, but somehow made it through. Abby never thought she'd be grateful to be putting a bra on, but damn her swollen breasts hurt without support.

Now, Abby was sitting on the couch waiting for Tessa and her husband Bear to come over for her afternoon exam.

José had changed out of his swim trunks and back into his dark jeans, black long sleeve shirt, and boots. He kept moving, getting her things she needed, things he thought she needed, and things she didn't need. While she appreciated him giving her a bowl of soup to help settle her stomach—after the chicken casserole Louisa had made turned her stomach—she felt tucking her in with a blanket over her lap and pillows behind her head and lower back were a bit much.

The girls told her all about Carlos coming home for an early dinner and how he'd made them the biggest sandwiches ever earlier. Cassie and Lila loved her new haircut. To the point that Jenna and Steel were now in the bathroom with the girls cutting their hair too. Louisa was keeping Caleb entertained so Abby could eat.

After José brought her a second bowl of soup, this time with bread in it, Abby asked him to sit next to her while they waited for Tessa to arrive. She hoped having him sit would prevent him from getting her anything else. She was now wearing a pair of his oversized socks and his mom's slippers on her feet.

Steel came into the living room looking like he'd been wrestling with two long-haired dogs. He approached Abby and held out his hand to her. "We haven't been officially introduced. My name is Jack Duncan, though everyone calls me Steel."

She tentatively held out her hand to him. It had been a long time since she'd shaken anyone's hand in greeting. "Abby Knight."

Steel shook her hand gently in his callused grip before releasing it. "I thought this would be a good time for us to talk while my wife keeps the girls occupied."

Abby swallowed nervously. She'd known this was coming and had not been looking forward to it.

"If you aren't comfortable speaking about your past, you don't have to," Steel told her gently. She got the impression that he was a very stern man, but he spoke to her with respect and kindness. "However, the more we know, the better we can protect you and the kids."

Abby glanced at José before looking back at Steel. "You're right that I don't want to talk about it, but I will do anything to keep my children safe. No matter what happens to me."

An odd noise came from José, almost like a mix between a whine and a growl. "It is no longer your responsibility to keep them safe. It's mine."

"It's all of ours," Steel placated when Abby opened her mouth to argue. "I don't know what Bulldog has told you so far, Abby. He and I are members of a motorcycle club. We have sixteen members and three prospects, all of whom are dedicated to keeping you and those kids safe. As you know, Bulldog's brother Carlos is a police officer who risked his job by not bringing you in to either the police station or the hospital last night. I know you and Bulldog have a history, but you need to know you have more than him looking out for you now. You're no longer alone."

Abby fought to keep her emotions under control. Even in a house full of people, she'd been alone since she was seventeen years old. No one had cared about her, looked out for her, checked in on her… She had only herself for so long.

"Thank you," she finally told Steel. "It's been a long time since I wasn't alone. But…it's a long story and none of it is pleasant."

"Are you okay with Bulldog staying to hear your story?"

"I'm staying," José started but Steel silenced him with a raised hand.

Steel's voice was gentle but unyielding. "I'm afraid I must stay. That's nonnegotiable. However, if you would feel more comfortable speaking with just me, I can tell Bulldog to leave. The choice is yours, Abby, not his."

Abby looked down at the bowl of soup resting atop her pregnant belly. How did she explain that she both wanted José there and didn't at the same time?

"Abby?" There was a pleading note to José's voice, as if it would physically pain him if she asked him to leave.

Her chin quivered as she admitted, "I don't want you to see me as damaged."

Silence fell, and Abby still stared down at the bowl between her hands.

She felt his movement as he stood up. A wave of sadness rushed through her, believing he was leaving. But that was quickly overridden by relief as she saw the bowl of soup on her belly being removed. He placed it on the coffee table behind him. His large presence knelt down before her as he took hold of her hands.

His hands were huge in comparison to hers. Calloused with two raised small scars on the back of his left hand. Hands that were not afraid of hard work and labor. They had the capacity of violence, and yet were so warm and inviting. She recalled how his fingers had massaged her scalp as he washed her hair. She'd nearly let out a moan of pleasure, which would have been mortifying if she had.

"Will you look at me, Red? Please."

She took a calming breath before raising her eyes to meet his. José was kneeling in front of her blanketed legs. Even on his knees, he was taller than her. Yet, she didn't feel intimidated by his size. Adrian was a much smaller man, and he'd used his height and bulk against her like a weapon. José went out of his way not to frighten her.

She loved the golden flecks in his brown eyes. They were always brighter with his emotions.

"There is nothing you could say to us that would make me see you as damaged. You are so strong to have endured even the little bit that I know about. You are a warrior, Abigail Knight. You championed those girls when no one else would, you rescued your son, and you got them out. You're free. And I swear, as long as there is breath in my body, you will never have to return to that life." One of José's hands reached up to cup her face. "I am in awe of you, Red. Always have been, always will be."

A tear streamed down her cheek, and he wiped it away with his thumb. "Stay," she finally said. "Please. I feel stronger with you here, José."

A smile appeared on his face, making his beard twitch. "Steel likes to think he could have kicked me out, but nothing would have made me go."

José bent down and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Abby felt another tear fall and quickly wiped it away herself as José retook his seat by her on the couch. She noticed he sat closer than before, though, and he still kept hold of one hand. With the other, he reached across to the coffee table and grabbed a glass of water he'd put there earlier for her. He handed it to her now, encouraging her to drink.

Abby took a deep breath and started talking.

* * *

"I wasseventeen when my parents moved me out of Mount Grove. I didn't want to go, but my father informed me of a college scholarship opportunity through his new employer. We didn't have money for me to go to college. José and I had been saving up, knowing college was our only chance to get out of this small town. We had plans to get married as soon as we were both eighteen. The opportunity to receive a scholarship and save that money seemed to be worth a three-month separation from José until we left for school.

"Only, it was a lie. Everything was a lie. We did move to Charleston, but we were only there for a few months. As soon as we drove away from Mount Grove, my parents confiscated my phone. I didn't understand why, but they were my parents and I obeyed them. When we got to the house, though, it looked nothing like the pictures they'd shown me of our new place. Both of my parents were acting very weird, but, again, I didn't argue or push. The next morning, I went to get up and realized my door was locked. I couldn't get out of my bedroom. I thought it was a mistake and that the old lock had jammed. I called out to my parents for help, but neither came. I tried my window, and discovered bars I hadn't noticed the night before. I was trapped.

"It wasn't until the next day that my father came into my bedroom. Both my parents were dressed really weird. Mom was in this like colonial type dress and was wearing a bonnet. She was acting meek and timid, and later I saw blood on her back like she'd been flogged. Dad was in all white and had one of those collars on like priests wear. He had this air of superiority, this cockiness, I'd never seen with him before.

"Things only got weirder from there.

"I knew my mother had had multiple affairs throughout their marriage. When their fighting got bad, I would go to José's house. Mrs. Santiago, as I called her then, was so warm and inviting. José was my best friend, my safe haven. My dad had always been a deeply religious man. Even before the community, he had strict views on gender roles and how a household should be run. My mom was religious, but not like my dad. It was another reason they fought so much. She wanted a divorce, but he didn't believe in them. Likely, their similar views on how to treat women was what drew him to the community.

"By the time we left Charleston, I was eighteen, but I was essentially a prisoner. I tried bargaining, pleading, breaking down the door… Nothing worked. My mom was… It was like she'd been broken. She was suddenly docile and completely under my dad's control. The worse was when he would punish her in front of me. He'd whip her until her back was raw and bleeding. He'd look at me and tell me that this was my future if I didn't change my ways. If I didn't ‘find God' and ‘bow to men'.

"When we arrived at the community, it was like stepping back in time. They used electricity and had cars, indoor plumbing and all that, but the atmosphere reminded me of the Amish towns around here.

"The community had very strict gender roles, and they taught their kids young. Boys went to school, got to play, and went to church. Girls were taught how to read, write, sew, keep house, and, most importantly, they were taught the proper way to apologize to men. Since I was already older than the others, I had to start my training immediately. Each day, my father would approach me after my lessons, and he would find some reason to punish me. Sometimes it was his belt across my backside or a ruler to my knuckles or he'd withhold food and water the next day.

"Since I was older, I missed what the community considered the proper order of a girl's life. They call the first stage a confirmation. When a girl turns eight, she is sent from her father's home to a community house to live. There she is taught how to become a proper wife.

"When a girl turns eleven, she is returned to her father so he can test what she was taught. Some… Some fathers believe they must personally ensure their daughter is ready to become a wife. My father did not touch me that way, but I heard stories of others doing so.

"At twelve, so long as her father believes she is ready, each girl is given a wedding dress and is brought to the church for what they call a wedding auction. All the men in the community, regardless of age or whether he already has a wife or wives, can come to bid on their next bride. My wedding auction was not until I was twenty, due to my late arrival to the community.

"After three years of training, my father believed I was ready, or perhaps he simply wanted to get rid of me. I was… Well, I'd gotten a reputation as a troublemaker. I caused a lot of disturbances and was known for fighting. None of the men believed I would make a good wife. My father was humiliated that he'd produced such a useless woman. In addition to my mother, by this time, he was already married to three other women, and I had two siblings and two on the way. I truly think he contemplated killing me. However, it was suggested that my father offer me up as a houseslave rather than a bride as compensation for my failure as a bride.

"A man named Gordon bought me. I don't know his last name. Women are not permitted to use men's names in the community. They are to be called ‘Sir', ‘Master', ‘Husband', or ‘Father'. I did not know what was expected of a houseslave. I had been trained for three years to become a wife, so I had no idea what awaited me. However, I did not follow dutifully behind my new master as he led me home. No, he took me there kicking and screaming. I think I also bit him.

"I never saw my parents again. I do not know if they're still alive or anything about their current lives.

"Gordon was…beyond cruel. When he first brought me home, he had three wives and several daughters living with him. I was not permitted to speak with any of them. If I had to speak, it was to be on my knees and only to him. Over the years I watched helplessly as his daughters were taken away when they reached eight, return at eleven, and sold at twelve.

"Gordon had always been a despicable man, but several years ago it became worse. One of his wives had died during childbirth as had the baby. Another wife miscarried while the other was failing to get pregnant. There's a tradition among the community of trading wives. I'm not sure the specific rules; I wasn't given details on it during training, though it seemed self-explanatory.

"Gordon decided he was going to trade me as well. The new man who took possession of me was named John. He'd traded one of his older wives who couldn't get pregnant for a younger one. She was maybe sixteen. She got pregnant quickly. John treated me much as Gordon had, like I was a pest and ranked lower than the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. However, John quickly grew bored of me. I was too old for him to be aroused by me, and he no longer enjoyed having a woman around whom he thought old and ugly. Especially one who fought him so much.

"John traded me a little after a year. A man named Adrian was trading a wife who had miscarried, and John threw me in for free. Adrian had also recently purchased a child-bride at auction. Both his new wives gave him children, a boy and a girl.

"That girl is Lila. She's Adrian's daughter. However, both of his wives had several miscarriages following Lila's birth. One then bled to death. She hemorrhaged and we were unable to stop the bleeding. The other… About two years ago, she hung herself. As women we don't own anything in the community, but we did have sheets on our beds. She used the sheet and… Well, suddenly Adrian was without any wives. For a man in the community to be without a wife, it's…almost unheard of. He was starting to be shunned and criticized. My punishments were…extremely difficult during that time.

"One day, he just… He looked at me, and I knew. I fought so hard, but he… He tied me down and he raped me. It was…horrible, to say the least. I was older than he liked. Like most of the men in the community, they liked their wives younger. Gordon had never looked at me like that, and I thought after my failed wedding auction that rape was the one thing I would not have to worry about, but I was wrong.

"I became pregnant with Caleb. Without an actual wife, though, I was Adrian's only… Well, the rapes continued despite already being pregnant. Adrian became…unbearable to be around. He kept being outbid at the wedding auctions and was losing his status in the community.

"Several months after I'd given birth to Caleb, Adrian brought home a new wife. He'd finally won the bidding at a wedding auction. Her name is Milly. She wasn't from the community and around sixteen. We weren't supposed to communicate between each other, but we found ways. I learned that Milly's boyfriend had sold her to the community and she was auctioned off. Like me, she was there against her wishes and wanted to go home.

"Around this time, I realized I was pregnant again. We worked on an escape plan. All my other plans had failed because I was working alone. Now I had Milly. It took time, but I was on a clock. I needed to leave before my baby was born. If it was a girl… I knew I'd never see her again, and I knew the horrible life she'd be born into.

"Now that he had a wife again, Adrian was back in good standing with the community. He took Milly places to show her off to his friends. She would collect herbs with the plan that I would use them to poison Adrian.

"We almost had what we needed, but we weren't quite there yet. And then… Then, about a week ago, he brought home Cassie. She was…so young and utterly terrified. I knew in my gut that she wasn't from the community either.

"I could… God, I could hear her cries all the way in the basement that first night. It was…awful, sickening. We're taught to be silent during marital relations, but personally I think Adrian liked to hear his wives cry. Every night he took her and every night she cried.

"I couldn't stand it. I… Adrian had stopped using me after he'd brought Milly home and had a proper wife again. I was pregnant, but I couldn't let that stop me from going to Adrian and offering myself in Cassie's place. He…laughed. Like I'd said the funniest joke in the world. I called him so many names. Pedophile, infidel, creep… I was punished severely for that.

"Then, last night, he just came at me. I remember him shouting and screaming, but I hit my head pretty hard. That is where my memory of what happened gets a bit fuzzy. I remember driving away, but I need Cassie's help to fill in how we got from inside the house to the minivan and why Milly wasn't with us."

* * *

Listeningto Abby's story was like being taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There'd been so many times Bulldog wanted to interrupt and rage about the injustice done to her throughout her life. He'd remained silent though, knowing she needed to say this as much as he needed to hear it.

He wanted to tell Abby that she was brave beyond measure, to tell her how proud he was of her to offer herself up to such a cruel man to try to save a child pain and torment, to vow on bended knee that she would never suffer again…

She feared he'd see her as damaged now that he knew her past? That was the opposite of how he saw her. She was like Xena the Warrior Princess, only ginger.

Thankfully Steel recovered first. "I am truly sorry for what you went through, Abby. You are a remarkable woman to have suffered as you have and still to have so much empathy left in you. You have my vow that the Via Daemonia will make sure that neither Adrian nor anyone from your community will harm you again. Bulldog has claimed you as his ol' lady and that means that you, and your children, are ours to protect. We will never ask anything of you, and you will never be punished."

Bulldog raised the back of her hand to his lips. "It means you are safe, Red. You, Caleb, and our new baby."

She gave him a crooked smile. "Even if we eat you out of house and home?"

Bulldog chuckled. He cupped her face, leaning forward to rest his forehead on hers. "Even then."

Abby reached up to grab his wrists. "I'm going to say thank you, and I need you to accept it." He nodded against her forehead. She squeezed his thick wrists with all her might. "Thank you. You have no idea what being safe means to me, José."

Bulldog tightened his grip on her face, though not enough to be painful. "You are more welcome than you will ever know."

Bulldog pulled her against his chest. Abby fell against him, sagging in what Bulldog could only assume to be relief. He pressed his lips into her ginger hair. Now that it was washed, her hair color shone brightly like flames of orange, just as he remembered.

Bulldog looked across his living room at Steel. His President had a peculiar look on his face as he patiently watched Bulldog and Abby's exchange. As the sound of a car parking outside reached them, they both knew they had to move their conversation along.

"Abby?" Steel asked gently. "Do you know the name of the community?"

Bulldog loosened his arms so she could sit up, but she remained firmly against him. He retightened his hold on her.

Abby shook her head against his chest. "I only ever heard it referred to as ‘the community' or ‘our community'. Once I heard my father say we were in Heaven, but I don't think he meant it as a name."

"Does your father still go by the name of Warren Knight?"

Abby shook her head, "He took the name Josiah when we got to the community. I don't know if he still uses our last name."

Bulldog saw Steel pull out his phone and start texting. Most likely Keys. "And you said you don't know if he's still alive?"

"I haven't seen him since the day of my wedding auction. At that point, my father had four wives, including my mother."

Jesus. Four wives? Bulldog couldn't even get one woman for more than a single night and sometimes less than that. Then again, he was realizing that might be because they weren't the right woman—the woman in his arms.

"I'm sorry to inform you, Abby, that we found out your mom's dead. She was in a car accident about ten years ago."

Bulldog watched her face carefully at Steel's news, but she didn't appear sad or surprised. "I figured the bastard would kill her one day. I kept begging her to run, but she refused." She sighed, "Don't apologize, Steel, and don't feel sorry for her. She's not the victim you think she is."

Bulldog and Steel exchanged a look before Steel continued, "As you wish. Do you know who runs the community?"

Abby quickly shook her head at that question. "I only know the leader as ‘the Reverend' or ‘the High Reverend'. He was likely at my wedding auction, but I don't know for sure." The front door opened as Abby said, "As a woman, I was not permitted to attend church with the exception of my wedding."

Tessa and Bear stepped into the living room. Tessa was carrying a single reusable shopping bag while Bear had Maggie strapped to his chest in a baby carrier, a diaper bag, a pack ‘n play, and another square, black bag that Bulldog had no idea what was inside.

Bulldog sent Bear a wicked smile. "Moving in?"

"Don't even kid, man," Bear replied, "because there's more shit in the cage."

Bulldog chuckled.

He felt Abby move but was thrilled when she didn't move off of his chest. "Hi, Tessa. Hi, Bear."

"Hi, Abby. This is our daughter, Maggie." Tessa entered the living room. "It's good to see you out of bed. Do you want to get started?"

"Actually, Tessa," Steel spoke before Abby could. "Could you go get Cassie for us? We're almost done here but there are some things that we need clarification on. Then you can do your exam."

Tessa set the bag down. "Of course."

Bear walked into the kitchen where, as far as Bulldog knew, his mom still was.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Bulldog asked Abby.

She scrunched her eyebrows. "It's a bit fuzzy. So much has happened today that I feel like it was a lifetime ago, but it must have only been yesterday that we were last with Adrian. I recall peeling potatoes for his dinner when he suddenly came screaming into the kitchen."

A small voice from the doorway said, "It was last night." Everyone looked up to see Cassie walking into the room with Tessa beside her. Tessa guided her to the couch on Bulldog's other side. Abby sat up so she could see the girl.

Cassie's black hair had been cut into a pixie hairstyle. Even Bulldog could admit Jenna had done a great job on it. The teenager was wearing yoga pants and an oversized tunic shirt.

Steel indicated for Tessa to leave the room before he asked Cassie, "What happened last night?"

She looked between Abby and Steel before deciding to speak to Abby. "You were preparing dinner last night. Sir came barreling down the stairs, shouting that you had tried to poison him. At first, I thought it was his usual rants, a reason to punish you."

Abby's face scrunched in confusion. Bulldog had to ask, "Did you try to poison him last night?" Not that he would blame her in the slightest if she had.

"I don't think so. We were still collecting what we needed."

"I don't think you did," Cassie told her. "I think he was angry and shouting untrue things at you." Cassie's chin started to tremble as she said, "He started to beat you. He didn't even take you to the bench. He started hitting you right there in the kitchen."

As furious as Bulldog was at these words, he forced himself to ask, "What's the bench?"

Abby shook her head and said, "Nothing," as Cassie said quietly, "The marriage bench. It was where he took us to…have marital relations." She was looking down at her hands. "Sir also used it to punish us."

Bulldog's nostrils flared. If Abby wasn't still leaning on him, he would have been on his feet. "The fuck?" he demanded before remembering there was a young teenager in the room.

Abby turned her face further into his chest. "Adrian had a bench he would tie us to expose our backs, privates, and legs. It was where most of my…relations with him occurred. Gordon and John each had one too so I assume it was something all the men in the community use."

A marriage bench? Bulldog had never heard such utter bullshit in his life. It was a raping bench. It was bad enough that Adrian had tied Abby to the bench, but to tie teenage girls to it so he could rape them while calling it marital relations? God, that sick motherfucker. His life couldn't end fast enough in Bulldog's opinion—then again, Bulldog longed to make him suffer as he'd made Abby and Cassie suffer and he couldn't do that if the asshole died quickly.

"Please continue, Cassie." Fuck, how was Steel's voice so calm? Bulldog felt like he had the Hulk raging under his skin, getting ready to burst free.

"He put his hands around her throat. I just… I thought Sir was going to kill you!" she said defensively, turning back to Abby. "You were so nice to me and you slipped me pieces of your rations when I was hungry even though you're pregnant. I couldn't… I couldn't let Sir kill you. I grabbed a lamp and struck him over the head with it."

Abby reached across Bulldog's lap to grab hold of Cassie's hand. "Thank you. You were very brave and probably saved my life."

Cassie, though, shook her head. "I nearly got you killed. After Sir fell unconscious, you had trouble speaking but managed to tell me to go get Milly. You said I needed to run. You were planning on remaining behind—to take my punishment for hitting Sir!" Bulldog's arms tightened around Abby. He was equally angry and proud of her for trying to protect this young girl. "But I couldn't let you stay behind! You didn't deserve that. I managed to turn Sir over and searched his pockets for the key to your chains?—"

"What!" Bulldog sat up straight, nearly knocking Abby onto the floor. He caught her before she tumbled off. He lifted her until she was sitting on his lap, facing him. "What chains? Why were you in chains, Abby?"

He knew he was yelling. He knew that his voice was filled with rage. Abby wouldn't look at him, but it wasn't fear he saw on her face. She looked…ashamed. Fuck. None of this was her fault. She had nothing to be ashamed of. Christ, she'd spent sixteen years in Hell and could still smile. His Abby was the strongest person he knew.

Gently, Bulldog lifted her chin so she would look him in the eyes. Softer, he asked, "What did he do to you, Abby?"

She swallowed loudly. "When I shamed my father at my wedding auction, he placed my ankles in padded cuffs and chains. It's the symbol of a houseslave. When Gordon purchased me, he received the key to my chains. They were passed on to John and then to Adrian when I was traded."

So many things when through his mind then, but the most prominent was, "You said you were twenty at that fucking auction. How often did they make you wear them?" He had a feeling he knew the answer, but he was praying with all his might that he was wrong.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she said, "They were never taken off me."

Bulldog's eyes snapped shut in an effort to control his anger. She'd been in chains for roughly thirteen years. When she'd been twenty, he'd been twenty-one and deployed overseas, completely oblivious that the girl he loved was starting her life inchains. He pressed her as close as he could against his chest. One hand journeyed down towards her feet. Under her hand-me-down pants, he felt two indents in her skin about two inches apart on each ankle. Fuck. How had he missed that when he was helping her shower?

A delicate hand touched his cheek, burying her fingers into the coarse hairs of his beard. When he opened his eyes, her face was right next to his. And, fuck him, she was smiling.

He ran the back of his fingers down her bruised cheek. "How can you be smiling right now, Red? I physically hurt for what you've been through."

She pressed her lips together as if she was trying, and failing, to stop smiling. "Perhaps it's wrong of me, but I like that you're angry on my behalf, José. It makes me feel protected."

Fucking-A. He couldn't hold back any longer. Bulldog crushed his lips against hers. Abby let out a slight gasp, her hands landing on his shoulders. At first, she sat frozen, lips sealed, and then she melted, opening her mouth and pushing back against him. She fisted his shirt in each hand.

Bulldog savored the taste of her. She was so sweet, it was intoxicating. It had only been a few hours since his lips had last touched hers, and Bulldog swore right then and there that she'd never go another day without his kiss. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, seeking more.

A throat cleared from across the room.

Bulldog pulled away from her, and Abby whimpered in protest. Jesus, that sound went straight to his groin. It was a good thing she was sitting on his lap, to help cover the raging erection he was now sporting.

Steel sat across the room, the aura of impatience surrounding him. Cassie, who Bulldog forgot was sitting next to him and Abby, was blushing fire engine red and trying to look anywhere but at them. Shit. He'd embarrassed the kid.

He glanced down at Abby to make sure she also wasn't embarrassed and found she had a dreamy, satisfied look on her face. Fuck yeah. He tucked her head against his neck, cradling her to him. He was sure his smile was pure smugness when he looked over at Steel.

His President just rolled his eyes. "Cassie, what happened after you released Abby from her chains?"

Anger started encroaching on his euphoria at the reminder of those fucking chains. A hand landed on Bulldog's arm, rubbing back and forth. He settled at his woman's touch.

Cassie, cheeks still blazing, started talking again. "Sir woke up as I was unlocking her. He said he was going to kill her, even though I was the one who hit him. It all happened so fast. He put his hands around her throat again. I grabbed… I hit him again and he fell. She lost her balance and hit her head on the side of the table."

Fuck. Bulldog closed his eyes. He'd come so close to losing her. If Cassie hadn't been so brave, he would have lost her and never even known that the love of his life had left this world.

Steel watched her without judgement. "What did you grab to hit him with, Cassie?"

She looked fearful as she admitted, "A shard from the lamp. I…stabbed him in the back. Several times." She held up her hand to show the bandage Tessa must have put on her after cleaning her cuts.

"Was he dead?"

Cassie shook her head. "I don't think so. As he laid on the kitchen floor bleeding, I hit him with a chair. It broke and he passed out again. Then I placed Abby's chains on his ankles and looped them around the fridge door handle."

"You were very brave," Steel told her.

Cassie's eyes flitted around the room, almost as if she was seeking an exit. "You're not angry?"

"No," he told her evenly. "Proud."

"But…I struck a man."

"He wasn't a man," Bulldog interjected. "He was a monster. Cassie, real men protect women. They would never do the things that Adrian did to you. You've been here a day. Has Steel, Bear, or I raised a hand to you? Yelled at you? Punished you in any way?" Cassie shook her head. "That's right. And we never will. What Adrian did to you was wrong, plain and simple."

Tears started falling down her cheeks. "Thank you." She looked back at Steel. "Are we done now?"

"Almost," he promised her. "Where did you get the minivan from?"

"Milly. Abby was unconscious. I was really worried about her baby. Milly told me to wait for her and left the house. I was terrified Sir would wake up, but he wasn't moving." She looked at Abby. "You woke up and asked what was going on. Then you just got up and ran up the stairs. A few minutes later, there was this huge crash. I heard the spinsters yell out. Then Milly pulled the minivan into the driveway and you came back downstairs with Caleb and Lila."

"Spinsters?" Bulldog asked.

"Older women," Abby explained. "Either ones who can no longer have children or are too old for their husband's preference. They're called spinsters and are used to raise and teach the children. They live in the nursery upstairs with the children. Adrian only had Caleb and Lila in the nursery. It was a locked room, so I would have had to have broken it down."

"Do you know where Milly got the minivan from?" Steel asked Cassie.

Cassie shook her head. "No, I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Steel assured her. "What happened next?"

"We were getting outside when someone shouted at us to stop. Milly jumped out of the minivan and told us to leave without her. There wasn't much we could do without all of us getting caught. Abby got in the driver's seat and got us out of there."

Bulldog's arms tightened around Abby as her breath caught. "I left Milly behind?"

"You didn't have a choice," Cassie told her. "Men were running towards us, shouting. If we didn't leave then, we would have all been caught."

Bulldog and Steel exchanged a look. From Abby's description, as well as the familiar outfit Cassie had been wearing the night before, they had a suspicion of who had sold Milly and Cassie to the community. It brought up the query of how many other unwilling women the community had purchased over the years.

"Cassie, were you born at the community?"

Cassie looked terrified to answer. Abby reached over and took her hand. "It's okay. You can tell us."

The teenager looked so young then, helpless. All Bulldog wanted to do in that moment was pledge himself to her, promise and swear that no harm would ever come to her again. However, if Cassie had family out there, it was his responsibility to return her to them.

Finally, Cassie said, "Not your community. My home was…elsewhere. I'd never been in a car before, but they loaded a bunch of us into a van. All girls around my age. We couldn't see outside. They'd stop but we weren't allowed out. Then we were at your church. That's where Sir purchased me."

Fuck. She was far too young for any of this shit. "What about your parents?" Bulldog asked her. "Do you have family we can get you back to?"

Cassie's eyes suddenly went wide and her face paled. "No! Please, don't send me back there!"

"Easy," Steel encouraged. "You'll never be taken anywhere against your will. We just want to make sure your parents aren't looking for you."

"I never knew my mom," she said softly. Then she looked Steel in the eyes as she said, "I'd rather die than be returned to my father."

"Not happening," he told her sternly. "You're safe with us, Cassie. Now and always. I don't know exactly what your future looks like, where you'll live and such, but I promise you, you're safe."

Her chin trembled. "Thank you."

"We're almost done here, I promise. Do you know what happened to Milly?" Steel asked gently.

Cassie shook her head. "We drove away so fast, I didn't get a chance to see."

Steel looked to Abby. "Do you know where the community is?"

Bulldog glanced down to see Abby was sitting up slightly. "We were in West Virginia. Beyond that, I just don't know. I was trying to pay attention to where my father was driving us, but he had me bound and gagged in the back of the car. It wasn't until I found the interstate last night and started driving that I realized we were even in West Virginia. Things started to clear up the further we got from the community. Hindsight, I was in no condition to drive."