Watching Her For A Long Time

Her father’s arm is wrapped around Mary’s waist, and his tongue is stuck down her throat. He clicks a few images, showing her different angles.

No matter how often Eloise looks away and looks back, she feels betrayed. He was like a father to her! She was his other daughter. How many times has she heard him say that? She wondered if Lucas knew.

“Lucas was involved too,” he says as if she had asked out loud. “It is said they took turns sometimes or at the same time. Mary was their entertainment, but she is the true mastermind of this situation.”

The American swings the computer to face him and starts typing away. “Eloise, your family wanted nothing to do with you. This threesome has been going on for years. Mary was barely of legal age when your father approached her. Mary has ambition. She is determined to make something of herself, so she went along.”

This is ridiculous. She sinks back into her chair.

“H-How could you know all of this?”

“I’ll get to that right after…this.” He turns the laptop around again, and she feels her feistiness fade away, leaving raw, gritty pain. “Yes, Eloise, the Colonel has been busy since you’ve been gone.”

“It’s…” she takes a moment, gathering herself, “just a picture.” Another one to add to the pile. Deep down, she knew there had to be an explanation, but he hit the arrow button, showing her another one, and the knife twists a little deeper.

“I know you and the colonel have a relationship. I saw his face when Lucas mentioned your name. We tortured him for hours and got nothing, but,” he raises a finger, “when Lucas mentioned you sexually, he reacted. It was a telltale sign that we found his weak spot.”

He shrugs. “But now you’re gone, and men have needs.” He hits another button, showing her more.

The pictures are all of the same girl. They look to be in Texas. She’s a beautiful blonde with long legs and huge boobs, sporting the skimpiest outfits. In every picture, he’s touching her in some way.

The one that hurts the most is where he’s tucking her hair behind her ear, gazing at her as he looks at Eloise.

“How did you get these? These could be from years ago before I met him.”

The American points to a digital sign that’s off in the background. Two days ago.

“How?”

The American closes the computer and leans back in his chair. “Remember, Eloise, everyone has a price. Anyone can be bought.” His eyes flicker with amusement at his little comment. “It’s all about finding what they want. I’m a wealthy man, Eloise. I can make things happen.”

She shook her head. Her brain is spinning, desperately looking for answers.

“I got to one of the colonel’s men. He was willing to do anything for me once I knew he had three kids under ten, and one had high medical expenses. When I handed him a wad of cash, he practically wept.”

“Who?” The word is like acid on her tongue. Everyone’s face from the house flickers in front of her. “Yohan?”

“Oh, please, don’t be insulting, Eloise. Yohan was an asshole pervert who couldn’t even finish the job I ordered him to do.”

“He almost killed me!” She slammed her hand down on the table.

The American waves a hand at her. “But he didn’t, just like he didn’t get the results of your blood tests online like he was supposed to. He could have done it. He was fine with hurting you, and he was fine with handing you over to me, but he was never going to give up the location of their base.”

“Then why did he flip?”

“Positions in Blackstone.” He shrugs. “Yohan wanted more, but he said Hermes couldn’t see past his son. The golden boy who made colonel before most made it to captain. Jealousy is a bitch.” He grins at her like his answers make her feel better or something.

“So, I moved on, found someone younger, someone I can trust to do some digging. I sent out that Yohan was done, and he offed himself before I could get to him. One less worry to deal with.”

“So, who is it?”

“Who do you think?” His eyes challenged her to answer, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

“You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” He opens a file and tosses a stack of pictures at her. They slide around the table, some falling to the floor.

They’re all of Nicholas and the blonde woman. However, some are at different times of the day, and she’s in different outfits.

She and Nicholas had been spending time together recently.

“Nice to know when you’re in trouble, you can count on him, hey?” He pats her arm. “Well, the colonel is taking care of his own needs.” He pauses for a moment. “Your life has been a lie. Nothing is what it seems, but this, my love,” he leans forward and gives her a hungry gaze, “this can be something real.”

Her head drops. She feels so tired she just wants it all to end. Everything hurts. She wishes she could slip away somewhere, anywhere, even if it means she has to create false happiness. At least she could blissfully pretend life was good.

“Now, let me take you to bed. I can make you feel so much better.”

That does it. She came abruptly out of her stupor and glared at him. “You touch me, and I’ll cut your dick off when you’re sleeping. I will never sleep with you, so you wasted your money buying me. You can take your sick, twisted little fantasy and shove it up your ass!”

“Oh, such a mouth. This is not like you, Eloise. You need to calm down. You have no one but me now to love you. The proof is in your past. The proof is in those pictures. Are you sure you want to threaten the person who saved you from all that? The one person who’s asking you to give him a chance? I want you to be mine.”

Eloise stood. She was done. This man is mad.

“I can never love a monster. How can you expect me to love you? You may think you can buy my body, but you can’t buy my soul.”

She saw a flash of anger in his eyes, then he grabbed her arm and dragged her up the stairs to a small room in the attic, tossing her to the floor.

Pat follows them and picks her up, muttering something about never speaking to The American like that. He apologizes for having to handcuff her to the wall, saying he hopes she will only be left here for a few hours, then leaves her alone with her thoughts.

She was almost fallen asleep when she heard his boots, and then a flash of gold caught her eye. Her stomach twists, but he just stands there staring at her like he used to do when she was in TJ. She was pleased there was only a little light that filtered through the attic window.

His suit jacket strains against his shoulders as he leans against the doorframe. She won’t look at his face. She won’t give him that satisfaction of seeing her at her worst. She knows he enjoys it too much.

“I need you to behave, Eloise.”

“And I need not be chained to the wall,” she muttered darkly.

“Do you know how long I have been watching you?”

A shiver races across her skin. She had wanted to know this answer for so long now, but she was also nervous to see the truth.

“Remember when you and Mary were visiting friends in Texas? You had on a light blue dress with yellow heels. Your hair was swept up on one side, and you had these dangly earrings that sparkled from the streetlamps.”

He pauses a moment while she breaks out in a sweat. That was over two years ago!

“I was having dinner with a client, and your laugh distracted me. You scribbled something on one of those paper wishing lanterns and kissed the side of it before you pushed it into the water and watched as it floated away.”

A tear slips down Eloise’s cheek. That was such an intimate moment between her mother and her, and now his story has tainted it.

“I followed you back to your hotel, paid a staff member off, and gained all your personal information.”

She jammed her hands between her knees to stop the shaking.

“I watched for a year, and just when I went to make my move, you vanished.” He pushes to his feet, and she presses her back into the cold wall. “Again, Eloise, everyone has a price. So here we are, right where we should be. You can either run your mouth and fight me or understand that this day was coming whether you wanted it or not.” He starts to leave but stops. “Your choice.”

She could hear his footsteps as he heavily descended the steps. She loses all self-control, tucking herself into a ball, and pours her pain out through her tears.