“Who else knows?”he finally says.
“No one,”I reply, my brows pulling together at his calmness.
“And that’s the way it stays. You’ll get rid of the fetus, and you won’t breathe a word about this to anyone.”
An invisible knife plunges into my chest as my overwhelmed brain tries to process his words.
Fetus.
Get rid.
Won’t breathe a word.
Before I know what I’m doing, I leap to my feet.“That’s it? I tell you your friend raped me, and all you can say is I can’t tell anyone?”
He steps forward, a menacing look on his face.“That’s exactly what I said. Do you have any idea of the repercussions this could have for Legion? The society means too much for us, and your little misdemeanor would bring trouble wejustdon’t need.”
My bottom lip wobbles, disbelief snaking through me. Not only does my own father want me to forgetthatI was raped, but he is putting his secret society above his own flesh and blood.
What sort of a man is he?
I already know the answer tothat, and I internally curse, regretting telling him who was responsible for this situation.
He pulls his phone out, snapping me out of my daze as he starts tapping away at buttons.“There’s a doctor on Legion’s payrollthatcan do the abor-”
“No!”I shriek, knocking his phoneout of his hand. His furious eyes land on me, but I refuse to be intimidated. Not over this.“I’m not getting rid of the baby.”
“Oh yes you fucking are!”
I jump back as he attempts to grab me.“I am not getting rid of it. I’m having this baby whether you like it or not!”
His lips lift into a snarl as he narrows his gaze on me, and when he speaks, his tone is laced with venom.“No fucking daughter of mine gets herself knocked up and thinks she can carry on being a part of this family. Either you get rid of the fetus, or you can get the fuck out of this house and never be a part of this family again. I fucking mean it, Kiera, if you want to keep it,thenpack your bags and get the fuck out of this house right this second. But you will never see your mom or James again. You won’t be a Carter anymore, you won’t be part of Legion. Do you fucking understand?”
My heart constricts at the thought of never seeing my mom and brother again, but the decision is easy. I will always choose my baby over anyone.“ThenI’ll pack my bags.”
He shakes his head, disgust curling his features.“Thenget fucking packing, and don’t expect me to give you a single cent to help you out. Think you’ll survive long without any money?”He raises a brow, waiting for me to reply, but I hold his gaze, refusing to back down. He snorts.“We’ll see how long you last. But if you want back into this family, it won’t be withthatfucking abomination.”
Spinning, he storms over to the door, turning back to face me.“Keep your cunt of a kid, but I warn you now, Kiera. You won’t breathe a word of who its father is.”
The sensible thing to do is to keep my mouth shut, but I’m too angry. Too hurt. Too broken, to keep the words in.“You can’t stop me, Dad. You can’t stop me from going to the police and telling them whatthatman did to me.”
Before I know it, he’s back in front of me, snarling down with malice shining in his eyes.“You will keep your fucking mouth shut, or shall I tell you what will happen?”I swallow, nervous anxiety riddling my body.“I’ll tell you what will happen. I’ll personally make surethatbaby doesn’t get to take its first breath, and if you waituntil it’s older to reveal who daddy dearest is, I’ll make you watch while I slit their throat.”
A gasp catches in my throat, but he isn’t finished breaking methatlittle bit more.“That’s not all. You think I haven’t seen how you feel about Jackson?”His brows quirk as he smirks.“You think I can’t see how you fawn over him. I know you care deeply forthatboy, so mark my words. You tell a soulthatEthan is the father, and I won’tjustmake you watch me kill your kid. I’ll make you watch as I murder Jackson with my bare hands.”
Fear, horror, and panic wrap around my heart like barbed wire, the sharp spikes piercing the organ until they are buried so deep, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to remove them. My father shrugs as amusement lights up his face.“Let’s call it tit for tat. Ethan hurt you, so I’ll hurt his son. Now pack your bags, and go. I can’t look at you any longer.”
The voices of an arguing couple reach my motel room. I lug my sluggish body off the bed and over to the window to close it. I don’t need to hear anyone else’s problems, not when I’ve got enough of my own.
It’s funny how things can change in the space of twenty-four hours. Yesterday, I was preparing to get into bed at the house I’d grown up in, with the only thing hanging over me was trying to come to terms with being raped.
Now, I’m getting under the scratchy covers of a dingy motel bed, worrying about how I’m going to fend for myself and my baby with limited funds. I have money, a savingsaccount my mom has regularly topped up since I was born, but when I went to use it to pay for a decent hotel, the account had been frozen.
My father’s doing, no doubt.
Luckily, I had $200 stashed away in my bedside drawerthatI’d remembered to grab as I packed what I could carry in a duffel bag. It was a case of spending the full $200 for one night in a nice hotel, or making it last as long as possible by renting a $15 a night room in a motelthatlooks like it belongs in a horror film.
Neither my mom nor James were home when my father frog-marched me off the property, reminding methatthe only way I would be welcomed home would be without my child. As I checked into the motel, though, James phoned me. I told him what had happened, forgoing the part about the rape, and making up a bullshit liethatI had slept with a boy from school.
