Missing Link (The Finders Book 1) (6 page)

"Come in." I called, still facing the window and pulling the sheet a little tighter around my body. It creaked open.

"Sam…" Teddy’s voice was soft as common for when Charlie asked him to take me to the doctor. As far as I knew, he had the doctor on his payroll because he never questioned my bruising. "You okay?"

A breathy laugh escaped my sore throat and I turned to face him. Anger encompassed his face as he eyed my now darkening bruising.

"Oh yeah," I croaked. "Peachy."

"He went all out this time huh." He said moving towards me and lifting my chin to study my face and neck.

"I talked back." I shrugged. He shook his head then whipped it back to the side of the bed when he caught sight of the torn underwear that lay next to it. He growled in his throat and I stepped back.

"Don't." Was all that came out of my mouth. I wasn't going to explain to him. I don't even think I could if I tried. His features softened and he pulled me suddenly into a tight embrace, wrapping his thick arms around my shoulders and pressing me gently into his squishy stomach. Cuddling Teddy made me think about what it might be like to cuddle Santa Claus; his big belly making it stupidly awkward but strangely comforting. I almost let out a small giggle. He held me tight, kissing the top of my head with his bristled face before sighing heavily and pushing me away, his hands gripping my shoulders.

"Get dressed and we can go to the doctor, make sure there's no permanent damage." I nodded and walked towards the closet as he stomped out the door, pulling his phone from his pocket angrily. I pulled a shirt with a high neck, the last thing I needed was questions I didn't want to answer. After applying enough makeup to cover some of the bruising on my face but not enough to make me feel like a hooker, I walked out and got in the back seat of the car, with Teddy beside me and Jet in the driver’s seat waiting. They didn't talk, for which I was grateful.

As per usual, we walked straight through the doctor’s office and into a private room. Teddy moved me into a chair, squeezing my hand before he spoke.

"The doc will be in soon, I'm going to go sort a couple things, don't leave until I come get you."

I smiled and nodded. The office was familiar, yet my eyes still wandered, reading diplomas and pamphlets about quitting smoking, heart disease and melanomas. I wondered if they had a pamphlet for what to do when the man who owns you beats you and rapes you. I heard the door open but didn’t turn towards it.

"Wow, he really is a piece of work." A familiar voice gruffed from behind me. I stood and turned sharply to see Link leaning against the doctor’s desk, arms folded and scowling.

"You can't be here!" I whispered frantically, but my voice was failing.

He shrugged, "It's fine, the doctor got held up."

"You need to stop this, if he finds out you're gonna get hurt." He smiled.

"Aw, so you do care." He said, his smile turning to a smirk. I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Your funeral." I shrugged. "What do you want?"

He pushed off the desk and sauntered towards me. I leaned back slightly as he reached out to touch my cheek and pull the collar from my neck.

I watched his eyes, they were very expressive and beautiful and sucked me into their depths with ease. They showed anger, frustration and pain as he examined the bruising. I pulled my collar back into place, brushing his hand away, and moved to sit back in my seat.

I shrugged, "Fell over."

A bark of laughter came from deep in his chest.

"You don't take me as the clumsy type." He said eyeing me, seemingly amused.

"What do you want, Lincoln?" I asked impatiently. I needed him out of here before the doctor showed up. If he was on Charlie's payroll, things were going to be a lot worse, for both of us.

"I want to protect you." Our eyes met and I was confused. "I'll take you away from him Samantha."

I cringed. "DON'T call me that.” I snapped and his face dropped "only He calls me that."

I stood and paced the room nervously, fiddling with the rings on my fingers and pulling at my clothing. He watched every movement I made. I probably looked like a caged animal, looking to make a run for it at any moment he was distracted. I shook my head.

"He's powerful. I don't know if you know that and you're just stupid or if you have no idea what you’re actually dealing with. He would find me, and he would kill you.” I rubbed at my throat, talking was getting increasingly painful.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You're worried he'd kill me, but not afraid of what he would do to you?" His voice was concerned. I wanted to run to him, ask him to protect me. He wore a tight white singlet that stretched across his abs. The dark patterns that decorated his skin behind it peeked through, tempting me. My eyes followed a large chain that wound around his arm; it was intricate and detailed each link shaded so perfectly that it almost looked real. I made note of the break in the chain where it curved over the outside of his forearm. I wanted to trace it with my fingertips.

"Today I wished he'd just killed me." I whispered. His eyes grew wide as I continued. "Things are getting worse, he's getting more forceful, more aggressive."

Links hands formed tight fists at his side.

"Then let me save you." He gritted out, between clenched teeth. I shook my head sharply, tearing my gaze from his beautiful ink and staring at the ground.

"I won’t be responsible for him hurting you. I'd rather he hurt me." I shrugged, it was true.

"Don't start with this selfsacrificing shit, Sam. There are people that give a shit about you and you're hurting them." He said sharply, jabbing his finger at me.

I laughed. "Who? My Dad?! Or did you forget he gave me away! My freedom was gambled away!” I was getting angry. I was saving my family by being with Charlie, how dare he say people cared. Nobody cared.

"How about Devon? Or did you forget about him." He countered sharply. It cut through me hard. Like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over my head. Devon. My little brother.

"What do you know about Devon?" I demanded. He looked satisfied, like he was finally getting what he needed. I walked towards him quickly. "Do you know him? Is he okay?"

He smiled. A genuine caring smile that almost had me crashing to the floor.

"He's a good kid. But he wants his sister back. He knows some of what's going on and it's nearly killing him, Sam."

Tears fell now, I didn't even try to hold them back like I did I front of Charlie. Link's phone buzzed in his pocket and he held it to his ear.

"Yeah... Okay." He hung up promptly. "My time's up, but please, just think. I promise we will protect you."

He grabbed my hand and pulled it up to his mouth, he brushed over it gently. Shivers shot up my spine, my hand tingly with his touch and for a moment I felt warm, I felt encompassed with his vow of protection. Before I knew it he was gone but there was a card tucked in my hand, numbers written in bold lettering. A phone number. The door opened again and the doctor walked through. I tucked the card in the back pocket of my shorts and turned away, brushing the tears from my cheek.

I promise we will protect you.

I promise.

We will protect you.

Chapter Seven

"Sam!" I heard Teddy call my name from the foyer. Charlie was still away on business for a few days so I was enjoying lounging in my sweat pants, eating too much junk food and watching reality TV; things Charlie very rarely let me do.

"Sam! Come here will you." I groaned and pryed myself from between the soft squishy pillows. As I shuffled towards Teddy, a young girl poked her head around his large body and beamed a bright smile at me. Her hair was black with a rainbow of streaks through it. She had a small sparkling piercing above her lip on the right side and her ears were sprinkled with numerous pieces of Jewellery.

"You must be Samantha!" I cringed as she ploughed her way past Teddy in great strides. I shifted on my feet and she thrust her hand towards me, her smile not fading. I took her hand cautiously,

"I prefer Sam." I said softly, Charlie was the only one who called me Samantha. Another thing to add to the list of what I don't like about him, right underneath "everything" and "not Lincoln Davids."

The girl's smile softened a little, like she understood what I was thinking. "Well... SAM. My name is Dallas because apparently my mother hated me when I was born, so now only my mother and the bank call me that." She giggled. “You can call me Allie.” My head was spinning, the girl talked so fast, or maybe it had just been so long since I'd had real female company. I looked up at Teddy who was staring at me, completely amused.

"Soooo… What's going on?"

"Well, since Charlie was out of town, I thought I'd sneak you in some pampering. Allie does nails, hair and massages. My sister recommended her. And you need a girl to talk to." I narrowed my eyes, studying him carefully. He knew the rules, I wasn't allowed friends. It shocked me that he was going against Charlie's wishes when he never had before.

He sighed and turned me, pushing me by my shoulders towards the lounge I had come from and gently forcing me onto the couch.

"As far as he's going to know, I hired someone to make you even more beautiful than you already are, so stop stressing." I fiddled with my fingers, turning my rings around and around. I loved Teddy. I loved the way he cared about me and treated me like a little sister; sneaking me things that he knew would get us both in trouble. I looked over to Allie, lounging on a chair, feet propped up on the coffee table. The sight was so ridiculous I actually giggled.

Teddy’s face shot from nervous to excited in 5 seconds flat and he took a dramatic bow before turning on his heel and strutting from the room full of confidence, thinking he was the man. I shook my head silently, but I couldn't hide the smile.

Allie was strange in a very enjoyable way and we got along so well I knew that if things were different, we could have been amazing friends. Tattoos filled her arms; one was nearly a complete sleeve while the other only had a scatter of pictures. I struggled to find a pattern within the craziness; eight balls with bird feet and wings, a zombie type pin up relaxing in a martini glass, lady bugs and a range of words and sayings. I loved tattoos, I had a few planned in my mind. Whether they ever came to be, I wasn’t sure.

“Have you ever regretted one of your tattoos?” I asked Allie as she filed away cheerily at my nails.

She looked up at me and smiled wide, “What would the point in that be? Regretting them isn’t going to change the fact that they are there.”

“Very true.” I nodded.

“I got my ex-boyfriends nick name tattooed on my hip.” She laughed, “His nick name is Lurch. But lucky for me, the way it’s written it looks more like Lunch. So if anyone asks, I just pretend to be really passionate about eating lunch.”

I couldn’t help but giggle, Allie’s energy was infectious. She looked very dark and brooding, with her tattoos, skull covered singlet and jeans that were torn across her thighs and knees; a flash of colour indicating her arms weren’t the only body parts covered in art. But in reality, she was the poster girl for not judging a book by its cover with her crazy bright vibrant personality – a trait that her hair reflected boldly with its pink, purple and blue streaks through the dark black waves.

Allie painted my nails a beautiful deep blue colour. As soon as I saw it my heart had cracked. It reminded me of a beach I'd been to with my parents and brother when we were little. I had thought the water was magical because it was so blue and clear. And I remember laughing and screaming both together as my father picked me up and dumped me into the water. Enjoyable memories of my father were few and far between.

Whenever I think of him now, all I see in my head is the gutless man who sold his daughter. I no longer cared to have memories of a man who had such small balls. If I never saw him again, it would be too soon.

Allie made light conversation about recent news headlines, the weather and Teddy, things that were safe. As the conversation moved on to men, my stomach began to slowly start to twist and turn.

"So, how did you and Charlie meet?" I tensed a little but quickly refocused on the story I'd repeated so many times over the last three years it was almost automatic.

"I had trouble at home with my dad, ran away, Charlie was there and helped me." I noted that next time I tell people that, I need to put more emotion into it. I could hear the dull drone in my voice, I almost sounded robotic.

"I see." She whispered. I cocked my head to the side and stared at her. She avoided my gaze and kept painting my toe nails.

"What do you know?." I whispered, almost embarrassed. She looked up at me and I caught a shimmer in her bright eyes; tears.

"I know you don't really want to be here, that much is plainly obvious." She finished up and started to pack everything away.

"Unfortunately sometimes we just don't have a choice." I sighed as I held my hands up in front of me, admiring Allie’s efforts and trying to ignore the deep shame that was creeping through my body. She shook her head, and reached for my hand but I snatched it away.

"There is always a choice, Sam." Allie said softly, staring directly into my eyes.

"No, my choices are live here, or.. or…" I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my front.

"Do you really call this living?" Gone was her carefree fun attitude, her sharp statement smacking me in the face, her sparkling smile turned to a devastating frown. Words ceased to form in my mouth. "You're scared, I get that. But you need to fight, you don't deserve to be cooped up in this house like a damn pet!"

I threw the pillow across the room and stood quickly.

"You don't get to judge my choices. I fight every day. I fight the bile that rises in my throat every time he touches me, I fight to keep myself sane in this ridiculous prison, I fight the urge to piss Charlie off in hopes that he might actually finish the job next time." I said sternly, pointing to the fading bruises that decorated my throat. "I fight because it’s not just my life on the line if I screw up."