Read Redeemed (The Dark Redemption Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Lane Hart
Redeemed (The Dark Redemption Series Book 2)
REDEEMED
A Dark Redemption Novel
By Lane Hart
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue were created from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual people or events is coincidental.
The author acknowledges the copyrighted and trademarked status of various products within this work of fiction.
© 2016 Editor's Choice Publishing
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator” at the address below.
Editor’s Choice Publishing
P.O. Box 10024
Greensboro, NC 27404
Edited by Angela Snyder
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaSnyder
Cover by vocaldesign
https://www.fiverr.com/vocaldesign
Warning: This book contains some dark, dirty and dangerous situations.
Table of Contents
“Oh, how the mighty Azrael has fallen.”
Blair Lockhart, age eight
A group of bubbles float through the air, all around me, as I laugh and try to pop each one before they touch the ground.
“Make them bigger!” I tell Erica, the high school girl with long red hair. She stays with me Sunday afternoons while Mommy spends time with her friend and Daddy works. Daddy’s always working, and he never comes home until late on Sundays.
“Okay, get ready,” Erica says with a smile before holding the stick to her lips and blowing more bubbles around me.
A loud rumble coming up the driveway makes me freeze as it gets closer, louder until it comes to a stop in front of our house. The roaring sound dies down, and seeing her long blonde hair, I know who is sitting on the back of the big motorcycle.
“Mommy!” I exclaim, running over to her.
“Hi, sweetie,” she says with a grin after she sits back and removes her arms from around the man on the front’s waist. I don’t know who he is because unlike Mommy’s, the front of his helmet is covered. But when he lifts it up, I immediately recognize him.
“Hey, kiddo,” Ben says with a crooked smile and then reaches out with his leather glove to pat me on the head. Turning to look at Mommy over his shoulder, I hear him softly ask her, “You sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“No, we'll be okay,” she says as she holds on to his shoulders and throws a leg over to get off the bike.
The two whisper to each other, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. I’m too busy watching the way the sun dances off the silver parts of the motorcycle. It’s so pretty that I reach out and run my fingers over the bright, red flames on the side. I bet it’s fun to ride on. Mommy looked happy when she was sitting on the back. Now, she takes the helmet off and hands it to Ben. Her hair is all messed up. She runs her fingers through the strands trying to fix it, probably because she knows Daddy doesn’t like for it to be messy. He doesn’t like any messes and yells at me if I leave crumbs on the kitchen floor or if Mommy doesn’t vacuum twice a day.
“I love you, Val,” Ben says before he pulls Mommy to him for a kiss on her lips. I thought daddies were supposed to kiss mommies, but mine doesn't ever kiss each other.
“Love you, too. See you tomorrow,” Mommy says before she steps away from him. She tells me she loves me, but she never says that to Daddy.
“See ya, kiddo,” Ben calls out to me with a wink before he pulls the front of his helmet down and the bike suddenly rumbles so loud I jump back in surprise before he pulls away. Mommy reaches down and takes my hand. Then the two of us stand there and watch Ben until he disappears.
“Erica, do you mind staying a little longer?” Mommy asks as we walk up to the front of the house, my arm swinging with hers. “I need to do some packing –”
“Packing! Are we going on vacation? Can we go to the beach?” I ask, nearly bouncing up and down with excitement.
“No, sweetie,” Mommy says, kneeling down in front of me on the porch. Her blue eyes look sad and worried. “Tonight’s the last night you’ll sleep here in your bed because tomorrow we’re going to live at a new house.”
“A new house?” I ask in excitement.
“Just you and me, but you’ll still get to come see your Daddy some on the weekends –”
“I don’t want to see Daddy!” I exclaim.
“But he’ll want to see you,” she says. “And it’ll only be a few days.”
“I don’t think Daddy likes me because I’m always making a mess,” I admit, looking down at my blue Sunday school dress that has a grass stain on the bottom.
“Your Daddy loves you, he just…he just doesn’t know how to show it. But Ben loves you too, and he wants us to come live with him.”
“Really?” I ask. Ben is nice, and maybe he’ll let me ride his bike.
“Yeah, and do you remember the two boys from the pool who look just alike?”
“Uh-huh. One is mean and always splashes me, but the other one is funny. He pretends to be a shark and chases me around. I can hold my breath under water longer than either of them!”
“Well, we’re gonna live in a house with them, so they’re gonna be like your brothers.”
“I wish they were girls because I bet they won’t play with me and my dolls,” I reply sadly.
“No, they probably won’t. But I bet they’ll play hide and seek with you and all kinds of other games.”
“I can’t wait!” I exclaim.
“Me either,” she says with a smile. “Now you go play with Erica a little while, okay?”
“Okay,” I say before I run off to tell Erica about my new brothers.
…
“Blair, come on in for dinner,” Mommy yells from the front porch, so Erica and I head inside. Once my hands are free of grass stains and dirt, Erica leaves; and I skip into the kitchen where it smells like yummy roast is cooking.
“Daddy will be here any minute, so can you set the table as fast as you can?” Mommy asks, handing me the stack of plates.
“Sure,” I tell her, and I start sitting them in their places and then adding the napkins folded just like Daddy likes beside them before finally putting out the forks and knives. I’m almost finished when the front door opens. My shoulders instantly tense, and I’m worried I didn’t set the table right. Mommy drops something, and it makes a loud clang.
“Is dinner ready yet?” Daddy barks when he walks into the kitchen still wearing his suit and tie.
“Almost, just one more minute,” Mommy says without looking at him.
“You knew I would be home at six, so what the hell have you been doing all day that you couldn’t have dinner ready in time?” he asks.
“Sorry, time got away from me,” she murmurs.
“Mommy got to ride on a motorcycle,” I say.
Daddy stares at Mommy and she hangs her head, using her hair to hide her face.
“So you’re the slut everyone was talking about seeing on the back of Ben Rawls’ bike?” Daddy asks, stomping over to Mommy. “Answer me!” he yells, spinning her around to face him.
“Our bags are packed. We’re leaving in the morning. But if you touch me again, we’ll leave tonight and you’ll never see her again,” she says before she storms off into the living room and picks up her cell phone.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Daddy shouts, following her and grabbing her by her arm to jerk her to a stop, sending her phone clattering across the floor.
“Yes, we are. You can’t make us stay.”
“Is that a challenge? Because I can, and I will make you stay. I’ll ruin that asshole and make him wish he were dead while he rots away in a jail cell!”
“No! Please. He has two sons –”
Whap!
I jump when Daddy slaps Mommy across her face. He looks so angry.
“You can hit me all you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love him!”
Whap!
After that hit, Daddy walks away, back into the kitchen where I’m still standing. My breath blows out of my mouth in relief, thinking he’s done. He won’t hurt her anymore. But then he grabs a big knife from the kitchen counter.
“No!” Mommy screams when she sees the knife. “Blair, run!” She tries to run toward her phone on the floor, but Daddy catches her, holding the knife to Mommy’s throat.
“Please let me go. I-I’m…I’m…” She tries to tell him something with her hands over her stomach.
“Don’t fucking say it,” he growls in her face. “Because I know it’s not mine.”
Daddy’s hand moves in a blur, and then the knife is slammed into Mommy’s belly. Her scream is so loud that it takes my breath away, just before my mouth opens with my own cry of horror when I see all the blood staining her shirt.