Stealing Grace (4 page)

No sooner she was lost in thought, she heard him cough in the other room. She thought she smelled coffee. She hadn’t changed her clothes to sleep last night and didn’t plan to now either. She could care less what he thought of her and what she was wearing.

She did straighten her hair back into a ponytail though. She rubbed under her eyes, trying to imagine the horrid mess she must have looked like but didn’t care enough to go see for herself. The worse she looked, maybe the more he wouldn’t think about putting his hands on her.

She walked into the living room through the hall cautiously. There he was, shirtless, with his blanket wrapped around his legs on the couch. He wasn’t asleep but reading. He looked up and nodded a good morning to her and resumed, his eyes moving back and forth, one arm behind his head.

She was determined to get to the bottom of this today. What was his big plan? Why had he brought her there? What was her purpose? She would flat out have to ask him if he didn’t say something soon, for she was in no better mood than she was yesterday regardless of the sleep in the big comfy bed. She already felt an outburst coming on.

She walked into the kitchen and saw the coffee brewing.
Coffee. Mmmm...
She took a cup down from the cabinet directly above the coffee pot, looked in the refrigerator for creamer thinking surely there would be none.
Of course. Clean sheets, fresh broccoli and creamer in the fridge. The strangest bachelor I’ve ever met.

She pulled the half and half out and set it on the counter. She thought best to ask him if she could have some first. She feared she hadn’t seen anything of his real personality yet and also wanted to prompt the dialogue so he would feel it was ok to start giving her some answers if he chose to.

“Can I have some coffee?” she asked timidly, peeking around the corner.

She thought she sounded mousy and pathetic but it was all she could muster up at this time of morning and under the circumstances.

“Of course, I’m not gonna drink a whole pot by myself.” He chuckled finding her question silly.

She ignored this and turned swiftly back to the kitchen. After drinking her coffee alone, you could hear a pin drop in the house. She took it upon herself to start some breakfast. She normally wasn’t a breakfast person but she was starving and figured this might sweeten him up and get him to spill the beans. Six scrambled eggs and four slices of bacon later they were at the table, sitting opposite in silence again.

He had said thanks for breakfast as they were sitting down but not a word since. Not even a look. She was glaring at him, getting her first real good look at him, busting open with anger. She had had enough. If a slap across the face was what it took to get him to say something, that’s what it would have to be. This was it, she would have to start with the main question, the why.

He was handsome, very much so. Not in a movie star kind of way but he was pleasing to her eyes anyway. She hadn’t noticed that last night. He was tan and his arms were toned with brown hair that was long enough to tuck around his ears and forehead with blue eyes, real blue. He had thrown on some variant of the same t-shirt he wore last night just another color. The fact that he was cute did nothing for her but make her more angry. Why the heck did someone like him need to kidnap a girl anyway?

She wasn’t going to go another minute without some resolution of what was going on here.

She fought for the right words. She studied hard, her cheeks getting red as she thought and fumed. She ran her fingers through her ponytail with her eyes closed.
Calm down. You’re not going to get anywhere if you just start yelling at him. Just ask him why he brought you here and what...Enough!!

“Why did you bring me here?” she almost yelled startling him.

He looked up into her eyes for the first time. He stared in stunned silence for a few seconds, which didn’t help Elena’s temper or frightfulness.

“Don’t you know?” he asked calmly. Elena huffed and held her breath. Had she heard him right? “Were you told nothing about what was your purpose here?”

He continued to stare into her eyes. She wanted to look away but it was so intense and she could let this go no longer.

“No, they didn’t tell me anything after they kidnapped me from my bus stop that night, threw me into a dirty van and carried me to a strange building where I had to strip in front of strange men,” he winced but she kept going, “and shower and sleep on the floor with fourteen other scared girls just as confused as me. They didn’t feed or talk to us and now I’m here and you aren’t telling me anything either,” Elena said on the verge of crying.

No! Remember your promise! Don’t let him enjoy your pain!
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, fearful of what he might do in response to her outburst. He leaned back into his chair too, never losing her gaze, sipped his coffee and set it back down. He clasped his hands together on the table in front of him and sighed before he spoke softly.

“Elena, you’re here to be my wife. As a matter of fact the minister will be here to marry us in a half hour.” He paused before going on, to see if she’d go into shock. When she said nothing he continued. “We live in a community of sorts. The people here are close knit and we watch out for each other and their wives. It’s sort of a tradition in these parts...to live like this. My father married my mother this way. The local government gets a cut and leaves us alone so don’t waste your time trying to call the police or run. I understand you’re confused and scared but...that doesn’t last forever. Soon, I would hope you would learn to be comfortable with your life here with me.”

She sat speechless. Unable to move, she had gotten the answers to her questions and no longer wanted to hear them. Reality set in. There would be no escape.

She could tell he wasn’t bluffing. Everything was so calm with him. He always spoke so matter-of-factly. She wanted to vomit. Instead to hide the tears that were pooling in her eyes, she started, wordlessly, to gather dishes and clear the breakfast plates.

She took her time and tried to process what he had said to her.
I’m to be his wife? Is that why he hadn’t come into my room last night, because we weren’t married yet? This is some religious cult. Why? Why? WHY? A community, what does that mean?
Suddenly she heard a knock at the door and froze.

Chapter 3

“Come on in, Paul. Buck,” Alex said, he sounded elated.

Elena wondered what it was that made him so happy about all this. He hadn’t seemed to be particularly attracted to or interested in her since she got here.

She stood, still frozen leaning against the kitchen counter when he rounded the corner.

“It’s time. Come on in here with us, Elena,” he said, his eyes glowing.

* * *

Alex was excited. This made it final and legal. No one could take her from him now. They would be bound together by community law, man and wife. She was his now, for real and it made him giddy that he’d actually pulled it off. He’d done it. No one was the wiser of what was really going on and he planned to keep it that way too.

* * *

Elena swallowed the bile in her throat before taking the first step to be a monster’s wife.

She stood there next to him, numb and stomach churning, so close their arms almost touched and she thought she would rather die than do this. Before she realized it she was sobbing out loud softly and breathing heavy. Alex said his “I do” and now their menacing eyes were upon her.

“Don’t be stupid, girl. You do as you’re told!” Paul, the minister was yelling at her.

He grabbed her arm and shook her as if to wake her up as Buck, the witness, stood by and watched impassively. Alex removed Paul’s hand from her and turned to give him a glare before looking back toward her. He placed his hands gently on the tops of her arms. He looked into her eyes and spoke softly.

“I told you not to be scared. Just say the words and this part will be over.” He sounded genuinely concerned and upset that Paul had grabbed her.

Some macho thing, Elena was sure. There was no way he actually cared or he wouldn’t be doing this.

“I do,” she croaked out not waiting to be prompted again.

She was usually the kind of girl to make the best of any situation and this didn’t seem like anything different at this point.
Oh, God, I’m married. There’s a reason for everything
.

Alex, quickly slipped the tiny band on her trembling finger and then his own. There was no kiss the bride at the end. After the ‘ceremony’ the minister and witness said goodbye to Alex and Paul glared his disapproval at her.

“You mind you husband, girl,” was the last thing he said before walking out the door.

* * *

The afternoon was pretty much a blur. Same thing as before; he read, she sat in a trance of silence, time being of no concept or consequence.

About an hour before lunch he told her they would have some friends over and she should make some sandwiches or something, enough for four. When they heard the knock she was already in the kitchen.

She was horrified and relieved at the same time to see the brunette. The first girl removed from the room yesterday. She came in through the back door with the guy who owned her now. No doubt they were married as well. It was confirmed when she glanced at the girl’s petite scared shaking hands and saw the plain band on her finger.

She could do nothing but hug her the moment they were close enough and out of sight. No words were needed. They both knew what was happening and that they were powerless against it. She saw the bruise on her arm.

She pulled her toward the stove and spouted something about her helping with lunch loudly. Out of earshot the chatter ensued. The girl, who told Elena her name was Amy, said how unkind Roger her new husband was to her. That he was ill-tempered and strange.

The minister, was apparently making the rounds this morning. She proceeded to tell Elena the horrid details since she was taken and how she was so scared with no idea what to do. She had even tried to run once and he had grabbed her arm so tight.
That explains the bruise.

Elena could think of only one thing to say but it sounded so stupid.
Where had that thought come from?
She couldn’t say that to her.

They all sat around the table, husband and wife across for each other. Roger bragged endlessly about being the first to choose between the brides and how he’d gotten the pick of the litter, by looks anyway.

Elena didn’t care that he was insulting her, but she saw something in Alex’s face. Anger. He didn’t say anything but she could tell he was pondering something...unpleasant.
His pride maybe?
He glanced up at her and when their eyes met she quickly looked away as did he.

Elena finished first and started clearing plates. She saw Roger’s plate was empty so she grabbed it and started to turn. Before she could react he was out of his chair and had her by the arms making her drop all the plates and they crashed to the chair and floor.

“What do you think you’re doing? Did I tell you I was done!” he yelled at her and then she felt like she blacked out but no, she was wide awake.

He had slapped her across the face with the back of his hand and was still squeezing her arm. Alex was up and pulling Roger back as Elena fell to the floor. Alex was in Roger’s face yelling. She couldn’t make it out but it sounded like he was defending her. She shook her head and finally got her bearings back.

Amy helped her up, taking her to the kitchen for ice, apologizing profusely but quietly, about her new husband. She heard Alex yell ‘You do what you want in your own house, but you don’t ever touch my wife! That’s my job.’ After a few moments Alex came in the kitchen, waiting in the door frame before speaking.

“I need to speak to Elena privately, Amy.”

Amy left reluctantly fearing for Elena, thinking the worst. As soon as she was gone he came directly to stand in front of her.

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry. Let me see.” He grabbed her chin gently to pull it up, he stood about half a foot taller than her.

He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck as he bent down to examine. He took the ice pack and held it to her cheek, looking at her to see if there was going to be a reaction. Elena was more confused now than ever.

“He will never touch you again,” he promised. “Some of the other men do things...differently,” he said, so soft, so genuine. “I will never hurt you that way. Understand?”

She stood blank for a few seconds and then nodded, barely. His fingers on her chin moved up slightly to her cheek and rubbed a small caress.

I am so confused. Please tell me what you want from me.

She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. He probably couldn’t see that though, what with the ice pack and all. She was pressed up against the wall by the stove, trapped by this man in more ways than one.

Amy came back in and said quietly that Roger wanted to leave. Alex let go of the ice and Elena’s cheek and went back in the other room to escort Roger out.

Suddenly there was only one thing Elena could say to Amy. The thing that was so horrible that had crept into her mind before
.
It had to be a higher power. I would never think this up on my own.

“Amy, listen to me.” Elena hugged her close trying to be discreet. “I know it’s hard and you don’t want to but, you have to trust me.” Amy was looking at her curiously, like she had the secret to make all this go away. “Just be his wife. I know it sounds crazy but, just pretend that this is what you want, pretend you’re where you want to be. Find a happy place. Be his wife, Amy.”

She didn’t understand, Elena could see that, and then Roger was pulling her out the door by her arm. He spoke not a word to Elena, which was fine with her. Her cheek still hurt and stung.