Vow of Silence (24 page)
Authors: Roxy Harte
Gigi
Steel bars surround me. I am naked and cold, covered with
filth. God knows what is on the floor besides dark stains and dust. My cell
smells of urine and feces…and death. I rasp, “Help me,” but the ruin of my
voice barely even emits sound now.
No one can hear me.
It has been days since I have had the comfort of even a
crumb of bread or swallow of water. How long can I last this way?
I spend too much time remembering the girl who died in my
parents’ basement. Was her crime also stubbornness? Did that day foreshadow how
my own life was always meant to end?
I startle, hearing footsteps approach, and then Lenka comes
into the room. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“If this is my fate, so be it.”
“Agree to come to me tonight, submit to me. Say the word and
a hot bath will be waiting, perfumed towels, silk sheets.”
“No!” I shake my head so hard my brain seems to bounce off
my skull, increasing my agony. I grab my head, holding it in my hands as I sit
on my haunches rocking back and forth.
“I’ve done everything you demanded.”
I meet his gaze. “My mother is dead?”
“Yes. I showed you the photographs of her torture, do you
not remember?”
I sigh, letting my eyes droop closed, remembering the
pictures he tossed into my cage. Some days it is harder than others to
differentiate truth from fantasy but I do remember. “And the man who called
himself God?”
“I am still seeking his identity but I swear to you I will
find him, and when I do, you will be the one to mete out his justice when the
time comes.”
I swallow hard, so anxious for that day to come.
“Let me take care of you now, please, Giselle. Let me love
you.”
I remember George’s woman’s words to me.
Stop making
yourself a victim. Stop seeking death.
She made it sound so easy. Like
flipping a switch.
“Let me take you for a walk through the forest. The snow is
freshly fallen. It is very beautiful with the flakes clinging so thickly to the
trees it is like cake icing.”
“That seems like a princess’s fairytale. You should know by
now, Lenka, I always preferred the nightmare.”
“Even if I promised to spill your blood onto the carpet of
white snow?”
I meet his gaze and see such hunger. I lick my tongue across
my lips but there is no saliva and my tongue feels like sandpaper. “Tell me
more.”
Multi-published author Roxy Harte has loved erotic romance
novels since she stumbled across her first at the tender age of thirteen. Since
she especially loves books that offer strong insight into the characters’
psyches, as a writer she wants to provide readers with characters who are not
only charismatic and engaging, but also intellectually, spiritually and
sexually complex. When she started writing in earnest twelve years ago, it
provided an evening respite from the full-time care of her invalid mother and
Alzheimer-diagnosed father, and although both of her parents died a decade ago,
she now writes so that her readers may find a small escape of their own at the
end of a tedious day.
Roxy lives in southwestern Ohio in a small town bordered by
fields and railroad tracks, with her husband and collegiate daughter, two
boisterous dogs, Petey and Jazzi, and five cats, Miss Kitty, Sadie, Dharma,
Karma and Tilak.
Roxy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You
can email
the
author
directly or you can email us at
[email protected]
(when
contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).
Roxy
Harte
Chronicles
of Surrender 1: Sacred Secrets
Chronicles
of Surrender 2: Sacred Revelations
Chronicles
of Surrender 3: Unholy Promises
Chronicles
of Surrender 4: Echo of Redemption
Chronicles
of Surrender 5: Cries of Penance
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Vow of Silence
ISBN 9781419940262
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Vow of Silence Copyright © 2014 Roxy Harte
Cover design by Kendra Egert
Cover photography by Christina Henningstad and Igor
Kireev/Shutterstock.com
Electronic book publication October 2014
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of
Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not
be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written
permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home
Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or
distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without
the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement
without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5
years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not
participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your
support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The
characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and
trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned
in this book.
The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume
any responsibility for, author or third-party websites or their content.
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the
multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Be sure to visit EC on the web
at www.ellorascave.com to find erotic reading experiences that will leave you
breathless. You can also find our books at all the major e-tailers (Barnes
& Noble, Amazon Kindle, Sony, Kobo, Google, Apple iBookstore, All Romance
eBooks, and others).