Konrad Read online

  One thing about them I like is, they don't carry guns. They feel like they’re invisible, that nothing can hurt them and that they are fully protected.

  Right now, their whole entire world is falling apart. They have spent their days hurting these women.

  We all charge to the SUV. Konrad takes my hand and pulls me behind him as he wrenches open one of the doors.

  He grabs one of the bishops and throws him onto the ground. I put my foot on his throat, pressing down hard and choking him. “Move, please, I beg you,” I taunt him.

  His eyes narrow on me, his hand going to my foot and trying to pry it off. His fingers dig into my toes, trying to hurt me.

  “Fuck, there’s more women.”

  The bishop below my foot really starts to fight. I stumble when his leg kicks out and he rolls slightly.

  I look down at him, glaring. Konrad is standing in front of me going through the papers. “Hey, stop,” I tell the guy under my foot when he punches my leg hard.

  I cry out, kicking him back, pointing my gun at his head. “Stop it now!” I yell and Konrad whips around at the commotion.

  The bishop’s face is red from the exertion trying to fight me.

  “JEZEBEL!” he roars, pushing me off of him and onto the ground.

  I hit the ground, my back slamming into the dirt hard.

  Konrad turns around and grips the guy by the hair before he can reach me. He puts his face in front of the bishop’s. “Oh, how I am going to love hurting you. You dared to harm her and you will pray for hell,” Konrad spits out.

  Vinny lifts me off the ground. I know one thing these men are scared of and that’s women.

  They are so fucking intimidated.

  I laugh. “Look how scared he is. What a pathetic excuse for a man,” I belittle him.

  His face reddens with anger. “You think I’m scared of you? I could take you with my hands tied behind me back.”

  He tries to run at me. “Let him go. I would love to kick his ass.” I smirk at him.

  I feel someone walking up behind me. I look back and see my girls. Shaylin walks in front with River.

  “Ohh, maybe we should let them all go. Let’s show them what women are capable of,” River mocks him, winking at one of the bishops lying on the ground.

  “Yeah, show them who’s boss!” one of the girls yells.

  She walks toward me. “Strip him naked,” she demands.

  I can see the fire in her eyes. Konrad does as she asks, leaving him completely naked.

  I look down at his penis. I point at it and all of the girls laugh loudly, completely humiliating him.

  His lip trembles, horrified. All of the girls around me have been abused and are taking back their power as they call him every single name in the book. “Shit, I’ve seen Vienna sausage bigger than him,” Robert’s mom says last.

  I bust out laughing again. River and Shaylin are almost lying on the ground. Gage is laughing harder than everyone; he’s practically crazy.

  “You think this is bad? What do you think we’ve felt? I have been here for months,” she hisses, stepping up and punching the bishop dead in the face.

  I watch in sick fascination as his head snaps back. “Fuck, that felt good, you stupid bitch.”

  I snort. “I think we just need to tie them up and let the girls have their fun,” I joke.

  The guys all look at each other. “I don't see why the fuck not. We need to keep one alive for information reasons.” Lane shrugs.

  “I agree, we will keep this one.” Lane picks the bishop off the ground by his feet, throwing him to a prospect.

  The guys drag the rest to the middle of the parking lot in front of the house.

  One by one, the girls pick themselves up off of the ground, some helping others. “Take their clothes off,” one of the girls yells.

  I watch as their faces change before my eyes. They are finding their strength and they are taking back what was taken from them.

  The prospects do the dirty work. Konrad tucks me into his side. “Are you hurt where he pushed you down?”

  I shake my head no. “No, I’m fine, but the best revenge is happening right now in front of our eyes. They are facing their abusers head on. They’re taking back a small part of what was taken from them,” I whisper to him.

  “What?” Danny asks me.

  I smile sadly. “Power.”

  One of the girls screams and they charge the bishops, surrounding them. I can hear their screams. I can make out the sounds of fists hitting flesh, bones breaking.

  “MY BALLS!”

  We bust out laughing at that. This continues for close to thirty minutes. We can’t even see what’s going on, there are so many of them surrounding the bishops.

  One by one, the women fall back and collapse onto the ground, exhausted.

  We are left with the visuals of men that aren’t even men anymore; they are just pieces of meat at this point.

  Their heads are lying at weird angles, letting me know one thing. They are dead, never to hurt anyone else.

  I walk to the girls and stand in front of them. “You guys ready to go home?” I ask.

  “Please,” they say.

  We all help them to their feet and into the vans. The girls drove them here but the guys will take over driving. We’re leaving a girl in each van to make sure that the rescued women feel safe.

  It takes close to an hour to get everyone inside of the van. We give them Gatorades and snacks to tide them over until we get back.

  We have the chefs currently making meals for them even though it’s getting dark outside.

  I know it’s chaos back at the house getting everything ready, but luckily, I have tons of help because a lot of girls who’ve been there for a while have taken over duties for us.

  Lynn will be there bright and early in the morning with other therapists ready to tackle these girls’ mental health issues.

  We have seen abuse, but this is just the worst.

  I shut the last door of the van and climb inside, and Konrad takes the driver’s seat.

  He won’t leave my side. He has stuck by me all day long and made sure I am okay, protected. I squeeze his hand. “Thank you for protecting me today,” I whisper into his ear before kissing his cheek and finding my seat.

  He gives me a heated look. I sit in the front, closest to the door. I can feel the eyes of the girls behind me.

  I leave on the lights for them so they can see each other. “Are you guys feeling okay? Need anything?”

  “I’d kill for a bath,” one of the girls says.

  A few of the girls laugh. “I just want to lie down and sleep.”

  I close my eyes, thinking how horrible it would be trying to sleep in one of those fucked up cages.

  “Will we have our own beds?” one of them asks.

  I nod. “You will have your own beds. You can choose if you want to have one person in your bedroom with you, or we have bunk-bed rooms, but all of them have their own kitchen and bathroom, fully stocked.”

  They look at me like I’m crazy. “Fully stocked?”

  I nod. “Yeah, some of the girls that were rescued years ago are in school to be doctors, nurses, teachers. Some are wanting to join me and do what I do. Some are just mothers, living in peace on the property.”

  “Wow.”

  They look at each other in disbelief. “I’ve wanted this for so long. Etta, we’ve heard about you for years. How you got out, how you got so many girls out.”

  “I wish I knew about you guys sooner. When I was eighteen I made a promise that I would end the cults if it’s the last thing I do,” I tell them.

  Looking at their faces, knowing that no one can hurt them again, that makes it worth it.

  “I have a daughter. She’s four years old. Can we rescue her?” the one closest to me asks, her eyes bright with tears.

  “Tomorrow we will get all of your information and we will get your loved ones one by one.”

  They start crying, and I feel u
tterly useless right now, but I hope those tears dry up once I reunite those who are separated.

  The girls all fall asleep and I move to the front with Konrad, cutting off the lights so they can rest.

  He reaches over, taking my hand, bringing the back of it to his mouth and kissing me. “Darlin’, you are so fucking strong. I’ve been in awe of you today.” He looks at me with such sincerity.

  I lean over and rest my forehead on his shoulder, letting myself be vulnerable for a second. “You make me happy,” I admit.

  I see his beautiful happy smile from the corner of my eye. “Darlin’, you make me so much more than happy.”

  I shake my head, smiling ear to ear, my heart happy, butterflies in my stomach. “Once we’re home, I’m going to run you a hot bath, I’ll find us some food and turn on a movie. You deserve to relax, baby.”

  Dear God, I almost fall to the ground in a puddle. “You are amazing,” I whisper, not wanting the girls to hear.

  “Baby, that’s all you. Look at what you did today. Look how far you have come in life. You made this from the bottom, turned it to this so you can help all of these people.”

  God, my heart burns as his words hit close to home. “You’re going to make me cry.”

  “Don’t cry. One thing I can’t handle is your tears, honey. “

  In this very moment, I truly realize I am a complete and utter goner for this man. His face actually shows his pain as he glances over at me.

  He truly cares for me.

  The rest of the ride back home is so long, the girls are so uncomfortable, they’re wincing with every move and bump on the road.

  The line of vans pulls to a stop in front of the gate, waiting for the person in front to put in the code and check in with the prospect there.

  I stand up and walk to the back with the girls, turning on the light so they can adjust.

  “How’s everyone feeling?” I ask, but they’re too busy looking out of the window at the houses along the driveway to the main houses.

  “Who lives in these houses?” one of the girls asks.

  “Most are newer and no one lives in these yet. A lot of the girls have readjusted to new housing. Some live alone with their kids.”

  They look at me in shock. “What? They have their own homes?”

  I smile. “Yes, you will too, but first you will be staying in the main house until you’re adjusted.”

  I can tell they’re trying to wrap their head around the idea of that life. I know once I left the cult it was so hard to learn new things.

  The van stops and I step out. Konrad helps the girls out of the vans, making sure they don’t fall.

  “Alright everyone, follow me.” I motion for all of the girls to follow me—the ones that can walk, that is. Some are in the medical vans and they will have to be carried in last.

  “I’m going to stay with medical to check on the girls,” Konrad tells me.

  Inside of the house, I’m relived at the amount of help on hand. “Girls, thank you so much for this. These rescued girls are in bad shape,” I warn them.

  The house is filled with the smell of soup, and my stomach growls from not eating in hours.

  I split the rescued girls off in groups and they follow one of my girls to their rooms to clean up. We’ve called in some nurses to make sure every girl is looked after and to assess if they need more medical treatment.

  There was no way to make sure everyone got checked over there. We needed to get them out before something happened and anyone else showed up.

  We got lucky it was just the bishops—those fuckers were useless.

  Once the girls are all upstairs, I look at the empty main room. Shaylin walks up to me, hugging me into her side. “How are you holding up?” she asks.

  I rub my eyes, sighing loudly. “It never gets easier.” She nods, accepting that response. “I’m going to head up and make sure everyone is adjusting okay. Want to head up with me?” I ask.

  “Fuck yeah.”

  I laugh. Shaylin has been a friend of mine for a while. She took me under her wing and she helped me learn how to defend myself. She was the one who taught me how to shoot.

  We walk upstairs, and once we reach the top of the landing, we are hit with an ear-piercing scream.

  I gasp in shock at the sound and I run toward the sound. I can hear the thundering footsteps behind us as the guys run up the stairs.

  I push open the door and I see one of the younger girls in the corner of the room, holding onto a pillow. I run to her. “Honey, you’re okay!” I whisper to her, trying to break through the panic she is feeling.

  Her eyes aren’t on me but on the TV hanging on the wall. “Hey,” I try again and she finally, slowly, looks over to me, and the look on her face takes my breath away.

  “What’s the matter, honey? Did something happen?” I ask, sitting on the ground beside her.

  Her hair is plastered to the side of her face from the sweat, tears, and God only knows what else.

  I help fasten the blanket around her shoulders to make sure she feels secure. She points to the man’s face on the screen.

  I look over and see the chief of police talking about some kind of crime that happened in town.

  “What’s the matter, honey?”

  Her eyes are filled with tears. “That is my daddy.”

  Wait what? Then why was she there? I look over at the guys in horror because I actually know the man and he has been trying to find his daughter since she was twelve years old when she went missing.

  “Sweetheart, you need to tell me,” I tell her in a gentle, soothing tone.

  She sniffs. “I was taken from outside of the school. My mom was late picking me up and I was carried into a van years ago.”

  I close my eyes. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry.” I pull her over and hold her as she weeps from all of the pain she has suffered.

  Konrad is hovering by the door, waiting to make sure she is okay. “Okay, honey, I need to ask you something.”

  She nods. “How old are you now?”

  She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m fourteen. I know I look older. I was taken two years ago.” Her eyes get glassy as she sinks into her mind.

  Fuck, I hate this so much.

  “One more thing.” She looks at me once more. “Do you want me to call your dad?”

  She is shocked by my words. “You know my dad?” she asks, sitting up straighter.

  I push her hair over her shoulder. “I do know him, honey. He has been working with us since you were taken.”

  She nods. “I want my daddy please,” she begs, tears finally falling from her eyes. “I just want to go home. I tried to not think of home but I just want my daddy.”

  My throat thickens. “Okay, honey. I’ll call him right now. I am going to turn the water on for you. There’s clothes on the counter. I’ll check on you in a bit.”

  I help her off of the floor and she walks into the bathroom, the door locking behind her.

  I run out of the room. I need to tell Kyle, since this is the police chief. Kyle is standing in the main room.

  “Kyle!” I yell and run down the stairs, stopping in front of him.

  He grips my shoulders. “What is it?” he asks.

  I am shaking from all of the emotions I am feeling. “I just found Olivia—she was who is screaming. She saw her dad on TV.”

  His face shows his shock. We have searched and searched for her, but never in a million years did I think she was in the cult, that they had taken her.

  This is going to make me reanalyze everything I know about them—this is different.

  “She wants me to call him.”

  “Fuck, how bad is she?” Kyle asks.

  It makes me mad that I didn’t see her. There were so many girls in that short period of time, she just slipped through the cracks.

  I close my eyes, hating this. “She doesn’t look that good. Once she’s out of the shower I will have someone check her.”

  Kyle ha
s known her since she was little. He and the police chief are best friends and her going missing affected everyone in this town because stuff like that just doesn’t happen in Raleigh.

  “Can I go wait outside of her door?”

  “Let me call her dad and I’ll take you to her. I’m sure she recognizes you.”

  He nods. “I gotta tell Chrystal.” He takes out his phone and calls his wife.

  This is heartbreaking.

  Your daughter being missing is the worst thing imaginable, but knowing what she has suffered all of this time?

  That makes it hurt even worse.

  Because it is the worst nightmare come true.

  I step outside, breathing in the cool night air. The door opens and Konrad steps out. He pulls me over to a chair and into his lap.

  “I know this is hard, baby.” He rubs my back. I let my head sink for a minute, letting myself gather my emotions, feeling the pain before I shut it off.

  I lean back, kissing his cheek softly and showing my thanks. I dial Brian’s number, and a few rings later he picks up. “Hey Etta, how did the bust go?”

  I clench my eyes closed, hating this.

  “Are you sitting down?” My voice comes through with no emotions.

  “What is it?” he demands. I can hear a door opening and closing. I know he’s moving into his office.

  “We’ve found her. She’s here at the compound. Olivia is alive.”

  I can hear crashing. “Oh my God,” he says into the phone. I can hear some guys yelling and I know he’s at work.

  “Is she bad?” he asks. I can hear the fear in his voice.

  “We don’t know the full extent yet, but she wants you.”

  “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” He hangs up and I stuff the phone into my pocket. “I need to go check on her.”

  Konrad takes my hand and walks me up the stairs, Kyle right behind us. “Let me walk in first to make sure she is okay.”

  They hang back as I open the door, stepping inside as Olivia is walking out of the bathroom.

  I have to suck in a breath because now I can tell for sure she’s Olivia. I couldn’t even recognize her under the filth.

  “Your dad is on his way,” I tell her, and she sits on the edge of the bed, taking the blanket and wrapping it around her.