Konrad by LeAnn Ashers
5
Etta
I wakeup on my stomach with Konrad practically lying on top of me. I smile and pull the pillow under my neck, loving waking up like this.
His hand is rubbing my back, hip, and legs. “Good morning,” he whispers in my ear, pushing my hair over my shoulder and kissing my cheek.
“Good morning.” I look over and smile. His hair is mussed up on one side.
“I want to take you out for some late breakfast.” He wraps his arm around me, hugging me further into his front.
I could lie here forever.
“Okay,” I mumble, closing my eyes again for a second. He slides out of bed, taking all of the heat with him.
“It’s cold.” My teeth chatter.
He walks into my closet. I sit up and pull my legs to the side of the bed. He comes back a second later with a sweatshirt of mine and a pair of leggings.
Is he really going to dress me?
He stops in front of me. “Arms up,” he tells me, and I lift my arms. He lifts his shirt over my head, and all I’m wearing is a sports bra.
What shocks me is he doesn’t look down at me. He keeps his eyes on my face the whole time.
He truly respects me.
I put my arms through the holes, warming me instantly. “Is that better?” He takes a hold of my hand.
“Much.” My voice is thick from emotions, ones I’m not used to feeling.
He bends over, putting my legs through the leggings and I stand up, his eyes on me once more as he lifts them up and over my butt, not once touching me in a sexual way.
It’s like this is his way of letting me know that I can trust him.
My heart is heavy. “Sit back down, honey.” I do as he asks. He grabs my hairbrush and a ponytail holder.
He moves behind me, his legs on either side of me. I close my eyes at the first feel of the brush bristles moving along my scalp and hair.
I sit here and let him brush my hair over and over, then he gathers my hair in the back, his fingers moving through the strands, then I hear the snap of the hair tie. I look over and see he has braided my hair down my back.
“Konrad, you make me feel cherished.” My heart hurts from all of the emotions I’m feeling at once.
His face softens and his hand wraps around the bottom of my chin. “That’s all I ever want from you, darlin’.”
I can’t resist the urge. I turn around and crawl up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, needing to feel close to him.
He lifts me so my legs are on either side of him. His hands snake their way under my sweatshirt, running down my back.
There is a loud knock at the door and I jump completely off his lap, holding my heart. I’m not used to others coming up here.
Konrad doesn’t let me go far. “Hey, it’s just a prospect bringing me clothes. Are you okay?” he asks.
I nod, laughing it off. “Yes, I’m fine, I just got startled.”
He studies me a few seconds before he goes to the door. “Knock quieter next time, fucker.” Konrad grabs his stuff and slams the door shut.
I laugh loudly. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He gives me a look. “I don’t give a fuck. He scared you. I don’t like that shit, ever.”
There go those damn butterflies. He slips into the bathroom to get changed and I take my phone off of the nightstand, noticing I have a missed call from Techy.
I call him back. “Hey, what do you have for me?” I ask.
“Good news. I found Robert’s mother. They have her in a house for the women they deem bad and need exorcized.”
I jolt at the last part. Fear fills my stomach. That was what was about to happen to me. My family was the last resort before I was sent away there.
This is where they send the women who don’t mind their husband. They claim the devil is inside of them and that they must exorcize the demon out.
It’s hell. They starve you, hurt you, beat you, rape you, on top of the exorcism that you get daily.
Not many things scare me, but that absolutely terrifies me. “Oh God, Techy, this is really bad. We need to go tonight to get her out. This is extremely important. I hope she’s still alive,” I rush out and pace the room, my anxiety through the roof.
“We have to get all of the women out of there. This is going to be a big mission. I need to contact Kyle and Lane. These girls are being tortured.”
He hangs up and I drop the phone onto the bed. I gather my vest and gun off of the chair. We have a meeting room here, so we can formulate a plan when the guys arrive.
This is so, so bad.
Konrad has to come. I know without a doubt that these girls are going to need medical attention.
Konrad walks out of the bathroom. I’m borderline having a panic attack and I know once Lynn hears this, it’s going to freak her out just as bad.
You think fearing your husband, your abusers is bad, but this? This is literal hell on earth. These women are not women in the cult’s eyes, they are meant to be broken.
“Etta, what’s wrong?” Konrad rushes to me and takes my face in his hands. “We found Robert’s mom. It’s so bad.” I sob the last part.
His body stiffens before he pulls me to his chest, comforting me. “What’s so bad, Etta?” he asks, his voice void of emotion.
I let out a deep breath, my voice cracking. I sit down onto the side of the bed and he sits next to me. I tell him exactly what happens there, what she is going through.
“I was almost sent there. They were coming in a matter of days before my brother took me out of that life.”
Konrad looks at me in shock. “That almost happened to you?”
I nod. “I was forced to marry when I was fourteen years old. My husband, Kenneth, was a very horrible man and he was around thirty years old when I married him. Lynn was forced to marry at thirteen. She had a two-year-old by the time she was sixteen.”
Konrad gives me the most heartbreaking look. “Baby,” he whispers. He reaches to touch me but fists his hands together in anger. “Is he still alive?”
I look at him in confusion. “Who?”
“The fucking pedophile? Your husband.” He spits out the last word.
I nod. “Yeah, he is. Vinny never found him.”
Konrad smiles. It’s scary. “He won’t be for much longer.”
Oh fuck.
“Almost everyone in the cult is abused, but they don’t break the cycle. It’s hell but it’s nothing compared to what Robert’s mom is going through.” My hands are shaking at the thought.
Konrad pulls me into his arms, setting me on his lap. “Darlin’, it fucking breaks my heart the shit you went through.” He grips my face gently, looking me dead in the eye. “I will make a promise to you. I will fucking make him suffer and whoever dared to hurt you.”
Oh fuck, I can see the sincerity behind his eyes. “You don’t have to do that,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. He is trembling with anger. “Darlin’, it fucking kills me that someone even touched you in any way that hurt you. When I see you, I see someone who deserves to be fucking cherished, cared for.”
My bottom lip trembles as I try to hold back the tears. I am overwhelmed with so much right now.
He pulls me into him and holds me so tight, like he’s afraid I’m going to be taken away from him.
I feel so safe and vulnerable at the same time, my story is known, but speaking it to a guy that I like? It’s so different and it’s scary because you don’t know how anyone is going to react.
“I feel safe with you,” I whisper, lifting my head to look at him. His face shows his appreciation at my words.
“Darlin’, you’re safe with me, always.” He kisses my forehead and lets out a deep breath, the silence surrounding us.
My stomach growls loudly, breaking the quiet. He laughs. “Come on, let me feed you.” He lifts me onto the ground, taking my hand, and we walk down to where his motorcycle is parked.
He hands me a helmet. “Ready to ride?” he asks, his eyes firmly on me, watching my every move.
Why do I feel like he’s asking me for more than that? I take the helmet, buckling it in. “More than ready.”
He grins widely, sliding on first. I take his hand and slide in behind him. He brings his hands behind my calves, pulling me flush against his back, and my hands rest on his abs.
He takes off and I close my eyes. The air is slightly chilly. This is amazing and what I needed. I needed to get out of my head.
He drives through town to a new little restaurant. It’s two o’ clock in the afternoon but they serve breakfast all day long.
We are seated, and much to my surprise, Konrad sits next to me. “Are you coming on the mission tonight? Lane and Kyle will be at the compound later. We need to plan.”
He flips the menu over. “Where you go, I go.” He gives me a cheesy wink and I giggle.
“We need to bring the medical van—you’re a doctor and all.” I bump my shoulder into his arm.
He grips the menu hard. I wince internally because I brought up the bad shit again.
“Darlin’, drop that fucking look. I was thinking of those women. It’s not you,” he reassures me, seeing my look.
I nod. “Bossy,” I mutter under my breath loud enough for him to hear. He laughs and kisses my temple.
It takes me by surprise for a second. I’m not used to so much physical contact but I like it—and I like it a lot coming from Konrad.
The waiter takes our order. “For our second date I’ll take you to a fancy restaurant.”
This is a date? I can’t stop the smile at the knowledge. “Okay.” I smile at him, his eyes going to my dimples.
“Darlin’, have I told you how fucking heartbreakingly beautiful you are?” he tells me bluntly, causing my poor heart to race once more.
“Konrad,” I whisper and lay my head on his shoulder. “You’re so kind to me.”
He wraps his arm around me, cuddling me close right in the middle of the restaurant. “I want to do a lot of things to you.”
Blink, blink. It takes me a few seconds to wrap my head around what he’s saying and I bust out laughing.
He chuckles with me, tucking a strand of hair that’s fallen from my braid behind my ear. He watches me laugh. I try to cover my mouth, but he tears my hand away. “Don’t hide it.”
“What?” I ask, wiping under my eyes from laughing so hard.
“Your smile, baby.” I internally sigh. I’m not sure how to even react around him. I smile and look down at the menu, feeling lightweight and just so happy. This is all so new for me.
“I need to check on my sister and Michaela. Do you mind stopping off there before we head back to the compound?” I ask.
“Yeah, sure thing.”
When I getto my sister’s I knock on the door. Usually I just walk straight in but I don't want to scare Michaela.
I can see Lynn peering from the kitchen to see who it is. She smiles and walks to the door. She has her finger to her mouth to make sure I’m quiet.
I step inside of the house. I look into the living room to see Tristan holding Michaela, who is fast asleep. Tristan is out too.
Lynn waves me into the kitchen. I follow her, with Konrad right behind me. “How is she?’ I ask.
Lynn sits down, holding her face. “She has a therapy session later with one of my good friends. She didn’t sleep all night until she crawled into Tristan’s lap.” She stops, tears filling her eyes. “She’s hurting. There’s nothing I can do to help her. They almost got my baby. I’m not sure I can recover from that.” Her voice cracks into a sob. I walk over and pull her to me, hugging her tight and letting her cry all of the tears she wants.
I look over at Konrad, who looks unsure of what to do, but the worst part of this is…there’s nothing you can do.
Me and Lynn have suffered a lot in our lives, but we have protected Michaela from all of that. Our past life hasn’t touched her.
Until now, her almost getting kidnapped and her being promised to someone was beyond the realms of possibility. I never dreamed that this would happen.
It kills me inside knowing the fear she had. He was someone that we knew and he was always around. There is that betrayal on top of that; she will look at people different now.
That’s heartbreaking.
I do hope that she’s young enough and that she will forget it, but I know Lynn will make sure she will get through this and I’ll be right there with her.
“MOMMY!” Michaela screams at the top of her lungs.
Lynn jumps out of her seat and is through the door in a second. Michaela is sitting up looking around for Lynn.
She lets out a deep breath when she sees Lynn. “I’m here, baby, you okay?” she asks.
Michaela settles her head back on Tristan’s chest. He tugs the blanket up and holds her tighter.
His jaw is clenched. I know he is beyond pissed. “I was scared you were taken. I’m going to go back to sleep now.” She tucks her hand under her chin, her eyes closing.
Tristan puts his hand on the back of her head like she’s a small child. Lynn sits down next to Tristan and she leans her head back against the back of the couch. I know she’s exhausted.
“We’re going to go. Call me with updates, please, or if you need me.” I bend over and give her another hug, lingering a few extra seconds.
It’s engrained in me to protect my sister and my niece. I have protected Lynn for as long as I can remember. I would get in trouble so the eyes would be off of her and on me.
Vinny did the same thing for Danny, Danny did the same for me, and I did it for Lynn. That’s how we survived.
I shut the door gently behind me so I don’t wake Michaela. I stare off into the field. “This breaks my heart,” I tell Konrad.
He looks just as sad as I do. “Darlin’, it’s fucking heartbreaking, but she is strong, like her mom and her aunt.” He takes my hand and tugs me to his chest, hugging me. “But let’s go kick some ass.” At his words, I grin ear to ear. “Let’s.”
Time to have some fun.
Etta
We’re getting gearedup here at the compound; we are making a straight shot there.
The quietness surrounding us is astounding. We’re all mentally preparing ourselves for what we are going to see.
I have heard rumors my whole life of what to expect, but I am deathly afraid to come face to face with it.
My fear is nothing compared to what those girls are suffering, what they have been through and are probably still going through.
I won’t let the fear get to me; they deserve my strength.
Konrad tightens my bulletproof vest straps on my sides, making sure it’s fastened securely.
The prospect is bringing the medical van for everyone who needs medical care. Konrad insists on driving me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes studying my face to make sure I’m not lying.
When I was telling the guys what that place is, they had to know what they could possibly come face to face with.
Vinny and Danny are coming also. They added onto what I told them, letting them know what they heard.
My brothers are riding with me. They want to be close after all of the shit has been happening.
I can’t wrap my head around the fact that after all these years, they are still trying to fuck with our lives.
They have no regard for women and children. My brothers were being groomed to be the next generation of fucked up men, but they left. They broke the cycle.
I know I won’t stop until all of these fuckers are dead, in hell, where they belong.