TRUTH Read online

  Contents

  Title Information

  Copyright

  Also by Sherri Hayes

  Warning

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Back Cover Copy

  Title Information

  Publication Date: 25 July 2013

  Genre:FICTION/Romance/Erotica

  FICTION/Romance/General

  Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-61213-161-0

  E-book ISBN-13: 978-1-61213-162-7

  Trade Paperback

  Size Dimension: 6x9

  Pages: 290

  Paperback: $22.99

  Ebook: $9.99

  Marketing to include

  Online Buzz Campaign

  Online Social Networking Campaign

  For publicity contact the Marketing Department at (817) 264-7503

  [email protected]

  SUMMARY: Things are going well for Stephan and Brianna, until her father shows up and sends her world into a tailspin. His presence forces her to face the reality of her past and what happened to her in order to move forward with her life. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through or will outside forces tear them apart?

  This is an advance reading copy from an uncorrected proof. These pages have been set for this edition only and do not reflect the type, design, or layout to be used in the final edition. Reviewers are reminded that changes may be made in this proof copy before the book is printed. If any material from the book is to be quoted in a review, the quotation should be checked against the final bound book. Dates, prices, and manufacturing details are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

  First published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, 2013

  Copyright © Sherri Hayes, 2013

  The right of author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000

  This work is copyrighted. All rights are reserved. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The Writer’s Coffee Shop

  (Australia) PO Box 447 Cherrybrook NSW 2126

  (USA) PO Box 2116 Waxahachie TX 75168

  Print ISBN-13: 978-1-61213-161-0

  E-book ISBN-13: 978-1-61213-162-7

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the US Congress Library.

  Cover image licensed by www.depositphotos.com / © Yuri Arcurs

  Cover design by: Jennifer McGuire

  Please send your thoughts to [email protected]

  The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com

  http://www.facebook.com/pages/TWCS-Publishing-House/119328354791583

  https://twitter.com/twcs_pubhouse

  Also by Sherri Hayes

  Hidden Threat

  A Christmas Proposal (a Hidden Threat short story)

  Slave (Finding Anna, Book 1)

  Need (Finding Anna, Book 2)

  Behind Closed Doors (Daniels Brothers, Book 1)

  Red Zone (Daniels Brothers, Book 2)

  This book contains conversations, flashbacks, and various other items regarding abuse that may be disturbing to some readers.

  Dedication

  To all my readers, thank you for your continued support.

  Chapter 1

  Brianna

  “I’m so glad I found you. You have no idea what it took for me to find you, baby girl.”

  His words echoed in my ears as I stood there staring. He was here. He was really here. I was frozen, unable to move. I needed to get away. Away from him. Away from here.

  Red! screamed in my head but refused to come out of my mouth. It was as if I’d suddenly swallowed a mouthful of cotton. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. Fear took over. My chest tightened, making it harder to breathe.

  I stumbled backward, still trying to speak, but nothing would come out. I had to get away. Stephan. I needed Stephan.

  As I moved farther into the living room, he followed me. He was like a giant, filling the space. I’d always thought Stephan’s place was large, but now it felt very small as John stalked toward me. The panic continued to rise, but I fought it. Breathe. Remember to breathe. Stephan. Think about Stephan.

  Oxygen tore through my lungs with every intake of air. I was breathing, but it wasn’t doing its job. It wasn’t calming me. My father had come for me.

  Every step I took, he matched and then some. I couldn’t get away. He was bigger, stronger. Why? Why was he here? What did he want with me?

  Turning my back on him for the first time, I ran toward the phone. I stumbled over the coffee table on my way and righted myself. I knew he was close, but I had to try. I had to try to call Stephan.

  My hands trembled as I picked up the phone. I didn’t get any further than that. Before my fingers could touch the keys, he snatched the phone out of my hands, tossing it to the floor behind him. He was too close.

  I stepped back again, trying to get away. He said something, but I couldn’t understand it. His words echoed through my head like the rumble of cars through a tunnel.

  He reached out, his fingers grazing my arm as I moved. Again he spoke, and again I couldn’t make out his words. I cringed at his touch, taking another step away from him and bumping into the couch. The collision jarred me from my stupor, and I tried again to utter my safeword.

  “R-red. Red!”

  Instead of stepping back, leaving, he continued to approach me, his brow furrowed in confusion. I wanted him to leave. Why wouldn’t he just leave?

  “Anna, honey. It’s okay. It’s me, your father.”

  Shaking my head, I did the only thing I could think to do. I ran toward my bedroom. He was blocking my path to the front door, so my bedroom was my only hope. If I could get inside, shut the door behind me, and lock it—I would be safe.

  Unfortunately, a split second after I started running, so did he. I heard his footsteps behind me, gaining. John reached the door almost at the same time I did, and I was trapped. I knew in that moment I wouldn’t be able to get away from him. That the happiness I’d experienced with Stephan was over. John was going to take it away from me, and I was powerless to stop it.

  John called my name again, and I whipped my head around to stare at him. Something tugged at my neck, and I reached up to feel Stephan’s collar. I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t. He wouldn’t want that.

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I decided to give it one last try and took off toward my bathroom. It was a feeble attempt at
best. He’d already proven he could catch me, but I couldn’t give up. Not when there was still a chance.

  Once again, he was there almost before I was. His hand lay flat against the door, and I was unable to close it behind me. I ran to the far corner of the room, pressing myself against the wall. He stood there staring at me for a minute before he came closer. Every step he took was measured, as if gauging my reaction.

  I wanted to close my eyes, but I didn’t. Instead, I tried yelling my safeword again as loud as I could. He didn’t listen. He didn’t stop his approach.

  My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, drawing my attention away from him. I glanced down, taking in a deep breath, hope swelling in my chest. Stephan?

  Reaching into my pocket, I struggled to remove the phone. It was my last chance.

  I finally wrestled it free of my jeans, but as soon as John realized what I had in my hand, he knocked it away. Tears welled up in my eyes as I heard the clatter of my phone hitting the tile floor on the other side of the room. I was on my own. No one was going to save me this time.

  I slid to the floor, and huddled into a ball, accepting my fate. I had begun to hope. I’d begun to be happy. Now it was going to end. John would take me away. He would take me away from Stephan, from my life. Would he take me back to Ian, or would it be someone else this time, someone worse? I reached up and touched my collar. Stephan.

  “Anna? Anna, honey, can you hear me? Do you know who I am? I came to get you. I’m sorry it took so long, but I couldn’t find you. I looked everywhere for you, baby. You have no idea how I looked.”

  Did I know who he was? Of course, I knew. I also knew what he’d done to me. He’d let Ian have me, and he’d left me there. For ten months. He let that man do things to me. Horrible, horrible things. I didn’t understand why he’d been looking for me. Was it because he’d learned Ian had sold me to Stephan and he didn’t want Stephan to have me? How did he know? Did Ian tell him? Were they friends? The thought sent a shiver down my spine, and I clasped my arms tighter around my legs.

  I didn’t want to go back to the life I’d had before with Ian. As a slave, I was nothing. Here it was different. Stephan was different. He was nice to me, made me feel things—good things. I wanted to stay with Stephan. I felt warm and safe and happy here. I didn’t want to go.

  My father lowered himself to the floor and began inching toward me. I repeated my safeword over and over again. He continued to ignore it.

  The walls began to close in on me as the panic started to take over once more. I was shaking, and I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t.

  Stephan

  I picked up my cell again, punching the speed dial for what felt like the hundredth time, hoping she’d answer, as I weaved through traffic toward our home. Instead, the sound of my voice on the answering machine greeted me. I tried both the home number and her cell again. She wasn’t answering either.

  With more force than necessary, I threw the phone against the passenger seat. She wasn’t answering, and I knew why.

  Tom’s haunting words echoed in my ears. “Mr. Coleman, we have a problem.”

  My stomach churned as the conversation replayed in my mind. He’d only been gone for five minutes, leaving one of the security guards to watch over the lobby. When he returned, the guard was out cold on the floor behind the desk with two Taser wires still attached to his chest, the Taser lying discarded on the floor several feet away. After checking the other man was still breathing, Tom had immediately checked the security monitors. He’d been just in time to see a strange man step off the elevator at the top floor and walk toward the door to my condo. Given the current situation, I knew it had to have been Jonathan Reeves, Brianna’s father.

  Just thinking about it sent a shot of fear through my chest and caused me to press my foot harder on the gas pedal. There were too many unanswered questions when it came to Brianna’s father. The one thing that was certain, however, was that she was terrified of him. If he got inside, got to her, I had no idea how she’d react. I’d promised to protect her. To keep her safe. She needed me. I had to get to her.

  All other thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind as I weaved through downtown traffic. I’d always been a fairly patient driver until Brianna came into my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though. Just thinking about her not being there every day when I came home from work brought that pain back to my chest.

  I felt a sense of déjà vu when I pulled up in front of my building, jumped out of the car, and ran inside. Jesse, one of the security guards, was sitting behind the desk looking a little paler than normal. He must have been the one Reeves used the Taser on.

  As soon as he saw me, he stood. “Tom’s upstairs waiting on you, Mr. Coleman.”

  I nodded, increasing my pace as I hurried across the lobby.

  The elevator ride seemed to take forever, but I knew it was quicker than taking the stairs. I was in good shape, but racing to the top floor would be pushing it, even for me.

  When the doors opened and I saw Tom standing there, I breathed a small sigh of relief. If he was there, Brianna was still inside.

  As soon as he saw me, he was moving. “The door’s locked, sir. I checked. As far as I can tell, he’s inside, but I haven’t been able to hear much from out here.”

  Tom had been ready to call the police when I’d talked to him on the phone earlier, but I’d stopped him. I understood his thinking, but it was the last thing I wanted. The police would only complicate things at this point. They would barrage Brianna with questions, demanding answers. Her father was in law enforcement. Even if he wasn’t local, I had little doubt the police would believe whatever lies he spun. I wouldn’t let him take her.

  That was the only thing I knew for sure, and the point I drove home to Tom. He was to make sure Jonathan Reeves didn’t leave the building with Brianna. I would take care of the rest.

  Barely acknowledging Tom’s words, I moved to the door to listen. He was right—I couldn’t hear anything from out here. Then again, if they were far enough away from the door, I wouldn’t. Given my lifestyle, and what I liked, I’d invested in extra insulation to cut down on noise. At the moment, I was cursing that decision.

  Using my keys, I opened the door slowly. I had no idea what I’d find once I stepped into the condo. Everything inside me screamed to barge inside, but the last thing I wanted to do was give him the advantage. So even though it nearly killed me, I quietly slipped inside.

  To my surprise, the main room was empty. I stepped farther inside, aware that Tom was right behind me. Something had definitely happened. The table beside the couch was turned over, and several things that had been lying on various surfaces were on the floor. The pattern of debris guided my steps.

  Halfway to her bedroom, I heard what sounded like muffled sobs and whispering. I picked up my pace. Tom followed me step for step.

  The sounds took me to her bathroom, where I got my first glimpse of Brianna huddled against the far wall, knees to her chest, trying desperately to get away from her father. He hovered over her, even though he was on his hands and knees, hand outstretched and attempting to coax her into coming with him. Brianna’s only response was to push herself harder against the wall.

  Seeing so much fear in her eyes reminded me again of those first few days, and I reacted without thought or care for myself. She was the only thing that was important. I gripped his shoulders and pulled with enough force to throw us both off balance. Concentrating too much on Brianna, he hadn’t seen me coming, which worked in my favor. He wasn’t passive for long, however. I was barely up on my feet before his arm collided with the back of my knees, sending me sprawling again. The side of my head knocked into the cabinet, but it didn’t seem to cause much damage.

  As I shook my head to clear it, I saw Tom reach around Reeves’s torso, trying to subdue him. Reeves’s response was to elbow Tom in the gut before twisting around and landing a solid punch to Tom’s jaw. Tom release
d his hold on Reeves, and the man took full advantage, kicking Tom in the stomach and sending him flying backward into Brianna’s room.

  Confident he was safe from Tom for the time being, Reeves turned his attention back to me. Noticing I was once again on my feet, he pulled his arm back, ready to strike. I’d take a million hits for Brianna if it meant she was safe, but giving Reeves a free shot wasn’t on my to-do list. Shifting my weight, I lunged at his lower body, landing us both on the floor again.

  He must have hit his head against the wall, because he was slow getting up. It gave me just enough time to land a solid punch to the side of his face. And then another. Finally, his body sagged, and I released him. He fell back, his head bouncing off the side of the bathtub before he landed limp on the floor. My knuckles were sore, my hands bloody, but none of that mattered.

  Tom stood, massaging his jaw. He followed my gaze down to where Reeves lay unconscious on the bathroom floor. Tom walked over in front of Reeves. I’d known Tom for two years. He wasn’t a small man, and he was in great shape for his age. By Tom’s response, Reeves must have put quite a lot behind that punch.

  Twisting around, I crawled across the floor to Brianna. She was wide-eyed and staring at her father. The moment I tried to touch her, she jerked.

  “Brianna. Look at me,” I demanded. Her eyes snapped to mine. “Good girl.” This time when I reached out to caress her face, she didn’t flinch. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head.

  “You and I are going to go into my bedroom and get something while Tom stays here and watches your father. Can you walk?”