Ensnared Read online

  My thoughts move to Bridget. With everything that’s been going on with our son, Nolan, I’ve been distracted from my duties. I can’t let my family down, but I also can’t let the rest of the family down. My men are family. Everyone a part of the Alliance who works under me is part of my family, and I can’t fail them.

  I won’t.

  I sit in my seat and pull out my cell phone. I find the number I need, press send, and wait for him to answer. I know he’ll allow it, unfortunately when it comes to officially terminating a contract, it takes more than just my father-in-law’s decision. It takes three to four head bosses to agree for this to happen.

  For Marc to finally find happiness and hopefully in the woman I know he wants, I will make this happen.

  Chapter Five

  Zoe

  The week flies by, and I’m thankful to finally have a day off from the bookstore. It’s a lot to get used to when you’ve purposely stayed away. I love Enya and Lillian, but it’s been a struggle with my friends, no matter what Lillian says about knowing the truth. She can’t possibly know.

  Keeping Raya a secret from them is exhausting, and I’m already worn out. The last two days, I’ve worn myself ragged between work and taking care of Raya. She’s developed a cough, along with seeming to be having a hard time breathing. With today being my day without having to go to work, I called her doctor’s office this morning. They fit us in right away.

  The weather outside is nice, so I decide to walk to the doctor’s office, thinking a stroll through the park would be a good idea. My house is only a few blocks away from the park, and the doctor’s office sits nearly right on the other side.

  I glance down at my little girl and give her a smile. Raya’s finally settled down to sleep while enjoying the stroll through the park. Lifting my gaze back up to look at my surroundings, I nearly stumble over my feet when I see a woman—I’ve done my best to avoid in the past several years—Mavis. She’s my foster mother who took Ezekiel and me in when our parents died, and my uncle didn’t want us. The woman is also nuts and needs to be in a nuthouse, in my opinion. Until I was eighteen, I had no choice but to deal with her spewing the Bible to me. Forcing me to read scriptures over and over until I could repeat each one to her.

  I swallow the lump in my throat and start to speed walk, not walking to talk to her.

  “Zoe Dunn.” I cringe at the sound of Mavis’s voice.

  I would love nothing more than to run from her, but she would follow.

  Stopping the stroller, I come to a stop and turn to face Mavis with a blank expression. “Hello, Mavis,” I utter, doing my best to keep the sarcasm at bay.

  “Whose child is this?” Mavis demands, glaring down at my daughter.

  “She’s mine, Mavis. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re running behind,” I say firmly—not wanting to speak to her.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself for having a daughter out of wedlock,” Mavis sneers.

  “Like I said, Mavis, we’re running behind. I don’t have time, nor do I want to speak to you,” I state, pushing Raya’s stroller and starting past the vile woman.

  I hate thinking of my time in her home. My brother didn’t have to stay with her as long as I did, so he doesn’t know the depths of what she was capable of. Mavis honestly didn’t show her true colors with Ezekiel around.

  “Don’t you walk away from me, Zoe Dunn,” Mavis snaps, reaching around to wrap her hand tightly around my arm, digging her nails into my skin.

  “Let me go, Mavis.” I try to pull away from her grasp, but the old bat has a firm hold on me.

  “No child is supposed to be born out of wedlock, you know this, Zoe. How dare you whore yourself out like a cheap skank.” Oh my God, is she for real right now? Mavis has completely lost her marbles. “I will take the child and make sure she doesn’t turn into a harlot like her mother.”

  “I don’t think so,” I snap, wrenching my arm from her.

  “Everything okay here?” My blood freezes in my veins at the sound of his voice. Please don’t let it be him. “Zoe?”

  Turning to him, I meet his dark eyes and swallow down the panic attempting to take hold. “Hey, Marc. Everything’s fine.”

  “Is this the baby’s father?” Mavis demands.

  “If he were my daughter’s father, the information would not be any of your concern. Now stay away from us.” I need to get as far away from this woman as possible. With quick footsteps, I hurry down the sidewalk heading toward the doctor’s office. I still need to get Raya to her appointment. I also should call Ezekiel and tell him about my run-in with Mavis.

  “Zoe, wait a minute. Slow down,” Marc says, coming up behind me.

  “What, Marc? I have somewhere to be.” I don’t want this confrontation.

  “Whose baby is this?” he asks, catching up to me.

  “Raya is my daughter,” I whisper.

  “And the father?”

  “You’re not her father if that’s what you’re worried about. Don’t worry about it,” I grind out without looking at him.

  “I figured she wasn’t mine, considering we’ve never slept together,” Marc mutters. “Is this why you’ve been gone all this time?”

  “Marc, what I’ve been doing with my life is none of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get Raya to her appointment.” I start walking away, but Marc doesn’t relent.

  “Zoe, you need to talk to me,” Marc insists

  “No, I don’t, Marc,” I scoff, rolling my eyes.

  Coming to the end of the park, the doctor’s office is in my sights. I suck in a deep breath and look at Marc. “I’m not the girl I used to be. She’s gone. That’s the only thing you’re gonna get out of me. If you’re trying to find a booty call, go somewhere else. Now, please, leave me alone. My daughter has an appointment I’m probably running late for now, and I don’t want to miss it.”

  Leaving Marc standing on the corner of the street, I dart across with the stroller—making sure to check both ways as I go. The last thing I need today is for Raya and me to be hit by a car.

  Once we’re in front of the office, I let out a breath and open the door, maneuvering Raya’s stroller into the waiting room. I get her checked in with the nurses and go to take my seat. They don’t keep us waiting long before calling her back.

  Shortly after, the doctor determines Raya has RSV. She explained to me what I need to do and how to take care of my baby. I’m truly thankful and at the same time, freaked out.

  My little girl, who’s barely two months old, has an upper respiratory infection. I hold the tears back as I leave the doctor’s office with a sense of failure running through my veins. How could I allow my beautiful baby girl to get sick?

  I should’ve taken better care of her than I have.

  Without looking up, I push Raya’s stroller back across the street and end up walking right into someone. “I’m so sorry,” I say, lifting my head to see who I hit with the stroller and come face to face with Marc.

  Damnit.

  Can this day get any worse?

  Chapter Six

  Marc

  My anger is at a high level right now. All I can keep thinking about is seeing that woman holding Zoe’s arm while she was trying to pull away.

  The woman’s words pissed me off. How the hell does Zoe know her?

  Then there’s the fact Zoe has a daughter. I wonder who the father is even though I know I shouldn’t. Zoe isn’t mine and doesn’t owe me any explanations. Still, the fact she has a child bothers me.

  Zoe kept her pregnancy a secret for a reason, and I want to know what the hell it is. She’s a good woman, no matter how much it irked my nerves that she didn’t give me a chance.

  I’m supposed to be meeting Beau and a few of the others at Sinner’s Cove in a bit. There’s business to be handled thanks to some scumbags not wanting to pay what they owe. Seeing Zoe with her baby, though, change my course of the day.

  Pulling out my phone, I find Beau’s number and hit the phone button.

  “What’s going on?” Beau’s casual voice filters through the line after the second ring.

  “Think you and the others can handle this job on your own?” I ask in return.

  “No problem, any reason why?” Beau switches focus to all business.

  “Yeah, but I’ll have to fill you in later. I want to find out all that needs to be known first,” I grunt, eyeing the doctor’s office—wishing more than anything I’d have followed.

  “All right. We’ll get this handled. If you need help, let me know,” Beau utters.

  “Thanks.” I hang up and shove my phone back in my pocket. Scanning the area, I decide to sit on one of the benches until Zoe comes out of the doctor’s with her daughter. I still can’t believe she has a little girl. The baby looked no more than a few months at most. Doing the math in my head, she had to have gotten pregnant around the time we met.

  Shit.

  Leaning forward, I brace my elbows on my knees and lift my hands to grip my chin while I think, my mind going back to the night she and I met.

  Zoe was out with her friends Enya and Lillian. A few of us took Kenyon out for the first time in months after his son was left on his front porch. It was ironic to run into Lillian at the time. I’d met her before when I went to Kenyon’s house. She’s a sweet and beautiful woman, but she made it known right away that she batted for the same team as she said it.

  We all ended up talking, and I saw Kenyon’s frustration when Enya rushed away from everyone, excusing herself. She didn’t come back that either, which commenced Kenyon going after her the next morning.

  The entire time we were out that night, though, Zoe and I danced, shared laughs while drinking. I stopped before she did so I could sober up enough to take her home. Sinc
e she and Lillian were evidently going to take an Uber home, Kenyon nor any of us with him liked the thought. Too many things have happened to the women we know, and they don’t need to be the next ones to be hurt.

  So much has happened over time, and I wonder why Zoe still haunts my mind. What the hell is it about her that draws me in so much? It’s like she had stolen a part of me that night, and I can’t get it back even if I wanted to.

  With a sigh, I lean back on the bench and spread my arms along the back of it, feeling the coolness seeping into my hands. The weather will soon be changing, and I wonder what’s to come with it.

  Nearly thirty minutes later, I spot Zoe maneuvering her daughter’s stroller out of the office and start in this direction once again. Now I will get her to talk to me. I want to know what’s going on with her, and then I’ll have my answers.

  Standing from the bench, I wait for her to get across the street. Zoe’s not really paying attention to her surroundings, and the thought of her not keeping herself safe bugs me. You’re always supposed to keep a mind to safety. Taking a step into the middle of the walkway, I barely get in her way before she hits me with the stroller.

  “I’m so sorry,” she says, tilting her head up enough to finally meet my gaze. My chest tightens at how upset she looks.

  “You okay, Zoe?” I ask, moving from in front of the stroller to her side. I reach up and brush a strand of dark hair out of her face.

  “I’m fine, Marc. What are you doing here?” she demands.

  “I think you and me need to talk, lómhara. Don’t think about getting out of it either.”

  Zoe closes her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before looking at me again. “Fine, but I need to get my daughter home first.”

  “Okay, I’ll walk with you,” I say, nodding in agreement.

  The two of us walk together, and I look down at the sleeping little girl. “How old is she?”

  “Raya was born almost two months ago,” Zoe announces without bothering to look at me.

  “She’s beautiful.” I take in Raya. Zoe did good picking a name for the precious girl.

  Raya has her arm resting on top of the little lilac blanket covering her body. Her head is cocked slightly to the side, with her bottom lip puckered out marginally, making her adorable as can be. I never thought about having children, but looking at Raya, something inside me opens up to the possibility.

  “Thank you,” Zoe whispers.

  The rest of the walk to her house is in complete silence. I knew she moved out of her old place, but I hadn’t seen her new place—a little bungalow-style house with a wide front porch. On the stairs, she has several flowerpots filled with yellow, orange, and reddish color mums. I didn’t take her for being a person who liked flowers.

  Then again, it seems no one knows Zoe anymore.

  Zoe parks the stroller in front of the stairs leading up to the front porch and pulls her daughter’s car seat off of the thing. She looks at me and bites her bottom lip. I hold my grin back as my mind flashes to that night we met and I had my mouth on those lips.

  “Can you lift the stroller onto the porch for me, please?” she asks apprehensively.

  Nodding, I do as she asks without a problem. Zoe steps up onto the porch, carrying Raya’s car seat, and unlocks her front door. She pushes the door open—walks right into what looks to be the living room as you enter.

  I glance around the room while Zoe sets the car seat down and unstraps Raya. I finally bring my eyes back to her when she stands holding the little girl in her arms. When I meet her gaze, she drops her eyes and moves Raya to the baby swing.

  A moment later, Raya is swinging, and soft lullaby music is playing. Zoe turns to look at me, and I have a gut feeling whatever she’s about to say can’t be good. Not when I see the tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “I don’t know who Raya’s father is because the night I met you . . . I was also raped,” she utters quietly, and I swear I have to strain to hear her, but I do.

  Zoe was raped the same night she met me.

  What the fuck?

  Who the hell would rape this woman?

  Chapter Seven

  Zoe

  Confessing what happened to me to Marc is not an easy feat. I don’t know why I decided to open up to him, but something about Marc has always drawn me to him. The night I met him––that fateful night everything changed for me, I wanted nothing more than to be with him, but I played hard to get after our hot and heavy make-out session.

  Knowing that Marc isn’t the one who raped me puts a part of me at ease. I feared it being him for so long, and now I know it wasn’t. It doesn’t change the fact I could never have him as my own. Who wants a damaged woman like me?

  The fact Marc waited in the park for me, I knew he wouldn’t let this go. He wanted answers, and I suppose he deserves them after I refused to give him the time of day after that night.

  Marc helped me with the stroller, and as I face him now confessing to what happened the night the two of us met, I’m scared of what he’ll say next.

  I hold my breath waiting, but I didn’t expect what he would do. Marc closes the distance between the two of us and pulls me into his arms. I close my eyes as the tears fall down my cheeks—the sobs I’ve been holding in for far too long escaping my lips.

  My knees collapse underneath me, and I would’ve fallen if Marc weren’t holding me against him so tightly. I sob in Marc’s arms, giving in to all of my pain.

  Marc picks me up and sits on the couch with me in his lap. His hand brushes the hair away from my face. “Shh . . . it’s okay, lómhara. Everything will be okay,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

  For the longest time, I sit in Marc’s lap, his voice calming me. The light touches of his lips and his fingers brushing my hair back helps. I don’t know how long he holds me in his arms crying, but soon, I find myself drifting off to sleep in his arms.

  “Come on, darlin’, you know you want me,” he grunts. I scream in pain with each thrust—crying out for him to stop . . . to let go. But he doesn’t, he laughs and keeps moving.

  “You’ll remember this night, darlin’, I promise you that. I think I’ll even come back for more of your tight pussy,” he groans, coming inside me.

  “Struggle all you want. You won’t win.” He laughs maniacally, thrusting vigorously. The pain is excruciating. I wish I could die right now.

  “Please, stop, let me go.” If only I were strong enough to fight him off of me.

  “I don’t think so. You’re a tease, and teases need to be taught a lesson. You need to learn your place as the bitch you are. I won’t want a tease to go without learning how to bow to those worthy where you are not Not around me or anyone else, you filthy whore,” he snarls, picking up speed.

  I cry out when even with the pain, he does something I didn’t think was imaginable—making me come.

  I jerk awake and fight against the arms holding me tightly.

  “Let me go. Please. . . Please let me go,” I cry, raking my nails against the arms caging me to a hardened body.

  “Easy, Zoe, it’s just me. I’ve got you. No one is going to hurt you, grá.” I slow my breathing and recognize the voice.

  Marc.

  He’s here.

  Holding me in his arms, this man is being gentle with me, and he has no reason whatsoever to be kind to me. Not when I avoided him and thought such negative things about him for as long as I did.

  I can’t help the fact I didn’t remember who it was. My mind is trying to block out who the guy was who raped me. It’s bad enough I only now came to the conclusion it wasn’t Marc who hurt me. Being in his arms right now, I realize he would never have caused any harm to me to begin with.

  “I’m sorry, Marc,” I utter through trembling lips.

  “Grá, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. You’re upset and have every right to be. Honestly, I wonder how the hell you’ve kept it bottled up so long.” Marc grunts.

  I burrow myself deeper into his chest and let a hitching breath out. I dare not look at his face right now. The thought of him pitying me screws with my head and makes my stomach churn with disappointment in myself for allowing this to happen in the first place.