For Love and Vengeance (10 page)

Her body may have
changed, but deep down where
she
resided, in that place where others had
tried to diminish her, she remained the same. For the moment, her laughter and
joy of life may be suppressed, but she would work through that. Those poor
excuses who called themselves men, would not be the ones who broke her. Yes,
she was hurting and questioning why...but they would not break her. Her
humanity was intact and somewhere buried deep inside, she knew she still had
the tools to survive. This attempt at robbing her of what it had taken her
mother seventeen years to instill in her had not been diminished.

“Aviva, this
life can be hard, other people will try to break you down. Always remember
this; we have no control over what others think and do when they try to rob us
of our spirit. What we do have control over is how we let them affect us. Do
you understand the word 'resolve,' my baby?”

“I'm not a
baby and if you're talking about that landlord taking my pussy, then he's made
a sad mistake.
”

“Oh Lord
Jesus!”

“Don't worry,
Mum, pussy belongs to me, you said so, and if someone thinks they can take her
away, they're wrong.”

“Vee, I've
told you too many times, you have got to give that cat another name. Anyway,
I'm not talking about the cat, although that comes into it. I'm talking about
life, and it not always being the way we want it to be...you need to understand
that. Sometimes we have no control over the path life takes.”

“Why not?”
The young Aviva asked her mother, perplexed by where the
conversation was going. She didn't really understand what her mother was
attempting to impart, but her young mind knew it was a lesson she should
retain.

“We can only
control ourselves, Aviva. The way others think, feel and behave is something
outside of our control. Others may act or behave outside of the way that we
expect them to...the behavior of others is something over which we have no
control, always remember that. The only thing we have control over is our own
behavior. Do you understand what I'm trying to say to you?”

Aviva looked at
her mother, her brows furrowed in deep contemplation. Her reply, when it came,
was not what Ruth had been expecting.

“It's okay, mum.
I have no idea what you're talking about, but when the time comes, I'll try to
remember. I promise.”

That time had
come. What had happened to Jason as a child; what he felt he had to do in order
to exact retribution, was something she now accepted without judgment. She held
no illusions there wouldn’t be a price to pay for what she’d gone through. She
knew Jason and he would attempt to keep the truth of what he would do to her
captors from her, and she accepted that she may never know the full
ramifications of the outcome. This type of situation was exactly what her
mother had been trying to tell her. Her captors had gone too far, and whatever
retribution Jason decided to exact was something over which she would have no
control.

“I need to see.”

“I know.”

“Turn around.”

Aviva couldn't
look at him. Drawing in a deep breath, she presented her back to him for the
first time. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. At some point, he
would want to see the evidence of her ordeal. That time was now.

Jason didn't want
to look but knew he had to. He understood how difficult it was for her. He
understood what she had gone through...he understood. His scars were only internal,
hers were not. The certainty of her treatment displayed before him.

Jason's eyes
roamed her back. They had hurt, humiliated and degraded her, for that they
would pay. It didn't matter who they were or how they had become a part of Alexander
schemes. Their participation alone was enough, and the forfeit of their lives
was the price of their atonement.

“Say something,”
Aviva said in a small voice.

“I love you… I'll
always love you. You had no control over what those animals put you through.

Her silence had
gone on for too long and Jason was unsure of how his words had been received.
He was still treading water where she was concerned and his railroading tactic
may be backfiring. Maybe he had pushed her too far too soon.

“Did you hear me,
Aviva?”

“I heard you, and
I love you too. I'll always love you.”

“Thank you. I
needed to hear that. Now tell me what you need.”

“No...you tell me
what you see, what you think.”

“I see the woman
I love more than I ever thought I was capable of loving another human being,
and I think my beloved needs to get into the bath before we flood this place.”

Slowly, and with
tears still running down her face, Aviva turned to face Jason.

“Do you mind if I
join you?” Jason asked.

“I'd like
that...I'd really like that.”

Standing before
the bathtub, Aviva saw that it was nearly overflowing with bubbles, the sight
of which made her smile. Yes, she liked a bubble bath as much as the next
woman, but it was clear Jason had gotten his quantities wrong. But his actions
were so endearing, she felt her spirits rise.

“Now I’ve seen
where the burns are, I'm going to lift you into the bath...are you ready?”

“I can get in on
my own.”

“Let me do this
for you...please.”

“I can manage,”
Aviva reiterated with a small smile to assure him that his offer was
appreciated but unnecessary.

“Angel, let me do
this for you. I should have taken better care of you a week ago and I let you
down. Let me take care of you now.” Aviva could see the sincerity of his words
reflected in his eyes that were black with emotion.

She’d known this
would come. She knew that he was blaming himself, and had been expecting the
verbalization of such. But actually hearing the words were almost unbearable,
so she relented.

“Thank you. I
guess I could do with the help.”

Placing his large
hands on either side of her waist, Jason lifted Aviva off her feet with little
effort and placed her gently into the water and immediately snatched her out.
“I didn't check it. Is it too hot?”

Aviva felt like
an idiot suspended between his massive hands like a rag doll, her feet dangling
off the floor.

“For goodness
sake, Jason, I look like a complete idiot with my bare ass hanging in air. The
water's fine. If it was too hot, I would have said so.”

“Oh,
right...ahh...okay, sorry,” Jason mumbled as he once again lowered her into the
bath.

Aviva had to bite
her bottom lip to keep in her laughter. The whole situation was just too
ridiculous for words, and the look of embarrassment on his face was priceless.
Holding onto the sides of the bath as best she could, she folded her legs and
slowly lowered herself fully into the water.

Once she was
actually sitting down, bubbles up to her neck, she realized she could do no
more. Her strength was all used up. She was also unable to recline to allow the
soothing balm of the water to wash over her.

As Jason
undressed, Aviva held on to the sides of the bathtub and winced in pain as she
scooted down on her bottom in an attempt to submerge herself in the water. Her
sudden jerk upwards pulled at the burns on her back and she was unable to hold
in her yelp of pain. Jason was immediately by her side, having been tracking
her every reaction.

“I've changed my
mind. I think I'll have a shower.”

“Why, what's
wrong?”

“These bubbles
are stinging the hell out of me, and I can't lean back even if you help me.”

“Sure, Angel.
Just give me a moment to turn on the shower and I'll come back for you.”

Aviva could only
nod her consent, sitting completely still while awaiting Jason's return. He
quickly adjusted the temperature dials in the shower, removed the last of his
clothing, and bent over the bath and spoke in a no nonsense tone of voice.

“Bend your knees
and lean forward.”

Although unsure
what he was talking about, Aviva did as she was told without question. The
sooner this whole bathing fiasco was over, the happier she’d be. It didn't take
long for her to realize her position allowed Jason to lift her out of the water
while protecting her back. Striding on quick and sure feet, he entered the
shower cubicle and placed himself in front of the spray before slowly lowering
Aviva to her feet. Reaching for a sponge, he lathered it, quickly and
efficiently washing her. He took special care to avoid making any contact with
her burns.

Squeezing all
traces of soap out of the sponge, Jason carefully passed it over the sore areas
of her back. Satisfied, he turned off the shower, and reached for a fluffy
white towel and wrapped it around his waist before draping her with another,
again lifting her into his arms with delicate care.

“Do you think you
can sit up for a while? I know you like to apply lotion after your bath and it
seems the only thing available in this place smells of lilacs.”

“That's fine.
Beggars can't be choosers.”

“You're not a
beggar and you never will be!”

“Come on, Jason,
it's just a figure of speech.”

“I know that,
Aviva, but it doesn't apply to you. Do I make myself clear?”

Jason knew he
sounded sterner than he had intended, but had no intention of retracting his
words or apologizing for his tone. He also recognized just how wretched she
must have felt otherwise she would have given him hell for speaking to her in
such an abrupt manner.

Aviva sat without
movement or comment as Jason applied lotion all over her body. The familiarity
of his touch had a soothing effect and her eyelids became increasingly
difficult to keep open.

“I know you're
tired, Angel, but I need you to stay awake for just a little while longer. You
have to eat something. You haven't had anything all day.”

“I'm not really
hungry but thank you.”

“I know, but will
you at least try...for me?”

His every action
had been so sincere, Aviva felt unable to refuse his request, so she nodded
yes. Her reward for her acquiescence was a flash of the dimples she so loved.

Jason opened a
bag that had been brought to their room and remove one of his shirts, thinking
that the bellowing folds would offer her less discomfort than something more
restrictive such as a nightgown. There was also the fact that he rather liked
the idea of her wearing an article of his clothing so close to her skin.
However his immediate concern surrounded the need for some form of medication
to ease her pain and something to apply to her burns.

“Jesus, I'm such
a fool. I need to get you to a doctor. Those burns need to be looked at. Sorry,
Angel, I should have thought of this well before now,” Jason said shaking his
head at his lack of consideration for her needs.

“I don't need to
see a doctor here. I'll wait until we get home.”

“I don't think
that's a good idea. What if you get an infection? I can see you're in pain.”

Feeling slightly
exposed, Aviva pulled the damp towel over her chest and held it in place. “If
you would please pass that pouch on the table, I have some ointment and pain
medication.”

“Where did you
get them from?” Jason asked, suspicious even as he retrieved the bag she had
indicated and withdrew the contents.

Studying the
labels, he saw that the ointment was of a homeopathy variety. Its base content was
Aloe Vera which he knew was often used for burns. He also studied the bottle of
pills which stated that its main ingredient was ibuprofen.

“I got them from
the woman who helped me get away.”

“What woman? Where
did she come from?”

“I don't know
where she came from. All I know is she was there and she helped me get out of
that place. She gave me some clothes, money and the medication then told me to
get out of East London. Oh, and she also told me not to go to South London,
because that would be the first place they’d look for me.”

“What else? What's
her name? What does she look like?”

“She was a blonde.
Now that I think about it, I can't really recall what she looked like exactly,
although I remember thinking she was very pretty. She never looked me directly
in the eyes. All I really thought at the time was that she was being so kind to
me, and I was grateful.”

Jason didn't like
this turn of events. Who was this woman, where had she come from? He needed
answers, but he could see Aviva didn’t have them.

“Okay, Angel, but
you didn't tell me about this part of the story and I need to know everything,
no matter how insignificant you think it may be. These men are dangerous, and I
don't want any surprises later on down the line.”

Jason looked down
at the medication he still held in his hands and decided to allow her to use
them. If they had been opened or looked as though they had been tampered with,
he would have had another fight on his hands, one which he would’ve won.

Sitting down
behind her, he unscrewed the cap off the tube of ointment and removed the
protective foil that denoted its lack of use. Squeezing a dollop onto his
fingers, he dabbed the salve over the affected area of her back until he was
satisfied with his work. Reaching across the bed, he pulled the shirt towards
him and helped her into it. He then got up and knelt on the floor before her
and made quick work of doing up the buttons.

“How does that feel,
Angel?”

“Good, it feels
good, thank you. I can already feel the difference.”

Jason gave her a
small smile as he rose and disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a moment
later with a glass of water which he handed to her. Unscrewing the cap of the
pain relief capsules, he dropped two into her hand and again saw the burn in
the middle of her palm, which although deep, appeared more healed than those on
her back.

Turning abruptly,
Jason rummaged through another bag and pulled out black cargo pants and a black
shirt that immediately snagged Aviva's attention. Dropping his towel, he pulled
on his underwear, followed by his pants and flung the shirt over his shoulder.
He then retrieved a pair of socks, sat down and pulled them on. Next came a
pair of wicked looking black boots which he put on and laced up.

Aviva watched his
every move with intense concentration. She had never seen him dressed in this
way before.

“What are you
doing?” Aviva asked Jason as he tied his last boot. His only reaction to her
question was a glance from under his brow.
Okay
, she thought, that
didn't come out quite how she’d intended it to.

Drawing in a
breath, she focused her thoughts and tried again. “Why are you dressing like
that, and what's with the shirt that's never going to fit you?!

“It fits,” Jason
said pulling said shirt over his head, rolling it down his broad chest and
pushing his arms through the sleeves. Pulling it down further, he pushed the
end into his pants, and zipped and buttoned the fastener.

“Lay down, Angel,
try to get some rest. I'll go downstairs and bring you something to eat.”

“I'm coming with
you.”

“You need your
rest. I'll bring you something.”

Not bloody
likely
, Aviva thought. There was no way she was
staying secluded in the room while he planned to do God knows what. She had a
pretty good idea what he was about and she would do anything within her power
to stop him. His silent refusal to answer her questions was telling in itself.

“I need you to
rest. Will you do that for me?”

Aviva remained
silent. Jason knew exactly what she was about, just as she knew what he was
preparing to do. He may not be prepared to voice his actions but nor was he
prepared to hide them.

 “I'll bring you
something up. Try to rest.” Were Jason's parting words.

Aviva had other
ideas. He may be way bigger than her but pain or no pain, she had every
intention of finding out exactly what he was up to. Rising tentatively, Aviva
moved to one of the shopping bags and removed a dressing gown. Pulling it on,
she sneezed. Whoever picked it out for her had a sick sense of humor. The thing
had a lapel of fluffy white feathers that puffed up around her neck and tickled
her nose, while the hem pooled against the floor in a ridiculous fashion.

What was the
matter with these rich people? Did they think every woman who had money was at
least five feet ten? This nonsense was getting on her nerves, and these ostrich
feathers were a joke. But feathers or not, she was going downstairs. She
was
going to find out what these Kingdom men were about, because she knew without
being told that all the brothers were involved up to their handsome noses.