The Enforcer's Bride

Chapter 14

Hannah

I startled awake, my eyes popping open to a group of girls staring at me. I immediately gasped, the memories coming back from the last hour? Day? How long was I out? Where was I now? I shuddered, remembering the s*x dungeon and Jude…No I can’t think about that for now. I immediately reached for the sheets to cover my naked body, yelping at the sharp pain coursing up my back.

I recognized the girl, I think Jude called her Jillian, amongst the faces watching me intently.

“Look, shes’s awake!” One of the staring girls squealed, Jillian rolled her eyes.

“Of course she is, we use smelling salts for a reason,” she tucked little powders back into a wooden case. Jillian leaned over and checked the fluid bag hooked to an IV in my left arm.

“Hannah, hun, roll onto your stomach so we can see what needs to be done.” Jillian pulled back her long black straight hair and sat down at the edge of the bed. She looked like she could be a model in the outside world, dressed in a tight black dress that showed her long legs and ample chest.

Slowly I tried to roll from my side to my stomach, grimacing in pain. Any slight movement hurt.

“That’s it, atta girl, Lacey can you grab the cream?” Jillian directed a blonde girl, dressed in only bright pink lingerie.

“What is this place?” I asked but no one answered.

“Hmmm, Jude knew what he was doing,” Jillian muttered, running her hands over the abrasions on my back.

“Master Jude always knows what he’s doing,” giggled Lacey, returning with the cream. I stiffened. Does Jude come here often to be with those girls? I thought of Jude tying up another woman and making her beg for him and my stomach dropped. Suddenly the thought of Jude’s hands up and down Lacey’s body made me nauseous.

“That’ll be it Lacey, go get ready for tonight,” Jillian said coolly, “I’m Jillian, Hannah, I don’t believe we were properly introduced earlier. I’m making sure you’re fit to return to your quarters.”

“Thank you, but where am I?”

“I’m going to put this cream on you back, it’ll sooth soothe the soreness. You’ll be sore for a few days, but the physical marks won’t be too bad.” As Jillian started smearing the cream over my back and butt, a cool, numbing feeling washed over me.

“Does Jude come here often?” I asked in a small voice.

“This place is called Lilith’s,” Jillian explained, choosing to answer my first question. “Powerful men sometimes have different um, urges, and they come down here to satisfy them. We are kept to satisfy those powerful men.”

Kept to satisfy? I wrinkled my nose.

“What does that even mean?”

Jillian sighed and shook her head as she removed the IV from my arm. “I’ve already told you too much, if you’re smart you’ll only speak of this to Jude.”

“Ugh,” I groaned and put my head into the mattress. “I never want to talk to him again.”

“Why? It sounded like you were enjoying yourself at least a little bit.” Jillian raised her eyebrows as she continued bandaging my arm.

A blush crept into my cheeks, was I so loud that the other women could hear? “It was just a reaction to the vibrator, not the man who was paddling me,” I muttered. Jillian got up and started pulling clothes out of a drawer.

“You could be worse off you know,” she said quietly. I slowly sat up and allowed Jillian to start dressing me back into a pale yellow dress.

“I don’t know how. Found, captured, and dragged back to the hell I ran away from.” Jillian pulled me to my feet and draped the dress over my head then forcibly pushed me back down on the bed.

She then stopped, put both her hands on my shoulders, my eyes rising to meet hers.

“Don’t ever believe that this is the worst it can get Hannah. Jude is complicated, but he’s a good man. Take your reality and make the best of your circumstances.” Jillian looked around at the women still getting ready in the dressing room. “We’ve all had to make the best of our circumstances.”

My eyes pricked with tears, “What if I can’t?” I whispered, picking at my cotton dress.

“Then they’ll kill you,” Jillian stated, “Come on, let’s get you back to the upstairs world.” I swallowed at the imaginary death knot wrapping around my neck.

I followed Jillian through a series of hallways, back through the entrance room and to the thick door where two Enforcers were waiting. They blindfolded me and escorted me back through the building.

“I wasn’t blindfolded when Jude dragged me down here,” I stated after tripping up stairs for the fourth time. The Enforcers continued to ignore me and I was soon shoved back into my small room. I turned to sit on my bed, Jillian’s words still spinning in my head.

“Jude is complicated but a good man.”

How did she know that? How long have they known each other? I slowly laid down, backside still tender. A thought nagged at the back of my mind.

“Eight years is a long time, did Jude love someone else while I was gone?”

I shook my head, willing the jealous pit in my stomach to go away. Jude can love whomever he chooses, in fact it’ll be better if its not me. He can settle down with someone else for all I care, as long as I can be free.

“You’re lying to yourself,” a small thought nagged at me. “Why would you want to be free of the man who completes you?”

I chewed my lip, remembering my first months on the outside. I had no idea where I was going, only the clothes on my back as I arrived at a homeless shelter in what I soon learned was Arizona.

“Hey hun, here ya go,” the older lady at the front desk gave me a tooth brush, and sheets for a small cot. The flickering fluorescent lights in the small reception area didn’t ease my nerves. Every time a light flickered it cast a shadow that made me automatic look over my shoulder. The woman eyed me up and down, looking over my pale yellow dress and kerchief. “Would you like an extra change of clothes as well?”

“Yes ma’am,” I answered softly as she went back in the closet and pulled a pair of jeans, a light blue shirt, and a package of clean underwear off a shelf.

“These should fit you dearie,” she paused, “You’re a long way from home aren’t you?”

I nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact.

“And you don’t want to go back?”

Again I nodded slowly. The lady sighed and started flipping through a stack of papers. “Luckily for you we have a Mennonite relocation program out here, I’ll give them a call in the morning to see if we can get you an appointment.” She then pointed to a door that led to the women’s area.

“Thank you,” I whispered then scurried to find an empty bed.

 “What is a Mennonite?” I thought as I quickly changed in the women’s bath room. I’d never worn clothes like this, the pants hugged my hips and in between my legs, the fabric was soft but firm. Jeans were only for men at The Province, women were strictly only allowed skirts. I turned around in the mirror admiring my figure and giggled to myself.

“If only Jude could see me know,” I whispered. The thought of Jude made my heart ache, what was he doing right now? They must’ve noticed my absence by now, was he a part of the search party? Was he angry I left? Would I ever be able to see him again? Ever since I crossed the gates and entered the outside world, my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to slow my breathing, putting the man that I loved out of my head. If I was going to survive on my own, I needed to forget about any reason to return.

I jumped up at a knock on my door and Sister Leah abruptly entered, disturbing my memory.

“He is Salvation,” I automatically recited, bowing my head. Sister Leah paused and slowly answered, “We are Saved.” Sister Leah raised my chin so our eyes met.

“I’m pleased with your re-education progress. Follow me. The Head Enforcer has a gift for you.”