My Protector

Chapter 6

Kayla's POV:

Jonah grabbed my arm and started pulling me back towards the fire escape. I tried pulling away from him but he just grabbed my arm tighter. As we walked across the roof, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Yea, it's me. I have her. Call the pilot and tell him we will be heading home this evening." I heard him say.

Leaving Texas really didn't bother me any, it's not like anywhere is actually a home to me anymore. I just didn't like the idea of going home with him. I glance back up at him and watched him as he listened to what the other person was saying to him and tried to see if I could see any good in him. He looks older than he did four years ago that I remember and maybe he is a little more handsome now that he's roughened up a bit. Is it possible to fall in love with him? Should I just look at this as a way off of the streets?

My father did tell me that I needed to do whatever I could to get away from him and to never let him catch me but is that because he was threatened because of his gambling problem? Jonah wants me not because I owe him money but because he liked me. That's how all relationships start right? I mean not exactly like this but people start a conversation or a friendship because they like the other person. Maybe my father was running away from them because of the money more so than because he was scared of me marrying Jonah. After all, his father did act like he wouldn't have hurt me that night so maybe towards me, they wouldn't be all that bad.

"We are heading to the car now so have the hotel ready for us for the next few hours before our flight." He told them and hung up the phone.

"You stopped struggling, are you finally starting to submit?" He asked and looked down at me when we got to where the ladder was on the side of the building.

"Well, I can't exactly get away from you up here so what other choices do I have?" I asked him as if I was still planning on getting away from him the moment I had the chance.

I still might. I always dreamed that one day I would marry for love not because I was forced into it. Not because I was traded off to pay my father's gambling debt.

"Even though I enjoyed this little chase of ours, I wouldn't try to get away again. I won't be so gentle the next time." He told me and glared into my eyes.

That was my clue right there that he isn't the person that I was hoping was hiding underneath that tough exterior. I have the feeling that he would have no problems hitting me again and again if he had to if I didn't behave and that on its own would be enough for me to keep fighting for my freedom.

"I will go down the ladder first. As you can already see, there's no way off this roof without jumping to your death or taking the fire escape." He told me to remind me that I had nowhere to go.

I just nodded my head and he started first down the ladder.

"Let's go, Kayla." He said in a deepened angry voice than what he has used since we were on the rooftop.

I can't say how I'm feeling at the moment. I feel defeated but at the same time, I felt like I still had the will to find a way to get away from him. To try again if I could before getting on that plane. Something about going back to our hometown tells me that it would be much harder to get away from him there. Here, I think he may be limited on how many men he has with him. He probably only came with a few because he probably didn't think he would need a lot to get me. After all, I've only seen three of his men so far when we were on that rooftop with my father.

I started down the ladder after him and when I got close to the bottom I felt his hands go around my waist and he lifted me off and set me down. A gesture I didn't think I would see from him. Maybe I was wrong when I thought he couldn't be different then my first impression in our kitchen. As soon as he set me down he grabbed my arm again and held on to me as we walked to the staircase.

"I don't need you trying to get ahead of me and run down those stairs. You won't be getting away from me a second time." He told me.

I chose to not say anything to him. I don't really have anything to say at the moment anyway so I just walked with him till we were back down in the alley. I couldn't help but look around to see if there was anything I could do but with having one shoe missing, and a throbbing thigh, I was limited on speed if I were to run.

We walked out onto the main street and he waved his hand in the air. Quickly a black car drove over and did a 'U-turn in the middle of the street causing cars to honk.

"Get in." He ordered me and opened the back door.

I got in and slid over to the other side. He grabbed a hold of my arm and yanked me back over to where he was sitting.

"Don't think about trying to get out that door." He said glaring at me.

"I.....I wasn't." I told him honestly.

I actually wasn't thinking that only because I knew right now I couldn't outrun him. Each time we seem to meet, I'm a little more handicapped as you could call it, causing me to be even slower than the time before.

"Good because if I have to, I will make sure you can't run." He told me and that sent chills down my spine.

I had a feeling already that he would maybe hit me if I didn't listen but I didn't think he would actually hurt me like that.

"I think we need to go over some rules that you need to follow now that you are going to be my wife." He started off telling me as the car started moving into traffic.

"What do you mean?" I asked him and looked over at him.

I think I knew what he meant but I guess I was just wanting to make sure I was thinking the same thing and I wasn't completely off on what he was trying to tell me.

"You need to uphold a certain image if you are going to be seen with me. You don't speak in public unless you are spoken to first. You will always do what I say and you no longer have an opinion on anything. What I say goes and what I say is always right. I'm going to be taking over for my father shortly after we get married so he can retire and in our family, the women are only there to bare children and to please their husbands." He told me.

"What if I don't obey?" I asked him.

His rules so far weren't really all that difficult but I wanted to know if by any chance I did something I shouldn't have done, what would he do? What would happen to me?

"You would be punished and I don't mean you would just get yelled at either." He told me and that was enough for me to know that he meant physical punishment.

"You will also be expected to look a certain way and this dirty ragged t-shirt will have to go the moment we get home. These jeans should be burned. I will have you measured and a whole line of clothes of my choosing will be brought in." He told me.

That doesn't sound too bad so far I guess. I turned and looked out the window and watched as we drove back over the bridge that I had slept under and headed towards the other side of town. I suddenly felt him take his hand and move my hair away from my neck and he was so close I could feel his hot breath tickle my skin.

"Don't," I said to him and pushed him away.

He grabbed my hand that I used to push him and held it away from him.

'You have no say in anything remember." He told me and I could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice that even with this I wasn't going to be able to stop him if he wanted it.

"Please, Jonah," I said trying to plead with him.

I could feel my fear starting to creep back up and I got even more scared after I said that to him. This is not how I had imagined my first kiss would go or being touched for the first time or how I planned on losing my virginity. I wanted to do it because I wanted it, not because I was told I had to listen to his orders and had no say in the matter.

"You will not keep me from you." He said to me harshly and practically threw my arm when he let go.

I grabbed my wrist where he was squeezing it and rubbed it. He glared at me for a few more seconds before he sat back in his seat. I don't know if he is choosing to stop because he didn't want to hurt me or if he had other reasons that had nothing to do with me at all. Either way, I was glad that he stopped.

Just a few moments after he let go of my wrist we pulled up to what looked like a hotel. I'm thinking he stopped only because he knew we were close to our destination, that if we still had a long way to go, he would have continued what he had started. He opened the door and grabbed my arm again as he exited the car, pulling me harshly out with him. I could feel in his grip and his movements that he was quite angry with me.

Once I was out of the car, I couldn't help but look around as if I was hoping for someone to suddenly show up and save me from this. I know it's not possible, this isn't a movie or a TV show. People like me are never saved. We are homeless and no one cares if we live or not let alone if we are saved from the torturous future that lies ahead. Either way, it still didn't stop me from looking around and hoping that maybe, just maybe this time something would happen. Anything at all that would let me get away.

A part of me even had hoped that Jaxson would show up and somehow get me away even though I know that isn't going to happen either. Men like him don't look at women like me. Even if I wasn't homeless and grungy he still wouldn't risk his life to save someone he just met and knew nothing about. Even to him, I'm just a nobody who happened to break into his apartment. He was just being nice because I was hurt. Besides, another person doesn't need to lose their life over me. My father is already gone trying to protect me or himself and my sister ran off and is probably dead as well because of me. Not to forget, my mother lost her life four years ago, again because of me. I don't need to be the cause of another death.

Wasn't long before we were exiting the elevator and walking through the hallway towards the room that he had set up for us while we waited. There was already one of those guards in suits standing just outside the door. He didn't say anything or move as we approached. He just handed Jonah the card he needed to unlock the door and we went inside.

There was another guard standing in the little kitchen area with the guard that I had headbutted earlier. He had white tape over the bridge of his nose which suggested that maybe I had broken it. I'm not really sure but his face was a little black and blue and he didn't look very happy with me. Neither of them moved as we walked through the room and through the doorway that went into the bedroom.

Jonah let go of my arm and shut the door and locked it behind him.

"W-What are you going to do?" I asked him as my voice got a little shaky.

I watched him as his eyes started to travel all over my body which was starting to make me feel very uncomfortable. I hated how he was looking at me and it caused me to look away and put one of my arms around my body and my other hand under my chin in nervousness.

"Take those jeans off." He ordered me in a straight tone.

"W-What?" I said snapping my head towards him and taking a few steps backwards.

"Those jeans weren't bloodied and torn like that when you were with your father. Take them off and let me see what happened." He explained.

His reasoning for me to strip my jeans off wasn't making me feel any better about this situation and I couldn't help but hesitate.

"No," I told him without thinking and realized the moment I said it that I screwed up.

"Now, Kayla. I won't say it again." He said raising his voice in anger at me.

I felt my lip start to tremble and my hands were shaking as I started to undo my jeans. I slid them down and stepped out of them. The moment I stood back up he was angrier than he was before and took just a few steps before he had my arm in his hand again.

"Did you stitch this yourself?" He asked pointing at my thigh and I could see the rage starting to build up in his eyes.

"N-No," I told him and then regretted telling him that.

I have a strong feeling I should have lied to him but at this point, I said it too quickly without thinking. I don't know if he would have believed me anyway. I think he already knew before he asked me that I was not the one to do it.

"Did that son of a b***h touch you?" He yelled at me causing me to tear up in fear.

He's never yelled like this and the grip on my arm increased causing pain to run up my arm.

"Jonah, you're scaring me," I said in a shaky voice.

"Answer me, Kayla!" He shouted again and yanked on my arm.

All I could do was nod my head in a yes motion and that's when he slapped me. Not so hard that I would have fallen over but hard enough to hurt my already busted lip from the first hit and cause my face to sting.

"No man will ever touch you or look at you. I am the only one allowed. You will never look at another in any way possible, understood!" He yelled at me again.

"Y-Yes," I said as my first tear fell down my cheek.

"Any man who does will be killed. Your eyes or hands wonder and you will be punished." He continued.

"Don't confuse this with love, Kayla because I don't love you. I will never love you. I won't feel sorry for you, or regret and I will never do anything to persuade you into loving me. You are mine and you are only here for what I want when I want it." He told me.

He continued to hold my arm and pulled me with him into the attached bathroom. He never let go of my arm as he turned the water on.

"What are you doing?" I asked in confusion laced with worry.

"You reek of garbage Kayla and you need to scrub yourself clean of that man." He said to me still in a harsh tone that suggested that he was still pissed off at me.

"Now strip." He ordered me.

"Leave the room." I snapped back at him.

I had no problems taking a shower if he wanted me to but I wasn't about to undress in front of him.

"Do I have to strip you myself!" He said raising his voice in anger.

The humiliation I was feeling from the idea of exposing myself to him was causing me to tear up. I didn't want to appear weak but I've never undressed in front of anyone before. I hated how this was making my body feel, how it was making my heart and stomach feel. It made me feel sick and I wanted to run but knew that I couldn't.

My trembling hands went to my panties which were so old and used that they had holes in them and starting to tear. I pulled them down and stepped out of them as my whole body was starting to tremble. Undressing in front of a man wasn't supposed to feel like this. It was supposed to feel romantic and sexy and instead I was feeling like a cheap w***e.

I swallowed and looked up at the ceiling as I slid my arms to the inside of my t-shirt and lifted it up and over my head, dropping it to the floor. I was now standing there with absolutely nothing on and instead of looking at me as if he liked what he saw, he looked at me in disgust.

"You're too thin." He told me and pointed at the shower.

"Now get in and wash." He ordered me and I just did what he said.

The moment I was in the shower, I heard the bathroom door open and then shut, suggesting that he had left the room. I immediately put my hands over my face and cried.

"Please," I whispered in midst of my cries.

'Someone save me, please."