Get out of my house, I yelled as soon as I got my tongue back...I intended to shout, but instead it came out as a visceral scream dragged from the depths of my soul.
Everyone took a step back from me, and I would have felt a little proud of myself had it not been for the crazy events unfolding. Tony joined his girlfriend at the end of the room, leaving Charles and Tomas next to me. Aside from the initial step back due to my sudden outburst, Charles had not only recovered in record time, but he also made up for his cowardice by moving right next to me. Tomas stood opposite us, his arrogant smirk firmly planted on his face. I wanted to scream even louder, insult him, and hit him until he was bloody and broken, but that would only encourage him more.
Despite my best intentions not to, living with Tomas and his family and following him everywhere under his explicit instruction made me somewhat of an expert on the man. While his family members were shitty human beings, they were pushovers compared to Tomas. He was diagnosed pretty early on after he hanged the family pet cat with its neck and attached the rope to the ceiling fan, which he then turned on and watched the dead cat swing around the room.
A house help I had gotten close to was more than happy to share the tense moments after his diagnosis and the gradual fear his family developed towards him. Despite his criminally inclined behavior, the Powers family was a tight-knit community, and although he was the first psychopath in his household, the extended family was littered with psychopaths. Their generational wealth was the result of unscrupulous, psychotic ancestors who only valued wealth. It was for this very reason that his family did not ostracize him, instead rewarding him with his inheritance as soon as he hit eighteen.
"Why should I? You are here and you belong to me," he said, taking a step towards me.
I tried taking a step back, an involuntary reaction, but Charles chose that second to wind his hands around my waist, holding me in place. The change in Tomas was intense and immediate. One second, he was smirking down at me, and in the next second, his expression turned murderous, brows furrowed, eyes fixed on Charles's hand on his waist. His eyes snapped to my face, and I would have dropped to the floor under his intense gaze had it not been for Charles' steady hand.
If my memory serves me right, this is the twenty-first century, and no one can own another human being legally. You may have some claims based on some made-up documents, but she had full autonomy over her choices, and I don't think he chose you. Charles said, positioning himself between me and Tomas.
I hated reverting to the scared little girl I used to be. Back when I had nothing to my name and no family to call my own, all I could do was persevere. Despite his twisted nature, he was the first person to show me genuine compassion, which was an oxymoron in itself. A kind psychopath was a scheming and self-serving man. He was not kind to me because it was in his nature; quite the contrary, he was kind to me because he liked me. He saw me as his favorite toy and was therefore protective of me.
Tucked away behind Charles' six-foot-two frame, I could no longer see Tomas, but I felt the very air shift around us as he came so close to Charles that their toes were touching. Charles remained Calm, his heartbeat steady. I pressed myself closer to him, which was impossible given that my body was plastered on his back. He stretched his hands behind him towards me, and I hesitated for a second before taking them. He gave me a firm squeeze, my heart beat steadied while a horrifying truth took root in my mind. No normal person could look into the eyes of a madman and remain unfazed. A poker face could be faked, but Charles truly did not care, which made him more dangerous because he knew just how mad Tomas was.
"You may have owned the little orphan girl, but things are different now. I have a family, and although they are not as wealthy a yours, they are capable enough of causing trouble if you hurt me in any way."
"You think I want to hurt you?" he asked, sounding wounded. I did not need to see his face to know there wasn't a trace of emotion as he played me.
"I want to live my life as a normal human being. I don't want to exist as a plaything for you."
"Plaything. I have never seen you as a plaything. Did I not rescue you when you were getting bullied? Did I not give you a home when you had nothing but an orphanage to house you? What about your bills? I made sure to pay your fees and bought you anything you wanted. How could you ever think I would hurt you?"
I was still hiding behind Charles, shouting the words behind his broad shoulders, so I failed to notice Tomas make a move until it was too late. One minute I was feeling safe behind a warm back, and then the next I was exposed to the harsh elements as my protector sailed sideways across the room and crashed into the dining table. I was still staring at Charles when my chin was yanked back, bringing my eye to eye with Tomas. My stomach clenched in fear and confusion, which I desperately tried to keep out of my face.
His eyes were still a bottomless abyss that emitted a deadly chill, like a predator staring down its prey. I remained frozen, trapped in his infinite pool of madness. For the first time in five years, I felt like a helpless little girl again. All that work in the gym and in therapy to help build defenses against this man fled from memory, leaving me defenseless against his suffocating aura.
"You are mine; you can never be anyone else." He said before bringing his hand on my neck so fast that the next thing I saw was fast approaching darkness before I felt the pain.