Chapter Four – Daniel

Back home again, and life goes on. You’ve learned by now to not fight back. Just let him. For any outsider it would look like you and Richard was the perfect couple. Some might even consider you to be lucky. Living in the palace, your “boyfriend” with all that money. You with your designer clothes, your custom made jewellery. Everything your heart could desire of material things. But you were still in prison. Living by Richards rules. Doing what needed to be done for you to survive. Letting him do what he did every night. In order to survive.

When Richard tells you that his son, Daniel, will come to live with you, you actually feel relieved. You have no experience with kids. But maybe, just maybe having one stay in the mansion with you, will make Richard show his softer side. That is if he has one. You don’t even ask why he haven’t told you before. Or why, Daniel is suddenly going to stay with you. Did something happen to his mother? Richard probably bankrupted her as well, to get access to his son, and to get away from the ridiculous amount of child support he most certainly had to pay her. Better not to ask. To play along. Play the devoted stepmom. Pretending to be Richards new girlfriend, and Daniels new mom.

You go with Richard to pick Daniel up at the airport. As Richard says, you should be mom from the very first day. And Daniel should get to know his new mom. Like he really means that. Like he really cares about you. He knows what he’s doing to you. He knows it’s not real. Any of it. And he knows that you despice him.

Daniel looks nice, you can tell by his facial features that Richard is his dad. But he must look more like his mom. Aside from the facial features, you see nothing of Richard in him. Not even his personality. Richard introduces you as his new mom. That in itself is strange to you, but Daniel doesn’t seem to mind. It’s like he bonds with you from the very first second. The whole ride back to the mansion, he talks to you. About how he wants to go swimming in the clear blue ocean. And how he’s never been outside his native country. By the time you arrive, you almost feel that Daniel came to stay with you, and not his father. Richard almost haven’t said one word to him. It’s you who does most of the talking. Are you like going to babysit him now? When Richard conducts his shady business deals. Poor kid. Losing everyone he knows. Stuck with you. You! You don’t even know who you are anymore.

Almost the second you enter the mansion, Richard starts barking out orders.

– Get the boats ready! Daniel is finally home! Order tables for all of us at our regular restaurant! We’re going to celebrate that my son is finally back where he belongs!

Everyone starts to do what needs to be done, in order to get the celebration going. Richard leans down to Daniel. Placing his hand on the boys shoulders.

– Welcome home, son!

Then he gets back up, placing a kiss on your lips.

– Show him his room, and pick out a nice outfit for him, will ya! We’re going out to eat tonight.

You smile at him. Before looking down on Daniel. Placing your hand on his back. Smiling down at him.

– Let’s find your room, shall we. I think you’ll like it. Your father set it up for you.

Then Richard goes back to whatever he’s doing, and you follow Daniel upstairs to the bedrooms. His room is right next to the one you and Richard are sharing. Hopefully that will make it easier to keep him from raping you. If he cares at all, what his son is hearing. Richard as a father.. How will that even work out?

——————————————————-

The boats glides easily through the water. With the wind in your hair, and Daniel safely tucked in a blanket, with his life jacket on, smiling, and waving to the girl in the other boat, you almost feel like a real family. For a split second. Before Richard puts his arms around you, leans down and whispers in your ear.

– Behave, you hear. No need to let little Danny know how it really is!

You swallow, before taking a breath and look up at Richard smiling, before you kiss him. Again he whispers to you, harder this time.

– That’s a good little whore! Keep it up!

You have to swallow again, to not start to cry. Having Danny around wouldn’t help much. You get that now, still in prison. Still Richards whore. Still having to give him what he wants. You need to get out of this. You’ll die if you don’t. You’re well on your way there already. You feel like you’ve lost your soul with all the fucked up shit Richard tells you to do.

When these other people are around, Richard treats you like a Queen. Making sure you get food first, filling up your glass. Gently putting his arm around you, to show everybody that you’re his. Corcoran is the only one that knows how things really are. And you hate those looks he gives you. They’re even worse than the ones Richard gives you.

You get seated by a long table, with a stunning view over the ocean. In any other situation you’d love this. But not now, not in this situation. And with Danny in the mix. You feel nauseous. This is absolutely NO place for a child. Not even Richards child.

The chat goes smoothly through dinner. You talk a little with the other ladies around the table, and the guys keeps the chat neutral, without mentioning all the fucked up shit they usually talk about. Probably to spare the children from that kind of imagery. But, as the night goes on, and the champagne bottles keeps on coming. The chat takes a turn you don’t like. And when Corcoran serves Danny a glass of champagne, you feel the need to stop things. But you don’t. You can’t. Instead you keep a watchful eye on Danny for the rest of the night, asking him about the games he’s playing on his gaming device. Trying to keep him from hearing about the stuff Richard and his associates is talking about.

It’s almost midnight, when you start to pack up your things, to start on the boat ride back to the mansion. You’re about to tell Danny to put his device into your purse, when a couple of men shows up. You don’t notice at first. Not until they point guns at you, and start to yell for you to put your stuff into bags. You try to shied Danny from all of it. But one of the men grabs him. You try to get him back, but it’s impossible.

– Give me your jewellery!

The man yells, as he points his gun to Danny’s head. Your scream sounds deafening, when you try to walk towards the man. Richard stops you. Holding you with one hand, lifting the other one up, to show the man holding Danny that he’s surrendering.

– We got money! All you need to do, is let the boy go!

– All of it, we want all of it.

The man yells back. Pressing the gun to Danny’s head. You take a step forward. If you can get them to take you, this might be your way out.

– Take me instead!

You say. Surprised by how confident your voice is.

– How much money do you have?

The man yells again. Totally ignoring you. Richard turns to Corcoran.

– How much, Corcy?

Corcoran looks from you, to Richard, to Danny.

– Two millions! We can get two million more within the hour!

Richard again turns to the man.

– See! Four millions for the boy. All you need to do, is let him go.

The man doesn’t answer. Instead he and the other men drags Danny with them. You scream, both in desperation from them taking Danny, and for them not taking you. This was your chance to get away. And now it’s slipping through your fingers. Richard is as calm and collected as he always is. Stone cold, dead inside. Gesturing for his men to follow them. Then you follow, closely behind.

Around the corner and down some stairs, you see Danny. All of the other men are gone. But Danny stands there looking at at guy, lying on the ground. You quickly make your way down to him, and hug him close.

– He saved me!

Danny says, pointing down to the guy on the ground. You haven’t looked at him yet. Danny is the only one on your mind.

– He scared them away!

You wrap your jacket around Danny’s shoulders, before pulling him close once again.

– Who is that?

Richard yells from the top of the stairs.

– He’s our souchef from England. Tom Quince!

Richard walks over, looks down at the guy.

– No he’s bloody not! That’s Pine, from Switzerland!

Your heart skips a beat. Jonathan? What the fuck is Jonathan doing here? And why did he save Danny? Is he working with Richard? Did he tell him about what you said in Switzerland? Are they teaming up on you? Are they going to kill you? What is Jonathan doing here?

– Don’t you worry, Pine! We’ll take care of you.

You can hear Richard say. Is doesn’t sound like he was expecting Jonathan to show up. Usually you can hear it in his voice. You’ve been with him long enough and close enough to look through his scams. But if this one is his plan to kill you. He might have changed his game. And you can never know with Richard. And right now. Jonathan scares the shit out of you. Why is he here? What does he want? Why now? Seems like a perfect timing. Saving Danny. Is it to fool you, or to fool Richard?

Either way, Jonathan is in no condition to talk now. You’ll have to wait until he gets better, and try to make your questions as subtile as possible, not to blow your cover. And you have to tread carefully around Richard. If this is a collaboration between him and Jonathan, you have to multitask. Finding out why Jonathan is here, and searching for a way out. You decide then and there, to take Danny with you, if you manage to escape.