Page 41 of Daddy's Treat
She gets that pinched look on her face again like she’s struggling to remember. “Yeah. I got a bottle of water from the fridge before we sat down to the meeting.”
“Did you get the bottle yourself?”
“Yeah—wait, no. Lucy was getting a drink too. She handed me the bottle.”
I take both of her hands in mine and sit beside her on the bed. “Penny, baby, the water was drugged. Rohypnol.”
“But why? I don’t understand…”
I close my eyes, the sight of her on that bed with Carsen on top of her haunting me. “Baby, they…” I can’t seem to find the right words to say exactly what happened. The police came a couple hours ago and showed me the video Smith was recording… It made me sick to watch, but I had to know.
It showed everything. Lucy and Carsen stripping Penny of her clothes and dressing her like some kind of living doll in her Strawberry Shortcake costume. The whole time Lucy was saying all sorts of nasty things about Penny being a dirty slut and sick for wanting to fuck her daddy… the only interesting thing she said that I made note of was that Penny was the reason her mother got fired. I had almost forgotten that Lucy is Dean Michaels daughter.
The police were extremely interested in that once I gave them the background story. Thankfully, I came before Carsen could rape her. What he did was bad enough, but at least that’s one thing she doesn’t have to live with. The police assured me that Carsen would be charged with attempted rape.
My crimes are being listed as self-defense. Nobody wants to send a white knight to prison, at least that’s what the cops said.
“Just tell me, Kade. It’s bad, isn’t it?” She looks down at her body like she’s trying to figure out exactly what is wrong.
“They took off your clothes and dressed you up in your Halloween costume. Lucy and Carsen posed you while Smith videoed the whole thing. When I got there…” my voice breaks, and I have to clear my throat to continue, “Carsen was on top of you. Touching you.”
Penny gasps, tears filling her eyes. “Did he?”
“No, baby. I got there before he could do that. I’m so fucking sorry, baby. I should’ve been there sooner.” I don’t realize I’m crying until Penny wipes the tears from my cheeks.
“Kade, listen to me, it isnotyour fault what someone else did. Don’t you dare take on the blame for any of this.”
A throat clears behind me, startling us both. “You should listen to her young man; my daughter is a genius.”
“Mom?”
“Hi, honey.”
“What are you doing here?” Penny sounds more shocked by the fact that her mom is standing in her hospital room than she did by her attempted rape.
“Your fiancé,” she lifts a knowing eyebrow at me, “here called to let me know what happened. I got on the first plane I could, and here I am.”
“Fiancé?” Penny asks.
“It was the only way I could stay with you. I’m not about to let you out of my fucking sight after what happened.”
Penny squeezes my hand. “I’ll be your fake fiancée any day.”
I’d rather you be my real fiancée;I think to myself.
“You didn’t have to come all this way, mom. I’m okay.”
Her mom clucks her tongue then opens a tablet I didn’t realize she was holding. She studies it for a moment then walks over to the machines Penny is hooked up to and checks everything, comparing them to whatever is on the tablet.
Penny shakes her head. “Mom, why do you have my medical chart?”
“I got temporary privileges. You disserve the best doctor around. And I just so happen to be here.”
“What’s the verdict,” Penny asks with a little roll of her eyes.
“You will probably be tired for a couple of days. You’re lucky, Mr. Prescott found you when he did. If you hadn’t been brought to the hospital, you might have died.” Her mother’s eyes look a little glassy, but she doesn’t shed a single tear. Now I know where Penny gets her fierce determination from. “He saved your life.”
She turns to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, Mr. Prescott, for saving my daughter. The police told me what you did to those monsters. They got off too easy. Good thing I have a friend at the District Attorney’s office. They will be paying for a long, long time.”