2. Secrets

Logan gets a surprise of a life time. A guest to sleep over but its not what he thinks. Rika needs a hiding spot. will he blow it for her?

Chapter 2 

School started in two days and already Jason had backed off and started to leave Rika alone. I never knew what was said but I had met with Rika’s mother and told her my plan for Rika. It felt bad and wrong to keep it from Rika but it was for her own good. Mr. Saito never had any idea about the meetings or the plans we had made, it was best that way for sure. When Mrs. Saito had learned of my training she smiled and nodded knowing she had come to the right man. Training was tough and nothing like a Japanese warrior in training but it was a start and I was giving it my all. I was building more muscle and toning more too. Even Rika was impressed with it and hung out with me more, still hardly talked much but it was good to have her around my sister and my house then hers.  Jenny would take her shopping and my father would tell her that anything she needed she could have. Sitting on the back porch I always wondered what she was thinking around me, was she wishing she had a better life if she could get away? Did she hate being around me? 

“you know Rika you don’t have to be here, you can leave when ever you want.” I looked up from my computer waiting to see if she would answer me 

“It’s nice over here. Quiet and I enjoy your company. “ she smiled and laid her head on my shoulder

“you always seemed lost in thought I am just making sure you are okay.” 

“Im fine Logan thank you for worrying.” She laughed for the first time in the months I had known her. She was growing on me more and more and it was so hard not to force her to love me but I could never do that. “Can I ask you something Logan?” looking up at me I nodded 

“anything you want to know.” 

“What happened to your mom? I never see her?” 

“She lost her battle with cancer three years ago. We lived in new York at the time and my dad met Jenny and we moved. “ 

“oh im so sorry. How awful it must have been for you.”

“she is in a better place and not in pain. I hated seeing her like she was half way to deaths door all the time. She was in stage 5 cancer and there was nothing they could do. What made you ask that?” I ran my hands over her hair then grabbed my soda from beside her taking a sip

“I was just wondering. I always heard you call your step mom Jenny. I didn’t mean to pry.” Looking away she got up and walked inside holding herself so I followed her into my house. 

“can I ask you something Rika? Please don’t take this as me prying into your private life, but when was the first time something sexual happened over there?” I asked 

Turning on her heel she stared at me, her eyes burning through me with anger. She stiffened and all the blood drained from her face. 

“I have never said any such thing about that. How did you know?” she asked out of anger

I shrugged my shoulders it was a guess really. “its not hard to figure out something is going on Rika. I want to know because I care about you.”

“Care about me? If you cared you never would have pried.” She snapped at me 

She was right it was too personal a question I had no right to ask. “im sorry Rika I didn’t mean to upset you.” I sat on my bed and sighed here I go again f*****g things up. I wasn’t expecting her to react the way she did seconds later and break down on me in my room. 

“I cant do it any more Logan. I cant deal with my father always making demands on me and now Jason.” She fell to the floor balling her eyes out. It was the most emotional thing I had seen come out of her in a long time. She was good at hiding her feelings and emotions.  I kneeled down next to her and picked her up into my arms like a small child. 

“shhh its ok Rika no one will hurt you  here. You know I wont ever do anything. But please if you need to talk let me be the person you can talk to.” I practically begged her 

She took a long time to think about what she was about to tell me, searching my eyes but not sure for what maybe reassurance that I wouldn’t tell any one? “why do you do all of this for me Logan? Why ? what did my mother really come here to talk to you about that night you almost got killed by Jason?”

I was stunned, did she know about the deal I had made with her mother? She couldn’t have right?

“she wanted to see if I was ok.  There is nothing more to it then that.”

“that’s bullshit and I know it. If you don’t tell me what is going on than I am leaving Logan Kade.”

“why are you changing the subject Rika? Why wont you talk to me about the abuse?” my heart was hurting for her, the deeper she was shoving it away from her memories was damaging her in more ways then one.  

“Maybe because I get the feeling my mother put you up to something. You know what never mind and forget I came over here Logan I have to go.” She pushed me away and got off my bed quickly moving to the door. 

“Rika please don’t go. Its not safe over there.” I pleaded with her “im sorry I brought anything up, please just stay.” Tears were almost coming to my eyes but I pushed them away. 

“why are you begging?” she got a nasty attitude all of a sudden 

“because…because I hate seeing you get hurt, I hate not being able to stand up for you every time one of them rapes or hurts you in any way. Because…..” she started to leave “because I am falling in love with you.” 

Stopping at the top of the stairs she held onto the railing with out looking at me a moment and then turned to face me, she was trying so hard not to come to me. Not out of anger but out of desperation of wanting to be wanted finally. “Well don’t.” that was that and she went down the stairs and to her hell hole of a house. I stood on my porch listening to her father yelling at her as soon as she had stepped into the house. She shouted back to leave her alone but through the trees I could see him hit her. I watched for a few minutes then walked slowly back into my room.  My body was numb, my heart hurt in ways I didn’t even know existed, I was such a fool to not tell her the truth but If I had told her tonight would she had left or stayed? She needed me even if she didn’t know it I knew it. 

The next morning I was getting my last school supplies ready to go for the following day when I got a text from Rika, she said to meet her by the path in the park. I threw my phone onto the bed and ignored it for a while then I decided to go and headed out to go meet her. My walk was long mostly because I wasn’t sure if Rika really needed to see me so when I got there I saw her leaning against a pine tree hugging it, when I got closer I saw that she not holding it because she wanted to but because she needed it to keep herself from falling over. Jogging over to her I wrapped my arm around her and steadied her on my weight so I could walk us to a bench near by. She was in bad shape, her legs bloody, her hair stuck to her face with blood in it. I had never seen her like this and to be honest I was so scared she would die on me. I lifted her head so I could see if there were any facial wounds, all I saw was a gash from her forehead going down to her eye. Her lip was cut and hand marks on her neck again. “hold on Rika I am calling for help.” I dialed my sister and told her to get down to the park and then called 911. No one fucked with my girl, that family was going to pay for this. Wait what was I saying this was not my girl she was never mine, not yet. 

“Logan I want to die, please make the pain stop.” Rika choked on some blood and spit it out before she passed out on me. Stunned I closed my eyes and wished that her father would pay for this. Soon the sirens could be heard coming through town and just before they showed up my father and Kylie had come rushing to the park kylie letting out a shrill cry letting her hands fly up to her mouth with a horrid and terrified look on her face. 

“Logan whats going on here? Did you do something to her? Is she breathing?” my father questioned me and I was so angry and pissed off I couldn’t answer him. I knew that if I opened my mouth nasty words would come flying out at him and I couldn’t do this to him. 

“Logan please answer dad he wants to help you and Rika. What happened?” Kylie stepped closer to Rika seeing how bad she was as she laid in my lap on the park bench. 

“they… they did this to her dad and I swear on moms grave they will pay for what they have done to her. I want to kill them for this. “ I burst into tears and held onto Rika’s body as the police showed up and I saw that they had their hands on their guns ready to draw if need be.  

“That wont be necessary officers. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” My father said waving to the officers and they put their guns down. 

“Are you the one who called?” the big stout one asked me as he looked Rika over and got on his radio to tell the hospital to get ready for a young female with head trauma, not responsive. I let them load her into the ambulance but I was shaking with anger so I stayed seated on the bench.   “Alright Mr Jackson lets talk over here.” I followed the man as my father followed behind and we went to a secluded part of the area.  “you mind telling me what happened? And be very careful how you answer me you got that.” He looked at me trying to intimidate me but it wouldn’t work, that had shown he was under the pay of Rikas father 

“I got a text from her this morning saying to come meet her. So I did and when I came down here she was hanging onto a tree. You know like grabbing it to hold on so she wouldn’t fall over. Look I know who did this and he needs to pay him and that s**t face Jason.” I spat 

“Oh so you think you can just say who did it and we will go arrest them? Sorry kid not the way it works. Look let me see your phone and the text.” 

I pulled my phone from my pocket and showed him the text. I kept my eye on the ambulance until it drove away in a hurry. “what hospital are they going to?” I asked trying not to sound panicked 

Looking around the place for himself he moved closer to me and my father so no one else could hear him. “between you and me, we have been trying to take down Mr. Saito and his business for a long time. Jason is one nasty guy and no matter what we try to do with the law on our side there he is always hiding evidence or blocking us from talking to Rika or her mother. We know what is going on there at that house but you cant go on guts son. Here is my number if you need anything you let me know. Even if its to see Rika.” The officer said and started off towards the other men. “oh and by the way Logan what you did for her today she is lucky to have you. I wish we could bring down the father keep working on it.” 

I fell onto the park bench in a daze of everything I had just heard. Maybe her father could be brought down after all we just had to get all the evidence. I looked at my sister and father sitting beside me with a look of relief and understanding. Putting my phone away I got up and started to walk away from them just to have time to myself. 

As I was sitting in my favorite spot down in the meadow I got a phone call from Officer Cline, I didn’t want to answer it but on the last ring I hit the send button hesitating before I said hello. 

“Logan? Are you there son?” he asked in a soft voice 

“I..I am any news?” I choked out trying not to get my hopes up of her either being alive or ever wanting to see me again. 

“Shes awake and her mother is wanting you down here.” 

“thanks im on my way.”  

Entering the hospital I had hoped I didn’t see her father or Jason but if I had I knew I would kill them or at least try to. But what I wasn’t expecting was a warm welcome from the cops. Four huge officers were at the door of Rika’s room and three were on the side with a man in cuffs. 

“Hey Jackson kid over here.” A familiar voice shouted through the halls and I looked over to see Officer Cline in an empty room waving me to come in. I sauntered into the room and looked around but it was just the two of us. 

“yeah whats up?” I asked leaning against the door with my hands shoved into my pockets

“we got him son we got Rika to tell us what happened and they are taking her father in for 26 counts of rape, sodomy, the abuse counts alone are enough to put him away for 3 life terms Logan. Jason has disappeared for now but we think he will show up to take over the family business.”

“Wait hold on are you telling me this has been going on for how long?” I asked 

“at least 7 years. The scaring on her body shows heavy abuse, the worst we have ever seen.” Officer Cline shook his head and grumbled something to himself before looking back up at me “Logan im going to tell you this once so listen to me carefully. Rika is very fragile. Both mentally and physically I see it in your eyes that you have fallen in love with her but I warn you with this kind of abuse she has been through its going to be very hard to love her.” He patted me on my shoulder and left the room with me still in it, looking at her room where the monitors beeped slowly. 

I hesitated by the door of room 568 I wasn’t sure I was ready for this  for what was behind the door but I knew in my heart that she needed me and she was always going to have me by her side. Stepping in I knocked a bit and her mother came running to the door trying to hide her tears. She greeted me with a big smile and guided me into the room further. Rika was asleep in the bed covered up so she wasn’t cold. I broke a small smile as I sat down next to her and gazed over her face, the wounds had been deep but stitches down her face made them not look so bad. I took her hand in mine and softly ran my other fingers over her skin not to wake her but to let her know I was here for her. 

“She is very lucky to have you Logan. Thank you.” This woman didn’t know the half of my love for her daughter. I nodded but didn’t say anything to her only keeping my eyes on Rika and looking her over to make sure she was going to be ok here. 

“Any word from the doctor?” I asked and her mother looked away from me. 

“Its going to be a while before she gets out. Look I have to get going they just arrested my husband.” I shivered at the venom she had in her words. Her tone was cold and uncaring about her daughter. This woman had no heart for Rika which made me hurt more for her. She was laying there in and out of sleep unable to fend for herself. 

“Wait so you are going to go defend your husband and blame it all on Rika? Shes a child for gods sake. What is wrong with you?” I shouted at Mrs. Saito 

“well he is my husband.” 

“HE RAPED AND ALMOST KILLED YOUR DAUGHTER”!! I screamed at her rage filled every pore of my teenage body

“don’t give me that tone, I had no idea what was going on.” She was so disconnected from herself it wasn’t funny

Standing there dumbfounded my jaw locked in place as I restrained myself from hitting the c**t. “GET OUT OF THIS ROOM. Rika doesn’t deserve you or your family. I take better care of her then you ever would have.” I screamed at Mrs. Saito as the door closed behind me

One day I was sitting in the chair next to Rika’s bed reading a book when I heard some one open the door to her room, I walked over and saw one of the officers standing there and he handed me a note then left. It just had Rika’s name on it but it looked like her mother’s hand writing. Rika was asleep so I decided to open it. I had a feeling she wouldn’t want to know what it said. 

I sat down to read the letter. I was so furious with her mother for not protecting her daughter but my blood boiled for her father. How could a family do this to a child who wanted nothing but love from them. I texted my sister asking her to meet me at the house if she wasn’t already there. When she texted me back saying she was I headed over to show her what I had read. I told the head nurse that if Rika needed anything to ring me and I would be here as fast as I could I had to go get something to eat. 

“ill be sure to tell her, you know how she gets when you don’t show up or if you are not here right away.” She winked at me and I waved good bye. 

Driving home Jenny called me to bring some lunch, she wasn’t feeling good so I did and when I came home Kylie was up on the balcony reading one of her teen magazines. I always thought it funny that girls fell for all that stupid stuff . we boys loved baseball or cars or hunting. We never read those magazines on how to kiss a guy. 

“You stay out here too long you wont have a face any more.” I said laughing at her and let her hit me in the shoulder as I sat next to her, pulling the letter out for her to read. I sat there watching Rika’s house that now stood empty all because Rika went for help. How easy it is to lose everything in seconds. 

“So they left? is this why they want nothing more to do with her because of what happened 16 years ago? Wow.” I watched my sister bite her lip in thought and then she jumped up and grabbed my arm. “Come on Logan we need to break into that house.” 

“NO. Kylie I love you as my sister but I draw the line at this.” I stopped her and she looked at me in disbelief

“You cant be serious. Come on Logan we have to do this for Rika. What ever we find in the house its for her and she has to know.”

I sighed and thought a moment before nodding my head and followed her to the house. The back door was easy to unlock and we went inside to start snooping around maybe find some clues as too what happened all those years ago. I took the upper part of the house like the attic and the bedrooms. I was coming up with nothing, there were hardly any pictures from when Rika was younger, what the hell had gone on here that they never even had pictures from her here? It was not Rika’s fault I knew that for sure. Nothing was in the attic that suggested there was ever anyone here so I moved to the bedrooms and it felt so wrong to look into Rika’s room but I wanted to see what it was like for her in this house. I could smell a body odor mixed with blood in her room, a hint of booze too lingered. Letting the door open all the way I couldn’t move. 

There was no way she lived like this in a house like this. What had she done so bad that she had to live like this every day? And not even the police knew about this horrible secret. I dialed Officer Cline and the lady at dispatch told me he was out at the moment so I decided to wait for him to call me back. I turned around to leave and heard a big gasp and my sister’s hand flew over her mouth so she didn’t let out any screams. 

“Shhh. Come on lets go down stairs.” I hugged my sister and tried to walk her away from the open door but she stood like stone as she looked at the room. 

“kylie I said come on. You don’t need to see this.” The anger was building up with in both of us now I felt it coming from Kylie more then me.  My phone vibrated so I stepped away for a minute to answer

“Hello this is Logan.” 

“Its officer Cline, you called?”

“yeah I did. Look can you meet me at Rika Saito’s house please?” I asked and he said he would be here in a moment. In the mean time I had to get my sister out of the house. Walking her out and telling her to go home to lay down officer Cline showed up and we went back to the bedroom he had his camera in hand ready to take pictures and the other officer had evidence bags ready to tag and bag.  

"You know kid if i didn't like you so much i would have to turn you in for breaking and entering. But since you seem to be doing this for a good reason im going to let it slid. Just dont touch anything, got it?" Officer Cline said sternly and I nodded 

"Officer Cline, Sir you may want to come and look at this." one of the men said and i quickly followed behind him as we went to the attic where we found a giant hole in the wall where a secret room was. The room stunk like blood and urine mixed together

"My god what kind of family lived here?" he asked and i shrugged as i pulled my shirt over my face to mask the smell. 

The room was 10x14, padded with soundproof walls, the ceiling was open and the rafters were showing. Two chains hung down from one rafter with hand cuffs were at the ends, covered in blood Cline ordered samples be taken and sent to a lab. On one end of the room a mattress was laid down blood was all over that too and it made me sick to my stomach. Rika would never ever know that this was found, even if my life depended on it to keep it a secret. 

"that is a lot of blood, it looks as if she... No it couldnt be she isnt old enough." Cline cut off as he examined the blood stain. 

Fear ran through me, could it have been possible for her to have really had a baby? did it survive? did she miscarry? How old was this stain? 

"Are you sure about this?" i asked him and he looked up at me nodding 

As we looked around the room some more my cell phone rang, looking at the caller ID i answered it right away. 

"Logan, its doctor Eljay we need you and your father down here right away."

"Im on my way there but my father is out of town on business. what happened?"

"Is officer Cline with you? if he is bring him i think we can do this with him present." the concern in the docs voice scared me, i grabbed Cline and we took off in his police car. 

"what happened logan?" he questioned me 

"im not sure but im betting its life or death for Rika if we dont get there NOW." i panicked and he threw his lights on so we could get to the hospital sooner. 

Doctor Eljay met us out front and shoved paper work in my face, 

"if you dont sign these we cant save your girlfriend. She died on the table a few mintues ago but we got her back, if we dont do something now she wont last through the night."

i forgot about everything else and signed the paper work and gave it back to him,

"you do what ever you have to to save her, i dont care what it is." i Demanded 

"Logan are you sure? we need to put her in medically induced coma for her injury's to heal and her body to repair its self."

"Fine do it, i cant lose her doc." 

with that Doctor Eljay left the room and proceeded to give orders, all i could do was fall into a chair by Rika's side and pray that she was not in any pain. 

"i love you Rika, with all my heart." tears filled my eyes and i grabbed her limp hand squeezing it what would my life be if i didn't have her in it? my life was all wrong up until I met her and she meant everything to me. Forget school, forget college, my life was all for her anything i could do for her i would have it done. Her smile kept me going and that is all i needed in life.

Reviews

[Stef Outsiders]

That was close... good man logan!!

[Coyote Poetry]

A very strong chapter. I had to return to the first chapter to catch up. I like the new situations and problems in this chapter. I like the chapters that end with a question. A excellent chapter.
Coyote