Chapter 14 – How Did You?

Every since Wednesday night, Amanda couldn't stop thinking about Becca. She seemed like such a lost soul and she knew that if it was her daughter, she would want someone to save her. Billy had confirmed a little of what Amanda already guessed; Becca appeared to be trapped by Fedorov and he was using her sexually. It really made Amanda upset to think about it but she also became determined that she would help her out of this situation. She wondered what had brought her to this point in her life and what hold Fedorov had on her. Was he really that powerful? Amanda didn't care; she knew she needed to save this child and somehow she would do it. That meant she needed to meet her at the skating rink and continue to gain her trust. Billy had suggested pretending she was too tired to drive in hopes that Becca would invite her back to Fedorov's house. He explained Lee's plans to her and Amanda agreed to try to make them work.

Amanda arrived at the rink and watched Lee walking inside with Becca. It was perfect timing. She checked her makeup one more time and then headed inside. Becca was just picking out her skates and when she saw Amanda, she broke into a smile and the two ladies greeted each other with a hug.

"I'm so glad you could make it." Becca said.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Amanda said back.

They got their skates and then headed to a bench to put them on. Amanda noticed that Lee was sitting in the bar again. She couldn't help but wonder if he even knew how to skate.

After the last laces were tied, they walked arm and arm out onto the floor. Amanda made sure to seem wobbly but improved and Becca immediately praised her for doing so well. They spent the next hour skating side by side and then Amanda begged to go get a drink. They both sipped on Sodas and Amanda marveled at how good Becca was at skating.

"Do you want me to show you some of the fancy stuff?"

"There's more?" Amanda asked as she tried to look shocked.

"Oh sure, you can do tricks now. I can teach you to jump, spin, do figure 8's, and of course skate backwards. Do you want to give it a try?"

Amanda gulped and then said "Sure, I guess we could try."

The two ladies went back onto the floor and for the next hours, Becca helped Amanda learn to skate backwards. Since Amanda already knew how to, she had to be convincing that it was all new to her and that she wasn't very good at it. When they came off the floor, Amanda mentioned how tired she was from their workout.

"Are you going to be okay to drive home? How far do you have to go?"

"Boy I don't know. I have a 30 minute drive and I can barely keep my eyes open. I might have to see if there is a hotel nearby."

"Nonsense Amanda, we have plenty of room. I can't let you go home like this or stay in a hotel. Come back with me."

"It will be okay for me to be there?" Amanda asked.

"Of course. You will be my guest. We can share a room together and talk like teenagers half the night."

Amanda laughed with Becca and realized again how lonely she must be since it took no effort at all to score an invite to stay the night.

"I don't live too far away but we should probably get going since you will need to drive your car there. I'm sorry but there isn't a driveway you can park in. Aleksandr keeps all his cars in the garage and driveway but there is plenty of on street parking which is safe."

"That's fine. I don't have a great car. It was all I could afford." Amanda said. She watched Becca make a hand motion toward Lee and soon he got up and joined them.

"Amanda, this is one of the people who work at the house where I stay. His name is Lee. Lee, this is Amanda."

"Nice to meet you" They both said at the same time. Lee had noticed that Amanda's dress was not as tight fitting that night but it still did a great job showing off her body. He couldn't resist taking her hand and kissing it gently as he greeted her. Amanda found herself blushing.

Becca watched the exchange with interest and then said "Well let's go back to the house. Amanda is going to follow us. She's too tired to drive so she is going to stay with me tonight."

Lee nodded his approval and walked both ladies out to the parking lot and then suggested that Amanda follow them to the house. He helped Becca into the loaner car and then backed out and waited for Amanda to pull up behind him. He led the way back to Barnaby Woods. They were soon both parked in front of the house.

Becca got out of the car and walked over to Amanda as she got out of hers. "We have to be quiet so that we don't wake the staff. We will go in through the back door and I'll lead you to the room we'll stay in tonight, okay? Becca said quietly. "We can talk once we are safely inside the room"

"Sure." Amanda responded. They all made it into the house and headed up the stairs as quietly as they could. Amanda noticed that Lee stopped at the room at the top of the stairs and went inside. Becca kept walking and soon had located a room way in the back. She opened the door and stepped inside while turning on the lights. Amanda was shocked. The room looked like it was made for a Princess. It had a canopy bed in one corner and a daybed in the other. The room had been painted in bright pinks and matched the curtains and bedspreads. Amanda stood just inside the door with her mouth open looking at just how beautiful the whole room was.

"Why don't you take the bed and I'll take the smaller daybed." Becca said.

"Nonsense! That bed is huge. There is no reason why we can't share it." Amanda said as she looked at it. It was at least a King but it looked even bigger than that but Amanda wasn't sure if there was a larger size than a King. She couldn't help but wonder if it had been custom made.

"I think I might have a nightgown that will fit you." Becca said as she searched the dresser and pulled out two nightgowns for them.

"Is this your room?" Amanda asked.

"No, not really. It is the room I use when I hide."

"Hide? Hide from what?"

"From him. I know it is because I fight him that he hasn't lost interest yet but I hate giving in to him." Becca said in a fit of anger and then realized she had said too much.

"Becca, is he hurting you? You know there are laws against that."

"OH Amanda, he is above the laws. He makes sure you know that as soon as he stops being nice to you. He's untouchable."

The two ladies had changed into their nightgowns while they talked and climbed into bed.

"Are you ready to tell me how you got involved with him?" Amanda asked.

Becca sighed and said "I guess if we are going to be friends, you have a right to know. I told you how my father and I were really close. Well as I got older, he was having a hard time letting me go. He wanted to dictate who I hung out with, who was allowed to be in our apartment, who I could date and what time I had to be home. I got tired of it so one night after we had a really bad argument, I left after he went to bed. I had packed my bag a week ago but hadn't gotten up the nerve to leave. He made me so angry that night that I felt it was the right time. I caught a cab to the bus station and hopped on the bus to take me out of town. I wasn't sure where I was going; I just wanted to get away from my father. I think the bus originally planned to go to New Jersey but it broke down just outside of Maryland and we ended up at a diner as we waited for it to be repaired. Since it was now early morning, everyone was starved. The Bus Company paid for each of us to get some breakfast. As I was sitting down to eat; this drop dead gorgeous looking man walked into the room. He looked right at me and we locked eyes. For that moment in time, I felt like the most special woman in the entire world. He approached my table and asked if he could join me. He soon had me laughing and it felt good to have the attention. When the bus was ready to go, he asked me to stay with him and I agreed.

It was really nice at first. He took me dancing and he showed me all the sites of DC at night. There were romantic dinners and he always made me feel special and he didn't push me to do anything I didn't want to. He had brought me to his home and given me a room near his and told me to make it my own. He insisted on me not being around the staff though and said that he would have meals brought to me and that I shouldn't hang out with them as they would spread lies about him and I might believe them. I trusted him and obeyed his wishes. He had been so good to me and I had craved for a man to care about me for a long time. I should have known there were other reasons but I was being too dazzled at that point. He was such a gentleman at that time. We would kiss a little and sometimes it would get a little heated but I would ask him to stop and he always did.

Then one night, we came home from a party. It had gone on forever and he seemed to know a lot of people there. He had drunk quite a bit and kept trying to get me to drink also but I'm not a big drinker. When he walked me upstairs, he didn't stop at my room; he pulled me to his. I asked him what he was doing and he informed me that my free ride was over and that it was time for me to begin earning my keep. I begged him not to rush me but he wouldn't hear of it. It was awful. It was my first time and he didn't care. Maybe he was too drunk to care but I think he is just a mean person. He used guilt on me. He said that I had been teasing him all along and that I knew why he had wanted me around and I had chosen to stay to take advantage of his generosity. He kept kissing me as he told me these things and kept telling me how much he cared about me and how we would be good together. I finally gave him and let him do what he wanted."

Becca wiped away some tears and Amanda got up and got her a tissue. She then gently urged Becca to continue. Becca took a deep breath and said "I was so ashamed afterward and knew that I could never go home. My father would never respect me now that I had given in to a man that I didn't even love. I told Aleksandr the next day that I needed to leave. That was when he informed me that none of his lovers ever left. He told me that he owned me and that I would do as he said or else I would find myself on a one way ticket to the bottom of the Potomac. I begged him to let me go. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone what had happened and he laughed and said that no one would believe someone like me anyway. Then he told me how he was actually a Russian Diplomat and explained that even if I went to the police, they couldn't touch him because he had immunity and couldn't be arrested for any crimes. He laughed an evil laugh like I had never heard before and left me alone the rest of the day. I cried the whole day and plotted my escape. When he got back, he gave me a picture of my Dad and Mom together on their last anniversary and told me that if I had any ideas of escaping, I might want to reconsider as he knew my dad. I asked him how and he informed me that he had gone to the apartment building the week before and met my Father. He told him how he really needed a place to stay so my father found him an apartment there to rent. As a thank you, he took my parents out for an expensive dinner and now stays in touch with him all the time. My father has no idea that the man he has become friends with is holding his daughter basically hostage."

Amanda handed Becca another tissue and after blowing her nose, she continued. "After that night, he was never nice anymore except when we are in public. It didn't matter what I wanted or what I said, he was going to do whatever he wanted. So of course I began fighting him. I think he enjoyed it better that way. I hate giving in to him but at the same time I know that the more I fight him, the longer he holds onto me. Thankfully he only stays in town for a few days and then leaves. After he left the first time, I went downstairs and met Judy. She's the head housekeeper and she has seen it all. She told me that I'm not alone because he has a whole house across the street of the ones he has finished with. I don't know what he intends to do with them but they are guarded and can't leave. None of us ever get to leave. He is a very sick man and none of us truly know why we are here. Judy is convinced that he has a plan for all those girls and that he is waiting for the right time. I know any day he will tire of me and I will be put over in that house also. I'm really not sure which life is worse."

Becca wiped away more tears and then said "Amanda, I shouldn't have brought you here. I put you at risk. I'm so sorry. We'll get you out of here before he wakes up and then you need to run away from here and never come back. I don't know what I was thinking that I could have a friend. I'm never going to be able to have a friend again."

"Becca, I am your friend and we are going to figure out how to get you out of this mess. It looks like you can come and go at times and no one stops you. Why do they let you leave at all?"

"Well I'm not really supposed to. Aleksandr's men don't watch me as closely as they are supposed to. Most of them like to drink and so they aren't really paying attention most of the time. Judy has me sneak out the back door because no one has ever guarded the back door. The skating rink is the first time I have been outside this house since I moved here."

"Oh, I see. Well I'm not going to walk away. We will figure out something. Let's get some sleep." Amanda said.

Becca turned out the light and both of the ladies pretended to sleep but neither of them managed to get much sleep that night. Amanda knew she needed to get this information to Lee and they needed to get Floyd and his wife someplace safe. Just the thought of what this poor child had gone through made Amanda very sad and it also made her very angry. How was it possible that this man could not be punished for forcing a woman to have sexual relations with him? It didn't make any sense. She needed to talk to Lee. She soon became exhausted thinking about it all and felt into a light sleep. Lee always said that you needed your sleep in order to do your work. He was right again and she knew it.

TBC