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Full Chapter Riven The Salvation Society 1St Edition Jo Anne Joseph PDF
Full Chapter Riven The Salvation Society 1St Edition Jo Anne Joseph PDF
Jo-Anne Joseph
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RIVEN
JO-ANNE JOSEPH
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Dear Reader,
Now…
Before…
The universe hates me. There’s no other explanation for why I have
to spend a Saturday morning with my mother at a dress fitting. I
grip my bedpost until my knuckles whiten, suck in a breath, and
endure the torture of being stuffed like a sausage into a corset that
feels two sizes smaller than my body. Bowing my head, I try to suck
in a breath to make the process easier.
“Can that corset be pulled tighter?” My mother asks her personal
tailor, Stephan, who responds with an irritated sigh.
“If I pull this thing any tighter, it’ll pop at the seams, Serafina.” I
catch his eye in the mirror, and he winks. Stephan gets me. She
doesn’t. I try not to fight with her, at least on something as stupid as
this because it’ll only lead to an argument. I hate arguing with my
mother. I much prefer ignoring she exists.
“Eliana, I told you to reduce those portion sizes.” I bite my
tongue yet again to prevent me from saying something we’ll all
regret. It isn’t worth exposing poor Stephan to our hostility toward
one another.
Stephan leads us both into my dressing room once he believes
I’m squished enough then helps me climb onto a pedestal in the
middle of the room. He drapes yet another ball gown over me, a
red, silk gown this time. The bodice fits too snugly, and the dress
flairs out at my waist. I look in the mirror and raise an eyebrow.
“I look hideous. It isn’t me. It’s so… fancy,” I groan. “I am not
wearing this one either, it’s too over the top.” I can’t keep the
disgust out of my voice.
“It is lovely, Eliana, don’t be so dramatic,” my mother says as she
sits in a plush, white armchair and continues to type into her phone
without looking up.
Stephan shakes his head. “I could make a couple of tweaks, give
it some of that grungy, chic you’re into,” he winks.
I giggle at how quickly that has my mother looking up from her
phone screen, eyes wide and defensive.
“Absolutely not! The dress is perfect the way it is.” She stands,
sashaying over to where Stephan and I stand. “It’s bad enough she
won’t wear gloves to cover up that distasteful tattoo,” she scrunches
up her face.
I roll my eyes. “This isn’t the dark ages, Mother. Have you never
been young?”
She stands back, narrowing her eyes, giving me a once over.
“This will do, Stephan, store them in her closet with the other two I
chose.” I’m not surprised she ignores my comment.
“Yes, ma’am.” He offers me a hand down from the stool. “You’d
look beautiful, by the way, in any of those gowns.”
“You’re supposed to say that, we’re friends,” I sulk.
My mother is already on her phone again, walking away from us.
Serafina Hernandez fits into this setting so well, the fancy house,
glamorous décor that she picked out herself, and designer clothing.
This is who she is. But it isn’t me, far from it. I didn’t even have a
say in what my bedroom looked like. My opinion wasn’t part of her
grand design.
“It’s not her fault, you know? You’re a Hernandez, and that name
alone has expectations.”
I smile at him them let him help me out of the monstrosity they
call a dress. As soon as it’s off, I tug on my ripped jeans and
crossover blouse, tie my hair in a ponytail, and pull on my boots. I
immediately feel like myself again. “I can’t wait till I’m out of here.” I
say under my breath.
“Ella, are you keeping something from me?” Stephan spins
around, his eyes narrowing in on me.
“Of course not,” I wave him off. “But we both know that’s been
the plan, right?” I lie. I love Stephan, but he can’t keep his mouth
shut, and the last thing I want is for him to blab about my interview
in Los Angeles to his partner, Yanez, who happens to be a close
friend of my mother.
I did it. I got an interview with one of LA’s most prestigious PR
Companies, CJJ, two days from now. Landing an interview alone is a
dream come true. Now all I have to do is impress them enough to
take a chance on me.
“Sweetheart, it isn’t going to be that simple, you of all people
should know that.”
I let out a groan. “I do, Steph, but working with my father is
completely out of the question.”
He walks over to me, wraps his arms around me, and gives me a
squeeze. “Just don’t do anything foolish.”
I squeeze him back. “I won’t.”
He looks at the watch on his wrist. “I should get going, dinner
with my family tonight, I’m going to introduce them to Yanez.” He
pulls away from me, a fake look of excitement on his face as he
waves his hands about. Stephan’s family have hardly come to terms
with the fact that he is gay, and throw in a partner, I can only
imagine the drama that is going to unfold tonight.
“Good luck.” I say, meaning it. “Remember, this is your life, and
you deserve to be happy.”
“Thank you, honey.” He kisses my cheek, and I watch him walk
away.
Stepping out onto my balcony, I take a seat on the lounger,
closing my eyes and enjoying some sunshine. I wish I could take my
own advice and stop feeling guilty about putting myself first. I need
to learn to let my own happiness take priority. But when you’re
reminded your entire life of how insignificant you are, you tend to
start believing it. I am a Hernandez, not Eliana. A collective. There
was no room for individuality in my world.
When I open my eyes, I realize I’d drifted off to sleep. The sun
has set on the horizon, and my skin prickles with the chilly, late
evening air. I stand and make my way back inside switching on the
lights.
Picking up my phone, I frown realizing I not only missed dinner
but also a call from my brother. My stomach grumbles. I need food. I
let out a yawn and decide to pay the fridge a visit. The cook always
leaves me and my brother, Zev, some leftovers. Neither of us eats
dinner with our parents unless we’re forced to. I walk down the
corridor and pause when I hear voices in the library. My father must
still be up. Ordinarily, I’d walk away unbothered, but the sound of a
male voice groaning in pain has me stopping in my tracks. I step
closer to the door which is ajar enough for me to peek through
without my father noticing.
He has a man against the bookshelf, his hands wrapped around
his neck. I gasp but place a hand in front of my mouth.
“I gave you instructions, Bobby, and I expected you to follow
them.” He slams a fist into the man’s ribs.
“I know, I just need more time,” the man begs.
Before I can stop myself, I’m knocking at the door, walking inside
uninvited. My father turns, and his grip on the man’s throat loosens
as he steps away from him. My heart pounds in my chest. We all
know the rules, have since I was a kid. Nobody disturbs my father
when he’s busy. I can count the number of times I’ve been in this
room on my one hand.
“Ah, Eliana, we missed you at dinner,” he says as he walks to his
desk in the corner of the dimly lit room. A fire burns in the fireplace,
giving this unorthodox scene a comforting feel. It’s as if whatever I
walked in on never occurred. Yet it did.
Bobby looks from my father to me. “Miss,” he says, using his
hand to wipe a bit of blood off his mouth. Bobby looks like a boxer,
muscles to match, yet it’s obvious he cowers in front of my father.
Bobby brushes his greasy black hair back.
“I will be in touch, Mr. Hernandez,” he says. My father doesn’t
pay him any attention, and Bobby leaves the room casting me one
final glance.
“What was that about?” I know it’s stupid to ask, still I do.
“Nothing important.” My father waves me off. “Some business I
had to deal with.”
“Sure, Dad.” I reply, unconvinced.
“How have you been? We barely speak these days. Soon enough
we’ll be partners,” he says too cheerfully. There is one thing Diego
Hernandez isn’t and that is cheerful. I know he’s trying to distract
me.
I smile. “Yeah.” For a moment I wonder if I should tell him about
the interview and my plans for the future. But the realist in me
knows that he’ll do whatever it takes to stop me from succeeding. “I
was on my way downstairs. I should leave you to your business.”
“Good night, Eliana,” he says, looking up from his paperwork.
I make my way downstairs and indulge in some delicious lasagna
Maria made. She’s cooked for us for years, and she never
disappoints. When I’ve had more than my fill, I head back to my
bedroom.
As I lie in bed looking at the ceiling, I can’t stop thinking about
the look in Bobby’s eyes, and I wonder what they were talking
about. I drift off, wondering if it had anything to do with me. But
then again, why would it?
I’m a ball of nerves after the two-hour drive to LA. I turn the air
conditioner on all the way and crank Blink 182 to full blast, my
nerves increasing the closer I get to my destination. A valet meets
me at the hotel entrance, and once I’m in the room I’ve booked for
the night, I lie on the comfortable bed, closing my eyes and sinking
into the cool, white sheets.
As far as my parents know, I’m with my best friend, Casey,
tonight. I cannot even begin to explain how it pisses me off that at
twenty-one I still have to make excuses for my whereabouts. My
phone rings just then; I look at the display and smile. “Hey, Case.”
“Hey, back at ya. You were supposed to call me the second you
arrived.”
“I’m sorry, babe, got lost in my head again,” I sigh.
“Then get out of it, Ella, you’ve got this.” She sounds like she’s
chewing.
“I hate chew-versations,” I laugh.
“But, you adore me.” I smile. I do.
“Good point.”
“Good luck, Ella, I’ll call you later. Go shower, clear your head,
and try to relax. I love you.”
“Love you too, Case.”
After we end our call, I do as she says and take a long shower.
Instead of relaxing after, I go over my presentation to the COO,
Catherine Cole. She is one of the most sought-after PR professionals
and has been interviewed by several high-profile business
magazines. The fact that she even wants to interview me herself is
an honor. I cannot get this wrong. My chest tightens at the thought
of sitting in a room with a panel of professionals with all that
experience. I hate that I don’t have any experience. This is my first
interview, ever. But I am preparing and intend to do my very best.
I opt for room service instead of dining at the restaurant
downstairs. Spreading my documents all over the bed, I go through
the CJJ Company profile over a chicken salad. The resume of every
Publicist hired by the company is on their site, and I’m impressed by
the fact that the executive leadership team is mostly women. The LA
branch’s focus is representing prominent companies, celebrities, and
several high-profile businesses. I’ve pretty much been surrounded by
people like that my entire life. The position I’m applying for is
assistant to one of the senior publicists for a pretty famous client.
I’ve been preparing for this for months, but I will not leave anything
to chance.
When I figure I’ve had enough, I gather my documents, packing
them into a folder and setting it on the desk. I look in the mirror,
and despite being exhausted, I look vibrant, alive. I remove the
hairband from my wavy chestnut hair and run a brush through it,
one hundred strokes, the way I’ve been programmed to do my
entire life. My hazel eyes with glints of green look bright and
hopeful. Being away from my parents is definitely good for me. I
look at my wrist, at the bangled tattoo I got on a drunken night in
college and smile. It was my first act of rebellion, and my mother
threw a fit when she saw it. That was the first of many times I took
charge of my life.
I text Casey goodnight before climbing under the covers, setting
the alarm for 6:00 a.m. My interview is at nine, and the hotel is
within walking distance of CJJ. I feel the anxiety building in my chest
and decide to take a herbal sedative to help me drift off. Tomorrow
is the start of a whole new chapter in my life.
The noise is deafening, the sounds loud and brutal enough to petrify
anyone. I lie on the wooden floor of my cabin shivering, my hands
covering my ears, trying to drown out the screams for help, the
bellows of agony coming from my team. I open my eyes, but the
dust makes it hard to see. “Brax,” I hear Dough call my name. He’s
close, but I can’t see him.
“Where the fuck are you, man?” I cough.
“I don’t know. It’s cold, Brax,” I can hear his teeth chattering. I
try to move, but something heavy keeps me immobilized. Water
continues to seep into our sleeping quarters on USS Essex.
“Hang in there, Doughboy.” I attempt to remove the fear from my
voice.” “We’re getting out of here.”
“It’s cold, man.’ His voice is so small, it makes something inside
me ache. We hadn’t expected the onslaught. Dough and I were off
duty and ogling a couple of Playboy magazines when it happened.
First the whistle, then the crack, and then the blast that led us here,
trapped under wood and metal.
“If we get out, I’m asking Marilyn to marry me,” he laughs, then
immediately starts to splutter.
“Man, she doesn’t even know your name.” I try to push up
whatever is on me, the hardest bench press of my life. My chest
burns, my arms feel like they’re about to give out. “Dough?”
He doesn’t answer. I manage to get free, but my leg hurts like a
bitch. I drag myself into a sitting position and heave a breath. Who
knew that such little exertion could feel that excruciating? They don’t
call me “Indestructible” for no reason. “Doughboy? Marcus?” I call
again into the darkness. He doesn’t respond, but I hear movement,
so I drag myself in that direction.
Marcus Brussel, better known and Doughboy for his love of carbs
in his teens, and I have been friends since we were kids. He and I
share a tiny cabin that fits only a bunk bed and a small desk, so he’s
close by, but him not responding makes it harder for me to find him.
In the darkness, all I can see is a slight red glow that must be the
doorway.
The vessel was attacked, and we were likely going to blow, which
means Marcus and I have to get out of here. The shouting almost
drowned out by the clamor continues around me as I drag myself on
my uninjured side toward where I hope my friend is. I feel around in
the dark, and sure enough, I feel a bulky figure. I find his shoulder
and shake it lightly.
“We gotta get outta here, Dough.” I tell him, grateful that I can
hear his soft breathing. “Marcus, come on.” I urge.
“Ain’t gonna make it, Brax,” his voice is labored. I choke out a
sob.
“What about Marilyn?” my voice is shaky, and he says nothing. I
feel his chest then run my hands down his body, and when I realize
half of my friend is missing, I let out a scream that deafens me. I
start chest compressions anyway, but I know he’s gone. I know I’ve
lost him. I couldn’t save him.
I start to talk to Dough, telling him about all the things we’d do
when we wake up and realize this is all a dream. Then I cry some
more, and when my body feels so cold I can’t breathe anymore, I
close my eyes, and I welcome whatever’s to come.
A shrill cell phone ringing has my eyes flying open. I look at the
digital clock on the dashboard, and it reads 9:00 p.m. I’m sitting in
the passenger seat of a sleek limousine. I fell asleep. I look over at
Butch, the driver, who casts me a sideways glance, no expression on
his face.
I open the door and drag myself to my feet. I’d been planning to
wait an hour then go inside, but now I’m fifteen minutes late. Fuck.
I adjust my suit and slightly sway as I make my way to the entrance
of the gentleman’s club where my client had a meeting. Ericson
Bryant, more commonly known as ‘Void’, was signing up with the
biggest record company in the country. He’s made quite a name for
himself.
I remove the red rope that blocks the entrance, and a man
matching my six feet but much bulkier blocks my way. “By invitation
only,” he growls.
“Void is in there, I’m his bodyguard. I don’t need an invitation,” I
say through gritted teeth.
“If you’re his bodyguard, why aren’t you in there with him?” Fair
enough.
“Little bitch asked me not to, said he wanted to do it on his own,”
I shrug.
He laughs. “True, that kid is a little bitch.” We smirk at each other
just as the door flings open and a very high Void and a woman with
rainbow-colored hair that looks vaguely familiar stumble outside.
“Brax, my man, this is Tracy,” Ericson slurs.
“This way,” I say, grabbing his arm to steady him. I turn and
cameras are flashing in our faces. I push Ericson behind me as I
push my way to the limo. Where did these assholes come from?
They shout out all kinds of questions, which I ignore, blocking their
flashes with my hand until I’ve got Eric and his girl safely inside the
limo.
Hopping into the driver’s side, Butch starts pulling away.
“What a night!” the woman yells, and Ericson whoops loudly in
response.
“Some Eminem?” Butch asks. I nod and Godzilla blasts through
the speakers. As we drive to the hotel, I watch the woman straddle
Eric in the rearview, sucking his face. I push the button to the
partition.
The driver and I help the stumbling artist and his latest conquest
into the hotel room. The woman’s clothes are in disarray, and Eric is
barely able to stand on his own two feet. After we close the door to
the bedroom, Butch wishes me good luck, and I plop into an
armchair after seeing him out.
I sigh.
You’re gonna do great things, son. I remember my father’s words
like he’d said them to me yesterday. We’d been standing at the
harbor looking at Navy ships after we had a tour of one of the
vessels. Men in service had greeted us and led us through what I
can only call a moment of truth, an awakening. I was only eleven,
yet that was the moment I realized I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I
still remember my father’s face as he looked down at me, the pride
and love he’d always been known to show.
“Don’t tell your Mama I brought you here. She wants you to be a
doctor.”
My father had served five years in the Navy before he met my
mother, then he had a reason to lower his anchor. She was and will
always be his true north. He’d said it so many times, it stuck.
The sounds of Eric and the woman he brought to the hotel with
him fucking draw me back to the present. They are loud enough to
make me want to leave the suite and sit out in the hallway. But I
can’t, can I? I am his bodyguard, and that means I have to remain
in these kinds of uncomfortable situations.
I close my eyes again, but all I hear is screaming, gunfire, and
Marcus, then seeing a face I have been trying to block out for years.
I feel hands slide up my thighs, and I startle awake. “What the
fuck?” I hiss.
Looking down, I find the rainbow-haired woman Eric brought to
the hotel room. The girl is looking up at me like I’m her next meal.
“I’m Sierra,” she says, biting her lip, her hands running over my
thighs, inching closer and closer to my dick. “I’ve always loved a
man in uniform.”
That’s where I’ve seen her. She’s an up and coming musician.
I sigh. “I’m not in uniform.”
“Void told me you’re a military man,” I bite my tongue, trying not
to correct her.
“You should get off me and back into Eric’s bed before he notices
you’re gone.” I stand, and her hands fall. She pushes to her feet but
doesn’t move away from me.
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suicide in sane people. There is no danger of deliberate homicidal
acts in persons of good character. A criminally disposed person
would more readily commit murder in simple melancholia than if free
from that disease.
Before the courts the fact should be kept in mind that persons with
acute melancholia have diminished power of self-control by virtue of
their disease, and so yield more readily to temptation than in health.
They also may have imperative conceptions—ideas so strong that
they cannot, or can with difficulty, resist carrying them out even when
they know them to be wrong; and there may be sudden outbursts of
almost maniacal excitement. They are often able to make wills and
perform contracts, in form and in detail, as well as ever, when they
are so filled with insane delusions as to be on the point of killing
themselves and their families. There is impaired capacity, however,
of recognizing the relations of persons and things to one another, a
distinct moral perversion, and a diminished recognition of obligations
and sense of responsibility. In other words, they are not always fully
themselves on those points in which they seem to be so, and yet
patients in asylums with acute melancholia have been known to give
the best of advice to their business-partners.
The COURSE AND DURATION of acute mania vary within wide limits, with
an average of not far from six months, with recoveries in about 60
per cent. of first cases uncomplicated by pneumonia, chronic
disease, or a marked neuropathic state: 5 or 6 per cent. die, chiefly
from pneumonia, phthisis, accidents, or exhaustion, seldom suicide.
Incurable cases drop slowly into dementia or into chronic delusional
insanity, the motor excitement subsiding. The delusional insanity
may be simply a stage in the process toward dementia.
In the DIAGNOSIS of acute mania, unless great care is used, the
physician sometimes finds that he has sent to the asylum a case of
acute, especially infectious disease, in the early stage and with
unusual manifestations of febrile delirium. The indications for
avoiding this unfortunate mistake are care and time in making
diagnoses.
The term subacute mania is used by some writers for the milder
cases of acute mania, just as acute delirious mania is a term which
is applied to those violent cases of acute mania in which furious and
prolonged delirium marks the disease, and in which there is a high
death-rate and low proportion of recoveries.
The COURSE AND DURATION of katatonia are tedious, and even if there
is apparent recovery from the first attack, the tendency is to relapses
and to slowly-advancing dementia and death from those causes of
which dements in hospitals die, especially phthisis. I have never
seen a complete and permanent recovery.