Aurorae: Abilon

By Maggi O’Mally

Abi has escaped Lofterns clutches. But, fate isnt finished with her yet. As three men vie for her affection, she faces heart-wrenching choices. To save her child, she must turn her back on love. Now. a dangerous path lies before hera new planet, a new way of lifea new beginning? It seems as though everything might work outuntil an old enemy resurfaces. The fate of a world rests in her hands. Can she save her new world and find happiness, or will it be ripped from her grasp?

Due to adult content, for mature readers 18+ only.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493199761

Maggi O’Mally

Ms. O’Mally grew up an avid reader. She didn’t care if the books she read taught her something or just took her away on flights of fancy. As a teen, she would read to her younger brother or make up stories to make him giggle. When she had children, she read to them to instill the love of reading to the next generation. As her eyesight declined, she decided to try writing poetry and prose and has found it as enjoyable as reading. She enjoys it so much she’s been encouraging her sister and son to try it. (Without success…yet.)

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Maggi O’Mally.

Library of Congress Control Number:                                   2014906749

ISBN:                  Hardcover                                           978-1-4931-9977-8

                            Softcover                                             978-1-4931-9978-5

                            eBook                                                  978-1-4931-9976-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning: This novel contains graphic language, explicit sex, and adult situations. It is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 04/12/2014

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CONTENTS

Author’s Introduction

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

Epilogue

For hope, faith and love

To my daughter who eagerly awaits each new episode,

and

To my sister who hears all the updates, surprises

and disappointments…

thank you both for putting up with me.

AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION

W ow. What do I say after Abi’s first book? That was a very dark time for her. This book is very different. It seems like a complete turnabout. But what is life if not ups and downs?

I know some of you thought Abi was incredibly stupid for agreeing to the contract. She should’ve read it or reneged on it using the three day buyer’s remorse. But, if she had, I would’ve had to have had her forced to sign it and taken to the dungeon for the three days to make it so she couldn’t get out of the contract. Then, Mitzy would’ve been taken by the state for being abandoned and Abi would’ve had to fight to get her back and the story would’ve gotten too convoluted. Such is the author’s dilemma. So, I had to let her naiveté trap her. I would’ve read the contract and laughed in his face. Of course, he may have turned to other more ‘persuasive’ methods to get a signature. It may have been better to just sign it and then go immediately to the police and say you were afraid for your life and have them null and void it. Sometimes the first reaction may not be the best decision… it’s better to stop and think things through.

I was asked why I published the book with all the sexual violence in it. For a few reasons. But, the biggest one was because of a friend who moved to another state. She made friends with a woman whose husband would rent her to his friends and sometimes even strangers. My friend was appalled. So was I. But, after looking it up, he had the right to do it. The law said he could. It also said he could beat her with a stick if it wasn’t any bigger around than his thumb. It didn’t say how many times, how hard, or where… just the size of the stick. We hear about spousal abuse and sex trafficking, but not nearly as much as we do about child abuse and rape. And still, with all the information we have about spotting child abuse and stopping it, children still cry themselves to sleep. Until all abuse ends, I hope the voices crying out for it to stop won’t stop either.

But, on with Abi’s story. She may have jumped out of the fire, or been pulled from it with help, but she still has challenges ahead of her. She’ll have joys and disappointments. She’ll have hard choices to make. She’ll have her heart broken more than once. In other words, she’s jumped from the fire onto the roller coaster we call life.

I’d hoped to get this out to you by year’s end, but my life turned suddenly into a roller coaster of emotional and medical upheavals that was out of control. It was all I could do to just hang on and wait to be able to get back to Aurorae III and Abilon. I could imagine Abi, well, more like Curtis on Abi’s behalf, laughing at me and saying, ‘See? Sometimes you just get stuck and can’t do anything about it.’

This is Abi’s last book. (Update: Abi might be naïve at times, but she’s finagled a way to get at least one more book out of me. So… there’s one more Abilon book coming.) And, she’s begging me to make a spin off five thousand years or so in the future. Time enough for the people to evolve into what the planet demands of them and forget their origins. Will I write it? Probably. But, when Aurorae ends, it will also transform into something new. I’ll definitely be writing that one. If time allows, I’ll pander to Abi’s desires as well.

Sometimes, I think I did sign that contract. I was turned into a slave to the characters stomping around in my head. There’s no way out except to write until they’re satisfied. At times, I wish the Aurorae would have a massive overload and explode and the Fencari would find Earth and destroy it so I can have my life and mind back. Then I remember how much fun it is to listen to their stories and write them down for others to enjoy as well. So… enjoy! (There’s no torture in this one.)

P.S. If you read the first book all the way through, you can skip the prologue if you’d like… it’s a synopsis of Aurorae: Abi for those who skipped parts or its entirety or just want a refresher of it.

PROLOGUE

(brief synopsis of book 1)

A bi was dismissed from the military dishonorably for having a child without permission. She named the child ‘Mitzy’. She was given the chance to give the child away and remain in the military for her deployment and be honorably discharged afterward, but she chose to keep the child. She had to return all her military issued tech and clothing and was left with just a small carry-sack of her belongings and a bill to repay to the military.

Upon entering the civilian world, she was unable to find a place to stay or a job. Her brother, Ronnie, was no help. He couldn’t even keep a roof over his own head at times. Her sister, Vikki, allowed her to stay as long as she could, but Abi was soon facing homelessness. They called all the friends they could, both old and new. Finally, Lauren, an old classmate of Abi’s, living in the Alley, allowed her to stay and floated her the first month while Abi looked for a job. Her prospects were dim and she began to lose hope that she’d be able to get one.

While she was looking for a job, Chief Darnell Heresford was looking for her. He’d left the military out of concern for her and Mitzy. Chief had an apartment in Midtown he was willing to share with her to help her get on her feet. They missed each other by mere seconds a couple of times.

She met Curtis, the head ‘goboy’ for a ruthless, sadistic drug lord. He offered Abi a job and she accepted. The ruthless owner, Mr. Loftern, and Curtis played mind games with her until she completely trusted the owner and believed he was honorable and wanted to help her. She was tricked into signing a contract that allowed the owner to use her for sex once a week in any way he chose. Sometimes he chose to have sex with her himself, sometimes he loaned her out or used her to pay debts. But always, it was demeaning and painful for her. He kept her in line with the pain and the high price of her contract.

Chief managed to locate her after finding her sister, Vikki, who told him where she was. However, his efforts had the ill effects of having her brother killed, though neither of them knew it. He was unaware of her predicament at work, until she came home one day while he was waiting and she could barely walk.

Abi was falling behind on her bills and her roommate, Lauren, stole her baby, Mitzy, to sell her for profit. At the same time Chief found out about Abi’s troubles, they found out Mitzy was missing. He contacted a friend in law enforcement named Cort to help him get her out of trouble. He had to stay away from Abi to play the role Cort assured him was the only way to get Mitzy back safely and quickly.

Without Chief’s support and encouragement, Abi gave up fighting for freedom and self-sufficiency in her despair over losing Mitzy. Curtis was ordered to take her to the dungeon and teach her compliance. He nearly killed her. Mr. Loftern, the sadistic owner, took over and tortured them both. Abi helped Curtis and he vowed to help her. He got her away from the owner and hid her. He knew she’d be found sooner or later so he made a deal with the owner for her contract.

Before he could fulfill that deal, he was given time to search for Abi’s child. He figured out that Lauren had taken the baby. He kidnapped Lauren and tortured her for the information he wanted. Then he turned her over to Mr. Loftern who continued to torture her for his own pleasure. With the information Curtis got from her, he followed the trail to the baby.

While Curtis looked for Mitzy, the relationship between Curtis and Abi grew. He kept her locked in his home for ‘her safety’. The only company she had in his home were two of his close friends, Rand and Katie. Abi began to trust Curtis and they entered into a verbal contract of marriage, just between the two of them. She told him about the planet that had been found while she was aboard the Aurorae. She said it was a questionable planet and they might be able to get the Council to allow them to colonize it. She figured the only people who might go would be those who had a lower status on Earth. That, because of it’s undesirability, they might have a chance to escape their positions in life and colonize a planet. Usually, midtowners went first to a planet to prepare it, then uptowners went to escape the pollution of Earth.

Chief Heresford had already found Mitzy and was in possession of her when Abi and Curtis heard of her sale to a ‘pedophile’, which was what Chief had to pose as to buy Mitzy from the black market. Abi was frantic until she realized Chief was the ‘pedophile buyer’. She knew Mitzy was safe with him.

When Curtis and Abi went to pick up Mitzy, Chief’s Enforcer friend, Cort, was waiting for them. Curtis demanded immunity for his testimony. Mr. Loftern’s building was raided and closed down. Lauren was rescued but was in a self-induced coma. When Mr. Loftern was charged, much more than just sexual enslavement came to light. Unbeknownst to Curtis, Loftern also dealt in child pornography and drugs, along with many facets of each.

After months of therapy for both Curtis and Abi, and pre-trial hearings and motions, they finally went to trial. The defense had Abi worried. She questioned Curtis about the way the defense had twisted everything around. She told him she might have believed them if she hadn’t been there. She was worried Curtis would take the fall for it, even though he was the one who broke the case open for the Enforcers. Curtis tried to reassure her, but he wasn’t certain either.

CHAPTER 1

T he Council had been in deliberation for a week, deciding the fate of Mr. Loftern, his company, and his employees. As each day passed, Abi became more worried. The defense had twisted everything to make it look like Mr. Loftern had no idea what was occurring in his own company. They had even thrown suspicion on Curtis. Abi was worried because they’d almost convinced her of Mr. Loftern’s innocence and she’d lived through his sadism and torture.

She knew Curtis had done a lot of bad things. But, he’d been in the same predicament she’d been in. He was in a contract that compelled his actions. The media portrayed him as a monster. They said he chose to do those things and had made a deal with the prosecution. They said he’d be a menace and women everywhere would be in danger from the deal that was made. She knew it wasn’t true. But, she was one small voice against a cacophony of lies.

The Council could overthrow the deal the prosecution made. If they found that Mr. Loftern didn’t know about the doctored vids or the atrocities going on in his name, they could prosecute Curtis. She knew Curtis had known about the women. He’d known about the contractual enslavement, about the forced prostitution, about the dungeon. But he hadn’t known about the children or the drugs. Even so, what he knew and what he did could get him imprisoned offworld for life. The thought of it was squeezing the life from Abi’s heart.

Curtis tried to keep Abi’s hopes up. He continued to tell her everything would turn out alright. However, he knew that it might not. He had to placate her to keep her from falling apart. She was so close to that now that he was worried. The only thing holding her together was Mitzy. If she fell apart, she’d lose her. He couldn’t allow that to happen. So, he put on a brave face and acted like he wasn’t worried. But as each day passed with no verdict, he knew the Council members were split… that some of them believed the defense… that it might not turn out well.

It had been eight months since he’d turned on Loftern. Eight months of questions, pre-trials, therapy, more questions, hearings, then the trial. The days were mayhem. The nights, however, he treasured. He had Abi in his arms and she had Mitzy in hers. It had been eight months of happiness. The therapists had tried to get Abi to turn away from him, but she never did. Every time she smiled at him, she healed one more piece of his heart.

He wanted to keep her happy. He saw how the guards looked at him… as though, if given the chance, they’d drop him where he stood. He saw how they looked at her as well… with disgust. He didn’t know if they had a chance to start a colony on the planet Abi had told him about or not, but he was going to try. Life on Earth would not be happy for her.

Over the past eight months he’d been speaking with Mr. Franklin. He’d learned that Abi had gotten a slew of recommendations from the Aurorae, not just from Command. However, when he looked at the reports of the planet Abi wanted to go to, he was worried. Life on the planet would be risky. In fact, the Council had scratched it from their list of colonizable planets. The up side to that was, if they could convince the Council they wanted to go there, they wouldn’t have to stand behind uptowners. But, he’d have to convince ninety-eight other adults to take the chance with them.

He talked to Rand about the planet. With Abi’s help, he’d convinced Rand and Katie that it was worth a chance. Rand had only found fourteen others who were willing to go with them. Eighteen of one hundred. And he still needed to convince the Council to let them go. He told Rand to concentrate on people from the Alley. The council was more likely to allow them to go if they thought they’d be rid of ‘lower class’ people. However, as bad as alley dwellers lives were, not many would exchange them for colonizing a disqualified planet.

There was another obstacle. Chief Heresford. He might fight for Mitzy to keep her off the banned planet. And, the Council might rule in his favor. Chief was a midtowner. Raising Mitzy as a midtowner would give her higher status on Earth. She was already the spitting image of Abi and Abi was pretty. The Council would consider Mitzy worth keeping on Earth. They’d grant custody to Chief Heresford to keep her here. He had to convince Chief to drop his claim on her so she’d be an ‘alley dweller’ and insignificant.

Mitzy was a little over fourteen months old. She was so cute. She was walking and chattering. Curtis could even understand some of what she said. But, just some. To him, it seemed like Abi understood all of it. Mitzy had stolen his heart just as surely as her mother had. When she saw him, she’d toddle over to him and cry out, dada. That she wasn’t afraid of him warmed his heart. He’d read to her or make up stories to see her smile. Sometimes, he’d relax in the recliner with Mitzy on his chest and they’d nap together.

He considered Mitzy his own daughter. She was the only child he’d ever be able to call his. He couldn’t have children. Before he met Abi, that didn’t matter. He didn’t want any. But, now that he had Mitzy, he was glad. Before her, he hadn’t known what he was missing and it wouldn’t’ve mattered. But now, he would fight to the death for her. She was his. Just as Abi was. They were his girls and he’d keep them safe.

That was why every day that passed without news from the Council made him more nervous. Every day that passed meant they were a little closer to clearing Loftern and charging him. Last year he would’ve only cared slightly. He would’ve missed his freedom for awhile. But with Abi and Mitzy in his life… now he had everything to lose. He’d lose the ability to care for them, to protect them, to shower them with love. He’d miss being able to laugh with them, to touch them, to just look at them smiling and happy. But he kept a smile on his face to keep Abi from being worried.

Abi knew Curtis was placating her. She knew the longer the Council took, the more likely it was that they might indict Curtis. The Enforcers had made the deal with Curtis. They’d given him immunity for his testimony and wouldn’t charge him. However, the Council could decide to lay charges on him and the Enforcers would have to prosecute him then. Her testimony wouldn’t help him. They’d think she loved him out of fear. They’d think he was controlling her and she defended him because he told her to.

Abi didn’t fear Curtis any more. She did at the start of their relationship. And she had every reason to. But he’d changed. He never hurt her now. In fact, if he even thought he’d hurt her, whether or not he had, he’d spend the whole day trying to make it up to her. And he was so good with Mitzy. Mitzy loved him like he was her real father. Seeing the two of them together, she sometimes forgot they weren’t father and daughter. If the Council charged Curtis, Mitzy would cry for years. For that matter, so would Abi.

Abi had tried to get her sister to go with them to the planet, but Vikki declined. She said they were too close to getting into midtown that she wouldn’t take the risk. When the boys were old enough, they could help with the finances. And when that happened, they could move into midtown. Then the boys could get midtown wives and her grandchildren would be midtowners. That was her dream and it was too close to throw away on a banned planet. Abi didn’t know anyone else well enough to help Curtis find the one hundred adults they needed to form a colony. She couldn’t defend him against the media and wouldn’t be able to defend him against the Council if they indicted him. She felt helpless and useless.

They didn’t have much longer to wait. After ten days of deliberation, the Council reconvened. Abi didn’t want to go. She was afraid of the decision. She was afraid Mr. Loftern would be freed and he would claim her under her contract and take her away. Curtis finally convinced her to attend. She left Mitzy behind with two of the officers that watched her during the trial.

As Curtis and Abi entered the council room, there was standing room only. Their lawyer, Mr. Franklin had saved them two seats. As they pushed their way through the crowd, Abi clung to Curtis’s hand. Many of the media snapped pics of her and Curtis entering. By the time they reached their seats, she was shaking uncontrollably. They sat and he pulled her into his arms to console her.

The room was filled with raucous murmuring. Everyone but Curtis and Abi were voicing opinions on the trial and what the Council might decide. The Council clerk entered with an Enforcer. The Enforcer called the room to order and the Council members filed in. They all sat behind the table except for the Chairman, who remained standing.

The Council has arrived at a verdict. Will the accused please stand. Mr. Loftern and his lawyers rose. On the charge of drug production and distribution, we find the accused not guilty. Abi gripped Curtis’s hand more tightly. A warrant of detention is issued for Dumont Sperger. Mr. Loftern’s mouth curled up in a slight smile.

On the charges of child slavery, endangerment and pornography we find the accused not guilty. Warrants of arrest are issued for Merin Hentley and Dumont Sperger. Abi watched as Mr. Loftern’s smile grew. He glanced over his shoulder and caught her eyes. His smile took on a sneer and he winked at her. As he faced back forward, her eyes filled with tears she tried hard not to shed.

On the charges of sexual assault we find the accused guilty. We also add one count of rape to the charge and find the accused guilty. Abi squeezed Curtis’s hand again, this time in elation instead of fear. Mr. Loftern’s smile disappeared. His face grew hard. He glanced back at Curtis and Abi with such an evil look that Abi dropped her eyes and curled into Curtis’s side.

"On the charges of slavery we find the accused guilty. We also add one count of unlawful detention and find the accused guilty.

On the charges of murder we find the accused guilty of eighty-nine of the two hundred seven counts. We also add one hundred eighteen counts of conspiracy to commit murder and find the accused guilty. Abi leaned into Curtis and hugged him. She was beginning to have hope that Curtis wouldn’t be charged with any of the vile things that went on in Loftern Enterprises.

"On the charges of coercion we find the accused guilty.

"On the charges of wrongful pregnancy and baby trafficking we find the accused not guilty and a warrant of arrest is issued for Brandon Guilard and Timothy Venler.

"On the charges of blackmail we find the accused guilty.

On the charges of brainwashing we find the accused guilty of seventeen of the thirty-two counts.

"In addition, arrest warrants are issued for collusion in coercion and blackmail for Arin Schell and Brandon Guilard.

"Warrants of arrest are issued for murder for Trent Jenkins and Cole Hymer.

"Warrants of arrest for sexual assault and rape are issued for Edward Barris, Tripp Foster, Brandon Guilard, Merin Hentley, Cole Hymer, Trent Jenkins, Travis Kerns, Lenny Makis, Grant Noble, Arin Schell, Dumont Sperger, Gregory Tumis, Timothy Venler, and Barry Winstone.

And finally, an arrest warrant is issued for abduction, sexual assault, rape and sex trafficking for Curtis Forst.

Abi screeched and grabbed Curtis. She sobbed loudly. No! They can’t do that! You were forced! Coms flashed at her outburst and caught her fear and anguish for the entire world to see. The Chairman banged his gavel for silence and order.

Two Enforcers approached Curtis and Abi and pulled Curtis away. Abi clung to him and screamed. Curtis looked over his shoulder at her. Abi. Abi! She stopped screaming but still sobbed. Abi. Listen to me. Call Rand. Call. Rand. Then Cort appeared and pried Abi off Curtis and held her as she struggled to get free and back to Curtis. She could only watch as Curtis and two other men were led from the room.

Cort kept hold of Abi as her struggles lessened. Mr. Franklin came up behind them and whispered to Cort. Let’s get her back to her room. You take her and I’ll meet you there. I want to look at the warrant. Cort led her out and she went willingly, thinking she would see Curtis again.

As Cort and Abi exited the council room, she saw Curtis. But, Cort led her in the opposite direction. She screamed and struggled and hit at him, but he kept pulling her away from Curtis. As they turned a corner and Curtis was no longer visible, she slumped. Cort stopped and looked into her face. You’re going to have to walk now. I can’t be carrying you back. The media would have a frenzy with that. Let’s go see Mitzy. Walk with me. She gathered her legs under her and started walking. Cort continued to hold on to her. He was afraid she might collapse or turn and run back for Curtis at any time. However, she made it back to the room and swept Mitzy into her arms.

Abi sat in the rocker and rocked Mitzy. She kept telling her that daddy would be back. That he was only gone for a little while. Cort could tell she wanted to cry but was being brave for Mitzy’s sake. He wasn’t sure what he could do for her so he sat on the sofa and awaited Mr. Franklin.

When Mr. Franklin arrived, he didn’t bring good news. He’s been charged with abducting the woman they found in the dungeon.

Abi murmured, Lauren.

He was charged with sexual assault but also with rape because he penetrated her.

Abi looked up. Why wasn’t Mr. Loftern charged with rape then? He ‘penetrated’ . . . a lot of women. Her eyes strayed to the floor.

The Council did charge him with it. But only for Lauren.

She looked back up at Mr. Franklin. Why?

He had consent forms from all the other women. He didn’t have one from her. The consent forms negate rape. The best you can get with a consent form is sexual assault.

But, it was rape. I didn’t want him to do those things. I screamed. I cried. It was horrible. Abi began to cry softly, not wanting to upset Mitzy.

I can imagine it was. I admire your strength to get through it. But, you signed a form. Legally, he could only get sexual assault.

But he tricked me into signing it.

Legally, it stands. He gave you the paper. You’re not illiterate. You should’ve read it. He can’t be charged for your not reading it.

She slumped. There was nothing she could do. He was right. She should’ve read the form. What’s going to happen to Curtis?

"That’s going to be tricky. The warrant says he was no longer under the effects of brainwashing, if he ever was, when he abducted her. We have to prove, beyond a doubt, that he was and that he still was. The warrant says that, since he was able to steal you away and hide you and turn his back on employment with Mr. Loftern, he was either never brainwashed or he was ‘cured’. We have to show there were residual effects. We have to show, in his mind, taking Lauren was the only effective means of finding the baby she stole before it came to harm. We won’t be able to say he didn’t know any other way. He knew he could’ve gone to the Enforcers. We have to prove he believed his way was the only effective way."

Cort grunted. He should’ve come to us. We were already working on trying to find her.

Abi refuted Cort’s statement. "He didn’t know that. We didn’t know that."

Mr. Franklin shook his head. Even so, the normal response is to call the Enforcers. If he was no longer brainwashed, he should’ve called them.

But doesn’t that show that he still was?

Actually, it shows that he may never have been.

But, the counselors say that he was.

They’ll have their own counselors to rebut that. It appears the Council has him tentatively among the fifteen they believe weren’t brainwashed.

But there were vids of him being tortured and brainwashed.

And there is a vid of him being tortured and then refusing to continue as an employee of Loftern’s.

Abi was floored. So he could be convicted and sent away because he saved me?

"I’m afraid so. But, we’ll keep on with the counselors and try to prove that it was his desire to protect you that overcame his programming. We need at least half of the counselors to agree that he was indoctrinated into a life of sadism. We need them to acknowledge that he