I do remember him going hunting several times a year, it was the only time he would get excited about anything. I don’t even remember him cracking a smile on Joey’s graduation day, but talk about a nice sized buck and his lips would curl up into a grin.
“I don’t, Mr. Perry,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “Silas,” he corrects, just like I thought that he might. “You’ve been taunting me with that body, Tulip. Since you were just a girl, you’ve been showing off for me. Then taking your clothes off like a common whore at Headlights. The final straw was moving my boy out and then getting with that, half-breed, I couldn’t stand it anymore. The time has come.”
“Excuse me?” I breathe. “Did you really just say that?”
“What part?” he asks with a smirk.
He knows exactly what I’m referring to and I can’t even think the words, let alone repeat them.
Shaking my head, I scoot back slightly, trying to get to the wall so that I can possibly stand up easier and quicker. Maybe even attempt to break fucking free of this place. I would rather the animals outside rip me apart than Silas doing the same.
“That’s what he is, right? I just don’t understand why people can’t stay with their own kind,” he rambles.
“I think people predominately do stay with their own kind. I’ve never met anyone that was married to an animal. Humans are humans, no matter what color their skin is,” I snap.
Silas shakes his head and marches over to me so quickly, that I don’t even have time to brace as he reaches down and grips his hands in my hair.
Without a word, he picks me up by my hair until I’m on my feet. I let out a whimper, as pain radiates from my scalp down to my toes.
He tugs me close to him, his face inches from my own as he growls down at me. I’d almost forgotten his scent. My stomach clenches as it fills my nostrils and I try to fight back the urge to throw up all over him.
“It ain’t right,” he snaps. “It’s okay. We’ll make it right. You and me.” He grins.
“You’re Joey’s father,” I whisper.
His tongue slips out as he tastes his lips. “Yeah. Been needin’ me a taste of you since you was sixteen. Been jackin’ off to you since you was fourteen. So hard not to take a taste for myself when you was sleeping under my roof. Watched you sleep, you know. Watched you and imagined it was your sweet cunt wrapped around my cock when I jacked myself above your body in bed.”
Oh. My. God.
I feel disgusted. I feel violated. I feel betrayed.
I lived with the Perrys, trusted them to keep me safe. I had no idea that Silas was fantasizing about me and doing what he was doing.
“You’re sick,” I hiss.
He jerks my head back with his fist in my hair. His lips curl as he growls in my face. My nostrils flare at his pungent smell and I swallow the bile that’s threatening to erupt from my mouth. He tilts his head to the side, his lips still curled into a smile.
“One person’s sickness is another man’s pleasure.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
LOUIS
Deputy Hernandez takes the report and looks at Tulip’s phone. I tell him everything that I know, which to be honest isn’t much at all. While Tullie and I are still getting to know one another, it’s painfully fucking obvious that I clearly don’t know enough about her, about her life and her past.
“We should try and break into her car,” Aaron suggests as the sheriff walks away, his pen gliding over his notepad.
“Do you think that would accomplish anything?” I ask.
Ford snorts. “It could. There could be a clue in there. Fuck, you never know.”
Shifting my gaze from Shawn to Aaron and then finally to Ford, I nod. Turning my back to the sheriff, I take one step before I pause to see Mark walking toward me.
“You get ahold of Charlie?” I ask.
He nods his head. “Yeah, she’s fine. Hasn’t heard a word,” he says a little too quickly.
Mark is fucking odd.
“Okay, well the sheriff left, said he would keep us updated. We’re going to head out and go home and wait, which is what he said to do,” Ford lies.
I thank Mark for his help and follow behind my friends as we head out through the store toward the front door. Once we’re in the parking lot and standing between my truck and Tulip’s car, I turn to Ford.
“Why’d you tell him that we were leaving?”
His lips twitch. “Guy’s a fucking weirdo, Louis. He doesn’t need to know what we’re doing. I’m not a hundred percent convinced that he doesn’t have anything to do with her disappearance. He likes to frequent Headlights and I know he’s seen Tulip up on stage.”
My stomach twists, it clenches at the thought of that man watching her. He is her fucking boss. Christ, and she didn’t tell me. There’s no way that she didn’t know, either. Frowning, I wonder what else she’s been keeping from me.
“Thank fuck she doesn’t have one of those new age cars that you can’t jimmy the lock open,” Aaron suddenly announces.
My body jerks from his words and I turn to look at him. He’s got something shoved in her window and I watch as he tugs the door lock open. I let out a strained low laugh at the sight, unbelieving that he’s opened her car door and fucking grateful all at the same time.
Reaching for the passenger door, I tug it open and sink down into the seat. The first thing that I do is look at the floorboards. I shouldn’t be surprised that her car is so clean, there isn’t even an empty water bottle lying around.
Tugging open the glove box, I see a couple of crumpled pieces of paper. The first one that I open, my blood runs cold as soon as I see the words. They’re written in bold letters, and there is no name signed to the bottom to identify who has written it.
Seeing you. Watching you. I know that you will never be good enough for him. Only I can give you what you need. Soon we will be together and I will show you exactly how perfectly we fit together.
Soon you will only dance for me, Tulip.
The second one is obviously a bit angrier, not only because it’s in all capitalized letters, but it’s shorter and the writing is deeper, as though he pressed down on the paper with all of his strength.
YOU HAVEN’T LEARNED. YOUR TIME IS COMING. SO SOON. IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
“Fuck,” I hiss as I throw the papers toward Aaron who is sitting in the front seat. I don’t want to touch them. I never want to see them again.
Someone has been watching her, had their eyes on my Tullie, been stalking her.
“She tell you about these?” Aaron asks. Shifting my gaze to his, I narrow my eyes on him. “Had to double check,” he mutters.
Ford takes the notes from Aaron and I know when he’s read them, I can hear his growl across the car. He stomps away from me. Watching him for a moment, he lifts the phone to his ear and that’s when I know that he’s probably not only calling Deputy Hernandez, but also Wyatt and Rylan as well.
Less than five minutes later, Ford is still on the phone, but I watch as Wyatt’s pickup barrels into the parking lot, stopping just behind mine. He and Rylan both jump out and jog toward us.
I almost ask where Beaumont is, I mean, shouldn’t the whole fucking Scooby gang be here? I don’t have to ask because a second after them, his truck comes into view and he pulls up behind Tulip’s car.
Shifting out of the front seat, I stand and make my way over to Beaumont, Wyatt, and Rylan. All three of them are standing with their legs spread wide and their fists on their hips as they watch me.
“Couldn’t find Joey at Raylee’s. Apparently, they been seein’ each other the past couple of weeks, but she claims he’s been at work. Went by his mama’s and she says the same. Went by his job site, but nobody’s there since it’s after five,” Wyatt explains.
“So he can’t be found.”
“Nope,” Rylan says, popping his P.
“Louis,” Ford shouts.
Turning around so fast that I almost lose my footin
g, I watch as Ford starts to run, in his cowboy boots, in the middle of the busy grocery store parking lot. It happens before my brain registers what my eyes are actually seeing.
Ford tackles someone to the ground. Full-on fucking body slams him. “Well, seems someone hasn’t forgotten that he was on the state champion football team almost two decades ago,” Wyatt snorts.
I can’t hold back my chuckle as I watch him stand. He’s got his hand fisted in the collar of a t-shirt as he marches someone toward us. Not waiting for us to make our way to him.
Sitting back, I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes when I realize who exactly Ford is bringing to me.
“Now, boy,” Aaron hums. “You can’t get in a fistfight. You’ll ruin your career,” he reminds me.
Nodding my head slowly, I suck in a deep breath and let out a cleansing exhale. “I won’t hurt him. As long as he tells me what he did to Tulip and she’s safe, he’s safe,” I mutter.
“Where is she?” I shout as soon as Ford shoves the piece of shit at my feet.
Joey looks up at me, his face is as dirty as his clothes. He’s worked a long hard day, and I should think more of him than I do. But the fact is, I don’t think very much of him at all.
He tilts his head to the side, narrowing his gaze up at Ford who is standing too close to him, his legs spread wide, just waiting for a fight.
“Where’s who?” he asks on a sigh, directing his attention back to me.
“Don’t play dumb. Tell me right the fuck now or I’m calling Deputy Hernandez and having you hauled in.”
He blinks, then his gaze shifts to the car that’s at my back. He puts the pieces together and I watch as his face pales and he looks like he’s about to get sick. If he pukes on me, I can’t promise that I won’t beat his fucking ass just for being a pussy.
“Tulip’s missing?” he whispers.
“No shit, Sherlock, what the fuck do you think we’re talking about?” Ford shouts.
Joey shakes his head, his eyes wide and I watch as tears fill them. “Holy fuck. Where is she? I just saw her the other day, I gave her a ride home. I was a bastard to Tulip, but I’d never hurt her like that, not ever.”
Leaning down, I bare my teeth for him like the goddamn animal I feel like on the inside. “Where the fuck is she?”
His entire body starts to tremble, he looks behind him to the grocery store, then back at me. “I don’t know. I have no fucking clue. I got a new job, trying to get my shit together. She’s better off without me. I saw that when she started seein’ you. Never seen her smile like that before. Known her my whole fuckin’ life and never saw her smile that way. Walked away as soon as I realized that, haven’t looked back.”
“He didn’t do it,” a voice says from behind me. Turning my head, I look back to see Wyatt staring at Joey. “He’s just as surprised as we all are. He didn’t do it. Besides, his clothes show he had a long day. His groceries over there are for dinner with Raylee, he’s letting her go, not holding on.”
“Who the fuck took her?” I say and it comes out in a whine.
Joey stands to his feet. I let him, not concerned with him anymore. I believe him. I don’t know why, but I fucking do. He didn’t hurt Tulip. Someone has her though, and I have no fucking clue who it could be. Her parents are gone, Joey is here, Mark is in the store and he’s creepy as fuck, but I don’t think he did it either.
“Do you know who could have wrote these?” Rylan asks, shoving the notes that I found at Joey’s chest.
Joey grips them in his hand and glances down. I watch as his jaw tightens. He lifts his eyes to me and his face pales all over again. He shakes his head a couple of times before holding them back out to me.
“Nope, no clue,” he says through trembling lips. “You guys let me know if you need my help and update me,” he rushes out.
We all watch as he turns around and practically sprints toward his cart, then to the shitty pickup truck that he picked Tulip up in the other day. We all watch in silence. My jaw is clenched so tightly that I wonder if I’m going to break my fucking teeth.
“He knows something,” Shawn announces.
Nodding my head once, I inhale deeply through my nose. “Yeah, he does,” I mumble.
“I’m followin’ him,” Wyatt states.
“We all are,” Aaron barks.
Silently, we split up between the two trucks and follow at a distance behind Joey. I’m sure he’s figured it out as he drives toward the end of town and straight out.
We’re the only ones on the road, but I don’t really give a fuck. He knows where my woman could be and instead of telling me like a man, he’s run.
Not to-fucking-day.
He’ll face me like a goddamn man before the night is over.
TULIP
Silas guides me over to the small table and chairs in the corner and shoves me into a chair. Wordlessly, he releases my hair and turns his back to me. I watch as he moves around the kitchen some more. I don’t know what he’s doing and I refuse to pay enough attention to figure it out, either.
Glancing at the only door in and out of this place, I bite the corner of my lip and try to figure out if I can get out before he catches me. Considering he can probably reach the door with just his outstretched hand, it’s probably not a good idea to try to run right past him.
I let out a small yelp when he slams a bowl down in front of me. “Eat,” he barks.
Glancing down, I notice that it’s a bowl of canned chili, no beans, and a spoon. It looks like dog food. Scrunching my nose, I lift my eyes just enough to look across from me and he’s got the same thing, except he has little pieces of hot dog cut up in his.
“I’m the man, you need to learn your place,” he says with a shrug. “Lucky I don’t make you eat on the floor like I did my wife for the first year of our marriage.”
Never have I experienced this side of the man, or his family. They were what I thought was a normal family. We ate dinner at the dinner table every night. Did our chores, and it just seemed kind of boring. I’m wondering now if they just pretended while I lived with them.
“Trained her real quick. She hasn’t needed a good lesson in years. I’m kind of excited to get started on you, Tulip,” he mutters into his chili.
My entire body is trembling. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know that unless I can get out right now, I probably won’t be able to. There is something sinister in his tone, in the way he carries himself, that I know without a doubt his sole purpose is to break me.
“Eat,” he barks.
I jump, accidentally dropping the spoon in the bowl causing the metal to clatter against the side. Lifting my eyes to his, I hold my breath, waiting for him to do something. I’m not disappointed. He slowly brings his gaze up to meet mine, his eyes narrowing on me.
“You’re so fucking untrained,” he growls. “Do you know how hard it was to have you at my table when you were a teenager? Bitch wouldn’t let me train you though, afraid that the world would think poorly of us or some shit. Got nobody to tell now.” He grins.
He lifts his hand, reaching for my bowl and picks it up before he slowly sets it down on the floor. He dips his chin, motioning for me to get down to the ground. Then, he picks the spoon up and sets it down on the table.
“Eat, hands behind your back like the fucking swine that you are,” he instructs. I blink, unmoving. He reaches forward, wrapping his hands around my still tender neck. “Need me to finish what this motherfucking animal started?” he asks, squeezing.
“No,” I croak.
“Down bitch,” he barks.
Sinking to my knees, tears fill my eyes as I lower myself to the bowl of food. I don’t look up at him, I know that he’s watching me, and I have a feeling that he’s wearing a smile on his ugly smug face.
Sticking my tongue out, I taste the chili and shiver. It’s cold. Like just dumped out of the can cold.
“You’ll earn a hot meal if you want it. Want to know how you earn things w
ith me?”
I pinch my eyes closed, not wanting to know, not at all. I don’t want to know anything. I just want to go back to Louis. I want to be in his arms, in his bed, in his tub. Anywhere as long as I’m with him. I’ll do anything to be home again.
“On your back. That’s how,” he says before he bursts out laughing.
My entire body shakes. Tears that I’d been trying to hold back, they fall right into the cold, disgusting canned chili. If this is going to be my life without a means to escape, I want it to end. There is no way in hell I’ll live like this, because this—this isn’t living.
Chapter Twenty-Six
TULIP
I can’t stomach the food. Even warm, I don’t think that I could eat right now. Not in the situation that I’m in. I just want to curl into a ball and cry myself to sleep in hopes that I never wake up again.
“You don’t eat it now, you’ll be eating it for breakfast. We don’t waste food in this house, especially not on filth like you,” Silas hisses.
I don’t bother looking up at him. Sitting back on my knees, I tip my head down as a sign of being finished. I really don’t care if he gives it to me for breakfast, I probably won’t eat it then, either.
He reaches for me, his arm extended and I think that he’s going to punch me again, maybe choke me but instead he cups my cheek. It’s a tender move and I know that he’s playing mind games with me. I’m not that stupid, it isn’t hard to figure out.
“Why do you fight me? I’m offering you a chance at a beautiful life. Joey couldn’t ever give you what I can. Nobody can,” he practically purrs as his eyes search mine.
He’s holding me hostage, not just my body, but my eyes too. I almost tip a little toward his completely mind-fucked scale, but mentally shake my head out of the fog that he’s putting me in.
KILLER: An Unfit Hero Novel Page 19
