“No! Let me go!” I cried, clawing at the air but he just held me tighter.
I struggled to reach for the table after seeing what I needed on it. My fingers stretched and caught the bottle of pepper spray. I turned around and sprayed him right in the eyes. He screamed in pain, covering his face. I run to my room, locking the door behind me. I searched for my car keys, I knew I left them in here. I looked on my bed and on the side table but they were nowhere to be found. I heard banging on the door and cries coming from Hunter. I did feel bad, but what else was I going to do?
“Cassandra, please. Help me!” he screamed.
I was surprised the neighbors hadn’t called the cops yet.
“Cassie, it burns!”
Tears were still falling down my cheeks as I heard his cries on the other side of the door.
“I know I did wrong and I know you will never forgive me but, Cassandra, I changed. You may not believe me, but I did and I know you will never have the feelings I have for you but just know.” He stopped crying for a moment as he paused mid-sentence. “Just know, I love you and always will.”
My heart broke into pieces even though it shouldn’t have. I crawled into my bed, wrapping myself in blankets as tears still poured. I felt sick but not like throwing up sick, I felt heart broken.
But why? Because I formed some kind of soft spot for Hunter before I knew it was him? Or is it because I just felt bad for making him cry? I really didn’t know. I closed my eyes, wishing for sleep to take me away from this world; but right before it did, I heard Hunter faintly say, “He’s gone.”
Chapter 46
The next morning I woke up to the sun shining on my pale skin.
I stretched my arms out in front of me, yawning, and then slowly got out of bed. I headed to my bathroom which is located on the opposite side of the room. I used the bathroom then brush my teeth. I threw my hair up in a loose bun and headed for the kitchen. When I opened my bedroom door, I let out a scream as Hunter lay sprawled out on my floor. He woke up from the sound of my voice, and everything slowly started to come back from last night.
His words played over and over in my head. “He’s gone.” Hunter jumped up from the floor and grabbed for the door as I closed it; but I was not fast enough, he already has his foot wedged between the door and my bedroom wall. I screamed for him to stop but he won’t.
“Hunter, stop!” I screamed but he didn’t listen.
“Just let me in!” he said, pushing harder on the door.
“No! You hurt me, Hunter, and I will never forgive you!” I said with rage evident on my face, but tears were threatening to spill over. I just couldn't do this anymore, I want to have my old life back. The life before any of this happened, before Hunter, before life happened. I just want to be little again. I don’t want this life anymore.
Hunter slowly stopped pushing on the door, I stopped too. I could hear his heavy breathing on the other side.
“I can’t believe you won’t forgive me even though I’ve changed.” He sounded broken and it broke me to hear him like this.
“If you’ve changed then why did you try to hit me? If you’ve truly changed, why, Hunter?” I asked, emotion laced with every word I spoke.
“He’s gone but... Sometimes he comes back, and I can’t control it but I’m better, I promise. I wouldn’t be here if knew I was putting you in danger.” He sounded genuine about it but it was still difficult to trust him with all that he put me through.
“How can I trust you?” I asked. “How, Hunter?”
It was silent, only the sound of our uneven breaths could be heard. Was I really considering trusting him after all that he put me through? In a way, I wanted to because maybe he has changed, but the other part of me was screaming at me saying for me to run as far as away from him I as can. Something was telling me otherwise.
“I love you.” Three simple words he said with passion and brokenness of the heart. “I love you and I know you’ll never love me back and that’s not okay, but I guess it has to be because I’m not the type of man to force love upon someone anymore. Love is two sided, both sides must put effort into a relationship for it to work and it’s obvious that I’m the giver and you’re just the receiver. You’ll just throw away anything that I give you and that’s one of the things I learned while sitting in prison for six years. Cherish everything that is golden to you because only a fool would throw away something so dear to one’s heart.”
His words burned holes through me, but I understood what he was saying and it hurt. Was it true? Would I really throw away his never ending love? I didn’t know the answer. I heard my apartment door open and slowly close back, and that’s when I knew I did want his love. I wouldn’t throw away his affection, I want to cherish it just like he cherished me during those six years.
I ran to the front door, opening it then slamming it shut. I ran down the apartment steps, almost slipping on the icy steps. I saw his dark shadow walking slowly down the vacant street, my heart was racing at this point. I didn’t have an idea what I was going to say but I knew it needed to be good. I slowed my pace down, taking this time to observe him. His head was hung low, hands in his pockets. His breath was showing then fading away into the cool November air.
“If you’ll be the giver, I’ll be more than a receiver. I’ll be a taker, a holder, and I’ll cherish you because you, Hunter Lee Stiles, are gold.” I spoke the words with as much passion and love as I could and they were true.
He is truly golden. He may have a few dark spots, but nothing a little love couldn’t fix. Hunter slowly turned around to face me, our bodies about five feet apart. We stared at each other for what felt like ages which was really a couple minutes, but I began to panic when he was silent for so long. Hunter just looked at me with dull green eyes and simply said, before walking off, “As a great poet once said, ‘nothing gold can stay.’”
Chapter 47
Hunter
I walked away.
I had nothing left to say to her. If she really longed for my love then why did she hesitate when I expressed my feelings to her? I knew it was a long shot, going after her, since it’s been six years and I’d done so much to hurt her, but honestly, I’ve changed. I did it for her and here I was walking away from the one I loved most.
I spent six years, practicing how I would win her over and I guess that’s six years of my life I wouldn’t get back. Some may say I should have taken her back and others will agree I did the right thing, but in the end, love will make you go crazy. It has this way of seeping into your heart, telling you that someone really loves you when your brain is telling you no. My heart told me to go after Cassandra even though my brain warned me about her and how I’ll just end up heartbroken in the end.
Love also comes at the strangest of times. Just when you think you’ll die alone with 69 cats, that certain someone comes along and says otherwise. I didn’t mean to fall in the love with her at the time, she was just supposed to be another girl I would drop off at the warehouse and never see again but she caught my attention and she’s had it for over six years. So yes, I could say I went crazy over the idea of “love.”
In the dreams I had of us as a family in later years, I would wake her up by placing small kisses all over her delicate face. We would have one son and two daughters. Twins. I would let Cassie pick out our son’s name. He would protect them when I wasn’t home because if our daughters looked anything like Cassandra, they would need lots of protection; but I guess that’s all rubbish now. I’d never marry Cassandra and have beautiful children with her, she’d never be Mrs. Stiles, and it saddens me to know this; but that’s the truth, and sometimes we need to hear the truth. Even though it hurts like hell.
I was just now arriving home. Once I got out of jail, I flew straight to New York because that’s where Cassie lived. It’s just a small apartment with one bedroom, a bath, and a conjoined living room and kitchen.
I threw my keys down on the coffee table and went straight to my room. I gra
bbed my suitcase from the top shelf of my closet and started tossing my clothes and other items in it. There’s no point of me staying here since the only reason I moved here was because of her.
Once I packed my small amount of clothes, I got online and looked up airline tickets back to London. I was ready to go home, even though there was no one there waiting for me, I was just ready to be back in my birth place. To be home.
Cassandra
I couldn’t believe he just walked away like that. I just confessed my love back to him and he went and did this? It’s obvious he waited for those six years to come and tell me that since he came straight to me once he was released, but I really thought he would take me back. It took a lot to do that, to forgive him that easily. He hurt me and my family and I knew it was the other him doing it, and I felt bad he had to go through that; but for him to just walk away like that hurts me inside.
Maybe it’s for the better, maybe we weren’t supposed to fall in love, if you even want to call it falling in love. Maybe we just weren’t meant to be, but I wished he would have at least gave us a chance. I walked back up the ice wet steps and head for my apartment.
Once I was finally on the top step and had reached my door, I saw that it’s slightly cracked open. I guess I didn’t shut it on my way out since I was in such a big hurry. I opened the door and quickly shut it behind me so the cold air wouldn’t get in. I started to pull off my coat, but I froze when I heard a smooth voice speak my name. I slowly turned around. I was shocked at who stood before me dressed in all black, hair slicked back. I breathlessly spoke, “Zach?”
Chapter 48
I stood before a man with jet black hair and a stubble of a beard.
His dark brown eyes stared back at me as I was in utter shock. His jawline defined his face, giving him this sexy aura about him. He looked the same from six years ago, just slightly older.
“Yes, Cassie, it’s really me. Surprised?” He grinned, standing up straighter.
“I—what are you doing here?” I stuttered.
He just chuckled at me like I had told a funny joke, which I certainly hadn’t.
“Oh, Cassandra. I see you haven’t gotten any smarter since the last time I saw you.” He cackled some more.
I was growing mad at the way he just told me I was stupid.
“Well you see, Cass, I came back for you.”
My palms started to sweat and my breathing became irregular at his simple yet frightening words.
“No. How did you even survive?” I asked, not believing this was happening again.
My past was playing itself over but this time with a different psycho.
“Well I could have let myself die; but then I thought, well, Hunter will obviously go to jail for a very long time and you will go on with your life; and since everyone will think I died, nobody will suspect me to be the one to take you. It is the perfect plan.”
My mouth fell agape. I couldn’t believe this, this wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. I had to get out of here. I turned around and quickly run for the door and went to grab it, but before I could a voice stopped me.
“I don’t think you’ll want to leave him behind.”
I slowly turned around and saw Ben, my brother, standing beside Zach. He had a gun pointed to his head.
“Let him go,” I demanded, walking closer.
“Now. Why would I do that?” Zach asked, putting the gun against Ben’s forehead.
“Please stop. He has lost enough as it is,” I argued.
“Oh, you mean his leg? Where Hunter shot him.” He pointed to Ben’s prosthetic leg.
“Yes,” I said, trying to hold my coolness.
“What do you even want with us?” I snapped at him.
“Whoa, now. Settle down,” he told me, raising his hands up in defense.
“Well? What do you want?” I asked, eager to know.
“I simply want you.” He locked gazes with me as an evil grin appears on his plump lips.
“Well you can’t have me,” I sternly told him while putting my hands on my hips.
“Oh really?” Zach pointed the gun at Ben’s other leg, getting ready to pull the trigger.
“Stop!” I yelled, he put it down and my heartbeat came down.
“Good, now get over here.” I didn’t ask why, and I just obeyed.
Once I stood in front of the disgusting man, he pushed both me and Ben onto the couch. I hugged my younger brother, and he was lightly hugging me back. I knew it’s just because he thinks he’s a man now when in reality he’s just a fourteen-year-old boy with raging hormones and a squeaky voice going through puberty.
“I love you,” I whispered in his ear.
“I love you too,” he told me.
“Awe, how sweet. Some brother-slash-sister love, how cute. Now cut it out!” he yelled, and we both jumped back.
“Now I want you to be quiet,” he told us while he started digging around in a black bag.
After searching for a bit, he pulled out some rope and a duct tape. I started to scream but he just came over and slapped me across the face. It stung, I must say, but I didn’t dare cry. I couldn’t let him know how weak I am.
“Now you’ll learn to keep your mouth shut.” Zach pulled off a piece of tape and came over to me. He took it and taped my mouth shut then did the same to Ben and tied both our hands up. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
After tying us up he lead us outside to an old black van that didn’t have a single window in the back, which freaked me out because these are the kind of vans me and my friends call rape vans. It is awful but it’s the truth. They’re so sketchy looking.
He pushed me and Ben into the van, slamming the door shut behind him.
A thought came into my head. How did Ben get all the way up here in New York? Zach must have taken him, God I hope he didn’t do anything to him.
The ride was long and very bumpy one. Once the van had come to a halt, the door opened seconds later. Zach pulled us out, throwing both of us on the ground. I let out a pained scream but it was muffled by the tape.
“Get up!” he yelled, pulling us up from the ground.
When I looked up to see where we were, all I saw was a large brick building. He pushed us by the back towards an alley. It was dark now, the November air slicing through us. The small space between the two brick buildings was wet and filled with trash.
Zach led us to a door, then he dug around in his pockets I’m guessing for a key. Once found he found it, he stuck it in the lock and let us in. We came face to face with a flight of stairs. After climbing them, we were met with a small apartment.
Zach turned on the lights, patting me on the back and announcing, “Welcome home.”
Chapter 49
I couldn’t believe Zach had taken Ben and got away with it and now had us both. Like, what are the odds?
It was currently 11 pm and Zach had handcuffed us and thrown us in a small room with one bed and a night stand that were next to each other. Ben had fallen asleep, his head resting in my lap. I was gazing down at my pinky finger where the name Ben is tattooed. I remembered getting it with Hunter at that shop where I think the girl’s name was Storm. She had colored my hair and done my makeup before I got the small ink done. Just thinking of Hunter and how different he was back then made me realize why I hated him so much, but people change with time.
He changed in the past six years. I wish he was sweet back then like he is now but he’s long gone, and there’s nothing I could do about it. All I needed to be thinking about is how I’m going to get me and Ben out of this mess. I needed to figure out why Zach wants me.
I got up out of the bed, gently laying Ben’s head on the pillow. He stirred in his sleep but didn’t wake up. I walked over to the locked door and knocked on it softly, hoping Zach would open it. Seconds later, I heard footsteps padding towards the door. It opened and I saw his dark brown eyes staring into mine.
“What do you want?” he asked with no emotion in his voice.
<
br /> “I need to talk to you.”
He hesitated for a minute before opening the door all the way so I could get to the living room. He led me to sit on the couch, so I did. He took a seat across from me.
“Okay, I want you to tell me why I’m here.”
He looked at me and started laughing. “You really are stupid,” he told me. Yet again he had called me stupid right to my face.
“Will you please just be clear and tell me?” I yelled. I was tired and not in the mood for his bullshit. I just wanted to know the answer.
“I will but what I just don’t get is how you haven’t seen it already.”
I felt dumb, okay, maybe I am dumb. What was I not getting? Why was I out of the loop? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tell me what you do know.” He raised a brow.
Well, I knew practically nothing.
“Tell me what you know about me.”
I had to think because to be honest, I knew hardly anything.
“Well I thought you were a sweet, gay makeup artist then you ended up being a psycho and tried to kill us both by driving us off a bridge!” I yelled at him, but he just laughed it off.
“True, what else?”
Blank. That was what my brain looked like, I had nothing else. “I can’t think of anything else,” I said truthfully.
“Why do you think Hunter picked you in the first place?” he asked me.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Hunter’s job was to pick up young, stupid, pretty girls and bring them to the warehouse to be sold as entertainment to wealthy men. And you were no exception, but Hunter saw something else in you, something he hadn’t ever seen in any other girl who walked through that door, and I think I finally figured you out.” I was clueless as to where this was going.
Psycho Sitter: Mystery/Thriller Page 15
