Played

by Colleen Charles

  A wave of nausea overtook my senses, and I could think of nothing other than fleeing Angela’s apartment and her gloating expression. Turning on my heel, I ran down the hallway, holding onto the wall to stay steady. The world began to whirl around me in swooping waves. I stooped down to grab my bag, but it slipped out of my hands. My phone, lip balm, wallet, keys, and everything else inside scattered across the floor. I cursed and dropped to my knees. Sticking a fumbling hand under Angela’s couch, I groaned as I tried to find my wallet.

  “Chastity!” Angela yelled from the hall. “You’re not going anywhere!”

  Bang!

  Angela’s closet door swung open. My eyes widened; my heart hammered. I let out a cry of fear when Nathan stepped into the hallway, grinning in a menacing way. His hands were balled into fists, and his eyes stared straight at me, so diabolically intense that it burned. From my current vantage point on my knees, Nathan looked menacing and huge.

  Evil.

  I cried out in surprise.

  “What’s wrong?” Nathan demanded, reaching out a hand to help me up. I ignored it and tried to crawl away. “Surprised to see me, Chastity?”

  I gasped. Climbing to my feet, I tried to dart around Nathan and grab the front door. But he was too quick for me. I hadn’t even gotten a foot away before I felt his hands grip my arms as he tackled me to the floor. I thumped down hard, my knees crashing to the wooden floor with a painful thud. I tried to scream, but the breath had been knocked from my lungs. The sound that came from me was more of a moan.

  “Surprise!” Angela said with a cackle that raised the hairs on my arms. Her cold mocking voice made me flinch in Nathan’s grasp. “We’re gonna have so much fun tonight. Bet you never thought I’d have a darker side. Psych!”

  I stared into Nathan’s face. His breath exhaled in hard pants, and he smelled like fried food. Burgers and fries. And danger. Gagging, I tried to push him away from my body, but his strength won, and he batted my hands aside as if they were pesky insects. As he pinned me to the floor, he climbed on top of me and sat with his legs on either side of my hips.

  “Oh, yeah,” Nathan said, staring down at me. The black hatred in his eyes made him almost unrecognizable. “We’re gonna have fun, indeed.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Chase

  Panic snaked up my spine and landed in my dry mouth. I didn’t know who had answered Chastity’s phone, or her location, but I knew I had to act fast. As quickly as I could, I dialed up Derrick, an old college buddy of Nolan’s, who now worked for the NYPD as a detective in narcotics. We didn’t talk much, but I saw him at the gym on occasion and around the city in various places.

  “Hey, Chase! Man, long time no talk!” Derrick answered the phone, already sounding like he’d gotten a start on happy hour. “How the fuck are you, man?”

  “Terrible,” I admitted, wanting to rush forward with my SOS for immediate assistance but not sure how to verbalize it. “My girlfriend is missing. I think something bad has happened to her, and I can’t find her.”

  “Shit, you try calling her?”

  Are you fucking kidding me?

  I could have reached through the phone and strangled him. I groaned – people walking around me on the sidewalk all stared and huffed around me, but I didn’t give a shit. I stayed rooted in place.

  “I did,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “And she didn’t answer. Some guy – some random guy – answered her phone when I kept calling and told me that she was tied up.” I sighed and raked a hand through my dark hair. “And then he laughed some weird cackle that sounded like a bad Vincent Price imitator. It isn’t right, man. And I gotta fucking find her, Derrick. This is serious – she’s been dealing with all kinds of creepy shit lately. Stalkers and shit. What if one of them finally got to her?”

  Derrick went silent. “Like what kind of stalking?”

  “Like… she’s been getting weird phone calls, and some guy’s been chasing her almost every time she goes outside.”

  “Has she called the cops?”

  “Yeah, some asshole named Darmody who’s ingested the latest delivery of an entire Dunkin Donuts.” I snorted and ran a hand over my face. “And he didn’t do shit. They told her that without more evidence, they couldn’t even open an investigation. Basically told her to fuck off. I know money talks inside the NYPD. Which wheel do I need to grease here?”

  “Okay,” Derrick said on a long exhale. “Give me her number. I’m not supposed to do this, but I’ll ping it and see where she pops up.”

  I waited in agonizing silence as Derrick put me on hold and checked Chastity’s number, praying that this situation was all a bad dream. Some stupid prank – hell, that she’d even been home when I’d been in her apartment before, with Trina playing guard dog. I’d even agree to never see her again in exchange for her safe return home.

  Hell, what was I thinking? Fuck that. I wanted her safe return and her too.

  “Chase? You still there, man?”

  “Yeah. Did you find her?”

  Derrick gave me an unfamiliar address in Bushwick, Brooklyn. “You know that area? Is that where she lives?”

  “No,” I said, my voice sounding dark and far away even to my own ears. I was about ready to pound the shit out of someone. The asshole had taken Chastity to Bushwick. That mother fucker was about to meet his maker. “She lives in Crown Heights. I don’t know what she’d be doing in that part of town.”

  “Chase, man, you gotta let the pros handle this one,” Derrick said in a rush. “I’ll put out a call and have a cop stop by, just to make sure things are okay.”

  “No!” I yelled into the phone. “No, I have to make sure she’s fine. I can’t wait – she could be hurt! Or in danger! My gut is telling me that something is wrong.”

  My blood pounded through my veins, and I felt a cold sweat break out over my forehead. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew Chastity was in danger. I could smell it, sense it, and practically taste it. I could tell that she was afraid and alone, and I couldn’t wait for the NYPD.

  “Chase, man, listen to yourself!” Derrick sighed. “This is exactly what our job is, bro. I can’t let you go in there and risk hurting yourself. What if it is something serious? We can’t put your life in danger. Did y’all have a fight?”

  My stomach dropped as I remembered the photos scattered across the floor of Chastity and Trina’s apartment. “Not exactly,” I mumbled. “But I think she’s angry at me right now.”

  “You sure she’s not just hiding out with a friend, having some girl time? Girls are like that, bro,” Derrick said. I wanted to reach through the phone and punch the smugness out of his voice. “That’s how they always are – crazy, right? Then, once they calm down a little, they start talking non-stop, eating ice cream by the pint and drinking wine by the bottle. Maybe the guy you think you heard is just Ben or Jerry.”

  “No,” I said, not laughing at his misguided attempt at humor. “It’s not just that. She wouldn’t ignore me like – and she definitely wouldn’t let some random guy answer her phone and lie to me like that. You don’t know Chastity. She’s a value driven person. Someone you can trust. She’s in trouble, Derrick. She could even be in a lot of danger, and I have to do something.”

  “Chase, I’m telling you – if you interfere with an investigation, you could be arrested,” Derrick said in a grim tone. “You could be injured or worse. You don’t wanna get caught up, especially if these stalker guys are as dangerous as you’re saying.”

  His words struck fear in my heart. Guys? Plural, like more than one? A horrible vision filled my mind – Chastity bound and gagged, surrounded by the most predatory men in New York City.

  “Fine,” I lied. “I won’t do a damned thing but sit here and wait for your phone call to let me know she’s okay. But Derrick…?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You better get someone on this as soon as fucking possible,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound as threatening as I felt. “Or I’m going to sue the NYP
D so fast your head’s gonna spin. You got that?”

  Derrick laughed in a voice devoid of his usual humor. “You rich guys. You think you can pull all the tricks, don’t you?”

  I didn’t reply before hanging up and stashing the phone in my pocket. Oh, yeah, I thought as I stalked down the block, searching for a cab. We rich guys. We sure do have all the tricks, all right. And don’t ever fucking forget it because I can own you.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chastity

  My head ached like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. An unidentifiable noise rang in the background – whining, whirring noise, like the kind of thing you’d hear on a construction site. As I struggled to open my eyes, I realized that I couldn’t move.

  “She’s awake,” Angela’s voice purred. “You really knocked her out. Way to go, Nathan. You’re my hero.”

  “The bitch wouldn’t stop thrashing,” Nathan replied. “I didn’t want to hit her, but she didn’t really give me a choice. Kind of like a stupid cow.”

  I winced – at his crass words and nefarious actions. Like he couldn’t care less if I lived or died. Neither did Angela. What in the hell were they up to and when had Nathan arrived? How long had he been inside the apartment? How did they even know each other? My head throbbed as I desperately wracked my brain for any connection.

  “Well, what are we gonna do now?” Angela asked, a smile lighting her features.

  “This is the fun part,” Nathan said, returning her grin

  My mouth felt like they’d stuffed it with cotton balls, and I felt dizzy. Even after I opened my eyes and tried to adjust to the semi-darkness, I still felt like I was spinning around in crazy circles. My head ached, and my wrists were bound so tightly that my fingers and hands were numb. I sat on a hard wooden chair, secured like chattel. My ankles were bound to the chair legs, and my hands were tied snugly behind me with what felt like zip-ties.

  “Nathan?” I whimpered. “What are you doing? Please let me go. If you let me go right now, I promise I won’t tell anyone. You can still get away even though you’ve assaulted and illegally detained me. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but please, just let me go.”

  Angela burst out laughing. She walked closer, and I gasped when I saw that the color of her hair was now a honeyed, dirty blonde. She’d done her makeup like me – minimal cat-eye and just a swipe of matte red lipstick. She looked like a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. Except I wasn’t famous.

  “You were out for a few hours,” Angela said, staring me down so intently that feelings of unreality overtook me. This couldn’t be happening. She licked her lips. “I was starting to think that you wouldn’t wake up and that would spoil all my fun.”

  “My head is killing me,” I mumbled. My heart thudded in my chest, and I inhaled some deep breaths in an attempt to slow it down. “Can I have some water?”

  “Can I have some water?” Angela simpered, mimicking my tired, grumpy voice. “Nathan, she thinks we’re actually going to help her. Isn’t that sweet? And pathetic.”

  Nathan chuckled. “It’s something, all right.” He stepped forward, and I stared at his sneer. “Chastity, shut up. Just shut the fuck up, you tease.”

  I closed my eyes. The pain in my head throbbed so bad that even closing my eyes didn’t help. My world vibrated, exploding with red and black pain, so sharp that I felt a wave of nausea crawl up my throat. Moving hurt. Breathing hurt. Everything on my body hurt – even my hair hurt.

  “She woke up too soon,” Nathan grumbled. “How much of that damn drugged wine did she drink, anyway?”

  “Not enough,” Angela replied. “I tried to give her a big glass – you should’ve seen the way she sucked it down earlier.” She laughed, and I felt a hot surge of hatred for her rush through my body. “She’s a regular lush, Nathan. You shouldn’t have too much more of a problem with her after this. Just give her a bottle of two buck Chuck, and she’ll spread her legs like the little tramp she is.”

  Nathan chuckled. “Thanks for getting her back here and making my job easier,” he said. “Now I just have to wait for that shit to wear off, and we can start to play.”

  Panic cut through me like a knife through hot butter. I let out a scream. It didn’t even sound like my own voice escaping my body in a blood-curdling shriek. Screaming made my head ache even more, and I whimpered and whined, closing my eyes as a torrential downpour of red-hot pain washed over me.

  “Shut up, Chastity. Don’t you understand plain English, you stupid bitch? I told you a bunch of times to shut your mouth!” Nathan said in disgust. “We weren’t talking to you anyways. The only time you’ll need your mouth open is if my cock’s in it.”

  I opened my eyes and tried to stare at him. He stalked around, swaying and swinging his arms. That was when I realized that Nathan wasn’t moving at all – somehow the drugs were making me think that there was more than one of him.

  “You’re gonna be fine, Chastity,” Nathan said. “Trust me. I’m used to dealing with little bitches like you. Once it’s over, you’ll have learned your lesson and then everything will go back to normal. Except, you’ll be smarter.”

  I swallowed. My throat ached, too. A raw pain in my crotch told me that I had to pee, and I shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

  “Can I use the bathroom, please?”

  Angela snickered. “Can you walk there? You don’t look very stable.”

  I stared at her. “What?”

  “Bitch, I asked if you could fucking walk!” Angela came closer. She shook her head and glared down at me. “You really are stupid. Nathan’s right about you. I’m so surprised you got hired at Banks! Normally they go for smart people. People with class.”

  “It’s because she’s a slut,” Nathan cut in. “That’s why they hired her. It’s because that asshole wanted to fuck her. She worked for a phone-sex line, I bet he thought he was getting a real porn star. An expert. At everything he loves.”

  “She was a virgin, did you know that?” Angela snickered. My cheeks burned with shame as Nathan joined in.

  “I don’t believe you, Angela. Quit yanking my chain. I’m not in the mood,” Nathan said in a clipped tone as if he’d had just about enough of Angela.

  He walked closer, and the aroma of greasy fast food washed over me. Nathan leaned in close and sniffed me. The scent of lard hanging around him made me nauseous, and I closed my eyes and tried to breathe through my nose.

  “Well, that’s what she said, anyway,” Angela replied. She sounded bored. “And I can’t believe it, either. I bet she fed Chase Bradenton that line of bullshit so he’d spend more money on her. That’s how girls are, Nathan.” She snickered again, and I felt a rush of vitriol. “We lie to get what we want from a man. Especially, a man with more money than God.”

  Nathan laughed. “Yeah, I know.” He eyed Angela. “You girls are a bunch of opportunistic whores when it comes down to it, aren’t you?”

  She snickered. “We can be. I wasn’t born with a vagina not to put it to good use,” Angela said. She cocked her head to the side. “What do you think of my hair? Did I do a good job?”

  “It looks too much like Chastity,” Nathan said, pointing to me. “You should really be going for your own look. Who wants to look like that worthless pig?”

  I watched in horror as they studied each other. I still wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing tied up in Angela’s apartment. Did they want me as some kind of prop for some sick sex game? Or did Angela have darker plans, plans with Chase?

  “Chastity’s a little slut,” Angela said. “I just wanted to be blonde. I’m so sick of men not noticing me!”

  They wouldn’t notice you if your hair were pink. Because you’re ugly. Inside and out.

  Something about the way she said the word “blonde” made me feel queasy, but I didn’t open my mouth. I was afraid that as soon as I parted my lips, vomit would gush everywhere.

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that now,” Nathan replied. “Chastity’s not going
to be the apple of any man’s eye for a long time. Except mine, of course.”

  My stomach twisted into a thousand knots at the sound of sick satisfaction in Nathan’s voice.

  “Please,” I whimpered. “What are you going to do with me? Why are you doing this?”

  “You’re an ungrateful little slut,” Nathan said. He stepped closer, until I could feel his hot breath on my face. “You know that? I wanted to date you, Chastity. I really liked you – I thought you were cool. I thought you were the kind of woman with values. The kind my mom would like if I took home to meet her. The future mother of my children.”

  “It’s not my fault that we didn’t get along!” I shot back. “You didn’t even make any effort, Nathan. All you did was talk about yourself!”

  Nathan looked wounded. For a moment, I thought he might cry. Then his lips curled up at the corners into a cruel smile, and he threw his head back, laughing any tender emotion away.

  “You’re an idiot,” Nathan said. “And if you keep making so much noise…” He trailed off, grinning, face devoid of any expression outside of hatred. I couldn’t figure out what I’d done to cause his violent reaction. We’d only gone out on one bad date. “We’re just gonna have to give you some more of that wine. Right, Angela?”

  Angela stepped forward. “Yeah, stronger this time.” She held a plastic tumbler in her hands, and she grinned as she pushed it toward my face. The smell of wine choked my throat, and I gagged, but Angela didn’t take it away in spite of my involuntary contractions.

  “Please,” I moaned. “Please don’t make me drink anymore. I feel like I’m gonna be sick.”

  “That’s a side effect of being a drunken slut,” Angela said. Her eyes twinkled, and I could have sworn demons danced inside her grey irises. She pushed the cup toward my lips. I smelled the sickly sweet wine and gagged again, pulling my head back and staring at the ceiling as the bile rose in my throat. I willed myself not to puke. For all I knew, they’d just let me choke to death.