by Lily White
I should spank her ass for lying.
“Did you miss us while we were gone?”
“I’d like to miss you now. Why don’t you loosen these ropes so I can run along and get busy doing that.”
A drum of footsteps came barreling up the stairs like a herd of fucking elephants. One by one, the three of them entered the room, each carrying whatever they could find to play with.
Now, Quinton, he was a smart one. Always thinking. Shuffling past me, he stepped close to Olly and set up a small folding table.
“You all can leave your shit here. It’ll be within reach.”
Grady and Nolan dropped a myriad of tools on the table, some knives, a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and a tire iron. My brow rose at the last one and Grady shrugged. “Just in case we need to knock her out.”
Olly damn near puked, her wide eyes taking in the crap they brought before tears stained the rims red to drop down her cheeks.
“Who goes first?” I asked.
They lined up next to me and we stared at her together.
Eyes trained on a beauty beyond measure, I said, “Tell you what, Olly, since you’re the guest of honor, we’ll let you choose.”
I couldn’t believe with as much time as these assholes had to gather shit and get up here, none of them thought to bring their phones.
Moments like this should be memorialized.
Pictures should be taken.
Maybe video.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Olive
Social circles are bullshit. The need to conform is weak. The desire to be accepted to a point where you’ll do what everyone tells you is pathetic.
I wasn’t any of those things.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a leader or a follower, the top tier or the middle sector fluff, or even the bottom feeder scavenger who crawls along in the muck thriving on the crumbs of gossip and drama that filter down once all the others have had their part.
What matters is the strength you carry inside. The resilience. The cunning. The concern you have for others.
Many will spend a lifetime stepping on the shoulders of those who challenge them just so they can stay a head above. They’ll cheat and they’ll lie, wear masks and hide. They’ll pretend to be something they’re not.
The many have no value. No use. No morals and no purpose. They are nothing when not part of the crowd.
I felt sorry for every single one of them because when the time comes that you lay your head on the pillow of your deathbed, you do it alone. The crowd is no longer there to hold you aloft. Your money won’t comfort you or save you from the inevitable. There is nothing left but the voice in your head that knows without doubt who you really are.
I faced death knowing I wasn’t one of them. I faced it without the fear of being alone. I faced it without question, sorrow or regret.
“All four of you are pieces of shit and the day will come when you’re caught. And I hope when it happens that you go to your graves crying and begging for your lives like the sick little bitches you are.”
Soren blinked at my words, the corners of his lips twitching.
Nolan simply stared, his expression tense as if he were trying to hold himself in place and not rush forward to slaughter me.
Grady rocked back on his heels, his evil stare studying me like I was nothing more than a piece of meat.
Quinton stood silently, his lips held in a tight line and his hands curling into fists.
I didn’t know who would lunge forward first to begin the torture, but I didn’t care. I’d never bowed down to any of them before and I certainly wouldn’t start now.
Soren turned to the others, his voice matter of fact.
“She told me earlier that she hopes I choke on her blood when I kill her.”
Seconds of silence met his words, before Nolan shifted his posture and asked, “What are we? Vampires? The fuck?”
It was as if a dam burst, starting with the weakest link and flowing over the rest of them.
Quinton made a nasal sound, a high-pitched squeal that exploded into a riot of laughter when he couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Wrapping his arms around his abdomen, he bent forward as his shoulders shook, eventually crumbling to the floor.
Grady lost it seconds later, joining Quinton in whatever was so damn funny.
Nolan fought but succumbed, falling against Soren who, like the last domino, finally opened his mouth into a fit of laughter that shaded his cheeks red and forced tears from his eyes.
“No, wait, stop. That’s not the best part,” Soren said, barely able to hold himself together long enough to speak.
“She said...” His laughter cut through his words until he fought to drag in a breath. “She said she hopes Jonah and Simon fuck us in the ass with the gun before shooting us.”
They all lost it then, three sitting on the ground crying from how hard they were laughing. Soren, the only man left standing even though he was buckled over with his hands on his knees.
“Nolan,” Quinton struggled to say. “Your sister is fucking savage.”
They burst into another fit of boisterous laughter and I sat staring at them in shock.
Every so often one would gain control for just long enough to peer across the room at me then turn to his friends and lose it again.
Understanding slowly sank in as I watched them, my resolve to go to my death with my pride still intact transitioning into unbridled fury.
“You are such assholes,” I yelled, my words only making them laugh harder.
I was going to kill each and every one of them just as soon as they untied these ropes. Eyeing the table where they had laid out the tools they planned to use against me, I mentally selected the tire iron as my weapon of choice because they needed someone to knock some sense into their heads.
“This is a joke, isn’t it? Do you seriously think this is funny?”
Thrashing at my bonds, I rattled the chair so hard it tipped over. My shoulder slammed into the floor, which only shot more pain up my arm, the loud bang of my fall attracting their attention.
The room grew quiet as they stared at me lying on my side, but then they burst into laughter again.
It felt like hours before Soren gained enough control to wipe the tears from his eyes and walk over to me. Crouching down, he righted my chair, his lips held tight to keep from laughing again.
“You pledged, Olly, so you can’t be mad. Getting abducted was in the rules.”
“Yeah, except there are people actually dying around here. Camilla Hughes’ body was just found.”
That got their attention, the laughter ceasing so suddenly it was as if someone had pressed a button to turn off the sound.
“What?” Soren’s eyes met mine, his hands tugging at the ropes until they finally fell away. “Are you serious?”
Pulling my hands to my chest, I rubbed at my wrists, angry as fuck because they had just healed from the last time they had rope tied around them.
“Yes, I’m serious. They found her body a week ago.”
The rest of the guys pushed to their feet, the mirth from a few seconds ago completely lost. My eyes flicked to the tire iron again now that I was free, but I thought better of actually using it.
Still, I swore I would get even with all of them over the next few months. Their joke wasn’t funny at all.
My angry stare shot to my brother. “And where the hell have you been?”
He didn’t have time to answer, not with what sounded like an explosion of sound booming up at us from downstairs.
Outside the windows, beams of lights flicked through the branches of trees, deep voices calling out as a rush of heavy steps tumbled through the house with doors slamming open and furniture scraping the floors.
“What the fuck?” Soren ran for the door leading to the stairs. Footsteps clamored up as he tugged the handle, the door flying open for the tip of a gun to be held at his chest.
“Arm’s up!”
“Everybody against the walls!”
“One wrong move and we’ll shoot!”
Arms going up in surrender, Soren stared at the men in tactical gear who rushed forward and pushed him back. Three more men weaved around where he stood to hold guns to the heads of Grady, Quinton and Nolan.
I sat frozen in my seat, my brain attempting to catch up to what was happening around me as Jonah came walking into the room, his eyes immediately locking on my face.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Quinton called out, “Careful with that itchy trigger finger asshole.”
The man pointing the gun shoved the tip into Quinton’s chest harder and I refrained from explaining how it’s wise not to call the guy pointing a gun at you names.
My eyes cut back to Jonah to see Simon step in behind him. They both glared at each of the four guys now backed against walls before turning their attention to me.
“Are you hurt?”
Crossing the room, Jonah kneeled at the foot of my chair and scanned my body for injuries.
“You’re safe now, but we need to get you out of the room as quickly as possible. Can you walk on your own, or do you need help?”
“Wait-“ I started to say, but he was pulling me to my feet while a burst of noise filled the room, everybody attempting to talk at once.
Panic trapped me in place, my heart pounding and head roaring with the rush of blood. Shaking it away, I cleared my throat despite the pain and grabbed Jonah’s arm.
“Please stop. Call your men off. This isn’t what it looks like.”
He didn’t hear me, the shouting in the room growing louder. I tugged on him again and raised my voice to be heard over the pandemonium.
“Jonah, call them off! This is all a misunderstanding.”
His grey eyes met mine, brows tugging together. We were almost out of the room, but I struggled to keep from leaving
“They abducted you.”
“They were playing a prank.”
My eyes whipped to Soren to pin him harder than the gun pressed against his chest.
“A really fucking stupid one considering what’s been happening in Winter Ridge.”
Soren stood with his arms up at his sides, dark eyes glaring at the man holding him in place.
“Please,” I begged Jonah. “Before someone gets shot for being an idiot.”
“Hold your positions, but fingers off the triggers,” Jonah called out.
Simon spun to face us. “What the fuck is going on?”
“This is a joke,” I answered. “A really bad one, but they weren’t actually going to hurt me. Please make your guys lower their guns.”
Leaning down, Jonah lowered his voice to whisper. “Are they making you say this?”
“No.”
I was surprised that more tears could fall from my eyes. I was so dehydrated that I would have sworn there was no water left in my body.
“I’m telling you the truth. They were just playing a prank.”
Jonah hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually turned to the room. “Guns down.”
Simon looked like he would explode, his face red and eyes bulging. A vein throbbed at his temple and I worried he would grab one of the men’s guns and shoot Soren himself.
“Someone better start fucking explaining!”
Slowly lowering his arms while still staring at the man in front of him, Soren spoke first.
“We were just playing a prank on a pledge.”
Storming forward, Simon shoved the guy with the gun out of the way to get in Soren’s face.
“I’m sick and tired of your bullshit group and idiot pledges. None of this shit is funny, Callahan. The entire town of Winter Ridge wants you gone. If and when I find a reason to throw your ass back in prison, you better fucking believe I’ll be dancing a jig when I do it.”
Soren grinned and I wanted to march over and slap the arrogant look from his face.
“I promise you, Officer Nichols. I’ve been a good boy this time.”
“Like hell you have.”
Spinning to face his men, Simon roared out his next instructions.
“I want this entire house searched. Every room, every crevice, under every piece of furniture. And when you’re done doing that, I want this place lit the fuck up with so much luminol that we drown in it. If one speck of blood is found, we’re taking these assholes in.”
The men marched out to do as instructed, leaving seven of us in the room to discuss what happened. I was so tired, I collapsed against a wall, fear still crawling down my spine that something would go wrong.
I didn’t want any of them to die.
Especially for a stupid prank like this.
After checking that I was okay where I stood, Jonah released my arm and stepped into the center of the room to study each and every dumbass where they stood.
“We’re going to take this one by one, gentlemen. I’d like to know why I watched the four of you assault a woman in her car, throw a bag over her head and haul her off to your cabin.”
“I’d like to throat punch all of these pricks,” Simon yelled before storming away from Soren to stand next to Jonah.
At least the guns were gone. And, in truth, I had a few questions I wanted answered as well. Mainly, where my brother had been this whole time.
Soren glared across the room at Jonah. “I should have known you’d be watching. You seem to have a obsession with Olive.”
Blank expression in place, Jonah wasn’t bothered by the comment. “I told you I was watching her. Apparently for good reason.”
Turning, he directed his focus on my brother.
“Would you like to explain where you’ve been for the past few weeks, Mr. Reid? I find it interesting that you’ve had a connection to every victim we’ve found recently.”
Nolan lowered his arms finally, his eyes closing before opening again. From where I was standing, I could see his pulse pound in his throat.
“At a bike competition in Oregon. The best build won a hundred grand.”
Surprised by that, I stared at Nolan like he’d grown a third head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shook his head. “Because I didn’t want you getting your hopes up until it was over.”
“Hopes up about what?”
He shut his mouth, but then shrugged and met my stare.
“It was a surprise. I won, by the way. Which means your college is paid for. And you don’t have to worry about working at the diner anymore while finishing high school. The bills are covered.”
Shock tore through me, my eyes glancing around the room at each guilty face staring back at me.
“You all knew about this?”
Soren nodded. “We were going to tell you at dinner tomorrow.”
It wasn’t right for my heart to explode with joy while Simon and Jonah still stared at the four of them like they were murderers. And it wasn’t like this let them off the hook for the prank, either. I was still madder than hell at them, but at the same time I was thrilled.
I’d only whack them once or twice over the head with the tire iron when I got my hands on it. But not beat them senseless.
The next few hours were spent in uncomfortable silence. Simon held us in the room while his men went about searching every nook and cranny. They brought in dogs to sniff around, but nothing was found.
In the end, the cops didn’t have anything to go on and weren’t able to drag the guys to jail.
Leaving in a huff, Simon stormed off and left Jonah behind to talk to me. I hugged a jacket around myself while standing with him on the front porch.
“Thanks for coming to save my life.”
It felt weird to say what I did, but I didn’t know how to act when faced with this kind of situation. Jonah was hesitant to leave.
“Would you like me to drive you back to Winter Ridge? You don’t have to stay here with them if you don’t want.”
For a moment, I considered accepting his request, if for no other reason than to show the guys how pissed off
I was at them. But I was also excited to see Nolan, even if he’d scared the crap out me by staying away for so long.
“No. It’s fine. I’m sorry they caused all the trouble tonight. They’re not the brightest, it seems.”
Jonah nodded his head and stared out into the darkness of the forest. “Someone could have been killed.”
His comment only reminded me that there was still someone out there hunting victims. And judging by the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing.
Glancing back at me, he offered me his professional smile. “Have a good night and good holiday. If you need anything -“
“Call,” I finished for him. “I will.”
He nodded, his steps crunching against the thin sheet of snow as he descended the stairs and disappeared down the narrow path leading into the woods.
Soren stepped out as soon as Jonah was gone. Breathing out, he wrapped his arms around me from behind, his warm chest pressing against my back as his chin rested on my head.
“You okay?”
Anger shot through me like a spear. Breaking from his hold, I spun around to stare up into a dark gaze that somehow still made my heart flutter and butterflies flap around in my stomach.
“You’re an asshole, you know that?”
He grinned.
My hand balled into a fist and I punched him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Soren
“How many times do I need to apologize?”
My lips pulled into a bemused smirk, shoulder leaning against the doorframe of Olly’s room while she sat on her bed.
Her thumb hit the button of a remote. Clickclickclickclickclick. The channels flashing through so quickly there was no possible way she was processing what was on. She could keep pushing that button all she wanted, but it still wouldn’t mute me.
“I’m not sure there are enough times,” she answered, refusing to look at me.
I shook my head.
This girl was stubborn. But I was worse.
I stepped into her room and kicked the door shut behind me. Sunlight filtered in through the windows from outside.
After punching me on the porch, she’d marched off. Heavy feet climbed the stairs and she slammed her door in all our faces.
