by Sally Mason
I glance at Hallie; turning her against him is my last hope. “What about Hallie? Don’t you love her?”
His lips twist in a mocking grin, and he reminds me of one of those creepy clowns they have in horror movies. “Hallie and I have an understanding. She knows that there will always be other women in my life. She’s okay with that.”
I stare at her, but she doesn’t flinch, totally under his spell. Since she doesn’t seem to mind when he beats her, she’s probably into this bondage shit. Her words from therapy ring in my ears—she only feels alive when she’s hurting. After her parents’ deaths, feeling only numbness has always been her biggest problem.
When he grabs my arm just below my wound to get me to cooperate, I know my time is up. As more pain waves shoot through me, I grit my teeth to prevent the tears from falling. He guides me toward the bedroom as I stumble forward. My muscles convulse when I step over the threshold. This is not how I envisioned the last minutes of my life.
The door is closed with the back of his heel before he stands me in front of the bed, facing a camera.
“This will be a nice memento. I’m really gonna miss you, Kels.”
Alternating hot and cold flashes rage through my body and my teeth chatter again, despite my effort to show no fear. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction. I will not beg or show him how hurt I am. He will not get what he’s looking for from me.
After the camera is rolling, he fumbles with the buttons of my blouse, taking his time to open them one by one. He is practically drooling, keeping his lips moist. His eyes are glued on the task. With a knife, he cuts my sleeves open to avoid loosening the cable ties. After my blouse drops, he runs the dull side of the knife over the wound. I hate myself when I cannot suppress the tears. As they roll down my cheeks, he takes a step back, soaking in the sight.
“God, everything on you is perfect.” His voice is thick with desire. “You’re a beautiful woman, Kels.”
I spit at him. “You’re sick, Luke. No normal man gets off by raping a woman.”
The force of his backhand throws me onto the bed. He swings himself on top of me. Sitting upright on my hips and thighs, he playfully slides the blade of the knife under the strap of my bra, cutting first the left side, then the right. The knife is tossed into the window frame. He has no more use for it until he’s done with me. With shaking hands, he peels off my bra. His fingers stroke teasingly over my bare skin, drawing little hearts on my belly.
I turn my head, sick of his lustful gaze. When his thumb presses into my wound, I whimper. My eyes squeeze shut to keep control of my tears.
“Look at me, Kels.”
When I refuse, the pressure increases. The pain soars through me like a burning layer of lava, robbing me of my breath. Unable to handle the agony, I find his eyes.
“Good girl.” With a smirk, his hand slides back onto my stomach. “Just play along.”
I would love to spit in his face again but have to preserve my energy. In the seconds before he reaches his high, he will be most vulnerable. That’s when I intend to strike.
His index finger finds its way into my jeans. It runs alongside the waistband until stopping under my button. With a low chuckle, he pops it open and unzips the pants.
“Don’t you want to fight me, Kels,” he whispers. “I would really like that.”
I want to tell him how much he disgusts me, but remember the night at the cabin when I didn’t fight him. I won’t give into his cruel games, which will hopefully get him to lose interest in me faster. It’s at least worth a shot.
His face hardens when I remain quiet, and he presses two fingers into the cut. This time, I scream, my whole body shaking in agony when he finally lets go. While I gasp for air, a sadistic smile plays on his lips—he’s enjoying this tremendously. There is truly nothing left of my brother.
When I kick at him, he catches my ankle and slowly twists until I still. My boots are quickly removed before he pulls off my pants, my panties the only thing left in his way. He shakes out of his sweater. His body is still gaunt from the jail food. I realize the toll this has taken on him, but for the first time, I don’t feel sorry. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that he shot Jed deliberately to cover his tracks. I’ll be his second kill, and this time, he probably won’t even blink.
When he drops his pants, my eyes automatically search his skin for the scar. I have to squint to see it; it’s really not more than a tiny red line on his pale skin all the way at the top of his thigh. Even loose-fitting swimming trunks would have hidden it completely.
He follows my gaze. “Yeah, the one flaw in my plan. Truthfully, it happened such a long time ago that I had totally forgotten about it until you brought it up to the police. Blindfolded, your sense of touch must have been heightened for you to even pick it up.” His fingers run over the small slash. “You can’t even feel it unless you really pay attention.”
I’m surprised that he was able to hide an injury like that for all those years, but then again, we were not a family that was very uninhibited. Even my mom never changed clothes in front of me. I can’t recall a single time when I have seen him naked. “How did it happen?”
“Playground accident when I was little. My mother was so embarrassed that I don’t think she even told my dad. They were already fighting for custody back then. A couple of months later, she disappeared from my life, and I had bigger problems than crying over a little scratch. Not having a mom like all the rest of my friends really sucked.”
His mother had moved to Spain and broken off all contact. When our parents got married, this was the one thing that had quickly bonded us together. My father had shown very little interest in me, and both Luke and I felt abandoned, placing even more significance on our sibling relationship. Now all this was blown to pieces by his deranged obsession with me.
“Well, you’re not going to get away with this. Marcel knows that I was taken. He and Finn will put two and two together and come after you. You’ll end up in prison where you belong.”
He cracks a smile. “I accounted for that. When Hallie and I planned this tonight, we were going to blame it on Jackson, but after you changed their dinner plans, Finn became the perfect fall guy. He didn’t even get suspicious when we lured him away from the restaurant, and knocking him out was a piece of cake. The cops will find a nice murder-suicide scene, starring you and Finn as the main cast. Even the van can be tied back to him. I took it this afternoon from his uncle’s shop. Everything will add up nicely. The cops won’t suspect a thing.”
My hopes slowly dwindle away; he thought of everything. He kneels in front of the bed, sliding off my panties, his tongue running over his lips. When I lie totally naked in front of him, he cocks his head sideways, studying me intently. His hand strokes the inside of my thigh, the closeness of our bodies turning my stomach in repulsion. That smile that used to give me comfort sneaks onto his face—it’s now just as vile as his secret.
“This will be so much more fun now that I can actually see the pain in your eyes.”
CHAPTER 34
The chuckle that follows his words is the most evil and sickening laugh I have ever heard. A fireworks show of emotions dances in his eyes. There is wickedness, excitement, and most of all the satisfaction that I am once again totally at his mercy.
“Now, before we turn to the good stuff, let’s get you in the party mood.” His pout is mocking. “You look miserable, Kels.”
I turn my head as the nausea rises in my throat, unable to hold his vicious gaze.
He jumps up and strolls over to a small gym bag. “Hmm, what should we start with?” He snaps his fingers. “I know.” He pulls out a small bag holding several dice. With a smug smile, he waves it in front of my eyes. “What color would you like?”
I scramble into a corner of the bed, pulling my knees up with a stubborn frown. “Screw you, Luke.” If he gets any closer, I will give him a good kick.
His lips split to a wide grin. “Now play nice, Kels, or I’ll
have to tie you down completely.” He regards the dice in the bag. “Let’s take the red one. I know it used to be your favorite color before you got all sucked into this black stuff, and it reminds me a little bit of your blood that night I took your virginity.”
The tears burn fiercely as the words resonate in my head like a bullet trying to find its way into my heart. A part of me is still screaming that this is all a big mistake, but the pain and disgust are slowly taking over. He used to cradle me in his arms and let me cry on his shoulder after one of my self-harm episodes. The thought that this probably aroused him turns my stomach to tight knots.
He rolls the dice and it lands on four. “Hey, that’s a good one.” He beams. “Let’s make this the remaining hours of your life.” With his thumb, he sets the stopwatch on his phone before setting it next to me on the nightstand, so I can see the display.
A breath is caught in my throat when the minutes start to wind down. The seconds seem to fly. When the first minute is up, I finally tear my eyes off the screen, my gaze returning to Luke. He has been watching me intently, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Okay, let’s find out how often we’ll have sex in those four hours. Personally, I hope for a six.” He shakes the dice inside the hollow of his hands before he rolls it again. “Oh, a five. Well, I guess that’s close enough.”
This time, tears roll down my cheeks when I glance at the stopwatch. My eyes dart back to him. With a chuckle, he starts to stalk me like a predator—every step feels like an agonizing stab to my soul. There is so much sadistic lust in his eyes that I wish I was blindfolded again.
He lowers himself next to me on the bed, his fingers playing with strands of my hair. “You know I like it rough, but I wouldn’t mind taking it easy a couple of times, so you, for once, get something out of this, too.” His thumb traces my trembling lips. “It’s really up to you, Kels.”
“You’re a monster.” The words are so painful that fresh tears well in my eyes. I hate myself for showing him how much I’m hurting.
He wrinkles his forehead like he’s considering my point. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” A cruel laugh resonates from the depths of his throat, penetrating my aching soul. “But truthfully, I don’t think so. Most people have these fantasies, secretly craving dominance. There cannot be pleasure without pain—only with great pain and suffering can you truly appreciate and feel complete pleasure and joy. The past should have taught you that.”
I suppress a sob, sucking in a deep breath to refocus. The last few minutes, I’ve played right into his hands. He wants me scared and trembling. I have to find a way to turn the tables on him.
When he gets up and strolls back over to the bag, lightning strikes. The answer is Jed. It must have bothered him at least a little bit that he had to share his prized possession with another guy.
“You know, the last few days over Christmas, Jed and I really connected.” I close my eyes, forming the words in my head to force them out. They’re sickening, but the only way to get to Luke. “Sex with him was amazing.”
He freezes, spinning around. “You’re a fucking liar.” His finger points at me, his face twisted in rage. “He swore to me he never touched you then.”
I snort. “And you believed him? You really are stupid.” It’s my turn to gloat. “You can even ask Hallie. She knows.”
He squints at me and I high-five myself. I got to him. When his face turns into an ugly grimace, every muscle in my body flexes. I’m ready for him. I know him well enough that he’s about to have one of his rage fits, a leftover from his wild days. In those moments, he acts spontaneously and usually has his guard down.
When he joins me on the bed, I blink at him innocently, which enrages him further. With a growl, he tries to straighten my legs, probably to tie them down, and I know that this will be my last chance. I kick him in the center of his face with my heel, trying to distract him long enough to make it to the window.
He shouts out in pain and clutches his nose. Without a second thought, I’m up on my feet, darting toward the window. If my wrists hadn’t been secured, I would have probably made it. A kick to my back catapults me into the wall. I wince when my sore side collides with a shelf, the pain making me gasp. I try shooing the black spots that dance in front of my eyes away, but before the room comes back into focus, Luke’s breath grazes against my neck.
“That was really stupid of you, Kels.”
When he spins me around, his body pins me against the wall. His eyes are deadly. “On second thought, I think the worst I can do to you is actually make you come. Have your body beg for my touch and ache with pleasure.”
I stare at him, stunned by the deviousness of his plan. “I’ll never come for you,” I mutter, though I’m not sure if there aren’t ways for him to bend me to his will. One of the girls in group therapy told us that her uncle used to do this to her when he molested her. I remember her tears when she thought it was all her fault because he always claimed she wanted to be touched. It was the ultimate degradation.
He spins me around and his arms enclose me from the back. I kick but he tightens his grip. When the pain from my ribs gets to be too much, I finally still and allow him to carry me back to the bed. This time, he secures my legs with ropes from his gym bag. I am back in a semi-spread-eagle position, ready for his malicious games. I clench my jaw, trying to control the tremble in my body when his lips blow little kisses on the inside of my thigh. As his mouth travels north, I hold my breath, determined to fight him until the very end.
~~~~
“Hey, asshole.” The words hang over the room like a dark cloud. Only the cocking of a gun breaks through the sudden silence.
Luke closes his eyes, exhaling with frustration. “You’re like an annoying brat who doesn’t know when to give up.”
Finn smirks. “And you’re a fucked-up rapist who should’ve gone to jail a long time ago. Get away from her.” He waves with the gun to underline his point.
Luke slowly backs up. “I suspect this is the gun from my glove compartment. It only has one bullet in it, so use it wisely.”
“Bullshit. No one keeps a gun in their car with just one bullet.”
It’s Luke turn to smirk. “I use it to play Russian roulette with Hallie. It’s fun.”
My jaw drops, but Finn just clicks his tongue. “You’re really sick, man. You should be in the nuthouse.” He glances at me, pulling the knife out of the wood by the window. Without taking his eyes of Luke, he cuts the rope that holds my legs in place before freeing my hands. “Check the drawers for something to wear. It’s freezing outside.”
I find a thick wool sweater in one of the closets and pull it over my head, the rough fabric irritating my skin with an instant itch. For now, it’ll have to do. A shudder still runs through me when a light breeze flows in from the open window. My pants and boots are next, my fingers closing the buttons and zippers in desperate haste.
When I’m done, my eyes find Finn. “I’m ready.”
“Climb through the window.” Finn’s full attention is focused on my brother. He leans lazily against the wall, yet his eyes are alert, dominated by a vicious glow. I know he’s just waiting for an opportunity to attack. His cold gaze sends a shiver down my spine—he really is a monster. How could I have ever trusted him? Tears rise in the back of my throat when I realize that I lost my best friend forever.
My mind is still weeping from the betrayal when I jump out of the window, landing hard on the frozen ground. A cry escapes me from the sharp pain that shoots up my arm, my side throbbing mercilessly. I almost fall when I stumble forward, waving my arms to keep my balance, which makes matters worse.
A single shot breaks through the night. I freeze before an uproar of conflicting emotions throws me into a frenzy. My instincts tell me to drop to the ground while my mind orders me to run. Yet my heart prevails in the end, demanding I check on Finn. I turn toward the window. An utmost relief washes over me when I stare right into his eyes.
His face is
twisted in pain. I notice blood dripping from his nose, but before I can offer my help, he is next to me on the ground.
“Run.”
The word releases adrenaline into my bloodstream. The muscles in my legs begin to flex automatically as I trail behind him toward the tree line. It’s dark, but the moon shines with a milky glow that helps me find my way across the lawn. As soon as we enter the forest, the shadows swallow us up. I stub my toe and curse, stumbling forward. Only Finn’s hand enclosing my wrist prevents the fall. He pulls me along as we chase through the night.
“We need to keep moving.” His breath mists the air in front of him.
I stay close behind him while our steps pound on the forest path, my mind ignoring the burning pain that has spread to every part of my body. Angry thorns grab at my hair and sweater, scraping exposed skin on a few occasions. I pant, the fog from my own breath like a wall of comfort to keep me warm. My back is covered with sweat, the wool sweater now heavy and slowing me down.
When I fall behind, Finn’s fingers entangle with mine and speed me along. I focus on my strides, trying to find an even rhythm, but my racing heartbeat drowns out all the other noises, and trips me up. I feel dizzy as I chase through the woods, avoiding fallen tree stumps and trying not to stumble over weeds. Everything around me becomes blurry. I’m sucked into a surreal world in which nothing exists but my breath, my heartbeat, and this incredible will to live.
When we get to a clearing, Finn pauses. I double over, gasping for air as I try to calm the stitch in my side. Loud trampling and the snapping of twigs is right behind us in the forest—Luke can’t be far.
“What happened?” I ask between yappy breathes.
“He attacked me as soon as you jumped out the window and the gun went off in the struggle. I punched him in the head, but it must not have been enough to knock him unconscious.”
I grimace. “For someone who’s supposed to be kickass, you sure act like a wuss.”
He playfully nudges my shoulder. “I promise if we get out of this alive, I’ll take karate lessons.” His face turns serious when the noises in the woods get closer. “We need to keep moving.”
