“I can do it.” He tries to take the box, but I hold onto it. He’s obviously much stronger than me, so he still could take it if he wanted to.
“Let me.” I sit on the mattress and wait for him to follow. He sighs but eventually joins me.
“Thanks.”
“Does it hurt?” I carefully clean his split open knuckles with an alcohol wipe.
He shrugs.
“You won?”
“Yeah.”
I go through the motions, cleaning each of his knuckles and other various cuts on his arms. His ribs are bruised and he hisses when I even get close to them. I feel like I should say something, but I have no idea what. So, instead, I focus on taking care of him the way he did me the first night.
The light goes out without warning, and Luke immediately grabs my hand; I think he’s reminding me that he’s here, so I don’t freak out again. I squeeze his hand back, appreciating his concern.
“I almost forgot.” I feel him moving his arm around the bed. “This is for you.”
“What is it?”
“A shirt—”
“Really?!?!” I can’t believe I’m this excited about a damn shirt.
“Don’t get too excited…it’s thin and completely see-through.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you think he does that?”
“Does what?”
“He…he cut my bra off, makes me come upstairs with you, knowing I’m only in…underwear, and now gives me a see-through shirt to wear?”
“I don’t know. I stopped trying to make sense out of what he does a long time ago.”
“It’s like he wants—”
“Don’t try to figure out what he wants or what he’s thinking!” he snaps.
“Oh.”
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Before I can respond, he’s walking away. I grab the shirt that he tossed on the bed; the material feels as thin as I expected, and I can almost feel how see through the material is. What I hadn’t considered though, is that since it’s so thin, it could easily tear. Something tells me if it does, I’ll be punished. Just the thought of his hands on me again almost has me vomiting the little food that’s in my stomach. I place the thin shirt near the bed, deciding to just wear it when we go upstairs or if the light comes on down here again.
Sliding onto the mattress, I lie as close to the stone wall as I can, hoping that whatever the reason I ended up pressed against Luke last night, doesn’t happen tonight. A few minutes later, the mattress dips when he sits down. He sighs heavily before lying down.
“You okay?” It’s a stupid question because, of course, he’s not okay, but I can’t stand the sudden silence between us. I don’t know what’s going on; things feel awkward now—almost like that first night I was here.
“Yeah.”
He rolls over, facing away from me, effectively ending the conversation. I chalk up his mood to tonight’s fight. I don’t even want to think about how difficult it was for him or what he had to do to win. I close my eyes and try to think of something else. As much as I miss my dad, thinking of him settles me. I think of the last time he made a fire in the backyard, the night we camped out under the stars and stayed nearly the entire night. Before I know it, sleep finds me much easier than I expected it to.
He’s holding me down, pinning me to the mattress!
I can’t get up! I can’t move!
He’s too strong for me. I can’t move him!
Where’s Luke? Why isn’t he stopping him?
I try to scream, but his filthy hand is over my mouth, crushing my lips.
“He can’t help you anymore.” He forces my head to the side, pushing it into the mattress. Luke is hanging from the same pipe I was that night. Oh My God! He’s bleeding—blood is dripping from his chest, his legs, his face and even his…
“You’re mine now!” He pushes against me, his jeans the only things stopping him from… going inside of me.
I try screaming for Luke, but he’s hanging there, completely lifeless. Did he kill him? How did I not wake up when he pulled Luke from the bed? How did I sleep through him whipping Luke until he bled so bad? Did Luke fight last night? Are we both being punished because he lost? Why can’t I remember last night?
“He’s not going to be able to save you now!”
In one quick move, my hands are above my head, held there by the hand that was over my mouth. I’m screaming for Luke, begging to be let go, begging for anyone to stop what’s about to happen. When his hand reaches between us to unbutton his pants, I know no one is coming to help.
“EM! EM! You’re safe… Shhhhhh,” I wake up to find myself wrapped around Luke again, only this time we’re facing each other. I try to push away, but he simply holds me against him.
“I…what…I…”
“Shhhhhh.”
I’m shaking, practically panting, against Luke, but he doesn’t let me go. I can’t get the image of him hanging from the pipe out of my head, the blood dripping from so many parts of his body and the idea that he was dead. I stop trying to push away from him and, instead, focus on trying to get those images out of my mind. I focus on his calm breathing, his soft mummers telling me I’m okay and the circles he’s gently rubbing into my back.
“I…I’m…sorry,” I manage to get out between breaths.
“It’s okay.”
“I…I had…a…”
“I know. You had one last night, too.”
Oh.
Luke gently moves the hair that had fallen on my face to behind my ear, and even in the complete darkness, I can feel his eyes on me. His fingers tangle in my hair, not yet pulling away. He’s never touched me like this before…there’s something about this touch that’s comforting.
“Want to talk about it?”
I squeeze my eyes closed and shake my head, not wanting to remember the nightmare. It felt so real—it still feels so real. I can still feel the weight of his body on mine, the fear of what he had done to Luke, the fear of what he was going to do to me. I shiver against Luke at the memory.
“It’s okay.”
“He…he had hurt you,” I finally voice the images still burned in my memory.
“Em.”
“It was…I couldn’t…he held me…”
“Shhhhh.”
“I couldn’t stop him…he was going to…”
“He’s not down here. It’s just you and me.”
“It felt… so real. Every time I close my eyes, he’s down here again.”
“Try to get some sleep. I’ll stay awake—”
“No, you need to rest. Especially after the fight.”
“Just sleep. I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Luke…”
“Sleep, Em.” He places a light kiss on my temple, so light that I have to question if it even happened.
He holds me like that, all night, even though I know the position couldn’t have been comfortable on his ribs. When I tried to suggest that I was okay to sleep on my own, he refused and continued to just hold me. Eventually, I fell asleep, though I have no idea how long it took me to do so. All I know is when the locks disengaged with our breakfast delivery, I would have jumped out of the bed if it weren’t for Luke still holding me.
Chapter 5
Emily
“I hate that you’re fighting again.”
“I know…me too.”
“Has he ever done this before? Made you fight three nights in a row?”
“No.”
“Why do you think he’s doing it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Luke.”
“I know, Em.” He pulls me into his arms, holding me against his bare chest.
“I don’t like this…it doesn’t feel right.”
“None of this has ever felt right.”
“Yeah…but this just feels…different.”
“I’ll beat whoever they throw at me. I won’t let him hurt you, Em.”
“But you’
re still hurting! Your ribs—”
“I’m fine; I’ll be fine.”
“BOY! Let’s go!”
“Luke…”
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
He leans down and kisses me on the cheek before going upstairs. I stand in the middle of the basement, only letting out the breath I was holding when I hear the locks re-engage after the door closes. I’m no longer as freaked out as I was the first night Luke left me to go fight. But I still don’t let my guard completely down when he’s gone either.
I have no idea how long I’ve been down here. I don’t know how long it’s been since I saw my dad last. I miss him terribly…I’d even take him yelling at me for walking home from Stacey’s if it meant seeing him again. It was always just the two of us… we had the best father-daughter relationship out of all my friends. Now, I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.
Luke doesn’t understand why I ask, but he still answers my questions anyway. I tried to determine how long I’ve been here based on the seasons. But as he pointed out, without knowing where exactly we are, that’s not really helpful. He’s blindfolded before he even leaves the house, so he can’t look for any clues to determine where we are or even what month it is. His best guess is we’re somewhere down south because he says it’s never really cold outside and he doesn’t believe it has ever snowed.
The best we can figure is I’ve probably been down here for at least three months…That’s three months since I’ve seen my dad. Three months since I’ve been outside. Three months since I spoke to anyone other than Luke. Three months since my worst nightmare became my new reality.
We’ve been trying to come up with a plan to get away, but no matter what we come up with, the risk is always too great. It never fails, every time we go upstairs to the gym he always has a knife waiting. The knife that slashed my bra open, the one that he held to my stomach and threatened to cut me open with if Luke didn’t swear he would win the next fight. It should be easy to gang up on him since there are two of us, but he’s much bigger and stronger than we are.
“NO!!!”
Luke’s scream has me instantly running to the stairs, taking them faster than I ever have before, to find out what’s going on. Panic instantly hits me when I hear voices from the other side of the door—voices I don’t recognize. I quietly test the doorknob, but of course, the locks are still engaged, so it doesn’t open. Luke’s voice is muffled, but I can still, just barely, make it out. Suddenly he screams out in obvious pain.
“LUKE!” I call out, not caring about the consequences.
“Shut up, GIRL!”
“Please…let him go!” I sob.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP, OR YOU’LL BE NEXT!”
“Please…”
“You want to take his place? Because if that’s what you want, I have some friends who would love to get their hands on you! So tell me, girl, are you willing to take his place?”
Shit…
“No, she stays down there!” Luke answers before I can.
“Luke…” I sob even though I know he can’t hear me.
“That’s what I thought.” He chuckles. “Keep your trap shut or I’ll have to find another way to keep you quiet, girl.”
I slide down the wall, sitting on the step near the door wishing I was strong enough to do something. I don’t hear Luke anymore, but judging from the other sounds, it’s obvious what’s happening to him. I run downstairs, just barely making it to the toilet before I throw up. I sit on the cold, dirty floor sobbing, wishing like hell I was a stronger person.
I need to do something!
But of course, there’s nothing I can do. If I go back up there and demand they stop, they’re going to take me next. There’s no way to get out of here and to try to find help to stop what’s happening. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to help him.
I don’t know how long I sit there, but eventually the voices from above me quiet down. I quickly wash up and brush my teeth before grabbing the first aid kit from under the steps. Obviously it won’t help with what they… but he’ll probably have bruises and cuts from the fight that need to be cleaned again.
When the locks disengage, I immediately panic. I want to believe it’s Luke coming down the steps, but what if it’s not? What if he’s coming to drag me upstairs? What if he’s decided to call his other friends after all? What if—
The locks engaging cut my thoughts off—he wouldn’t be locking the door if he were coming down here for me. I listen to Luke’s soft, but hurried steps down the stairs. He doesn’t say anything as he rushes past me, heading directly to the toilet where it’s his turn to empty his stomach. My heart breaks hearing him, but I don’t know what to do or say.
“Luke?” I call out when he turns off the sink water several minutes later.
“Not now,” he snaps and walks away.
I hear the clanking of the shower pipes at the same time as the front door upstairs slams shut. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but it sounds like several people are leaving. I sit down on the mattress, not sure what else to do. I want so badly to go to Luke, but what do I say? We’ve gotten sort of spoiled: he had been turning on the light after the fights so I could take of Luke’s injuries. Tonight, though, the light never turns on. I hate not being able to see him; his stormy blue eyes always giveaway how much pain he’s in and how bad the fight was.
When I hear a sob from across the basement, I’m walking toward the shower before I even realize what I’m doing. Of course, I can’t see him, but I know he’s in the shower since the water is still running. I call out his name several times, but he doesn’t respond. His breathing is heavy, almost like he’s panting, which nearly kills me.
“NO!” he screams and moves away the moment I reach out and touch him.
“Luke…it’s just me,” I softly say.
“Em?” it’s almost as if he doesn’t believe it’s me.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t…sneak up…on me…”
“I’m sorry, I tried calling your name but I guess you didn’t hear me.”
“What are you doing in here?” he asks after a few minutes of silence.
“I wanted to make sure you’re…”
“I’m fine.”
“Luke.”
“Let it go, Em.”
He’s right in front of me, but I still can’t see much more than his shadow. I need to see him. I need to know he’s…I won’t say okay, because God knows you can’t be okay after something like that. But I need to know that…he’s still here. I need to do something…
I slowly reach out, hoping not to startle him again since he can’t see me. When I feel his hand, I take it in mine and step closer. He doesn’t say anything but doesn’t push me away either. I slowly slide my hands up his arms until they meet at his neck. Silently, I step even closer to him, until there’s no space between us. I rest my head on his shoulder and simply hug him. He’s tense against me, probably not sure what to make of my gesture, but I don’t waiver. Eventually, his arms wrap around my waist and he buries his face in my long hair. I can only hope that I’m providing him at least the smallest amount of comfort like he provides me when he holds me after one of my nightmares.
He must have washed up already because he smells of soap and something else that is just Luke. I can’t tell you how long we stand there like that, but the warm water from earlier quickly disappears. Even then, neither of us are in a hurry to get out. I’ll stay in here as long as Luke needs me to. The tension has slowly left him, but I still wouldn’t say he’s relaxed against me.
“I’m so sorry,” I softly kiss his neck. “So sorry.”
“Em…”
“I wanted to do something, but I couldn’t.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!”
“There wasn’t anything you could have done,” he tries to assure me.
I lean back slightly, cupping his face in my hands so I can see him. Even though it’s dark
, I can just make out the shine in his brown eyes. His hands are firm on my hips, keeping me close to him.
“I’m sorry.” I lean in and kiss him gently on the lips.
Over the past…well, however long I’ve been here, things have changed between us. Spending day in and day out with someone will do that, I guess. When I have a nightmare, Luke is always quick to hold me, letting me cry against him. Before he leaves to fight, he always kisses me on the cheek. I’m closer to him than I’ve ever been to someone before. He’s not very talkative about his past other than to say he was in foster care before he ended up here. But he probably knows everything about me.
“Thanks,” he whispers.
“I…”
“Let’s get you out of this cold water.”
“Leave your shorts, I’ll wash them with my underwear and hang them up.”
“I can—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“I…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t take them off before I came in here. I don’t have anything else to wear.”
“Neither do I,” I shrug.
“I can always—”
“I’ll wash and hang them up. The medical kit is on the bed if you need it…from the fight I mean.”
“Nah, the fight was over quick. He didn’t have a chance to do much.”
“Wait…you won?”
“Yeah.”
“But…why…?”
“I don’t know…” he admits. “He kept saying they were celebrating…”
“Luke.”
“I’ll leave the shorts by the sink.”
Without saying another word he steps out of the shower, leaving me behind stunned. I thought he was being punished for losing the fight…Just how fucking sick is the man who took us?
I quickly wash my hair under the cold water before stepping out of the shower area. The small hand towel waits for me nearby, courtesy of Luke. The towel is really a joke, it isn’t big enough to dry my body let alone my hair but I make do. It certainly doesn’t fit around me.
Walking over to the sink, I slip off my panties and soak everything with extra soap. I sit next to Luke on the mattress, easily forgetting that we’re both naked, while I wait. I still have no idea what I should do or say to comfort him. I don’t know if he senses my struggle, but he takes my hand in his a few minutes later without saying another word.
Luke (Dark Water Security Series Book 1) Page 4
