17. Seventeen
Seventeen
Rosie
T he coffee shop has been slow today with every local at the town fair. Carnival rides, rigged games, and deep-fried food take priority over the coffee shop. Left to our own devices, Jess and I dance around the shop as we clean, fueled by the freshly brewed espressos running through our veins.
“I think I’m about ready to close up for today,” Jess says with a sigh as she removes her apron, accepting the reality that we won’t make any more money today.
“Sounds good to me! I’m exhausted anyway,” I say, holding back a yawn. It looks like the espresso didn’t do the trick.
“Vic’s been keeping you pretty busy,” Jess says with a smile.
“Maybe,” I say with a shrug, my mind going to a dirty place without even trying. What is this man doing to me?
“Are you blushing? Damn girl, you got it bad, don’t you?”
“I don’t know.” I sigh. “Well, yes, I do. I like him a lot. More than I should, and because of that, I’m scared. I’ve never been with anyone before him, so I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic.”
“The first guy... ever?” she asks with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I’ve never dated anyone before,” I say, feeling embarrassed.
“Holy hell, you’re telling me...” she says, pointing at herself for emphasis with complete shock on her face. “Vic’s the first guy you’ve been with ever, like ever, ever?”
I nod.
“That’s like jumping in the deep end when you don’t know how to swim.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to realize that. Then he goes and does sweet things for me that he doesn’t have to, and deep down, it makes me want him that much more. I swear I’ll get my heart broken, but I don’t even think I’d mind at this point.”
“Okay, we’re closing and going to the fair. You need a night off, maybe a drink or two, and some deep-fried Oreos.” She pushes in the chair.
She looks over at me just as I grab my bag. “If you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here. I’ve been around these boys my whole life, so I know quite a bit more than I want to, actually.”
The temptation to get a little insight into Vic’s life is too much to pass up. He’s a vault, and my curiosity compels me to delve deeper, eager to unravel the mysteries within him, especially after his nightmare.
“So you knew him when he was a teenager?”
“Yeah, and even before that,” she says as she locks the door and leads us to her car. I get into the passenger seat, and we head to the fair.
“What was he like when he was small? ”
She looks out the front windshield with her lips pressed into a thin line. “He was quiet and kind of sad. I once heard him talking to Ax about his shitty parents, about how they abandoned him, and how he had no one. It broke my heart because Vic was always sweet to me, like a big brother. The whole thing was such a big story. His father was from a wealthy family, and all the secrets came out when he died. Drugs, child abuse, child endangerment.”
“What?” I ask horrified.
“Yeah, the article read that the little boy was severely malnourished, sick, and left alone for days.”
My heart pounds violently in my chest, and suddenly, everything falls into place. His weird fascination with stockpiling food, the need to eat as soon as he wakes up, and always making sure that I’ve had enough food. A lone tear leaks out of my eye.
“Once he got older, he changed drastically. Got into a lot of trouble. Stealing, fighting, drinking. It probably had to do with being in foster care and then with the MC. Then, he went away for a couple of years and came back different again.” Jess looks over at me as I take it all in.
“Why did he go away? He said something went wrong, but he never said what. Did he kill someone?” I whisper the last part.
It freaks me out a little to think of him murdering some innocent soul. I could never get over the fact of my father doing that. Alexa could always separate the two worlds when it came to her father, but Alexa’s father differs greatly from mine. He’s always treated his family with love and care. Leaving the monster at work and not bringing it home. My father, not so much.
“No, nothing like that,” she whispers, as if we aren’t the only ones in the car. “The day that happened, I overheard Trey on the phone talking to someone. I guess they were transporting guns and drugs. Something went wrong, and it was supposed to fall on Axl, but Vic took the fall instead.”
I’m relieved to hear he didn’t hurt someone. I sound like a bad person, but guns and drugs don’t hit any nerves. I’ve been around both my whole life, so I’m pretty desensitized.
“Okay, detour! Let’s have a quick drink, then we’ll go to the fair,” Jess says.
“Deal.”
We pull into the bar parking lot, which is just as empty as Sweet Escape.
“Hey, girls,” Char says from behind the bar. “Why aren’t you at the fair with everyone else?”
“Girls’ night... A quick drink and then we’re headed there,” Jess says.
“I got just the thing.”
“Make it strong, Char!” Jess yells to her.
Char slides the drinks across the worn wooden bar top. “You’re in luck. That’s the only kind I make... and it seems like you two will need it. Don’t look now, but Victor and Richard have their eyes set on you two.” She tips her head to the front door.
We both turn to see Vic and Axl advancing in our direction. I forgot to text Vic about my plans to leave with Jess, so I cast him a sheepish smile.
Why does he always make me so nervous?
“Shit, down that shot quick, girl,” Jess whispers in a rush while downing her shot and bringing mine to my lips.
“Ladies...” Axl says with a predatory smile aimed at Jess.
Jess tips the glass and starts pouring it into my mouth, the cool liquid seeping from the side of my lips and running down my chin .
Vic moves into my space, takes his thumb, and runs it down the line of liquor on my face before bringing his thumb to his mouth. As his lips encompass his thumb, he moans.
Holy hell. My insides are on fire, and it’s not from the shot.
I’m jolted back to reality as Jess nudges me. “Will you come with me to the bathroom?”
“Yeah, we’ll be right back.”
When we hit the hall a few steps from the bathroom, Jess turns toward me. “Let’s ditch them.”
My brows scrunch at her. Axl and her have been semi-friendly lately. “Why? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just... Axl and I had an incident, as you like to call it.”
“Really?” I say with a smile. Apparently, my little pep talk with Axl helped.
“Yeah, but I don’t know how to feel about it. I need to get away and have a breather from him. It seems like he’s always around me, you know.”
“Okay. How do we ditch them?”
The moment the hushed words leave my lips, Vic walks into the hallway. He’s apparently impatient tonight.
“Run!” Jess yells and pulls me down the hallway to the exit at the side of the bar. I can’t help but giggle as I catch sight of Vic’s predatory expression, a mixture of mischief and intensity. It’s a challenging gleam that transforms his whole face.
The moment we pass the front of the entrance, we catch a glimpse of the guys rushing out of the bar toward their bikes. Jess flips them off while I smile and wave.
“They’re going to catch us.” I laugh as I look behind me, but a van comes behind us, and I lose sight of the guys .
“We’ll lose them at the fair,” Jess says while taking a hard right down a deserted residential street.
I look over at Jess, who has a crease between her brows. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she says with a sigh, “Axl…Axl’s presence has always been intoxicating to me. Because of that, I make really reckless decisions when he’s close. Hence the incident we had the other night.”
I nod. I’m starting to understand that feeling all too well.
“Has it always been like that? For you two?”
“When we were younger, his mom was often absent, so he’d spend his time at my house with me. We were inseparable for a long time. But things happened, and now everything is messed up.” She shakes her head. “Memories that were buried resurface. Always the good ones that leave me breathless and craving more. Only for him to leave, as he’s always been good at, which brings on the bad memories that also leave me breathless but abandoned.”
My heart breaks. “Oh, Jess, I didn’t know it was like that. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she says then shakes her head. “No more drinks. It makes me sappy as hell. Let’s go hide.”
The guys are nowhere to be found when we leave the car but I bet they’re close.
We walk through the gate and right to the battered goodness that promises a stomachache but will taste like heaven. We eat a couple of deep-fried Oreos as we make our way deeper into the fairgrounds.
Multiple booths offer tossing and shooting games, but none with any chance of success. We pay for a couple of tickets and head to the rides and attractions. Our first stop is the Ferris wheel.
We wind through the maze of metal barricades until we reach the front. As we wait, we hear a whistle, and both of us turn. We spot the guys toward the back of the line. Axl blows kisses at Jess while Vic stares at me like he plans to eat me alive.
The gate opens, and we rush onto the lift. After we’re buckled, the Ferris wheel moves counterclockwise to accommodate the rest of the people in line, giving Vic and Axl the opportunity to look back at us as we go around in a circle.
Axl tries to get Jess’s attention, but she pointedly ignores him while I can’t take my eyes off Vic. He keeps mouthing things I can’t decipher, so I laugh and blow him kisses.
When the ride stops, we exit first. We walk to a maze, and as we give the attendant our tickets, I look back to see the guys still stuck on the ride.
Vic’s eyes never leave me. I give him a wave as I’m pulled into the attraction.
The room we stumble into is dark and cold, only illuminated by the neon lights and lasers. I link my arm through Jess’s as we walk into the middle of a section that houses three tunnels. Each has a different theme: under the sea, the forest, and outer space.
“Where do we go?” I ask Jess.
“I did something like this last year. Each tunnel has optical illusions and false passages. Only one tunnel should have a way out. Which one do you want to go through first?”
I look around, feeling the hairs on my back rising. “You pick,” I mumble as I feel eyes on us. It’s probably just Vic and Axl.
“Let’s do the outer space first.”
I take one last look around as we walk in. “Okay. ”
Neon space wallpaper adorns the walls with floor-to-ceiling mirrors placed at intervals. We take a right and end up in a hallway with no way out. We turn around and head back the way we came.
I see someone out of the corner of my eye run by in black clothing.
“Did you see that?”
Jess looks around. “See what?”
“Nothing. Let’s hurry and get out of here.” I don’t like this anymore. There was definitely someone.
I walk with her through the rest of outer space without finding an exit, much to my dismay. We make it back to the beginning and head into the forest, which is the middle. It’s even darker in here and reminds me nothing of the forest Vic took me to. This one has an eerie feeling to it. My nerves are on high alert as we walk through a maze of glass panes.
“This place is kind of creepy,” Jess says right before she smacks her face into one of the glass windows. We double over in laughter. “Shit, that hurt,” Jess says as she rubs her head.
We turn around and stop in our tracks when someone in a ski mask stands in our way. My eyes go wide as I break out in a cold sweat with my heart in my throat. This is who I spotted in the other tunnel.
We were followed.
All my fears come rushing back, and I feel like the little girl holding her canvas painting.
I took numerous courses and classes in self-defense from a young age, but looking at this tower of a person, I don’t think I stand a chance, especially with Jess by my side. I squeeze her arm as she looks at the guy in a mixture of panic and surprise .
“What do you want?” I yell, feigning confidence I don’t feel whatsoever.
My breathing increases, and I try to keep a hold of the moment . Please don’t break down. There is no one to save you this time , my mind reminds me.
“Who sent you?” I ask, but I know. My father will never let me go so easily. I’m a pawn in his game of chess. He needs all the pieces to get what he wants.
A shattering noise assaults my ears seconds before we’re grabbed. The instinct to fight takes over, and I thrash about, desperately summoning any of the self-defense training I should have taken more seriously when I was younger.
I cry out as he pulls my hair into a vise grip. The force he exerts is so strong that I can feel the hairs being pulled from my scalp.
“Be careful with that one,” the captor who has Jess states.
I look at Jess lying limp over the other man’s shoulder. Her auburn hair cascades down the guy’s back, and her glasses are gone.
“Take me, but leave her. She has nothing to do with this,” I plead.
This is all my fault.
Her connection to me put her in danger, and I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her because of my negligence. I should have told Vic about the guy in the bar even though he would have never let me leave his sight. I can’t believe I prioritized my pride and selfishness over recognizing true danger.
I’m met with silence as they find the exit and bring us out back. The second I take a breath and attempt to scream, a nasty, leathered hand effectively blocks the scream coming from my mouth .
His disgustingly hot breath fans against my neck and ear. “If you scream or cause a scene, I’ll kill your friend.”
That has the fight leaving my body. We walk in the cover of darkness behind tents and trailers. This kidnapping was thought out. It wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment decision. That much is clear.
What little breath I’m able to gather from the glove over my mouth is coming in ragged as the thoughts of hopelessness kick in. I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack. My hands are numb but tingly, and my vision is going into a black tunnel. Please don’t let this happen now. Jess is still unconscious, or worse, so I need to stay awake.
As we approach the black paneled van, I desperately fight back, kicking and thrashing with all my strength. I’m praying it will grant us enough time for Vic and Axl to find us.
All the horror stories kick in like a grotesque slideshow, reminding me of our likelihood of getting out alive once we’re moved somewhere else. It’s almost nonexistent, especially on the off chance that this isn’t my father’s doing.
My captor pulls on my hair even harder, and I emit a silent scream as more tears gather in my eyes.
The guy holding Jess throws her in the back of the van and advances on us to help the guy holding me. They both take an arm, leaving my mouth exposed. I try to scream but can’t.
It’s like being in one of those dreams where you try to run, but you can’t.
You try to scream, but you can’t.
You try to wake up, but you can’t.
I’m stuck in this state that I can’t get out of as tears leak from my eyes at what’s to come for me and my friend .
They throw me into the back of the metal van with a hard thud. I scream as my wrist cracks from landing at an odd angle while trying to catch myself. A burning and throbbing pain radiates from my wrist to my elbow.
As soon as they slam the van’s doors shut, I crawl to Jess’s unmoving body.
I grab her shoulder and turn her over onto her back. A cut on her forehead is oozing blood, and she also has a bloody nose.
“I’m so sorry, Jess. Please wake up,” I whisper repeatedly.
Tears run down my face as I succumb to sobs. I place my hand over her chest and feel her heartbeat and the rise and fall of each breath she takes.
This is all my fault.
The van begins to move, and I know we’re fucked.
Tears continue to slide down my cheeks as I think about the past couple of weeks.
Running away was never a mistake.
Staying in this town, even though I wanted to flee, was never a mistake.
I made friends, got a job, crossed off firsts.
Met Vic.
It was all worth it, and at least I have that.
I wish I could have said thank you.
I wish I could have said goodbye.
I wish I could have kissed Vic just one more time.