Chapter Eighteen
Brynn
W AKING UP, MY eyes feel as if they’ve been glued shut and the pain in my head is so fucking bad I want to throw up. When my eyes finally open, my vision is blurry as hell and I can hardly make out anything as I try to figure out where I am and what’s happened to me. As my vision slowly starts to clear, the reminder of Jerome kidnapping me surfaces. Of seeing all those people in the parking lot of the grocery store who stood back and did absolutely nothing to help me makes me angry as fuck. I would’ve run to someone who was screaming for help and telling a crowd they were being kidnapped. These people just stood back and watched on as if I was a toddler throwing a tantrum and her dad was taking her to the car until she calmed down. I will never, ever forget those people doing nothing to help me.
Tears fill my eyes as thoughts of Kingston fill my mind. I know he’s more than likely found out that I’ve been taken by now and he’ll be losing his shit. Kingston takes my safety and protection extremely seriously and I know I made a mistake when I rushed out of the clubhouse without letting anyone know I was leaving. Yes, Savannah knew, but if I had made a call to any of the guys, they could’ve met me so this wouldn’t have happened. Kingston won’t see it that way though. He’ll take the blame on his shoulders and blame himself for what happened to me. All I want to do is get back to him to wrap him up in my arms and hold him close. To promise him this isn’t his fault and stop him from carrying the guilt and rage overwhelming him right now.
I try to move my body and find that I can’t bring my arms down and my legs won’t close either. Suddenly, my vision clears completely as I look down at myself. The first thing I notice is my naked body. While I was dressed in one of Kingston’s tee-shirts and a pair of leggings when I left the clubhouse for the kids, now I’m only wearing my bra and panties. Bile starts to rise up at the thought of Jerome touching me in such an intimate way. Secondly, I notice my ankles are tied to a rusted, metal bed frame. It’s not a chain holding me in place, but some kind of scarf or bandana. The material is so fucking dirty I can’t figure out what it is. Tilting my head very slowly, I find my wrists have also been tied to the frame of the bed I’m laying on. The mattress under my body is lumpy with springs sticking out in various places and several stains cover it. I don’t even want to think about what has stained the mattress I’m currently on.
Pulling on my arms, I try to break free from the restraints holding me in place to no avail. I’m stuck on this bed until Jerome makes his way back to me. I faintly hear sounds from some other part of the house and know he’s still here. I want to be free when he makes an appearance since I have no clue what he’s already done to me. Unfortunately, I’m unable to break free using all the techniques my dad and uncle taught me over the years. Realizing I won’t be able to break free, I turn my attention to taking in every single detail of the room I’m currently in.
The wallpaper covering the walls is old and outdated. It’s a puke green color with all of these small flowers going up and down in rows a few inches apart. I’m sure at one time someone loved this pattern and the colors, but I don’t know anyone who would currently put something like this in their home. In many places, the wallpaper is peeling and I can see holes and gouges that have been taken out of the wall over the years. There are a few holes in the scuffed and worn wooden floor in the areas I can actually see. There’s one window in the room that has no curtain or blinds covering it to block out anyone looking in or the sunlight shining in the room. Yes, I’m on the first floor of the house I’m in based on how the trees I can see look. I know that’s not going to be an option to get out of. Bars are on the outside of the window. They look as if they’ve been placed there recently with how new they look. Jerome planned this and took away my only chance to escape without him seeing me get away from him. Fucker!
One light is on the nightstand next to me and it’s covered in a thick layer of dust. Everything in this room is covered in dust. That tells me this house has been sitting empty for a long time. Currently, the lamp is off and the only light filling the room is from the window. I try to find anything I can use to cut off the restraints but there’s nothing on the stands with the lamp. I don’t see anything in this room other than the bed I’m in, the nightstand with a lamp, a small chair in the corner of the room, and two doors. One of them is most likely a closet and the other one is the exit out of here. My way to freedom if I get the chance to take it. I will find a way to get away from Jerome and back to Kingston—the man I’ve fallen in love with who completes me in ways I never dreamed possible.
I have no clue how much time has passed; I can’t seem to stay awake long enough to understand how much time has passed. All I know is it’s now dusk as the sunlight starts to fade from the room leaving it darker and filled with shadows. Jerome hasn’t been in the room while I’ve been awake and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or something bad. My body and head are still in a lot of pain. I’ve been trying to get free of the restraints every time I wake up so my wrists and ankles are damaged now too. I’ve felt the blood dripping off of my skin from where I’ve rubbed them raw. I’m still nauseous as hell and have gotten close to throwing up more than once. It took every ounce of strength I possess not to be sick all over myself and the nasty mattress I’m laying on. Now, I’ve also got a sharp pain in my side from holding off on going to the bathroom for so long. While I don’t know how long I’ve been here, I know it’s been long enough to cause a deep ache from the lack of going to the bathroom.
The door opens up as I continue to take stock of my body and Jerome fills the frame while staring at me and licking his lips. I take in his appearance since I really didn’t get the chance when I was fighting him off in the grocery store parking lot. His long, graying hair is greasy and stringy as it hangs around his face. He’s going bald on top. Jerome’s eyes are cold and lifeless as he continues to stare at me. While he used to have a beer belly, now there’s nothing. His body seems to be fading into nothing as I can see his skin hanging off the bones of his body. Jerome’s teeth are broken and disgusting as if he hasn’t brushed them his entire life. I take in the track marks going up both of his arms.
Jerome’s clothing is stained and full of holes as they hang off his body. The boots covering his feet are falling apart and should have been replaced years ago. He has no pride in his appearance and it’s as if he’s been wearing the same clothes for months. I know he hasn’t taken a shower based on the body odor wafting off of him. It fills the small bedroom and makes me gag. Even his tattoos are faded to nothing and weren’t taken care of properly when he first got them done. It seems that if it’s not about drugs, he couldn’t care less about what he looks like or if he smells like a giant pile of shit.
“You’re finally awake,” he says, his voice grating on my nerves as I try to glare at him. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to.”
“Fuck you, Jerome. I’m gonna fucking kill you,” I threaten him as he starts laughing hysterically. “What’s so fucking funny?”
“You are, my sweet Brynn. You’ve wanted me since I first showed up in Brighton Hills. You were always tempting me with your sweet body whenever I was around. I was the one who was called sick and depraved when I tried to protect you and keep your secret from your family. That was the day I lost everything. You were kept from me and it took me months of planning to get close to you once again. I waited and watched you from afar as you turned into a slut. The best day was when you moved away from your family to Pine View. I knew then you were ready to be with me. That was your signal to me,” Jerome says, his voice determined as he believes his words of disgusting lies.
“You’re fucking delusional, Jerome. I’ve never tempted you or given you any indication that I want anything to do with you. And I never once turned into a slut,” I tell him, anger filling my voice as I watch him walk closer to me.
“You’re fucking lying,” Jerome yells, spittle hitting my face as he leans down over me before backhanding me so hard my head turns to the side.
This time I can’t stop myself from throwing up. The pain is so fucking bad, I dry heave and throw up bile and blood as Jerome watches me while muttering to himself about selfish girls who do nothing but lie.
“Jerome, I need to go to the bathroom. You’ve had me tied to this bed for so long. I have to clean up the throw up and take care of business,” I tell him, making my voice sound demure and soft compared to how I really feel as I spit out the blood filling my mouth from his hit.
“No, you’re lying again. You want me to cut you loose so you can try to get away from me. It’s not gonna happen, but I know you want to try,” he says, continuing to mutter under his voice as he looks all over the room and avoids me.
Jerome is pacing the bedroom close to the bed I’m laying in as he itches his arms and mutters to himself. This time I can’t make out his crazy ramblings as he tugs on his hair and I now I have to play this shit very carefully because if I upset this stupid fuck, he’s going to attack and that’s the last thing I want. I don’t know what damage has already been done to my body. Everything hurts and my ankles are both starting to swell. I’m not even sure if I can stand or walk on them at this point after trying to yank and pull them from the restraints holding me hostage.
“I’ll let you up. Don’t try anything, Brynn. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. I told you I was gonna have fun breaking you, but I don’t know that I will,” Jerome says, his voice hard and cold as he moves closer once again.
“I won’t try anything, Jerome. I just have to go to the bathroom and clean myself up,” I lie to him as I already formulate a plan in my head to get away from this stupid douche canoe.
Jerome works on untying the binds from my ankles and hesitates before moving to the head of the bed where he frees my wrists. When I pull my arms down and inspect the damage I’ve done to my skin, the blood starts rushing back into my hands causing me to bite down on my lip so hard I draw more blood to keep from crying out in pain. I refuse to give that to Jerome because I have a feeling he’ll thrive on that shit.
I take a few minutes for the blood to flow to my legs and hands again before pushing myself up from the disgusting mattress. I’m immediately dizzy when I sit up. It’s so bad I’m afraid I won’t have the strength to do what I have to in order to get away from Jerome and that I’ll fall on my face at his feet instead. After taking a minute while sitting up, I push up from the bed and sway on my feet. Jerome does nothing to help me and I don’t want his nasty as fuck hands on me anyway.
His attention isn’t on me as I turn to the side and grab the lamp off the bed. It’s heavier than I thought it would be. It does nothing to deter me from completing my goal of taking out my kidnapper and stalker long enough to get away from this fucking place to find someone who will actually help me get home to Kingston where I belong.
Turning as fast as I can while holding the lamp with both hands, I swing it and nail Jerome right in his temple. He immediately slumps to the floor and I get the fuck away from him. Rushing through the house, I head down the short hallway and look at every window I come across. They all have bars on the outside so I can’t get out of them. Seeing the door in front of me, I race as fast as I can there and turn the handle while trying to yank it open. It doesn’t budge and I know he’s locked it somehow and I’ll need a key to get out. A key I don’t have and refuse to search his pants pockets for right now. Moving on, I continue through the house and discover it’s a one story place that’s extremely small.
I don’t find a way out until I make it to the bedroom at the back of the house. I’m guessing it’s the master bedroom when I take a quick look around at the large room with its own bathroom, a walk-in closet, and large area for a bed and sitting section to watch TV or read. Rushing to the window to the left of me, I see it doesn’t have bars and relief fills me as I unlock it and try to push it open. The window doesn’t move no matter how I try to force it. Looking around the room again, I don’t see anything to help me break the window and there’s almost no strength left in my body. The only reason I’m still standing on my feet is due to the adrenaline coursing through me and my determination to get back to the man I love.
With one last determined push, I manage to open the window. It slides all the way open with a loud screeching noise. There’s no way in hell Jerome won’t hear it if he’s starting to wake up from the hit he took to the head. Knowing I have one chance to get away from him, I don’t hesitate to force my body through the window. I land in a heap on the cold, hard ground beneath the window and I want nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry from more pain filling my body. Instead, I push off the ground and race toward the front of the house. Finding the driveway, I follow it, trying not to feel the rocks and other debris digging and cutting into the soft skin of my feet. If I let myself think about it, I’ll stop and won’t keep moving forward.
I keep pushing myself until I get to the road. Looking both ways, I see absolutely no traffic as I try to determine which way to go. My gut is telling me to head to the left, so that’s what I do. I’ve always been taught to follow my gut feelings and they’ve never led me astray before now. Staying as close to the road as I can, I try to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s getting colder out with every passing minute and I know I won’t be able to continue on like this for very long.
I’m not sure how much time passes when I hear the loud rumbling engines of motorcycles. Stopping in my tracks, I wait for the bikes to get closer before I step out in the middle of the road. They’ll have no choice but to stop or risk running me over. Thankfully, they stop.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” a man shouts, his voice harsh over the rumbling of his bike’s engine.
“Help me, please. I need to get back to Kingston Stevens,” I cry out, my voice breaking and hardly audible over the engines.
I can’t allow myself to wonder if this club is friends with the Phantom Bastards or if I just replaced one horrible situation for another one. At this point, anything is better than being with Jerome and whatever plans he has for me.
“You know King?” another man asks me as I feel myself swaying once again and there’s nothing I can do to stop myself from passing out.
Just before I’m consumed by the darkness completely, I feel a strong set of arms lift me before I can hit the ground beneath me. A conversation is taking place, but I don’t understand the words being said as I’m moved off the road and placed gently in a vehicle. The only reason I know it’s a vehicle is because I’m laid across a seat that hurts certain parts of my body as it sticks to me. Whimpers escape me as the blackness finally consumes me and I lose consciousness.