Chapter 2
SHELBY
CHAPTER TWO
On my third day awake in the basement, Cam’s condition worsens, falling in and out of consciousness.
When he’s awake, he asks me questions about Roger since every detail will better prepare us to take him down. I cringe but hold back, leaving out the part where I think I killed someone.
Hannah stays quiet except to complain about something or, in her case, everything. She’s cold, then hungry, then needs to use the bathroom. That was a fun one, convincing her to go over to the bucket.
The following day, Cam doesn’t wake up when Hannah gently shakes him.
“Hannah, does he have a fever?” I ask, wishing like hell I could reach him.
She touches her hand to his forehead. “Yes.”
“Can you lift his shirt and tell me what it looks like?”
She lifts his shirt. Shit, the wound is more than a nick but a jagged gash.
Dammit, Cam!
“Gross. It’s all red and swollen. Puss is seeping from it.” She puts his shirt down and shivers.
“It’s infected. Fuck. Fuck!” I scream as I grab my chain and pull it as hard as I can. Why did he lie about this! I have to escape and save Cam. I try to wiggle my ankle out of the cuff, which makes my ankle raw.
“Stop it, Shelby. All you’re doing is hurting yourself, you idiot.”
I pace back and forth. What should I do?
Frustrated and pissed I can’t do anything, I slide down the wall and focus on figuring out when the guys started acting off.
I’m up to the day of the ball. When they picked me up, they were fine. Dom and Mav gave me a beautiful necklace. Everything was fine during dinner. Then, the king and queen announcement…
That’s right! Hannah stopped Carrie before she went up on stage, then Carrie said those strange words.
“Hannah…” I tilt my head. “What did you tell Carrie before she went up on the stage?”
Her eyes go wide for a second before she glances away. “Nothing.”
“I saw you, Hannah. She said those weird phrases. Nick told me what they meant. It was Latin for something like, She is mine. Forget.”
Hannah hangs her head and picks at the edge of her cape, not saying anything.
Son of a bitch!
“It was you. You gave Carrie the key to trigger them!” I yell.
This whole time, I’ve been worried about her, and she was the one who helped create this whole mess. This doesn’t surprise me. She’s been gunning for me since I moved in.
Hannah sits on the ground, biting her lip and crying.
I run my hand through my dirty and greasy hair, sadness and wariness coursing through me. “I knew you hated me, Hannah, but I?—”
She interrupts me. “Yes, I did it. Well, Carrie did, but I gave her the words.”
“How could you do that to them?” I ask. “You have no idea what it’s like to have no control over your actions.”
“I think he hypnotized me too.” She covers her face with her hands while tears leave streaks on her filthy cheeks.
“Right. You’re just saying that, so you aren’t blamed.” Like I would believe anything she says anymore.
“No, I’m serious, Shelby. You have to believe me. I’ll admit I did some things on my own, like getting Luke’s iPod and yours, but that psycho promised me Luke would come back to me, and everything would return to normal.” She shakes her head. “I was so stupid.”
“And you believed him, of course.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Cin did find weird music on mine, and I took Luke’s off him.”
Things are starting to make sense now. “Do you remember the night of the party you threw?”
She shakes her head.
“And what about what happened with Luke?”
Avoiding my gaze, she shakes her head.
She didn’t know what she was doing that night. “You were acting so off that night. Even Cam mentioned how calm you were and how out of character it was for you.”
“Was I hypnotized?” Hannah’s voice quivers.
“Maybe. It’s possible.” I put my head back against the wall.
“I swear I didn’t know what I was doing. I kept hearing Luke’s voice telling me he wanted me and loved me.” She gasps. “Oh my god, I almost raped him. He’s never going to forgive me.”
“You’ll be fine, Hannah. If you talk to Luke once he’s back to normal, he’ll forgive you.” I sigh.
She sniffles. “You have to hate me. I understand why Roger says you should want to kill me.”
I let out a snort. “I don’t want to kill you, Hannah.”
“You don’t?” She chokes and moves closer to me. “Why? I would if the situation were reversed.”
“I understand what Roger is capable of. How good he is at making you believe shit. He made me do things I never would have done.” I pick imagery lint off my jeans. “From what Nick told me, my mom came into your life, then your dad is married. Suddenly, I come out of the woodwork.” I shrug. “I can see how it would piss you off.”
Hannah turns to face me. “The only thing I ever wanted in my life was to be loved. I thought Luke would be the one for me. Now, I ruined all of that.”
“Oh my god, Hannah. You are loved. Your brother and dad would do anything for you. Like I said before Hannah, be honest with Luke. Tell him you’re sorry, and I can almost guarantee he will forgive you.”
“Would you mind explaining how you met Roger and what he made you do?”
“I was about fourteen and in one of the worst group homes you could think of. The girls ganged up on me, and he came to my rescue. I thought he was my white knight. He was great at first, but then things changed. I knew if I didn’t run away from him, I wouldn’t survive. So, I left and have been running from him ever since.”
“You lived on your own for all those years? Weren’t you scared?” she questions, pulling her cape tighter together.
I roll my head back and forth on the wall “Nope, I had Cin with me. Plus, my life before wasn’t anything like yours, Hannah. My mom wasn’t around, and if she was, she was high. I had to learn to do things on my own at a very young age.”
Hannah’s eyes widen in realization. “You didn’t want to come live with us, did you?”
“No, I didn’t want my life to change.” I shake my head, thinking back on it. “I figured it would only be a matter of time before she returned to drugs. I’m glad things turned out the way they did for her, though. Your father made a big difference for her. This change brought the guys into my life, so I can’t hate where I am.”
Hannah opens her mouth to comment but stops when a car door slams shut.
I stand and look Hannah directly in her eyes. “Whatever happens, Hannah, keep your mouth shut. Let me handle him.”
Locks flip before Roger stomps down the stairs.
“Good morning, everyone. How are you doing today?” He walks right over to Cam, peering down at him. “Oh, my, he doesn’t look good.”
He pokes the wound with his finger, and Cam moans.
“Hey, stop that! You need to let him go,” I say with all the conviction I have.
He turns around and walks toward me. “And why would I do that?”
“You want my cooperation, don’t you?” I cross my arms and raise my chin.
He turns his head away from me. “Do we want her cooperation or just make her do it?”
He stares at nothing, mumbling quietly. He’s completely gone berserk, which makes him a lot more dangerous.
“But it’s so much fun,” he replies, tapping his chin. “Yes, you’re right. It would be easier.”
“Hey, Roger, let Cam go. He’s no use to you this way. And if he dies, I will fight you with everything I have,” I say with defiance.
He stalks closer, backing me up against the wall. Like a snake, he strikes, grabbing my neck and squeezing. “No matter what, I’ll convince you to do what I want, but you’re right. Your cooperation would make things easier. I’ll drop him where he can find help.” He shakes his head back and forth. “Maybe.”
He stares at me for a few minutes.
“And what about her?” He points to Hannah, who’s bawling, tears streaming down her cheeks while sitting on the floor.
I make sure not to show any feeling on my face. “I don’t care what you do with her.”
His black eyes drill into me. I need to make sure he believes I don’t give a shit about Hannah.
He turns toward the wall again. “Should we believe her?”
He stands almost like he is listening to someone else.
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” His black eyes lock back onto me. “We’ll drop him somewhere where he can find help, but if you fight us, we’ll go back and kill them all. When I return, we’ll take care of her.”
I glance over to where Hannah is.
Roger goes over and pulls Hannah up by her hair. “Help me take him to the car.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, then bends and unlocks her cuff.
She stands and moves over to Cam, placing her hands under his shoulders. Her face strains as she tried to lift Cam. “I can’t. He’s too heavy.”
Roger backhands her. “You’re worthless.”
He stoops down grabbing Cam and throws him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry before heading upstairs. The locks engage on the door again.
I listen for the car to start and drive off.
Hannah covers her face. “Please don’t kill me. I’m sorry for everything. Luke and I didn’t do anything in the bathroom. I swear.”
“Calm down, Hannah. I told you I wasn’t going to kill you.” I stare at the basement exit for another second before turning to her.
“You’re not?” Her shoulders droop with relief.
“No, I’m going to help you out of here.”
Her perfectly manicured eyebrows snap together. “How?”
I point to the floor. “Roger made a mistake. He forgot to shackle your leg. Come here.” I wave her over to me, reach out, and rip her cape off of her.
“Hey!” she shouts.
I wrap it around my hand and shuffle over to the window. “Drag the cot over here, then stand back.”
Once the cot is in place, I climb onto it, then wait for her to move. I tighten my hand around the material and punch the small window out. Sweeping my hand back and forth, I make sure to clear all the glass.
“Okay, Hannah, I need you to listen to me.” I grab her shoulders. “You’re going to go through the window and run like hell.”
“Wait, aren’t you coming with me?” she cries.
“I can’t.” I shake my leg, and more tears flow down her cheeks. I grab her and shake her a bit. “Listen, Hannah, we’re not friends, but my life is in your hands right now. You can do this. You’re stronger than you think. You need to run until you find a cop or find a way to call Nick. While you’re running, try looking for a street sign or something, so you can tell them where I am.”
“I can’t do this.” She wraps her arms around herself.
“Hannah, your one tough ass bitch. You can do this. Now come on. You need to go find Nick and tell him everything.”
After pushing the cot out of the way, I stand beneath the window, bend my knees, and cup my hands for her to put her foot in, giving her more leverage than the cot would have provided.
She wipes her tears before placing her foot in my hands.
Grunting, I boost her up.
“This might hurt a bit,” I say as she’s halfway through the window.
I push her harder by her leg, and she wiggles her way through.
She turns and peeks through the window. “I’m out.”
“Good.” I reach up and hand her the cape. “Use this to cover your legs in case it’s cold out. I’m trusting you to save me. Now go. Hurry.”
She puts her hand in the window, and I grab it. “I won’t let you down.”
She takes off, and I watch her run until she is out of my line of sight.
Letting out a deep breath, I slide down the moldy wall.
“I’m counting on you,” I murmur to myself.
That is something I never thought I would say about Hannah. I lean my head against the wall as tears fall down my face, and I just let myself grieve for everything that has happened in the last week.
I should never have believed Roger was dead. But what was I to do, constantly look over my shoulder for the rest of my life? I’m going to have to end him myself. That’s the only way I can be sure he’s gone.
While thinking of the guys, I rub my chest over my heart to ease the heartache. It’s not that I didn’t expect the guys not to have any doubts about our relationship. It’s so new, but it still hurts hearing Roger throw their doubts in my face.
God, I hope Cam will be all right.
I wipe away the tears. The pity party is over. If I’m going to survive this, I need to be strong. Roger will do everything in his bag of tricks to put me under his control. He’s always been a bit unstable, but now, he’s psychotic. But I’ll fight him with everything I have.
Stealing my spine, I lock in a tight box in my mind all my feelings, any doubts about the guys or mom, and anything else Roger can use against me.
Time slips by as I wait for him to return.
I must have nodded off as I’m jolted awake by the slamming of a car door.
“That fucking bitch,” Roger seethes.
Oops, I guess he sees the broken window.
He quickly unlocks the door, running down the stairs.
“What did you do? Why did you let her go?” he growls, storming toward me. He wraps his hand around my throat, squeezing tightly.
“She wouldn’t stop whining and was so annoying. So, I let her go.” I gasp while shrugging my shoulders, trying to appear as if I don’t care. “You were the one who left her untied.”
Roger growls, releasing my throat before he starts to pace the room, running his fingers through his hair. “I told you we shouldn’t trust her, Roger.”
I snort. “Cut the Randell/Roger bull shit. You don’t have a twin brother. You’re the only one in that head.” I tap his forehead.
His shoulders relax. “Thank God. I was tired of being two people.”
“Why did you do it anyway?” I take a step back. Wanting space between us.
“I’m hoping Nick spends all his time trying to find my twin instead of looking for me.” He walks around in a small circle.
“He will find you, Roger. He’s smarter than you.”
“We’ll see.” He rubs his chin. “I know you thought you let her go hoping for her to lead someone back to save you.”
“Her, save me?” I laugh, feigning disbelief. “That bitch has hated me from day one. She’s probably out there now, praying you kill me.”
I’m not quick enough to protect myself from his first attack. He swings his leg around, and his boot hits me right in my face. I tumble to my side.
“You fucking bitch, you have to ruin everything!” he screams as he kicks me.
I curl into a ball, protecting myself as much as possible.
“Now, I have to stop what I’m doing and prepare the next place. We have to move early now. Dammit.”
Oh, God, no, we can’t move. If we move, then they will never find me.
Roger screams in frustration before turning to stomp back up the stairs, leaving me on the floor of the basement.
In the distance, the car starts, and he peels away.
I slowly uncurl my body, testing my injuries. My side is killing me, along with my face. My right eye is already starting to swell shut. My body shakes, and I don’t think it’s from the cold. I pull Nick’s jacket around my body as tight as I can and move as far away from the open window as I can get.
I will survive this. I will survive this, I keep repeating.