CHAPTER 41 MINA
The party is already in full swing when we arrive. Music pours from the packed house, and for a moment, I feel bad for the neighbors. Then I notice that the neighbors all seem to be in on it, hosting various parties of their own.
“Gives a whole new meaning to block party, huh?” I say to Katie, who nods in affirmation.
We link arms and enter the fray. We’re greeted enthusiastically as we enter, passing from one room to the next, each packed with costumed partygoers. We make our way out to the back patio where the bar is set up. We each grab a drink and start swaying to the music. We slowly work our way back inside, stopping to chat with other partygoers as we go.
It’s been so long since I’ve been at a party like this, and it feels a little overwhelming at first. The evening goes on, and after a few more drinks, I’m feeling much more at ease. We’re having a blast, dancing and socializing, and I’m definitely feeling a buzz.
“I’m going to go get us more drinks,” Katie shouts over the music.
I give her a thumbs up and stay where I am, swaying and vibing to the beat. A whole song plays through, and it occurs to me that she should have returned by now. I start to scan the crowd for her when someone grabs my wrist and spins me around. For a second, I’m disoriented. It’s a man in a Ghostface mask, and he pulls me close. I raise my hands to his chest and push, but he holds me tight. He leans forward, and a familiar voice hisses in my ear.
“You thought you could get rid of me that easily, huh?”
My blood runs cold. “Jason, let go!” I futilely beat against his chest, but the drinks in my system do me no favors. I reach up and rip the mask away, revealing his face, twisted in an evil sneer.
“No, I won’t let you go,” he snarls. “In fact, tonight I’m going to make you mine. If you won’t come to me willingly, I’ll take you by force.”
He starts dragging me toward the back bedroom despite my struggles and screamed protestations. A few of our colleagues try to intervene, but he brushes them off.
“It’s just a couple’s spat. We need to talk and she’s been blowing me off.”
They back off at that point, and I realize that he had been telling everyone we are together. They believe him . I plant my feet with every step, determined to not make this easy for him. I pray for some kind of divine intervention, but none comes. I regret leaving my phone in my purse under the kitchen sink. What I wouldn’t give to be able to reach Alex right now.
We reach the bedroom and he flings the door open to find the room already occupied. There’s a couple making out on the bed, and they look up, startled at the interruption.
“We need the room,” Jason commands.
“Hey man, we were here first,” the young man protests, but Jason isn’t listening.
“I said get out!” he yells thunderously.
The couple scurries away without another word and Jason drags me inside, slamming the door behind us. I’m at his mercy. He throws me down on the bed and I’m prepared to bite, claw, kick and do whatever it takes to get out of this. He pins my wrists above my head and thankfully, decides to take this moment to monologue.
“You think you’re so clever, going to HR before I had a chance. Trying to trick me with a filthy apartment. Turning others against me. It won’t work. I’m beloved at that hospital. I’m good at my job, and not easily replaced.”
“People don’t love you,” I spit. “They fear you.”
“And yet,” he laughs, “the result is the same. They won’t touch me. This little suspension stunt is all for show. They’ll do their investigation, clear me, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
“What makes you think that?”
He lowers his voice, that sinister smile distorting his face again. “You think this is the first time I’ve beaten a harassment allegation?”
My face must have registered my shock because he laughs, tightening his grip on my wrists. “Oh, poor little girl. You really thought you were doing something here, huh? You really thought you’d bested me? It’s going to take a lot more to bring me down. More than you’ve got.”
“You really think this won’t get back to HR? That you’ll get away with this? Assaulting me at a party with all of our coworkers as witnesses?”
“Sure I do. They think it’s a lover’s spat. It’ll come down to your word against mine, and who do you think will win?”
“She will, you snake!”
Jason whirls around to face the voice, and I feel relief washing over me. It’s Katie. She must have snuck in quietly while he was talking. She’s got her phone pointed at us, recording the whole thing.
“You bitch!” Jason roars, releasing me and charging toward Katie.
I sit up, the room spinning around me, just in time to see a man burst through the door, sliding between Jason and Katie like a literal superhero. It’s Alex.