Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
BLUE
Life, destiny, fate, whatever it may be, laughs in my face. It's a cruel sound but a common one for me. Probably the worst thing I have ever fucking heard in my entire life. So horrible, I can't help but cry out and shoot back into my body. I shudder at the out-of-body experience I just had.
Of course, of fucking course, shortly after I decide to escape and actually enact it, it's thwarted.
"Kittyyyyy! I'm hoooooome!"
No, no, no, no!
The flare of pain in my finger is a distant feeling as a nail rips off. I think—I haven't necessarily been lucid. Keep pulling. Just keep swimming!
Thud. Thud. Thud. Clarence is here, just outside the wooden door. Is he only here to taunt me, or is he going to take a step further today and come in while I'm awake? How would he know if I'm awake, though?
Thud! "Kitty!"
My neck tweaks as I whip around to face the door as it rattles.
I cringe as I look back down at the hole in the floorboards.
I've managed to get a few big shards off, opening the hole up about a foot and a half wide.
Can I fit through this? Should I start digging in the dirt underneath?
An escape tunnel is my goal, but it's not going to happen with a snap of my nail-less fingers.
The universe opens up in a cascade of tears that pound on the rickety roof above me. I can almost picture Fate cackling at me as she drips liquid in a fit of giggles. Bitch. At least rain would make the ground squishy.
Clarence curses outside and starts muttering. I only catch a few words that make my lungs hurt with the speed of my breaths.
"Rain...Drenched...Inside...Key...Cunt..."
I hear a slight jingling through the downpour roaring outside. He's coming in?!
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..." Oh my god. What do I do? What would the guys do in my position?
I almost laugh when I think about what Jared and Declan would do. The insults and shaky confidence would be great right until they try to fight their way out of here. I've seen Declan get socked in the face, and it's not pretty.
I bet Roman could talk himself out of this situation, but unfortunately, my communication skills are a bad mix between Jared and Felix. There's no way I can stay calm and serious enough to wield pretty words.
Felix, on the other hand…he's a cocky pain in my ass, but he's usually right. I will deny I ever thought that if asked.
What would you do, Felix? I think to myself as my eyes dart around the depressing shed. Show me your fucking loyalty, Felix. What would you do?
BANG!
Terror shoots through every morsel of my body, flinging me forward. Unintentionally, my weak frame covers the work I did, but the reaction to hide my head beneath my arms leaves me at a disadvantage.
Why didn't I fight to survive sooner? I could excuse my behavior by listing my injuries and incredibly fucked up thought processes, but I don't. It's because of me and only me that I am stuck in this position. The escape plan could have been completed by now had I just fucking tried sooner.
Wet slaps of shoes on the creaky floorboards make me tense. "You awake, kitty?"
That nickname makes bile burn my esophagus. Sick bastard. What do I do? Play along like I'm asleep? But what if he tries to take advantage of me and jumps on me before I can move?
Tick, tock.
Felix, what would you do?
His voice comes to me in a sure, steady way that eases some of my anxiety. Turn your head and get eyes on him. Don't worry about giving yourself away. Make sure to check for weapons and his distance from you.
My neck protests as I do as Felix would do, but I promise to get a fabulous massage if I get out of here. When, Felix's voice scolds in my mind.
I roll my eyes and look around with my head just slightly above the floor. And there he fucking is. "S-see you still rock a beer belly."
Shit! Oops!
Good one! Jared and Declan chime in on my delirious thoughts.
I see Felix's face go red in my imagination just as Roman would pale. That comment just slipped out, and unfortunately, I think I'm about to pay for it.
"You little fucking cunt!" Clarence snaps, his yellow teeth grossing me out the closer he stomps toward me.
ROLL! Felix demands, but I can't. All my energy went into opening the stupid hole I didn't get to use.
The stench of stale beer and body odor swarms me just before pain explodes through my ribcage. Clarence, the fucker, is yelling obscenities, but I'm too busy trying to wheeze a goddamn breath in.
"T-t-thank yewwww," I wheeze out, once I realize he rolled me over onto my back.
Black spots dance in my vision, but imagining Declan shooing them away with a fly swatter makes me smile and open my eyes.
Sadly, the image above me isn't my high school best friend running around with a fly swatter.
It's Clarence pointing and shouting at the tiny ass hole in the floor.
Get up. Or crawl. I don't fucking care, just stop making jokes for a damn second and RUN! Felix’s final vicious word collides with Clarence's. "You were trying to RUN?!"
Biting the inside of my cheek, I tune out the rest of the old, fat pedophile’s rant and slip my elbows beneath me. My ribs protest, but I'm more than halfway out of my mind, so I just think of it as a period cramp.
Being a woman is hard. Yeah, that's all I'm dealing with right now. If I tell myself I'm half asleep, still drunk, and on my period, it's basically the same thing.
Blue motherfucking Bennett...Felix sounds exasperated in my mind.
"Yeah, yeah," I breathe quietly and position myself on my hands and knees. Clarence, who I'm thinking might be drunk, is now swaying and looking at me.
"Stay right there, little kitty." He licks his lips as his beady eyes dip to my breasts, which are completely fucking covered in a baggy T-shirt!
Christ, he's gross.
"You've changed, kitty. More than a handful now," he slurs as I slowly climb to my feet.
Easy now. You’ve got this, sweetheart. Go slow so you don't get dizzy, Felix warns, reminding me of my predicament. But that also reminds me of why I'm here in the first fucking place.
"And s-some things don't. You're still p-preying on young women, asshole." Getting full sentences is hard. While it's slightly warmer out right now, the temperature is dropping fast, and I haven't had the chance to warm up in so long.
Clarence tsks and shakes his head, inching closer to me like I'm a wild animal. "No, kitty. It's always been about you. I get what I want, no matter how long it takes."
What?
His smile slips from sleazy into something that will make me have nightmares for the rest of my life. Clarence is looking at me like I'm precious, like an obsession.
"Sure, the girl is pretty, but her videos are all about you. That's how I found you. Her perfect role model and the one everyone loves. Now it's my turn to love you, kitty."
Fucking hell, get the fuck out of there! Felix bellows in tune with the throbbing in my head. There's too much to think about, to process, right now when I'm pretty sure I'm about to pass out.
The look on my face must convey my determination because the nasty, sweet smile on the drunk man's face flips right to thunderous, and I guess, offended.
My calves flex and my toes curl of their own accord. Fight-or-flight response activated. I didn't have the ability to fight days ago, but I sure as shit am not going to talk myself out of running.
Freezing wind kisses the back of my neck, and I answer its enticing call. I fucking run.