5. Lara
5
LARA
My stomach rumbles as I lie on the floor, facing the doorway. At least I was able to go to the bathroom earlier, but now I’m starving.
I’ve been here for hours. Maybe a day? I can’t really tell the time because the window is covered by a black-out curtain. My muscles ache from being practically hog-tied.
“Hey! Are you going to let me starve in here?”
Nothing.
My heart starts to race.
What if they just leave me here to rot? What if I die here on this dirty, rotting carpet? It isn’t like the Murphys care about my life. And they should know I’m never going to tell them anything.
I focus on the movement of shadows beneath the door, knowing that someone is coming. The door swings open slowly, and I look up to see Scott standing there.
“What are you yelling about, bitch?”
“I’m hungry.” This time my voice doesn’t shake.
If they haven’t killed me yet, they don’t have orders to. Besides, I’d overheard Oscar saying they weren’t supposed to hurt me. Starving me isn’t something that Niall wants.
Scott sighs and exits the room, leaving the door open.
The brief peer into the rest of the house makes me focus on possible exits.
I can see down the stairs. The front door is closed, but there appears to be a kitchen at the back. I can see just the edge of a stove.
Is there a back door through the kitchen?
When Scott returns, he’s got a sandwich on a plate, and my mouth is practically watering.
He chuckles when I look up at him.
“You look good on your knees,” he drawls, and my heart starts to pound in my ears.
“Fuck you,” I spit.
Scott backs up, holding the sandwich over his head.
“You’d better be nice to me, little bitch, or I’ll let you starve.”
“I bet Niall would love that.”
He blinks. “How the hell would you know?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m still alive, so he wants something from me. I’m guessing it’s not my starvation.”
He shrugs.
“Can I have the sandwich now?” There’s anger and irritation in my voice, but Scott just grins.
“Crawl to me. Beg me for it.”
A shudder passes over me. “No way.”
He raises a black eyebrow. “No? Well then, I guess you’ll just go hungry. Little thing like you, won’t take long to starve you to death.”
“You are willing to defy Niall Murphy’s orders?”
“You think Niall gives a shit about a Burke girl? The only reason you haven’t been killed?—”
He stops, but I need to hear the end to that sentence.
“Why? Why haven’t I been killed?”
“Because you know something.”
“I don’t know anything.” And it’s mostly true. I don’t know much about what my brothers and father do for work. I know that it’s violent. I know that it’s illegal. I know it makes us a lot of money.
But I don’t know specifics, and I don’t want to.
“We’ll see about that. Now, if you want this sandwich, you’ll have to crawl to me like the Burke bitch you are.”
“I’d rather starve.” I deflate, because I’m honestly getting a little desperate.
I’m not one of those girls that goes for hours or days without eating. I’m thin, but that’s only because I have a high metabolism.
Scott shrugs. “Guess that’s your prerogative.”
He turns and closes the door, and a chill sweeps through my body. Oh, God. What is he going to do without Oscar here to be the unexpected voice of reason?
He waggles the sandwich under my nose.
I can smell cheese and turkey, and God, I want it so badly.
I don’t have the use of my arms, so I bite at the sandwich, my teeth clicking together with a snap when he pulls it away. I inwardly groan as Scott laughs.
I hate this. I hate playing these games with my captors. All I want is some damn food.
“Are you going to beg for it?” He looks down at me.
“Never,” I growl, but my stomach makes such a noise that we can both hear it.
“Then starve.”
“Fuck you.”
Scott leans down, making the mistake of getting too close, and instead of biting for the sandwich, I sink my teeth into his forearm.
He yelps and pulls away, but he pulls me with him because I bite even harder, tasting blood like iron on my tongue.
He shakes me like he would an annoying bug and finally, my teeth scrape off his skin, and I fall to the floor.
I hit my head, and a cut opens up above my eyebrow.
I hiss, and Scott roars, coming toward me.
I wiggle on the floor, tripping him up, and he goes down like a sack of potatoes.
I crawl and hop toward the door, hoping that Oscar is still downstairs and can’t get up here soon enough. I’m not really thinking through an escape. I just want to get out of this room, away from creepy Scott who has been withholding my food.
I make it almost to the door before Scott grabs me by the hair, yanking me back.
I dig my fingernails into the carpet, but all that happens is that my index and middle fingernails break down to the quick.
Fuck, that hurts.
I let out a feral scream and turn around, gnashing my teeth, having lost all dignity at this point. All I know is I want Scott to stop touching me. I don’t care about the food anymore. I just want him to leave me alone.
“You really are a hell cat,” he mumbles, and cuts the zip ties on my ankles, freeing my legs, which is a mistake.
I kick him in the chest, and he lets out all his breath, getting winded.
I’m trying to stand up when he grabs me again, brandishing a knife.
He puts it against my thigh. “There’s an artery right there. A big one. If you don’t want to bleed out, I suggest you shut the fuck up.”
I want to scream but instead, I just keep my mouth shut, worried that he’ll cut me. Worried that he’ll call for Oscar, and I’ll get shot.
All my rage has cooled, and now I’m trembling. “Don’t hurt me. I’ll beg you for the sandwich. Just please don’t hurt me.”
Scott chuckles low in his throat. “It’s a little too late for that, Burke bitch.”
I scream and kick at him again when he tries to spread my legs, but he’s got a good grip on me, and the knife slashes across my skin, stinging.
It’s not deep, but it’s long, and blood trickles down to the carpet.
I look up at him, and his grin is downright terrifying.
He is coming for me. Question is, what is he going to do with me?
Because whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll wish for death soon enough.
Chapter Six