29. Rory
RORY
“This is all your fault!” Chad yells.
“Relax. He’s still here, and he’ll have to come out eventually.”
“What if we miss him?”
“Where’s he going to go? All the doors are guarded, and the windows are too high.”
“What if Hart finds out where we are?”
“He won’t, but that’s what all the guns are for.”
“Fine, but I want one.”
“Do you even know how to handle a gun?”
He scoffs. “Do you actually care about gun safety?”
“I’d prefer not to get my dick shot off.”
“What dick?”
“If you want to see it, you could just ask.”
“I’d rather bleach my eyeballs.”
“You ever poured bleach in someone’s—”
“Found him!” a voice yells from far away.
“Where?”
They aren’t anywhere near me. Could they be tracking his phone? Do they have cameras that saw me? Or are they bluffing to get me to come out?
“Down here.”
Shit, I need to move, but where am I going to go? I was lucky to find this hiding spot. No. It’s best if I just stay here and defend this little opening. Most of the muscle he’s got here won’t fit anyway.
“Is it this one?” Oh, hell. They’re getting closer.
“Two more down. There’s a hole. Watch it so he doesn’t run out.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Here. I see it.” I pull back against the wall of the crate as much as I can. “Fuck, it’s dark. I can’t see if he’s in there.”
“Use your flashlight, dumbass,” Troll says.
“Oh, right.” I see the light turn on and then a creepy face pops into my hidey hole. “Hey there, cutie. Maybe the boss will give me a turn with you since I found you—” I kick him in the face, and he retreats. “Motherfucker. That fucker broke my nose.”
“Like one more time will make a difference.” Troll laughs.
“Yeah, well, it still hurts,” he grumbles.
“Let me try.” Another head pokes in, and he’s ready for me to kick him in the face, so he grabs my foot, but he isn’t fast enough to grab both, so I pull back and stomp his nose. “Goddamnit!”
Travis just laughs. “Rory. We’ve found you. Now make this easier and come out.”
“Fuck you,” I shout.
“Enough of this shit. Get out here now!” Chad yells.
“Come and get me, you coward.”
“Coward!” Chad sounds pissed. “You go in there and get him. This is your fault. You let him loose. Said you like when they fight.”
“I do. You should feel how hard my dick is right now.”
“Fucking gross. But how are we going to get him out?”
“With this.”
With what?
“Just be careful. Unlike you, I want him alive when I fuck him.” Eww, the Troll wants to fuck my corpse? What the hell is wrong with him?
“No promises.”
I scream and scramble back when something hits the side of the crate so hard the wood splinters. A few more hits, and I can tell it’s an axe.
Fuck, what am I going to do?
“I know it’d terribly cliche, but—” Travis’s face peeks through the splintered wood. “Here’s Johnny.” I roll my eyes after I get my surprise under control. “You’ve got nowhere to hide now, rabbit.”
“Don’t you call me that,” I hiss. “Only my Daddy gets to call me rabbit.”
“I can be your Daddy.” Travis licks his lips. “But I’m not a very good caretaker. All my boys end up dead.”
“Cause you’re a sick fuck!”
“Such language.” Travis tsks.
“Stop fucking around and get him out of there,” Chad demands.
“He’s not going—” Travis stops speaking as the warehouse goes dark around him.
“Shit. What happened?” Chad’s voice shakes.
“Relax. This building is old as shit, and this happens sometimes.”
The sound of gunfire reaches my ears.
“And is that part of the building being old?” Chad asks sarcastically.
“Um, no.” Now Travis sounds worried, then he starts barking commands. “And get him out of there. We need him or we have nothing.”
“The hole is too small still,” someone says.
Chad’s face gets near the hole, and if he was close enough, I would kick him. But he’s smart enough to stay back.
“Hey, listen. Maybe we can help each other out. You come out, and I’ll let you go if you call off Hart.” His voice is sweet and friendly now.
“Too late.” I grin widely even though he can’t see me in the dark, and I still have his phone. “My Daddy is going to make you pay.”
“Look, you little shit. I’ll fucking shoot you and then you won’t get to see Hart ever again.”
“Chad!” Travis yells. “Stay with him. He’s our only bargaining chip now.”
“I fucking know that,” he shouts back.
“You should have just taken your punishment like a man,” I taunt. “But no, you had to be, what did Travis call you?” I pause. “Oh yeah. A whiny bitch.”
“Get over here, you little piece of shit.” Chad’s arm comes through the hole and waves around, frantically trying to grab me.
Too bad for him, I catch it first and pull it back with all my strength, which isn’t much but still.
He cries out in pain, and then a nursing lesson pops into my mind about hyper-extended elbows.
So I kick it the wrong way and let it go while Chad screams and pulls it out.
“It just hurts, doesn’t it? No pleasure whatsoever.”
“You…” Chad pants roughly before stumbling back and opening fire on the crate. I lie down as flat as I can and cover my head.