Chapter 12
Fear threatens to suffocate me whole as I struggle in the arms of my captor. Air flushes out of my nose in rapid bursts as I try to relax my breathing and then, a voice as smooth as whiskey hits my ear in a soft whisper.
“You should be more aware of your surroundings, love. I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”
I shove the tears back as I battle with my mind, convincing it that we’re not in danger.
That I’m not being hurt again, that my captor isn’t going to tear me apart but I can’t stop the images from flashing across my mind.
Horrific flashbacks from my attack stab into me, puncturing my insides like serrated blades.
I feel my body begin to tremble. Hands shaking like stray leaves in the wind.
No, no no.. please, not now.
Panic drowns me from the inside out and I’m too weak to stop it.
It fills my lungs with black tar and my nails claw against Kincaid’s skin.
Tearing at the intricate ink and metal rings.
I know it’s him behind me but my mind won’t believe my thoughts, it refuses to believe me because all I can see is Chris.
The way his grimy hands grappled against my flesh, how he shoved me down onto the wet ground.
“Pl.. please.. don’t hurt.. me.” I whimper against the palm of his hand, words stuttering. “Ch.. ris.. I.. I.. don’t want.. this.”
Kincaid freezes behind me, at least I think it’s him. It has to be, Chris isn’t here anymore. I made sure of that. I made sure that he would never hurt another living soul, I..
“Baby, it’s me,” his calm voice washes over me as he slowly peels his hand away from my mouth. “It’ll always be me. I’m right here.”
My bottom lip trembles as I turn in his arms to face him.
I’m so scared at what I might find but I need to know.
Guilt like I’ve never seen before floods his handsome face, even in the darkness with just a shard of moonlight slipping through the window, he’s still so beautiful.
Hurt swims in his dark eyes and I want to brush away the crease that’s forming between his brows but I can’t move.
“Kin.. what are you doing here?”
How come I didn’t see him following me? I’m so fucking stupid, and now I’ve brought him into this.
“You need to leave. You can’t be here.” I say, attempting to wiggle out of his hold but he refuses to budge. Kincaid uses his arms to pull me closer. “I’m not going anywhere because what the fuck was that? What just happened then?”
Shame overflows me because Kincaid was never meant to see me like that. So vulnerable, so raw and open. My gaze drops from his face and I try to turn my head away but he doesn’t let me. Rough fingers grasp my chin and I’m forced to look at him, and only him.
“Don’t hide away from me, love. I know I shouldn't be here, and I know I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you like that, and I know.. I shouldn’t have followed you here but..” His voice trails off. Anguish and confusion causes the crease in between his brow to deepen further.
“I think you–”
Kincaid cuts me off. “No. I know you’re going to tell me to leave, that whatever you’re doing here doesn’t concern me but it does. Everything that you do, concerns me.”
I desperately want to tell him that I’m glad he’s here, that I don’t have to do this alone but this is my problem.
My burden to bear. I’m too fucked up for him and in the long run, he’ll realise that and leave.
He’ll see me for who I really am. A broken woman whose insides are tainted and bruised– a hollow vessel.
As I place my hands on his chest to push him away again, he grips my hoodie firmly and yanks me towards him.
Why won’t he just let me go? Why can’t he see the monster inside of me?
“Go,” I say firmly. “I’m none of your concern, just forget about me because I’ll only break your heart.” The words feel like poison as they leave my lips but it’s the only way to protect him because he deserves someone good, someone who isn’t me.
I can feel my heart cracking in two as I watch the tears well in his eyes, the muscle in his jaw ticking with every grind of his teeth.
“So break it,”
My brows crease in confusion. “What?”
He nods his head once. “Break it. Crack it in two, shatter it to pieces because the thought of not having you in my life, of not having you like this in my arms, of not knowing you is already breaking my heart so I doubt you could do anymore damage.”
“I don’t care about why you’re here, or what you came here to do.
I couldn’t give a fuck about any of that, but what I do care about is you.
Nothing you say will ever change that, it’ll never send me away or have me running for the hills because I can guarantee that whatever you think is living inside of you, the thing that lives inside of me wants to love it. ”
His words create fountains of tears to stream down my face and as I part my lips to voice the invisible words that I want to say, he cups my cheek in a gentle hold, obsidian eyes burning like a wildfire.
“And if you’re going to run, then take this with you,” he jabs his finger into the solid muscle of his chest, right where his heart lies behind its ivory cage. “Because I don’t want it if it doesn’t belong to you. I have no use for it.”
Gently he lets his hand fall away from my face, instantly I feel the loss and the coldness of this wretched house settles on my skin, then he backs away. His arms hang heavy at the side of him, a look of defeat on his face.
What have I done?
We stare at each other. Hearts aching to be together, and it’s all my fault. I’ve hurt him because of my own issues, issues that he’s more than willing to carry. He continues to prove that every time we’re together.
Just as he’s about to walk out of the door, his eyes widen and everything happens so fast. One minute I’m standing in front of him, the next I’m being yanked behind his body just as blood sprays across my face from his mouth.
Kincaid’s head whips to the side as Leroy stands there, chest heaving, a heavy baseball bat in his hand.
Droplets of blood begin to trickle down my face, the copper taste settling on my lips.
“Kin!” I cry, fear lodging itself in my throat. In his hazy state he manages to keep me out of the way as Leroy charges again. Sweat clings to his mottled skin, the white vest covering his round body is covered in mystery stains and cigarette burns.
Just as he swings the bat again, Kincaid grasps it in his hand but I don’t miss the sound of the bones cracking in his hand from the force. His teeth clash together and the blood from his smashed lip seeps in between the cracks.
“Ru.. run, Brynne.” He snarls through gritted teeth as Leroy pushes the bat towards Kincaid. Leroy is shorter in height but that doesn’t stop him from throwing all his weight behind the force of the bat.
Terror clings to my flesh but I refuse to leave Kincaid behind.
I brought him into this mess and I need to get us both out of it.
Just as Kincaid has the upper hand on shoving the bat away, I scramble out from behind him and skid against the floor to grab my bag, my fingers fumble with the zip and just as I’m about to yank it open, fire spreads across my scalp.
“No!” I hear Kincaid yell as Leroy grips my hair in his filthy hands.
He tries to drag me away, feet skidding across the floor but I refuse to fucking die like this.
I’ll never allow another man like Leroy, like Chris, to ever touch me again.
My hand dives into the bag, then I wrap my hand around the handle of the knife that I brought with me and pull it free.
Once it’s in my hand, I raise it and stab it straight through Leroy’s bare foot, causing him to release my hair.
He roars in pain and falls backward, cradling his injured foot.
Instantly Kincaid is at my side, blood pouring out of his mouth. He takes my face in his hands. “Please tell me that you’re okay.” He murmurs, fingers shaking against my skin.
“I.. I’m fine, but he needs to fucking die.” I grunt through the pain that’s still radiating across my scalp. Slowly I lift my hand to rub the sore spot just as Leroy begins to rise from the floor. Thick blood oozes around the knife, then it seeps between the cracks of his hairy toes.
His eyes meet mine but I don’t back down, not this time.
“It’s you,” he grunts, “you’re that fucking whore from the dating website.”
I can feel the heat that burns from Kincaid at Leroy’s words.
He helps me up from the floor and just as Leroy attempts to grab the bat again, I stomp on his fingers with my booted foot.
The fragile bones in his hands snap and crack, causing him to wail in agony.
I grind my foot down like stubbing out a cigarette on the floor.
“I’m glad you remembered me because I remember every word that you sent to me. I remember the way you threatened to rape me, that you wanted to fuck me raw but I don’t think you realised just exactly who you were messing with, do you?”
Kincaid practically radiates with anger at the side of me. “You fucking what?” He seethes and it takes all my energy to hold him back but it’s not enough, he’s too far gone. He shoves past my arm and grips Leroy’s vest in his hand, then sends his other fist into his face.
“What the fuck did you say to her, you little prick!?” He seethes through gritted teeth. Blood splatters across his cheeks, fleshing, splitting open with every blow as Kincaid pummels Leroy’s face to a pulp.
Teeth clatter to the floor like little marbles and as much as I want to see Leroy in pain, the thought of Kincaid doing my dirty work turns my stomach sour.