Chapter Thirty-Eight
Penny
“H ey, baby,” Trey says, wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing my neck. “You hungry?”
Hungry for him, yes.
Hamburgers, meh.
“Starved.” I turn to meet his kiss. “Do you need anything from the store?”
“No, why? Did I forget something?” He frowns, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“Your daughter has decided she wants to make cupcakes too. She still very much wants her frog cake from the bakery, but she thinks she also needs pink cupcakes. I told her we could bake some.”
He lets out a relieved breath. “I’m good. Everyone should be over soon. Well, not Roan since he’s on call, but Hollis is bringing the kids. Are you going to take the girls with you?”
“We should be quick,” I assure him. “Roux needs to feed Emilia and Charlotte wants to get started on the macaroni. Zella and I’ll be gone twenty minutes tops. When I get back, I can put Charlotte on baking duty with Zella while me and Roux decorate the house.”
Since Zella is nearby, we don’t mention the surprise swing set. Last night, the guys worked late clearing an area where they’re going to build it. It’ll be our job this afternoon to keep it from her. Tomorrow, on the day of her birthday party, she’ll be so surprised when she goes outside and sees it. I cannot wait to see the look on her adorable face.
“Love you,” Trey murmurs as he smacks my ass. “Hurry back.”
I give him a quick kiss before grabbing my wallet and keys. “Let’s go, princess!”
She bounces over to me, her curls dancing wildly, and grabs my hand. I can’t stop smiling as she chatters a mile a minute about her birthday party. Once I load her up in my Jeep, we drive out of the campgrounds and onto the main road. The grocery store is just a few minutes away. I pull into a spot and then we grab a cart.
“Next year, I’m going to have a skating birthday party. And the next year, a trampoline party.” She bounces from inside the basket of the cart. “What’s your next party going to be, Penny?”
As we walk around the store, tossing stuff to make cupcakes into the cart, we go back and forth about birthday party ideas.
“Are you my new mom?” Zella asks once we’re standing in the checkout line.
I freeze, unable to form words. “W-What? No, sweetie, I’m just Penny.”
Her lips pout out. “But my mom died. Why can’t you be my mom?”
Of course she would ask this question when Trey isn’t around. I don’t know how to answer this.
“I, uh,” I choke out. “You want some candy?”
She shakes her head. “Do you not want to be my mom?”
“Zella, baby, being your mom sounds like the job of a queen. I’m just a knight, remember?” I tease, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “But I love you so much. Maybe one day I’d deserve such a title.”
She acts like she’s going to press more on the subject, so I quickly change it. “We need to go shopping soon and buy new swimsuits. Won’t be long and we can play in the river.”
“Daddy is going to teach me how to swim as soon as it gets warm enough,” she tells me, a smile once again on her face. “Do you know how to swim, Penny?”
“I do. I can help if you want. Do you know how to hold your nose?”
She scrunches her nose. “Like this?” Her finger and thumb pinch her nose and then she says, “Do I sound like an alien?”
“A silly alien,” I agree.
We check out and then we’re on our way. Zella chatters the whole way back to the Jeep. Since it’s warm now, I took the doors off, much to Zella’s delight. She loves riding in my Jeep with me as the wind blasts around us.
I toss the grocery bags into the back and then help Zella into her seat. “Ready to make cupcakes?”
“Yes!”
I grin at her excitement and jump into the front seat. I barely have the engine turned over when the vehicle dips with added weight. Something cold presses against my neck. My eyes dart to the rearview mirror, locking with the monster from my dreams.
Jack Henderson.
Oh God.
Zella starts to cry from the back seat. I’m frozen in fear. My phone is in my back pocket. I could try and call Trey, but something tells me that won’t get past Jack.
“Drive,” he growls. “Now or I’ll paint your insides all over your windshield.”
My heart beats loud, echoing in my ears as I put the Jeep in reverse. I grip the steering wheel, panic overwhelming me. Every hair on my arm stands on end and I tremble with fear.
“Turn left out of the parking lot,” he orders.
I should refuse him, but in his manic state, I think it would be a terrible idea. No, I need to figure out what to do. Jack may be bigger and stronger than me, but I’m smarter. I have more to lose. Zella is my family now and I refuse to let anything happen to her.
“Go another couple of miles. There’s a hotel there.” His voice is low and calm, which kind of freaks me out. “Did you miss Daddy, Zella?”
She cries harder. It’s like a sucker punch to the gut. The urge to protect her is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. I may not be her mother, but I would die keeping this motherfucker away from her. That’s the damn truth.
The hotel is run-down and scuzzy, nestled in a copse of trees not far off the main road. It gives me hope that if they realize we’ve been gone too long, they won’t have far to look. I just need to stall. Figure out a way to escape with my girl.
“Right there. The one on the end,” he orders. “Turn off the Jeep and don’t think about moving.”
I swallow down my fear and nod as I obey him. Once the vehicle is turned off, I wait for his next instruction. I’m about to grab the keys out of the ignition to Mace him when he cuts me off, anticipating my move.
“Leave them there. Now you’re going to get out and unbuckle Zella. Then, carry her into that room. Don’t think about running or I’ll put a bullet in your back.”
“Okay,” I squeak out, unable to find my voice.
I unbuckle and slide out of the Jeep, quickly yanking Zella into my arms. She clings to me, her entire body trembling as she sobs. With fear consuming my every cell, I make my way into the hotel room. It reeks of cigarettes and booze. It makes me wonder how long he’s been staying here. Maybe this entire time. It sickens me to know he’s been lurking, just waiting on the perfect time to pounce.
Another shiver of fear wracks through me.
Focus, Penny. Get your shit together. Now’s not the time to be weak.
Steeling my spine, I turn around to face Jack as he closes the door behind him. He’s a wreck. His clothes are dirty, his hair is greasy, and he seems to have lost some weight. The unhinged glint in his eyes terrifies me, but I refuse to show it.
I lift my chin. “You won’t get away with this.”
He cracks his neck, pinning me with a hard glare. “I already have.”
“You killed them,” I bite out at him. “You’re a monster.”
“And I will kill you too, bitch. You started all this shit for me. Had I known you were that motherfucker’s girlfriend, I would have dealt with you a long time ago.” He sneers at me. “I’ll admit. You’re a real good liar. Had me fooled for weeks and weeks.”
“You’re a useless drunk,” I spit out. “It was easy.”
Not wise to provoke him, but his kind feeds on fear. I refuse to give him something to snack on.
“Shut the fuck up,” he growls.
“Why? Does it hurt to know what a loser you are? You couldn’t get your dick up for your wife so you had to stick it into your stepdaughter instead? You’re a sicko. A pervert. Disgusting freak,” I snarl, hating I have to say this crap in front of Zella, but she’s sobbing so loudly she probably can’t hear anyway. “And then you couldn’t even get it up for me. Your rapist dick doesn’t work. A man is driven by his dick. What drives you when yours is pathetic and soft?”
He pounces, shoving his gun hard against my ear, making me cry out. “Shut the fuck up, bitch. Just shut the fuck up.” Then, he softens his voice. “Zella, sweetheart, go sit in the bathtub and wait for Daddy to finish his talk. We’ll go see the beach when we leave.”
I’ll be damned if I let him take her.
She shrieks when he wrenches her from my arms. I fight him, but he manages to shove her into the bathroom and shut the door before I can stop him. My hand flies out, clawing at his face, hoping I can take out an eyeball or two. He shoves me hard to the bed. I bounce and then scramble away, reaching for anything to fight back at him with.
“Stay there or I’ll put a bullet through her head,” he warns. “You’re pissing me the fuck off.”
I freeze at his words. “Don’t you dare touch her!”
“I’d rather touch you,” he sneers, grabbing up a bundle of rope. “Give me your hands. So help me if you try to run, I’ll blow your head off.”
Glowering at him, I offer both my wrists. As soon as he’s near, I kick him hard in the face. He stumbles back, groaning as blood gushes from his nose. I fly to the bathroom to get Zella, but before I make it, he tackles me hard. I bite my tongue, blood flooding my mouth instantly. He flips me to my back and straddles me, yanking my hands in front of me to tie them together.
“Don’t embarrass yourself, Jack,” I growl. “We both know your dick is still broken.”
He drags me to my feet and tosses me back onto the bed. “I don’t want your nasty cunt.”
“Yes, you do,” I taunt. “You’re just pissed you can’t get it hard.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” I let out a dark laugh. “No, that’s what a real man would do. You’re a pussy, Jack. You like to weaken a woman and then take advantage of her. You like to hurt kids. No, a bullet through my chest won’t satisfy you. You’d much rather try to see if that rubbery dick of yours will get hard. Probably smack me around a bit first.”
He backhands me. Sparks of pain shoot across my face.
“You’re right,” he seethes. “Smacking you around does feel good.” He grabs himself through his pants. “Gets my dick nice and hard, too.”
Bile crawls up my throat, chased by terror.
“They’re coming for you,” I warn. “My dad has a tracker on my Jeep. He’ll be here soon.”
His eyes narrow, studying my face for lies. “You’ll be dead and I’ll be long gone with Zella, so what’s it matter?”
My Jeep does have a tracker—something Dad installed after Jack hurt me last time—but that doesn’t mean he’ll automatically know I’m missing. Trey probably thinks we got held up at the grocery store. By the time he calls my dad, there’s no telling what Jack will have done by then.
I need to stall.
Keep him from leaving with her.
“How many times did you rape Lacey?” I demand.
“It wasn’t rape,” he spits out. “It was love.”
“One-sided, you psychopath. She wrote Trey letters. Lacey hated you.”
Fury transforms his face. “She loved me, you bitch. Shut your fucking mouth.”
“Love?” I let out a harsh laugh. “You’re delusional. She was terrified of you because you’re a sadistic pervert.”
Smack!
Everything goes black the second his gun cracks against my skull. I can still hear him grunting as he moves me up the bed. I manage to reopen my eyes as he lops my tied hands over one of the bed posts.
I brace myself for another sexual assault, ready to kick him in the face again, but it never comes. He picks up a red plastic gas can and unscrews it.
“I’m not a pervert,” he grinds out. “If I were, I’d ruin everything with Zella by choosing to fuck your manipulative ass.” He splashes out a line of gasoline across the carpet. “No, I just need to get rid of you. I love Zella. We’re going to start our life again someplace far away from here. You should have never got involved.”
I struggle against my bindings. I’m filled with horror as he empties the gasoline can, splashing it on walls and around the bed. I refuse to beg, but the tears have begun to stream down as I realize my predicament.
I’m going to burn alive.
Oh God.