Chapter 53 – Jace
JACE
“Leave him alone!” Bonnie’s screams ring through the air, ricocheting off the walls.
“Bonnie, don’t,” my voice is low in an attempt to hide my fear and discomfort from her, but the crack in my voice is audible. She can’t see what’s happening, and I don’t want her to anymore than I want his attention on her. “It’s fine.”
“No, it isn’t.” I can hear her cries and they’re far worse than anything he could do to me. His hand lands on my knee and he squeezes hard before pulling away. My entire body trembles because I can still feel his breath and I cringe as something wet lands on the inside of my thigh.
But when he walks away, his footsteps grow distant, carrying him away from me and toward Bonnie. “No.” My voice is a broken whisper, and a lone tear falls when I hear the sound of fabric shuffling, my mind conjuring the image of her trying to scramble away from him as he opens that metal door.
I want to scream, to shout; anything to piss him off enough to draw his attention away from her, so he’ll take it out on me instead…
only we learned the hard way what happens when we try that.
It has the opposite effect, he uses our pain against each other, not letting up until we ‘behave’ and I can’t stand being the reason he hurts her again.
The bruises that no doubt mar my ribs can attest to that. It’s why she hasn’t spoken in what feels like hours. Why I fought my body’s revulsion and instinct to move, not that I can even if I wanted to.
“There’s that fire I’ve missed. I never did get to see it in person; Michael was selfish like that. Only calling me to put Humpty back together again, leaving me alone with you.
“Then you went and ruined it by leaving me. Right when I was about to get rid of him. We could have been together, the three of us forever and you ruined it.” His voice turns venomous toward the end, and I hold my breath, too scared to be the one to set him off.
Instead, I hear him take a deep breath, like he’s trying to calm himself and when he speaks next, his voice is deceptively calm. “But it’s okay. You didn’t know. They’ll bring her here too and then we can be together.
“In the meantime, he will do well to remind you to behave. For now, anyways.”
I know there’s no way Mitchell will leave Charlotte exposed, not after Bonnie and I were taken, still his words send a chill through my body. ’m not entirely sure if that was a threat on my life or not.
I really hope Mitchell finds us before I find out the hard way.
“You’ll never get to her,” Bonnie spits out, her words echoing my thoughts, but I wish she wasn’t saying them to antagonise him. “You’re a dead man walking.”
Her threat is followed by a cry, and I wish I didn’t know what it sounded like when his fist connected with her body.
“Leave her alone!” I break, unable to stand hearing him hurt her.
“Hm,” he hums, ignoring me. “Stand.” I strain my ears trying to figure out what the fuck he has install for us now.
Silence follows. I can’t hear the sound of fabric shifting, or feet hitting the concrete, footsteps, anything to indicate she’s doing what he said. Instead, all I hear is her breathing which picks up, coming out harsher.
“I said stand, Mrs Towers. Or should I call you Marissa? That’s what you’re going by now, isn’t it?” My eyes close in anticipation of whatever she’s about to say or do…or not do because I can practically feel her anger rising.
“No.” I swear my heart stops. She lets out a gurgled sound that’s cut off by a sound I can’t identify. Her struggles continue to reverberate through the darkness to me until it suddenly stops.
Her voice stutters in and out like she’s struggling to catch her breath. “Please,” I beg, realising that he must be choking her.
“He begs so well, doesn’t he? Just like you used to. I had to settle for watching and hearing it through a camera, but not anymore…I can’t wait to hear you begging for me.”
He must let her go because I hear the sound of her deep inhales, followed by a coughing fit, sniffles and pained whimpers. “Please, stop. Leave her alone,” I plead. “I’ll do anything.”
He doesn’t respond. Doesn’t stop and I’m not really sure what I hear next, but he lets out a satisfied groan that makes me feel sick. “You taste just as good as I remember.”
“Fuck you,” she spits out with a level of venom in her voice I never imagined she’d be capable of.
“That’s not a bad idea,” he muses, and I freeze, before I renew my efforts to pull my arm free using every ounce of strength I have left. “Not a bad idea indeed…Although, you or him?”
“What?” The room stills, the only noise that can be heard is our combined breathing.
My blood runs cold, my heart beating painfully in my chest with every passing second until she breaks the silence. “Me.”
“No!” The metal wrapped around my wrists and ankles cuts deeper and deeper into my skin, but I don’t let up, I can’t let up.
“Do your worst. It won’t matter; you’ll be as dead as Michael in the end.”
“Bonnie!” I scream when I hear the sound of his fists hitting her over and over again, her cries of pain cutting off by a loud crack. “Bonnie?” I call out softly, but I panic when she doesn’t respond.
“Let’s see how long that defiance lasts when you’re forced to hear him break before you…you'll break when he does. Then you'll beg for me."
“Jace.” My name on her lips is a plea, a cry and a warning all rolled into one. It’s barely audible but it carries so much fear and pain that my eyes instantly fill with tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I try to reassure her, steeling myself for whatever comes next. I’d rather he turn his attention to me, rather he hurt me. He can do whatever he wants to me, so long as it means he leaves her alone.
I grit my teeth, clamping my jaw down so hard it hurts. If he thinks I’m going to give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry or scream, he’s dead wrong.
I refuse to be the tool he uses to hurt her.