21. Chapter 21 #2
Translation . . . I’ve never felt so incapable in my life. I know it’s foolish to entertain these thoughts but Ben’s ugly face every time he yelled at me about how useless I was rings through my brain.
It’s not true. I know it’s not but pushing those thoughts away when they’ve literally been beaten into me for years is not easily forgotten.
This isn’t a fairytale where the pretty princess sheds the evil prince and reveals her true self. The bottom line is that I stayed in a relationship for years and let someone beat me down because somewhere deep inside I believed I deserved it.
Try talking your psyche out of that.
After waiting what feels like forever, I step into the hall. The sweat on my back turns to ice as I ease toward the room while the familiar sting of fear coats my skin. I don’t falter though and I count it as a small win.
At the threshold to the main hall, I peek around the corner once more. I can barely see Zoey’s head above the pew where she sits toward the front.
The man who questioned her now rests on the stairs below the lectern, his head bowed and I eye his unruly mop of blonde hair and the pistol resting in his hands with a frown.
With his long legs crossed before him, he taps his finger against the barrel of the gun, over and over until Zoey shifts in her seat and he glances up.
Shit.
His bright blue eyes are the last thing I see as he zeroes in on her, sitting in disturbing silence before I duck back behind the wall.
How the fuck did the others disappear? Did they leave? There’s no way Amanda would have left her sister but if these guys don’t know where she is, then what happened to them?
“Look,” the guy says, “we know you’re not alone. You tell us where they went, and we’ll go.”
After a moment’s pause Zoey says, “Go where?”
“Where? Don’t matter, Missy. Just tell us what we want to know.”
“Why?” Zoey mutters and I can’t help my smile at her suspicious tone, but it soon fades. Don’t make him angry, please.
“Why? Shit. That don’t matter neither,” he growls, and I stiffen. “I’m tired of this shit. You’ll tell me what I want to know, or I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
What? No, just . . . fuck no.
Curling my fingers into my palms once more, I stand from the wall but just as I’m about to enter the room, I feel something hard and cool press against the back of my neck.
“Nice and easy,” the man says, and I recognize him as the one who was barking orders outside. I guess I should have been more careful but it’s too late now and I follow his lead as he pushes me into the room.
When Zoey’s head pops up, I summon a rigid smile. Although her eyes widen, her trembling lips fold into a frown.
Meanwhile, Bean’s nails scrabble against the floor when she jumps from Zoey’s arms and races toward me.
My soul aches at Zoey’s fear but none of us can escape this horror and before this is over with, assuming we survive, I suspect she’ll lose another piece of the sweet girl I met just a few days ago.
“Now,” the man behind me tsks while the other one stands, cocking his head. “Where’s everyone else?”
My only choice is to play along and with a shrug, I don the weak, useless countenance that has saved me so many times over the years and whisper, “I don’t know.”
Disgust roils in my belly at that, but I know how to play the game. If nothing else that might save us now.
“See,” the fucker says, tapping his gun against my skull, “I don't believe you. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, it’s gonna get real messy. Yeah?”
A dull throb blooms beneath my skin, and I sway before him. I don’t know what he truly wants but it clearly isn’t anything good and I’m so damn tired of being bullied.
“Well?” he asks again and this time I raise my palms.
“I said I don’t know.” It’s partially true. I have no idea where the group who stayed behind went but it’s not what this asshole wants to hear, apparently.
“That’s a shame,” he says with a chuckle. “See, I think you’re lying, and I don’t like liars. Do I, Steve?”
Steve’s mouth curves in a sinister line and he grabs his crotch with a lewd wink. I’m immune though because as I stand here facing god knows what, I realize that I’ve already been through hell.
There’s nothing these fuckers can do that I haven’t already experienced and licking my lips, I trace the bruises on my wrist as I say, “I don't know. I fell asleep. When I woke, they were gone.”
“Wrong answer,” the asshole says before slamming the gun against my skull.
Pain seers my head as I drop to my knees but before I can speak through the lump of rage choking my throat, Zoey says, “They went to the store. For stuff.”
Simultaneously, Bean barks and growls, baring her teeth while she nips at my attackers legs. From my peripheral, I see Steve approaching as his counterpart kicks toward the dog, muttering, “Fuckin’ mutt.”
My head aches like a motherfucker as it is and I’m praying for oblivion even as I hope I can still get Zoey out of this alive. She’s lying.
Why? I assume to protect her sister which doesn’t solve the mystery of where the fuck they went.
“Back off,” my assailant snarls and I throw out my arm.
“Back, Bean,” I hiss at the dog, still dancing around us with her fur standing on end. “Go!”
When Steve moves to swipe the dog up off the ground, she sprints for the door, her nails clicking across the wood once more. With her gone, I look up in a daze as Steve says, “Man, this is bullshit. Let’s just get the fuck outta here. We can take this one with.”
His vibrant blue eyes drop to mine with a new light behind them, and I stiffen, as his friend says, “No, we wait. That’s what Joey said. Feel me? You wanna play, do it here.”
I can’t say that I’m surprised by this turn of events because I’ve seen the darkness that resides in people and I may have spent years fighting my instinct to defend myself, but, today, that fades away.
I won’t fucking give in, not this time.
I don’t have time to push to my feet before Steve reaches for my arm and I wrench away. As luck would have it, Steve was too stupid to protect his nads, and I hide a vicious smile when he grabs his dick.
Take that, fucker.
My triumph fades though when Zoey cries out and I meet her tear-filled gaze. The other asshole has her by the hair and he jerks her head back before saying, “Enough!”
Steve’s pathetic moans fill the silence before he whines, “That bitch kicked me in the dick.”
Although it pains me to do nothing, I can’t risk Zoey and I remain quiet as his friend says, “You're the idiot that let her get close to your limp ass dick. We wait for the others to return.”
“But Pasco, what about her?” Steve says and Pasco grunts before glancing down at Zoey. Her little lips tremble but if looks could kill, Pasco would be a statistic already.
“Whatever,” Pasco says, “just take her into the other room. I ain’t down for fucking in front the little one.”