Deception, p.21
Deception, page 21
We both laugh, but one of us isn’t joking.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Landry
This is happening.
It’s really happening.
I take the entertainment magazine from Sandra and try to play it cool. The sticky note on the front does a good job of masking the real reason for it.
Landry,
Seeing a movie with you was fun.
I want to take you out again.
Let me know if anything interests you and we’ll make a date.
-Ty-
“He wants to go on another date,” I say, smiling at her. “I wonder if Dad will let me.”
She stares at me for a long, penetrating beat, but finally gives a shake of her head. “That’ll be between you and him. I’ll need to make sure I’m available whichever day because I know he prefers I stay to care for Della in your absence.”
I don’t let her guilt trip me. She signed up for this job. There’d be no way in hell I’d ever willingly work for that man.
“I’m going back to my room now,” I tell her, feigning disappointment.
“For the best. Your dad won’t be pleased to see you out and about when he expressed his wishes you stay in your room.”
“Grounded for life.” I shudder. If only she knew this was so much more than a simple grounding. He’s ripped my life completely out of my hands and I don’t think he’s ever planning on giving it back.
I try not to hurry to my room as not to garner any unnecessary attention. Once the door is closed and I’m seated on my bed, I flip open the magazine, looking for my true hidden message. I find it on a Starbucks advertisement written along the inside edge of the page in neat, precise writing that could almost pass for a typewritten font.
It’s an address and another note that says, plus 5k and a getaway car. He even draws a winky face which makes me smile. Even though I’ll probably have the address memorized by the end of the night, I still tuck away the entire magazine into my school backpack. Since Dad never found anything of interest in my bag and ended up confiscating my computer later, he won’t be digging through my bag. I also fill it with a couple changes of clothes, a framed picture of Mom, and a few toiletries.
My purse, ID, and anything else that ties me to this life stays here when the time comes.
I’ll need to make sure I pack Della a bag we can grab and go with too. She loves her stuffed animals, so making her choose just one is going to be difficult. I know, at first, she’ll be confused, but once we’re out from under Dad’s thumb, she’ll be so much happier. I’ll find a way to buy her lots more stuffed animals.
We’ll be safe.
Freedom is so close I can nearly taste it.
I wish there were a way I could thank Ty for doing this for me. There has to be a way. Maybe, once me and Della are settled someplace, I can find a way to pay him back. It’s the least I can do for giving us this opportunity.
I’m so ready to leave this life behind.
To start fresh, happy and unafraid.
You won’t see Ford again.
Thoughts of Ford enter my brain against my will. I don’t want to think about him right now. As much as we’re attracted to one another and have this undeniable connection—even when he’s being Mr. Crazy Pants—I can’t go there with him. He’s a distraction away from my purpose.
Save Della.
Save both of us.
Because if we stay here much longer, I wonder how many more lines Dad will cross. How it might irrevocably change us somehow.
All that matters now is that we have a way out.
The second we can make a break for it, we absolutely will.
* * *
I’m startled from the book I’m reading when I hear shouts. Dad’s shouts specifically. I abandon my book to creep over to my bedroom door. Since he’s still yelling, I sneak out of my room unnoticed, even when my door creaks.
In the hallway, Della’s pink stuffed cat lies in the middle of the floor, discarded and forgotten. I step around it and peek into her room. Empty. My heart leaps into my throat because I could bet money he’s yelling at her.
Hang in there, little sis.
I’m getting us out of here soon.
I follow the sound of his voice to the living room. Dad stands over Della, towering over her like an angry giant. She defiantly glares up at him like she could take him.
She can’t.
He’s too big and cruel and ruthless.
“You fucking ruined it, you dumb piece of shit!” he bellows, gesturing at his computer on the coffee table.
The room reeks of his expensive liquor. An entire bottle of it has been knocked over and spilled onto the laptop. It drips to the floor making a pattering sound that can be heard between the echoes of Dad’s shouting.
“You were meant to die, not her,” he growls. “You took my wife because you’re a fucking parasite. Now you’re trying to suck the life out of me too!”
I’m thankful she can’t hear a word he’s saying to her.
She’s no longer looking at him either, but instead notices me approaching. The relief at seeing me is a punch to the throat. All her bravery is gone and she looks to me to help her out of this mess.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Dad screams, grabbing hold of her face.
With a rough shove, he sends her careening to the floor. She bumps her head on the end table.
“Dad! Stop!” I cry out, rushing forward to put myself between the two of them.
His hand swings out, hitting me on the side of the face. I stumble, tripping backwards over the coffee table and fall between the table and sofa. Pain shoots from my tailbone up my spine on impact.
Della is back on her feet, tears running down her face as her eyes search mine, looking to make sure I’m okay.
I start to get up, ignoring the literal pain in my ass, when Dad is on the prowl again after her. She scurries backward until she’s trapped against a wall.
“I could snap your neck and no one would even notice or care,” he threatens. “You’re nothing but a fucking nuisance!”
He reaches for her neck, his large hand closing in on her tiny, delicate throat. If he gets a hold of her, he’ll kill her. I feel it in my bones.
I’ll never let that happen.
Grabbing the empty bottle, I charge for him. Swinging it as hard as I can, I nail him in the back of the head. He goes down hard, with a pained groan, taking Della down with him.
I stare down in shock as blood seeps from the back of his head.
What did I do?
Did I kill him?
He makes another pained sound.
Not dead, which means we have to go. Now’s our opportunity.
“Della!” I grab her arm and drag her out from beneath Dad’s unmoving form.
Though she’s getting bigger, I can still carry her. Since she’s shuddering so hard her teeth are chattering, I don’t even try to make her walk. I carry her down the hallway to my room to grab my bag. Earlier, when I could, I slipped into her room to grab some of her clothes to add to my bag. I decided one bag was easier to deal with in a hurry than two.
I’m glad I planned it out because I didn’t think about how I might have to carry Della.
On the way back out, I scoop up her pink stuffed cat, hurrying to the door. Dad is still on the floor in the living room. I’m not going to stick around to see if he’s okay or not.
I have to get out of here.
It’s now or never.
Miraculously, we make it to the lobby of the building without incident. Once outside, I start walking down the street toward a busy intersection. It’s dark out but the city is bustling with people going to dinner. All too easily, I blend in with the crowd.
My heart is racing, but I attempt to stay calm. I won’t relax until we’re far, far away from Dad’s monstrous grip.
All this would be much easier if I could use my cards. But, since I left all that at home, and I don’t have any cash, I have to make my escape the old-fashioned way.
On foot.
Ty lives several blocks away. It’s a long and arduous trek, especially carrying a now sleeping child, but I keep going. Even when my feet throb so badly I want to cry. Even when I get lost. Even when a couple of guys say creepy stuff to me that has me running. When I finally make it to the address of the building where he lives, I almost fall to my knees with joy.
So close to real freedom.
For the past hour of my journey, I’ve constantly had to look over my shoulder. With each passing second, fear rises higher and higher like a swelling tide threatening to drown me. If he were to catch me now, when I was so close to escape, I’d probably die from defeat.
I’d be letting Della and me both down.
The building Ty lives in is nice. Nearly as nice as ours. It makes sense considering he’s a Constantine. I make sure to keep my head down and not look too suspicious.
An eternity of a wait on the elevator to his floor ends with a high-pitched ding.
I exhale the stress of the evening and suck in a breath of relief. We’ve made it. We’ve really made it. I keep expecting Dad to jump around a corner and drag us back home.
The door to Ty’s apartment feels like my last final hurdle of the night. I’ll rest and regroup. Then, tomorrow, I’ll be on the next leg of my journey.
Disappear with Della.
I knock on the door and then reposition Della’s sleeping form. She’s heavier than usual now that she’s completely passed out and isn’t holding on like before. I’m exhausted and my muscles are on fire. I could sleep for days, though I don’t have days.
Footsteps thud toward me from the other side and then the lock disengages. Ty opens the door and takes a long look at me.
But it’s not Ty.
No, concerned blue eyes don’t stare me down. There’s no smile or shimmering dark blond hair. No kindness or worry or even relief.
I’m staring at the darkness.
A void.
Deep and soulless.
It’s sucking me in though I’m mentally begging my worn-out feet to run.
Black shirt. Black jeans. Black boots. Black soul.
“F-Ford?” I choke out in confusion. “What are you doing at Ty’s house?”
Are they friends?
Dark eyes, like melted chocolate, flash at me. There’s something sinister in the way he smiles. Triumph. I can see it written all over his handsome face. He’s achieved something. I’d seen the same look on his face when he fingered me in the school bathroom, rough and cruelly, and yet I still begged for it. Came all over his fingers shamelessly.
“I don’t understand,” I murmur.
Move your feet, girl. Run!
“You will soon.” The deep timbre of his voice reverberates through me. “Come inside.”
I try to take a step back but my sore muscles don’t allow me to move. So he takes the step for me, clutches a possessive hand on the back of my neck and guides me inside. My heart flipflops inside my chest. I want to feel relieved at being in Ford’s presence, but something’s off. Something’s really wrong.
He has secrets.
Dark ones.
Twisted ones.
I know this. I’ve always known this. I just never understood them. Never could make sense of what they were.
The door closes behind me with a click of finality. It sends a shiver down my spine. Maybe, if I keep him calm long enough, I can get Chevy to surface. I almost sob at the thought of him holding me right now through the anxiety and overwhelming stress. I need that. I need him.
“Who was at the door?”
The voice is Ford’s but he’s not speaking. He simply watches me in an expectant way. Like he’s waiting for a bomb to drop and to see my reaction. My stare finds the man entering the space behind him.
Ty?
Stupid, stupid girl. You know better.
Ford gapes at me. Confused. Horrified.
He has a twin. He has a freaking twin. It makes sense now. All those times when he’d mention his brother…
But that means he’s been playing me.
Lying to my face.
Switching out with his brother.
I’m going to be sick. A low mewl crawls up my throat. I’m paralyzed. I can’t move and don’t know what to say. Betrayal is a knife to my chest—stabbing over and over again, puncturing my lungs and my heart both.
I can’t breathe.
I’m dizzy.
“Sully!” one of the Fords shouts.
At first I think he’s talking to the one in front of me, but then the unthinkable happens. Another Ford appears. This is a joke. I’m dreaming. I’m stuck in some horrible nightmare.
They’re triplets.
Terrible, terrifying triplets.
“What the fuck did you do, Scout?” the one who just entered, and who I think is Sully, snarls. “What the fuck did you do?”
Sully approaches me and I start shaking my head. Tears are spilling down my cheeks, but I’m unable to stop them.
“Hey, honey,” Sully says. “Let me take Della. You look like you’re about to fall over.”
He reaches for her, but my grip tightens.
“Don’t touch her,” I hiss. “Don’t touch me either. Where’s Ty?”
“Ty.” Scout, the evil one, grins. “He’s at home, I guess.”
He’s playing with me. I’m nothing but a game. A freaking toy.
“Sparrow,” Sully growls at the other brother. “Snap out of it. We have to deal with this.”
Sparrow, with eyes like dark maple syrup, stares at me with a mixture of shame and disappointment. Like he’s given up on something. I want to shake him and smack him.
Sully is closer now. When he grabs Della, I don’t have the strength to keep her in my arms. I watch, helplessly, as he tugs her away from me and disappears with her.
No.
This can’t be happening.
Scout grabs hold of my backpack and roughly drags it off my body before tossing it into the floor.
“Chevy,” I whisper, pleading with Sparrow. “What’s happening? Why are you doing this?”
He closes his eyes and bows his head.
“Don’t worry, prickly princess, we’re going to take real good care of you,” Scout says, his rumbling voice behind me. “Be a good girl and don’t scream.”
I do scream.
But the second I do, his hand clamps over my mouth while his other one hooks around me, pinning me to him. I kick out and struggle, fighting this man who’s holding me captive—who lured me here by using Ty somehow.
My foot connects with something, or someone in this case. Sparrow’s eyes fly to mine. I expect him to pounce on his brother and rescue me because we slept together. We had a connection. He cares about me.
But he does nothing.
Watches me as his brother drags me away kicking and fighting with everything in me. Scout’s limp is pronounced, but it does nothing to deter from his strength. The last thing I see is Sparrow turn his back to me. Then, with a sinister slam, Scout closes a door between us.
I’m trapped with a monster.
Again.
Death Wish
K Webster
Chapter One
Landry
What have I done?
Disgust at my naivety has my stomach churning. It’s the fear, though, that has every muscle tight with tension and every hair on my body standing on end.
I did this.
To myself. To us.
Della.
I try to glean a sense of what I’m in for, scanning his bedroom for clues. It’s too normal for this situation. His bed is unmade from the morning before and clothes are scattered all over the floor. There’s a picture of him and his brothers framed and sitting on his desk. Nothing says that he’s a kidnapper…or worse.
A sob of horror tries to make its escape, but Scout’s hand is clamped almost painfully over my mouth. His arm around me is powerful and unyielding.
I’m trapped.
Walked right into the one he set for me.
Now I’m all alone with Scout. In his bedroom.
Flashes of the bathroom at school assault my mind. Any pleasure I thought I got from it is erased in an instant. Whatever pain he inflicts on me this time will be worse because I won’t enjoy one second of it. On Friday, when it happened, I cared about him. Thought he was sick. Craved his touch and attention. Needed the promise of safety he offered.
What a joke.
And I’m a damn fool for falling for it.
“You won’t scream,” Scout says, voice cold and sharp like an icicle, piercing its way into my heart. “Because if you do, I’ll tape your pretty mouth shut. Plus, you don’t want to upset your little sister.”
I gag and tears flood my eyes. Though the urge to scream and hope someone will hear is high on my list of wants, I know that I won’t. Not if it means risking Della’s safety. I got her into this mess and I’m going to have to get her out of it.
“Are you going to scream?” He takes some of the pressure off my mouth and nuzzles his nose against my hair, hot breath tickling my ear. “Hmm?”
I manage to shake my head, almost imperceptibly.
“Good girl,” he praises.
Slowly, he releases his hold on me. My legs are trembling so badly, they buckle. He grabs on to my biceps, keeping me from collapsing completely.
“W-what are you going t-to do to me?” I demand, voice hoarse with tears. “What d-do you w-want from me?”
His thumbs massage into my skin. I want to squirm out of his grip but I’m too terrified to move. He doesn’t answer my questions.
“Where’s Della, you freak?”
“She’s fine. All things considered.”
“I will kill you if you hurt her,” I threaten. Panic swells up inside me. “Do you hear me?”
“No one’s hurting the kid.” He winks like that’s supposed to convince me. “Did you carry her the whole way?” Scout asks in a velvety tone that seduces me into a false sense of security. “No wonder you can barely stand on your own two feet.”
My knees wobble again. His fingers bite into my flesh so I don’t fall. If I can’t stand, how in the hell do I expect to somehow grab my sister and run? I’m in way over my head. So over my head, I’m drowning.
