by Bella Jewel
I flinch.
All three men laugh.
“I heard,” the bald one says as he steps forward, “that he liked to touch girls. Did he touch you, Marlie?”
My ears start ringing.
“I heard,” the tall one says, “that he liked to rip the girls’ hair out. Did he rip your hair out, Marlie?”
My scalp prickles at the reminder.
“I heard,” the first man says, laughing, “that you liked killing him. What if you were the monster? You’re the one who murdered him, after all. What was it that happened? You stabbed him right up under his chin and into his brain?”
My knees start trembling. My vision flickers. I can’t breathe.
“How did that feel, to drive a knife up into his brain?”
The sickening crunching sound that made fills my ears and I start to pant.
“What if he just needed mental help and you murdered him? Taking his life without giving him a chance to get better? Maybe the devil in the book is, indeed, you?”
Bile burns in my throat as I drop to my knees.
“Aw, looks like we’ve upset her, boys. I hear he had a family. I wonder how they feel right now?”
A family? Did he really have a family?
How did I never know that?
My body begins to tremble and I press my hands over my ears.
“She’s supposed to be tough, but look at her—pathetic.”
I rock.
“She’s lost her sister. I wonder if that’s because her sister’s terrified to be around her. I would be. After the way she massacred that man.”
“Stop,” I whimper.
“Maybe your sister doesn’t want to be found, Marlie. Imagine being related to someone who exploits themselves and their family after going through something like you did?”
“Stop!” I scream, launching up and throwing myself at the closest male.
A fist flies out and hits me before I make it, sending me flying backwards. I land on the ground with a thud, and my vision is swimming as I try to get back up. Pain radiates through my skull. Someone grabs my wrists, jerking me up, but I can’t see who through my rapidly closing eye. God, the pain.
Suddenly I’m on the ground again and the sounds of grunting can be heard. I push up to my elbows, head pounding, to see Kenai beating the ever-loving hell out of the men. He takes them as if they’re small children, not grown men. His fists fly, his big body overpowers theirs on a massive scale. One turns and runs, blood dripping from his nose.
He knocks the other two out cold.
Then he’s looking at me, panting, knuckles bloodied. He strides over and leans down, scooping me into his arms. I try to look at him, but my face is screaming in pain. “Focus on me and follow my finger,” he says. I focus on him with my good eye. He puts his finger up, moving it left and right then up and down towards my nose. “How does it feel?” he asks, voice gruff.
“It hurts,” I say, voice weak.
“Come on, we need to get ice on that.”
“Kenai … those men…”
“I asked you not to talk to anyone,” he says. His voice isn’t harsh, and I think that hurts even more.
“I know, but…”
“One request, Marlie.”
I close my mouth and my good eye.
Then I try really hard to stop their words from penetrating my already broken soul.
TEN
Kenai takes me back to the hotel, and the second I sit on the bed, he goes and gets some ice. I caught a glimpse in the mirror when we came in, and looked away horrified. My eye is puffy and swollen shut, but it’s my broken expression that scares me. Those men, what they said … I just don’t understand. They knew so much. So much.
“Here, hold this against your eye. I don’t know that it’s going to do much good now, but it’ll help a little. I’ll get some painkillers for you.”
He moves into his room as I press the ice to my eye with a hiss. After a few minutes, it goes numb and I close my eyes. My head is pounding. Kenai comes back and drops two pills into my hand. I shove them into my mouth and swallow them with a sip of water from the bottle he hands me next.
“Kenai,” I say, my voice wobbly.
He looks down, still standing in front of me. “Yeah?”
“Those men … knew me.”
He narrows his eyes, then kneels in front of me. “How do you mean?”
“The man approached me at the bar and was talking to me, but I never gave him my name. I showed him a picture of my sister and—”
“You what?”
He sounds angry.
Shit.
“I thought he might have seen her and—”
“Jesus, Marlie. I told you not to ask questions. I asked one thing of you.”
Anger explodes in my chest. “I know, okay,” I yell, tossing the ice. It skitters across the floor. “I know you did, but she’s my sister. She’s the only thing I have left. Dammit, I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
“You could have been hurt far worse tonight. I’m telling you to be quiet for a reason!”
“I know that, but I’m just…” My voice trails off and I look away.
“You’re scared, I understand that. But I make rules for a reason, Marlie. You need to follow them.”
I say nothing.
“Now tell me the rest of the story.”
I take a shaky breath and continue. “After I showed him the picture, he said he had to go, and then he said my name. But I hadn’t told him my name. When I went outside to confront him, he and his friends started taunting me. They said they knew about me from the book, and were saying horrible things.”
“Anyone who’s read the book would recognize you, Marlie.”
“I’ve been recognized before, Kenai,” I snap. “I know how they reacted, and that wasn’t normal. The way they were speaking, the way they were taunting me and going on about my sister … I could swear they were made to do that. Like someone had put them up to saying those things to me. It wasn’t just a coincidence.”
“You’re being paranoid,” he says, more carefully.
“Don’t,” I warn. “One thing I’ve learned the hard way in life is to always trust your instincts. My instincts told me they knew more about me than just reading a book could tell them and they wanted to torment me. Why, I don’t know, but I’m telling you they did.”
He says nothing, and I look up to see him studying me.
“I’m not being paranoid,” I say softly.
“I’ll look into it, into them. I picked up a wallet, so I have one of their I.D.s. For now, you need to rest.”
“Did you find anything out at the club?” I ask, watching as he goes over and picks up my ice and hands it back to me.
“Yeah, I found the guy we were looking for, someone I was told by a very good source is a close associate of Chris’s. He claims to have no idea what I’m talking about and says he’s never heard of a Chris or a Kaitlyn before.”
“What if he’s lying?”
“I have no doubt he is, but I’m not a cop. I can’t just arrest him and bring him in for questioning.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to follow him,” he says simply. “You’re going to go to sleep.”
“But—”
“Now, Marlie.”
His voice is firm, but slightly gentle.
I clamp my mouth shut. “You’re going tonight?”
He nods, jerking the covers back and pointing. “Into bed. Now.”
His voice gets even softer when he says that, and I can see a flash of genuine concern in his eyes.
“If I didn’t know better,” I mumble, climbing in, “I’d say you like me, Chief.”
He snorts, but I swear I see it. Something light, something sweet, even. “Go to sleep, I’ll be back soon.”
“What if you need protection?” I mumble sleepily.
This bed is so nice.
I swear he makes a low, wheezing sound
. Like he was about to laugh. “I’ll try to manage without your protection.”
I laugh softly. “Thanks for having my back out there tonight.”
My eyelids droop. Whatever painkillers he gave me are good.
“I’ll come check on you when I get back, make sure you’re still alive.”
I smile. At least, I think I do.
“I knew you liked me.”
He doesn’t say anything and I drift off, my world going a comfortable shade of black. Before everything slips away completely, I could swear I hear him say, “Maybe I do.”
* * *
I’m so hungry.
I’m so thirsty.
Mostly, I’m terrified.
So damned afraid.
He’s left me in this room for an entire day since he made me hold those pieces of hair. My stomach coils tightly at the thought. I can escape this. I can. I just have to be smarter than him. I have to keep my wits about me. I can’t break. I close my eyes against the horrific images of the bloodied scalps.
God, those poor girls.
The door rattles.
I jerk up in bed, my hands still tightly secured behind me. My ankles are bound as well. Fear unlike anything I’ve ever felt lodges in my chest as he opens the door, dragging in a television. He’s got a massive knife in his hand, and a grin on his face.
“Good evening, Marlie. How are you feeling today?”
He’s speaking to me as if I’m a patient in a hospital and he’s a doctor. He’s so calm, as if we’re in a perfectly normal situation. I say nothing. I don’t want to give him anything. Not a single damned thing.
“I’m well, thanks for asking,” he continues. “I’ve been out there all day preparing this video for you. Would you like to watch it?”
No.
Please no.
He laughs. “Of course you do. You’ll be so proud of me, Marlie. The other girls were, I’m sure.”
I close my eyes as he plugs the television in.
“You can close your eyes, but I assure you that I’ll remove a finger every time you do. Then I’ll move on to your toes. The decision is yours.”
My eyes open and tears burn under my eyelids. He will. He’ll do it. He’s going to make me watch this horror, because if I don’t, he’ll make me suffer in the worst possible ways. Could anything truly be worse than watching him remove the scalps of innocent girls?
“There now, smart girl. Let’s begin, shall we?”
He presses PLAY, and the picture zooms in on a small, blonde girl sitting on a bed. She’s battered, bruised, bloodied, and skinny. He’s had his fun with her. He wants to end her now. Her knees are a mess, broken and shattered, skin hanging from them. She’s naked, but so covered in bruises and cuts, it’s hard to notice.
My entire body coils tightly. I want to pass out. I want to die. I want something to stop this horror.
“This is Kelly,” he says, sitting beside me on the bed, fingering the knife. “She fought me a lot. She just couldn’t learn a lesson. Take note of her fingers? Oh wait,” he laughs. “She has none.”
My eyes train in on the girl’s hands. They’re a mess, but he’s right, she has no fingers and no toes.
I’m going to be sick.
He enters the room in the video, a huge hunting knife in his hand. I’m praying for my vision to black out. I can’t watch this. I can’t. He walks over, taking her hair in his hands and jerking her head back. He says something to her, but the ringing in my ears blocks it out. I can’t stop it, I close my eyes.
He moves like lightning, taking hold of my hand and bringing the knife to one of my fingers.
“No,” I scream. “I’ll watch, I’ll watch!”
He lets me go, eyes burning into mine. “I won’t give you a second chance,” he hisses. “Now watch my perfection. My art.”
I force my eyes back to the screen just as he brings the knife to the top of her scalp.
I’m screaming before he’s even started cutting.
“Marlie!”
“No!” I flail around, hitting the hard body hovering over mine. “No, please.”
“Marlie, stop. It’s me.”
“Get off me!” I scream. “Get off me. Help! Somebody please help.”
“Marlie!”
Something cold hits my face and my eyes jerk open. I’m panting, covered in sweat, and there is a big body on mine, holding my hands above my head.
“It’s me, hey, it was a dream.”
Kenai?
A dream.
Oh God. He’s holding me down because I was having a nightmare. Shame fills my body and I start thrashing again. “Let me go.”
“Marlie…”
“Kenai, let me go.”
Realizing I’m awake, he hesitantly releases me. I roll off the bed and run towards the bathroom. My knees give out halfway there, clearly having strained themselves trying to get Kenai off during my nightmare. I hit the ground, my hands slapping against the carpet. I cry out in frustration and pain.
“Shit.”
“Don’t,” I cry, hearing Kenai’s feet hit the floor. “Please, don’t.”
“Marlie…”
I force myself up, and hobble the rest of the way to the bathroom. I make it, slam the door, and then lower myself to the ground, back pressed against the wood. I can’t believe he saw that. I’m so embarrassed. I clench my eyes shut, reaching up and rubbing them furiously to stop any tears that attempt to fall. Pain radiates through my face, reminding me of my very sore, very swollen eye.
Get it together.
You’re okay.
You’re stronger than this.
I force myself up and walk to the mirror. My face looks awful, puffy and sore. My eye is swollen shut. I wash it anyway, removing the sticky sweat from my skin. Then I take a few calming breaths and hobble back out into my room. Kenai is still standing by my bed, and his eyes find mine the second I come out.
“Sorry,” I mumble to the floor.
“Look at me.”
I flinch. “Kenai, it was a nightmare…”
“Now, Marlie.”
I look up at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah—”
“The truth,” he demands, but his voice is the softest I’ve ever heard it.
“No,” I whisper.
“What makes them go away?”
“The dreams? Nothing.”
“What have you tried?”
“Outside of knocking myself out with drugs, nothing.”
He glances at my bed, then back at me. “This means nothing, understand that. It’s just a proven method.”
I narrow my eyes, confused.
He removes his shirt as my mouth drops open.
“I’m not sleeping with you!” I snap.
He gives me a look. “Don’t flatter yourself. That’s not what I’m doing.”
I huff. “Then what are you doing?”
“Sleeping next to you.”
“Why?”
“Because … it helps.”
“Nice try, buddy.”
He shakes his head with exasperation, turns to me—all muscle and bronze skin—strides over, launches me into his arms, and drops down onto the bed, rolling us as if I weigh nothing, so he’s tucked behind me, his big body wrapped around mine.
“I’m not going to lie, this is awkward,” I mumble, pretending it doesn’t feel incredible to have him beside me.
“Ditto. Now go to sleep.”
“You’re not going to wake with morning wood are you, because that will just make things weird.”
“I can’t control my dick.”
“Perhaps you should try. Before you go to sleep, think about something that’s not sexy at all. Like your mom in a thong perhaps.”
He makes a groaning sound, and his body jerks, then he mutters, “Shut up and go to sleep.”
“I’m just saying…”
“Sleep.”
“You’re so bossy.”
“Now,” he orders.
�
��Does anybody actually listen to you when you order them around?”
He makes a frustrated sound. “Do you ever fucking listen to anybody when they tell you to shut the hell up and go to sleep?”
I think on that. “Absolutely not.”
“Well, it’s about time you learn. I have methods to make you stop talking.”
“Is this about to get sexual? I knew you were attracted to me!”
“Jesus Christ woman, zip it.”
“It’s not my fault you’re a perv.”
“You started it,” he mutters. “Now go the fuck to sleep.”
“There was a book written about that…”
“Fuck,” he barks. “Seriously, do you ever shut up?”
I smile, even though he can’t see it. “Goodnight, Chief.”
He grunts.
My smile gets bigger as I drift into blissful nothingness.
ELEVEN
“Hey,” I say groggily into the phone, rolling away from Kenai’s hard, warm body.
I can’t believe I slept next to him all night.
But I had the most amazing night’s sleep.
“Sorry to wake you so early, Marlie, but I got a strange phone call today.”
It’s Hannah, and she sounds worried.
I sit upright, waking Kenai in the process. He rolls and murmurs, “What is it?” in that sleepy, sexy male voice that they all have when they wake up in the morning.
Focus.
“Who was it? Was it about Kaity?”
“Yeah. It was a call for her, I don’t know how they got my number. They were looking for her. I played along and said I hadn’t seen her that day but I’d pass on a message when I did. They told me to tell her to meet them at an address.”
“Where?” I say, sliding off the bed.
“In Vegas, which was strange.”
“We’re in Vegas. Give me the address.”
“I don’t know,” she says hesitantly. “It doesn’t sound safe. I think it’s dangerous. I should call the police.”
“So they can blow us off again and bungle what might be a good lead? No, Hannah. If whoever is there has contact with my sister, or might know where she is, I want to know.”
She hesitates again. “Okay.”
She gives me an address and makes me promise to call her. I disconnect and turn to Kenai. “Hannah got a strange phone call from a guy looking for Kaity. He wants her to go to some address here in Vegas.”