by Andria Large
Alex barks out a laugh. "I told her that my cock is bigger than her forearm and she could never handle the things that I would do to her; she's not experienced enough, no matter how many guys she's been with."
I burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you're so bad!"
Alex chuckles.
Ace returns and we stay for another hour before we have to leave. We go to my hotel room first so I can grab my stuff and check out. Then we head over to Ace's condo, so he can grab his stuff. Dennis drops us off so that he can run back to his place, grab his things, and say goodbye to his best friend, Tucker.
Ace opens his door and walks in. The next thing I know, he's sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. What the fuck just happened? I swing around to see Hillary standing just inside the door, baseball bat in hand. She shuts the door and locks it. My heart leaps in my throat at the crazed look in her eye. This is not going to go well, that much I know.
"Hillary, what are you doing?" I ask carefully.
"I told you to stay away from him," she hisses, dropping the bat and grabbing a large knife off the table next to her.
I suck in a sharp breath. "What are you planning on doing?" I ask, seriously frightened.
"First, I'm going to tie you both up. What happens after that will be a surprise," she says with an evil smile.
She grabs a roll of duct tape off the table and forces me to sit in the recliner. She then proceeds to duct tape me to the chair. She makes me cross my arms over my chest and then wraps the duct tape around me from my shoulders to my stomach. If she didn't look like she is ready to fucking snap, I might have fought back. But I don't want her to do anything to Ace while he's knocked out.
After she secures me, she goes over to Ace and duct tapes his hands behind his back. She tapes his ankles together, and then hog-ties him. Fuck, he has no way to protect himself. She turns him so he's on his side, facing me. Next, she grabs a small little white pill looking thing off the counter and snaps it before placing it under Ace's nose. I realize that it's smelling salts when Ace comes awake with a start. He groans and tries to move, but quickly realizes that he's unable to do so.
He looks around and sees me. His eyes widen in alarm. "What the fuck?"
"Hello, Ace," Hillary drawls as she moves into his line of sight.
"Hillary? Are you fucking insane? What the hell are you doing?" he squawks and struggles against the duct tape.
"I told you that you haven't seen the last of me. Since my little hit and run didn't work, I had to make new plans," she says flippantly.
~Ace~
This chick has lost her ever-loving mind! I yank at the tape holding me, but she did a good job and I don't think that I can get out of this. I have no idea what she is going to do. She's obviously unstable. My only hope is that Dennis makes it back in time before she does something drastic. My head is pounding, I'm sure there's got to be a lump on the back of my head. Hillary taps the flat side of the large fillet knife against her chin.
"Who should I start with?" she asks herself. She turns towards Nicole. "Maybe I should slice some skin off that pretty face of yours."
Nicole blanches and her eyes flash with terror. She jerkily shakes her head. "No, Hillary, please don't," she croaks.
"With a knife like this, I could easily remove your eyebrows or lips," she cackles.
My stomach rolls. Holy fuck, she's definitely lost her fucking mind. "Hillary, leave her alone!" I bark, hoping to divert her attention.
It works; she whirls around to glare at me. "You shut up! You are supposed to be with me! Not this stupid whore! Maybe if I take her away, then you will have no choice but to be with me!"
"Hillary, do you really think that you're going to get away with this? Even if you kill both of us, the police are still looking for you and they will find you," I say.
"No they won't! As soon as I'm done here, I'm hopping on a plane out of this fucking country, they will never find me!" she screams.
I shake my head. "You'll never make it out of the country."
"Shut your fucking mouth!" she bellows and kicks me hard in the jaw.
Pain explodes through my head. I close my eyes against the stars bursting in front of me. Nicole screams my name. I taste blood and realize that I bit the inside of my cheek pretty damn good. My head is swimming and the room starts to spin. I'm pretty sure that I have a concussion. I try to open my eyes but the spinning only gets worse so I squeeze them shut. I can feel the blood starting to pool in my mouth and it's making me nauseous so I spit it out. I hear Nicole gasp.
"Ace!" she cries again.
"I'm alright, baby...I'm alright," I try to assure her, knowing that he probably won't believe me anyway.
"Aw, poor Ace," Hillary sneers. "See what happens when you chose someone else over me? We were supposed to be together. We were perfect for each other!"
I drag my eyes open and look for Nicole. She's sitting in the recliner, tears streaming down her face. Hillary has her back to her so Nicole starts to mouth to me. I blink and try to figure out what she is saying. Finally, it hits me. Nicole is telling me to agree with her. I give her a subtle nod, letting her know that I understand.
"You know, Hillary, you're absolutely right," I say evenly. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Hillary stares at me for a moment before she smiles and hums. She turns and looks at Nicole for a moment before whirling back around to me and kicking me hard in the ribs. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? Like I would believe that you just all of a sudden changed your mind!"
I cry out before gritting my teeth against the pain radiating from my abused ribs.
"Stop hurting him!" Nicole shouts.
"Would you rather I hurt you instead?" Hillary snaps, storming over to Nicole with the knife.
Nicole fervently shakes her head. "I don't want you to hurt either of us!"
"Tough shit!" Hillary barks. "You deserve everything that's coming to you!"
Oh god, how long will it take Dennis to get back here? How long was I unconscious? I don't even know. We could be in some serious trouble if we don't get some help soon. I try to work my hands out of the duct tape, but she really taped me up good. I can't see this ending without either Nicole or me getting seriously injured. I'd rather it be me, though.
~Nicole~
I can see Ace struggling to get out of his restraints behind Hillary's back. Hillary is stalking toward me with the knife and I'm honestly scared for my life. She's unstable and I have no idea what she's going to do or what she's capable of. My breathing has picked up and I'm fighting not to hyperventilate because that will so not help me right now. The look in Hillary's eyes is pure hatred as she glares at me.
"Maybe I should cut all your hair off," she says, but more to herself than me.
Shit, that's better than “Maybe I should slit your throat.” I watch her with wide eyes as she makes her way closer. She starts to walk around toward the back of the recliner, but as she starts to pass me, she lets the hand with the knife drop so that the tip of the blade drags up my thigh. I whimper as the scraps up my jeans but doesn't cut through since she's not really putting any pressure. I'm sure if my leg was bare, though, I would have needed stitches.
Just as she rounds the recliner, there is a knock on the door. Ace and I freeze, our eyes darting to each other. I give him a subtle nod. We need to call for help. His eyes flick to Hillary, who I can no longer see because she's behind me. Another knock.
"Ace?" comes Dennis' voice through the door.
"Dennis! Help! Hillary is here and has a knife!" Ace yells and continues to struggle.
Suddenly, my hair is yanked hard, pulling my head back as a knife is pressed against my throat. "Big mistake," Hillary hisses at Ace.
I can feel the knife cutting into my skin and I know that if I so much as twitch she could cut my throat wide open. Blood trickles down my neck, tickling me. I hear a crash as Dennis kicks the door open. I can barely see him with my head angled back, but from what I can see, the Mari
ne is in full combat mode with his gun out and pointed straight at Hillary.
"Come any closer and I will slit her throat!" Hillary screams frantically.
The hand holding the knife is trembling, which is not good for me. Dennis moves slightly, looking like he's trying to get a clear shot of her. He's smiling, but holy fucking shit, does he look scary. It is not a nice smile. It's the smile from a person who has no qualms about killing another human being. It's the smile of someone with a dark past and a cold heart. It's vicious and unforgiving and it's frightening as all hell. No wonder Hillary is trembling.
"Drop the knife so I don't have to kill you," Dennis says, his tone hard as granite.
"I'll slit her open first!" Hillary threatens.
Dennis' eyes flash, as if he's looking forward to putting a bullet between her eyes. "My aim and bullet is faster than your knife, you won't even have a chance, sweetheart," Dennis drawls, his tone belittling.
Hillary starts dragging the knife and I gasp as I feel it cut into my skin even more. Ace shouts frantically at her to stop and then a loud boom has my ears ringing. Hillary's hands go slack and fall away from me. The knife clatters to the ground. I'm frozen in place. I stare in shock as Dennis shoves his gun back into his holster and pulls out a pocketknife. He flips it open and quickly frees Ace. Ace scrambles to his feet, shrugging out of his jacket and yanking his shirt over his head as he practically trips over himself running over to me. He balls his shirt up and presses it against my throat. Dennis comes over and cuts away the duct tape that is holding me to the chair. I blink up at Ace.
"Is it bad?" I ask him.
He knows I'm talking about my neck.
"I don't think so, but you are bleeding," he chokes, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
As soon as Dennis has me free of the tape, he gets on his phone and calls 911.
"Ace, is she dead?" I whisper.
Ace nods. "Yeah, baby. He shot her in the forehead," he replies quietly.
I swallow hard. "Good."
"He's one hell of a shot," Ace says in awe.
"Thank god he carries a gun," I add.
"Fuck yes," he breathes out in relief.
Within minutes, Ace's condo is packed with police and EMTs. We are both carted away in an ambulance to the hospital. I need stitches for the gash Hillary put across my neck. The EMT says it is deep enough and long enough to need stitches but it "probably" wouldn't have killed me. So reassuring. And Ace also needs stitches in his mouth, he almost bit through his cheek. Plus, they want a doctor to check him out for a concussion. So away we go to the hospital. At least they let us ride together.
Once we get there, Ace insists on staying with me while they stitch up my neck, which I am grateful for because I've never gotten stitches in my life. Ace holds my hand as the plastic surgeon does his best so that I will have the smallest scar possible. After he's finished, the doctor covers it with gauze and tells me how to care for it. The nurse then takes Ace into the next room so that he can get checked out while they get my release papers together. No need for me to stay. Yeah, I lost some blood, but it wasn't enough to keep me in the hospital. The doctor said I might feel a bit weak for the next couple of days so I have to take it easy.
After I sign the release papers, I go into the next room to be with Ace. He's already been stitched up and checked for a concussion. I guess when you're famous, you are their top priority and get the fastest treatment. The doctor told Ace that he has a mild concussion, nothing really to worry about unless he starts throwing up and becomes lethargic. The doctor leaves to go write up Ace's release papers. They are probably trying to get us out of here as soon as possible to avoid the media getting wind of us being here. I don't blame them, the hospital will be crawling with paparazzi disguised as nurses if they find out that we are here. I sit down next to Ace on the bed. He wraps his arm around my shoulders.
"What a night," I groan.
"Yeah, that was a crazy couple of hours right there," Ace agrees.
"I'm glad you're okay," I murmur and drop my head gently to his shoulder.
"Shit, I'm glad you're okay, too. I was scared there for a moment that I would lose you," he rasps.
"I love you," I whisper.
Ace kisses the top of my head. "I love you, too."
Chapter Eleven
~Ace~
I can't believe how close I came to losing Nicole forever. The raw terror I felt when I saw that knife being dragged across her throat was like nothing I've ever felt before, not even the fear of when I thought she was going to get hit by the car. The blood started flowing down her neck and I thought that she was going to bleed out right in front of me. Thank fucking god for Dennis. I owe that man everything. Everything!
Nicole is curled against me as we wait in the hospital bed for the nurse to return with my discharge papers. She needed about thirty stitches to close the slash on her neck. Damn, that was too friggin' close. I can't even close my eyes without seeing the knife dragging and the blood running. A knock on the doorframe brings me out of my thoughts. I look up to see Detective Brice entering the room.
His expression is grim as he comes over to the bed and shakes my hand then Nicole's hand. "Ace, Nicole, how are you doing?"
"Glad to be alive," I reply wearily.
He nods. "I'm sure. Listen, I hate to do this to you tonight, but I'd like to take both of you down to the station to get your accounts on what happened."
"Okay," Nicole replies. "Dennis isn't in trouble, right? I mean, he saved my life."
"As of right now, no. But we need everyone's statement before we can make a decision on whether or not to charge him," Brice says. "Dennis is already at the station giving his right now."
"As soon as I get released, we can go," I say.
Detective Brice nods. "I'll drive you."
We only have to wait about fifteen minutes before the nurse comes in with the papers. Security escorts us out to the detective's car just to be safe. So far, the paparazzi haven’t found out, but it's only a matter of time before this shit blows up the headlines. When we get to the station, Detective Brice separates Nicole and me, placing us in different interrogation rooms.
I'm sitting at the table, my hands folded in my lap, my head down. I'm exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open. I've been sitting here alone for who knows how long. My guess is that they are talking to Nicole first. I drift asleep and am hit with flashes of blood and a headless Nicole. The door squeaks open and I start so hard that I have to grab the edge of the table so that I don't fall out of my chair. Detective Brice frowns at me.
"You okay?" he asks.
"Fuck," I gasp. "I fell asleep and was having a nightmare."
I rub my face hard then wince when I end up irritating the stitches in my mouth. I rub my eyes and rake my hand through my hair. I look up just as Brice places a cup of coffee in front of me.
"Nicole asked me to bring this to you," he says with a small smile.
I give him a grateful smile. "Thanks."
He takes a seat in the chair across from me and sets a file down on the table. His light brown eyes meet mine. "So, I talked to Nicole. She told me her side, but I'd like to hear your side of the events that occurred. Start with your visit to Mr. DeGrassi this morning."
I recapped our visit with Alex, and then told him how Dennis dropped us at my place after picking up Nicole's things from the hotel. I told him how Dennis needed to go pick up his things from his place. Then I told him everything that happened after I came to. Detective Brice takes notes and asks me questions throughout the story; just things like, did I ever feel like we had been followed, or did she have a key to my place, etc...
"...And here I am, talking to you," I finish.
Brice finishes whatever he is writing and snaps his little notebook closed. He stands and extends his hand toward me. I shake it.
"Thanks, Ace, sounds like everything checks out, I think Dennis is in the clear," he says.
"That's great to hear," I reply
gratefully.
"I'll get you back to Nicole and Dennis. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"
"I'm sure I can find someone to take us in." I chuckle.
He smirks. "Good."
He leads me down a couple of hallways then through a door that leads to a waiting room. Nicole, Dennis, Beau, and Lizette are in there. They all look over as I walk in. Beau races to me, crashing into me and pulling me into a big bear hug.
"Fuck, I'm so glad you're okay," he murmurs.
I pat him on the back. "Me, too, bud." I grunt.
Beau quickly releases me. "Shit, sorry, your ribs hurt." He grimaces.