Make Me (Bully Me #2)

by C. E. Starkweather

  "No!" Kaine exclaimed. "I was thinking about it on the way home. He’s never made me feel uncomfortable or anything. In fact, he kept trying to convince me that you and I belonged together. Why would he do this?"

  Shane clenched his jaw. "I don’t know. But I’m going to beat the truth out of him."

  "Just wait," Kaine said, blocking his path.

  "Move, Kaine."

  "Not until you calm down. You can’t just go around beating people up when you think they've done something wrong. Sit down for a minute and calm down."

  "I need to get out of here. Right now. Because I’m about to flip the fuck out, and Adam is in the next room."

  Kaine sighed and moved to the side. "Just talk to him first," she pleaded. "Don’t just..."

  She was interrupted by the slamming door.

  Jessica watched Kaine leave and let out a shaky breath. "I’m sorry," she whispered. She turned around as Camden came around the corner. "Good job," he said. "You should have been an actress instead of a secretary or whatever you are."

  She clenched her jaw. She couldn't believe that this man who had seemed so sweet and caring had turned out to be so evil. "She bought it. I did exactly what you asked. Please give me the pictures."

  He reached in his pocket and held the pictures out to her, dropping them on the ground as she reached for them. She bent down and picked them up, trying not to look at them. Not that it mattered. They were already ingrained in her memory. "I like this one," Camden said, pointing to a picture of her sitting on him, her face twisted in ecstasy. "That was a fun night. How about one more for the road?"

  She almost gagged. "You’re a fucking pig. I kept up my end of the deal. Is this all of them?"

  "That’s all. I mean, I have copies on my computer, but..."

  "You said you’d get rid of them if I did what you wanted!" She cried.

  "Calm down. I won’t show your husband what you’ve been up to in your spare time as long as you keep your end the deal. If I find out that you told her anything, I won’t hesitate to destroy your life."

  "I won’t," she muttered. "Just don’t hurt her."

  He rolled his eyes. "You have a lot of demands for somebody in your position. Mind your own business, and you’ll never hear from me again."

  She said nothing as he strode out the door. She quickly shut and locked the door behind him and started ripping up the pictures.

  Shane pulled up to Bryce’s condo and pounded on the door. "Bryce!" He yelled. "Open the door!"

  The door swung open and Shane punched Bryce in the face as hard as he could. Bryce flew back and clutched at his nose. "What the hell, Shane? Are you crazy?"

  "Get up," Shane growled. Bryce stood up, holding his nose. "What’s your problem?"

  "My problem?" Shane laughed. "My problem is that you paid some skank to tell my wife that I cheated on her, you stupid piece of shit. Did you think she was going to go running into your arms?"

  "Wait, what?"

  Shane clenched his fist. "Don’t play stupid with me right now. Unless you want me to kick your ass. Because believe me, nothing would make me happier."

  "I have no idea what you’re talking about," Bryce said. "Why would I want Kaine to think that you cheated on her"

  "You tell me," Shane snapped. "Are you jealous? Did you think you were going to get to have sex with her when I moved out?"

  "Dude, no. I have no idea what’s going on. You’re my best friend. Why would I want to steal your wife?"

  Shane exhaled. "That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out since I found out. Why would you do something like this? Tell me the truth, Bryce, and I promise you I won’t beat the shit out of you."

  Bryce rubbed his jaw. "I don’t want your wife, Shane. I mean, don’t get me wrong. She’s gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean I want her. She’s like a sister to me. Tell me what you’re talking about, because I swear to you, I have no idea."

  "Jessica. She said it was you who paid her to tell Kaine she was pregnant."

  Bryce shook his head. "I’m telling you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I barely talked to Jessica. I certainly didn’t give her money or tell her to lie to Kaine."

  "Shit," Shane muttered. "Well why the hell would she lie?"

  "I don’t know. Do you believe me?"

  Shane studied Bryce for a second and sighed. "Yeah, I do. You’re a good lawyer, but I can tell when you’re bullshitting me. I still don’t get it though. But hey, guess what? Kaine took me back."

  "Really? That’s awesome," Bryce said, handing him a beer.

  Shane took the beer, putting it on the table. "Hold on." He ran to his room and grabbed Kaine‘s rings. "Sorry for punching you. I have to go re-propose to my wife."

  Bryce sat down. "It’s cool. I’ll just have to make up a cool sorry about a bar fight or something."

  Shane nodded, distracted. "If it wasn’t you, that means it was Camden."

  Bryce shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe it was someone else. Just sit down for a minute and relax."

  Shane shook his head. "He wanted me to come over here."

  "Why would he want that?"

  "To get Kaine alone."

  "She’s been alone for a month," Bryce said. "If he was going to do something, he would have done it already. I'm sure Kaine is fine."

  "Unless he was trying to win her back," Shane said, grabbing his keys. "I have to get home." He ran out the door and jumped into his car, speeding away. There had to be a reason that Jessica lied about Bryce. His best guess was that Camden somehow coerced her into doing it. But how would Camden even know who Jessica was? And why hadn't he tried to get to Kaine before now? He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down but unable to rid himself of the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  Kaine poured herself a glass of wine as she stirred the pasta. She hoped Shane would be home soon with some answers, and that he hadn’t beat up Bryce. "You ok, Adam?" She called. "Yes, mommy," his little voice called back. She smiled and sipped her wine. "Mommy, come here!"

  Kaine stirred the pasta again and went to the living room. "What is it pea..." The words froze on her lips as she saw the most horrifying thing she could imagine.

  Camden stood in her living room with his arm around Adam.

  "Camera likes Yo Gabba Gabba too," Adam said, grinning at her. Kaine watched in horror as Camden ruffled Adam’s hair. "Cute kid," he commented.

  "Don’t hurt him," Kaine whispered.

  Camden shrugged. "That’s entirely up to you, Kaine."

  She tried to calm her breathing. "What do you want?"

  He tightened his grip on Adam. Adam frowned and tried to squirm away. "Let him go!" Kaine cried, panicked. "Baby, it's ok."

  "I just want you to do something real quick for me," Camden said. He pulled a bottle out of his pocket. "Drink this."

  Kaine’s heart skipped a beat. "No."

  "You drink it, I’ll let him go. Otherwise..."

  She snatched the bottle out of his hand and gulped the foul tasting liquid. "Mommy loves you, baby," she said desperately. "Don’t be scared. I’m really, really tired. If I fall asleep it’s ok. You just wait here for daddy to come home."

  "Ok, mommy," Adam said, glaring at Camden.

  "You be a good boy for daddy, ok?" She slurred. "I love..."

  Camden caught her as her knees buckled.

  Shane opened the front door and rushed to turn off the overflowing water. "Kaine!" He called. "Jesus Christ," he muttered, looking at the mess on the stove. "Kainie? Adam?" He walked to the living room and saw Adam sitting in the corner. "Hey, buddy. Where’s mommy?"

  Adam sniffed. "Camera took her."

  Shane’s blood ran cold. "What?"

  "I don’t like him. He made mommy cry."

  Shane fumbled with his phone and called the police.

  15

  Kaine opened her eyes, feeling nauseous. "Shane," she murmured.

  "No, sweetie."

  She gasped and sat up. Camden pulled her back
down. "Just lay down. You’re gonna feel kind of crappy for a bit."

  She sobbed quietly as Camden wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. "Don’t hurt me," she pleaded.

  "I’m not going to hurt you, Kaine," he whispered in her ear. "I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. That’s not what this is about."

  She sniffed. "Is Adam ok?"

  "Adam is fine," he said softly. "I told him to wait for Shane. They’re going to be fine, sweetie. Don’t worry about them." He kissed her cheek as she flinched. "You’re so beautiful, Kaine. Even more now than back in high school."

  She stared straight ahead, not responding. He sighed. "Just try to get some sleep, ok? We’ll talk in the morning." He snuggled against her and stroked her hair. She fought to stay awake, but the drugs took over her body and she passed out.

  "I’m telling you, he took her!" Shane shouted at the police officer. "Why aren’t you listening to me?"

  Officer Colton watched him with a blank look on his face. "I told you, we’re looking into it. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you’d cooperate."

  Shane sat down, exhausted. "I told you everything I know. Why are you treating me like a suspect?"

  Shane had been in the police station for the past hour, furious that the officer didn’t seem to think that his wife being kidnapped was important. Ever since Colton had caught him watching out for Kaine, it was clear that he didn’t like him. Colton sat down across from him. "Do you ever argue with your ex wife, Mr. Ellery?"

  Shane sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Everyone argues. You knew that we were divorced when you came to our house. Of course we argue. What does that have to do with anything?"

  Colton ignored him. "Do your arguments ever turn physical?"

  Shane clenched his fists. "Are you asking me if I’ve ever raised my hands to my wife?"

  Colton shrugged. "We’ve talked to your ex wife’s friends and coworkers. They say that they’ve seen bruises on her arms. How do you explain that?"

  Shane laughed incredulously. This couldn’t be happening. "I have a four year old son who grabs and squeezes when he doesn’t get his way. Look, I have them too," he said, rolling up his sleeves. He clenched his jaw in anger when Colton didn’t even look at his arms. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Losing his cool in front of a police officer would only justify the suspicions that he was violent. "I never hit my wife. I love her. And she’s in trouble. I’m telling you, Camden Lawson has her. He’s been obsessed with her over ten years. My son saw the whole thing, dammit."

  "Your son is four years old," Colton retorted. "You could have easily told him what to say."

  Shane shot up, knocking his chair over. "Maybe you don’t give a shit about my wife, but I do. If you’re not going to find her, let me go so that I can do your job for you."

  Colton sat back. "Relax. We're doing everything we can. We’ve already paid Camden Lawson a visit."

  Shane’s heart skipped a beat. "And?"

  "He wasn’t home."

  "Because he has her!" Shane shouted.

  "Your EX wife’s coworker also told us that you went to Camden’s house and beat him up last month. Wanna tell me about that?"

  Shane rubbed his hand down his face. This couldn’t be happening. "He tried to convince Kaine that I was cheating on her. I went there to talk to him and lost my cool when he bragged about being her shoulder to cry on. You’ve read his file. You know what he did to her and how she had a restraining order against him."

  "I do," he agreed. "And we’re looking for him. It’s also possible that he’s just not home right now. Is there any reason your ex wife would have left town?"

  Shane shook his head vehemently, trying hard to ignore the emphasis that Colton put on ‘ex’. "No. We made up. She took me back. You can ask anyone. Ask Steve Fillmore. Ask Kaine’s father. And she would never leave Adam. No way."

  "Alright," Colton said, standing up. "We’re about done here. Try to get some sleep."

  "What about Kaine? What are you doing to find her?"

  "We're doing everything we can," Colton promised. Shane sighed, standing up. He didn’t believe that for a second. "Listen, I know you don’t like me. That’s fine. You don’t have to like me. But my wife was abducted by Camden Lawson. He’s dangerous, and the thought of what he’s doing to her...please, just find him."

  Colton stood up. "Look, it's my job to explore all angles. It's nothing against you personally. I have guys trying to find Camden right now. Apparently, he was with Layla James when your ex wife texted her to say that you and her had reconciled. She said that he read the text message and ran out. So yes, despite what you think, he is our number one suspect. The best thing you can do is to let us do our job."

  Shane nodded and shook Colton’s hand, praying that Kaine was ok.

  Kaine woke up on Monday morning, remembering immediately what had happened and where she was. She sat up slowly, still groggy from whatever Camden had given her. Her heart broke when she thought about Shane and Adam. They must be so worried. She looked around the small, windowless room.

  Camden slept next to her with his arm draped over her. She gently crawled out from underneath him and slid out of bed. She froze as he stirred and rolled over, breathing a sigh of relief when his breathing steadied. She tiptoed to the door and tried the knob. It moved, but the door wouldn’t open. There had to be a key around here somewhere. Where would he hide it? She quietly opened the dresser drawer and gasped. Neatly folded underwear and bras filled the small drawer. Was there a woman living here? Or had he gotten these for her? She knew the answer when she saw the red lacy piece that looked like the one she had gotten back in high school and ended up wearing for Shane. Camden had gone through her drawer and had seen it. She clenched her jaw in anger. If he thought she was wearing this for him, he had another thing coming. He had said he wouldn’t touch her unless she wanted him to, but he was unstable. Who knew what he planned to do with her? The thought of his hands on her made her nauseous. It was bad enough that he had held her while she slept.

  "Good morning, beautiful."

  She gasped and shut the drawer.

  "What are you doing?" He asked, sitting up and stretching. She swallowed hard. "I was just looking around."

  "Well come lay back down," he said, patting the side of the bed. She hesitated, then reluctantly walked back to the bed and sat down. He pulled her back and leaned over her, studying her face. She looked away. "Look at me," he said, gently moving her face towards his. She stared into his eyes. He looked at her lovingly. His striking blue eyes were gentle. "You don’t have to be scared of me, Kaine. I won’t hurt you. I’m not like him."

  "He doesn’t..."

  "Yes, he does," Camden said quietly. "Did you forget how horrible he was to you? Or are you with him because you’re scared of him?"

  Kaine stared at him silently. She had no idea what the right answer was. She wanted to tell him that he had hurt her in more horrible ways than Shane ever did, but kept her mouth shut. "What do you want with me?" She asked quietly. He brushed her hair away from her face. "I want everything with you, Kaine. I want you to realize that you should have been with me. Not him. You should have married me. I would have made you so happy."

  She sat up. "But I didn’t, Cam. I married Shane. We have a son. What about Adam?"

  "He has his father. Besides, that shouldn’t have happened. We can have our own kids."

  She shot up. "Don’t you fucking ever tell me that my son shouldn’t have happened, you bastard." She gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth, waiting for Camden to get mad. He didn’t. He sighed and sat up. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But Shane’s a good father, right? I know it hurts now, but after we have our own kids you won’t miss him as much."

  "So what, are you going to keep me locked in this room forever until I pop out your rape children? Then what? We all live in this room together?"

  He winced. "I’m not going to rape you, Kaine." />
  She shook her head. "How can I believe that? You keep telling me how Shane hurt me, but you were the one who hurt me. If he hadn’t gotten there in time, what would you have done, Camden? Do you know how many nightmares I had of your face telling me I was going to fuck you like I fucked him? And you know who was there to hold me and comfort me? Shane. I will NEVER love you. Because I fucking hate you."

  Camden’s eyes turned cold, and she knew she had gone too far. She didn’t care. She refused to sit here and listen to Camden talk about her family like this. "Give me the key and let me out of here. If you think I’m going to fall in love with you and sleep with you, you’re wasting both of our time."

  "We’ll see," he said, laying back down. "In the meantime, try to relax. You’re upsetting yourself. Come lay back down."

  "Fuck you," she snapped.

  His eyes narrowed. "You need to watch your mouth. I get that you’re upset right now, but this is still my house. You need to treat me with respect."

  She clenched her jaw. Arguing with him was useless. "I have to pee. Can I at least do that?"

  "Sure," he said. "Right in there." He motioned to the closet. Kaine frowned and pulled the door open. "What the...seriously?"

  What she had thought was a closet was actually a bathroom with was a small toilet and a tiny sink. Kaine wondered if Camden had converted the closet into a bathroom himself. Her heart started to pound and she wondered how long Camden had been planning this. "Can you maybe leave the room?" She asked. Camden chuckled and sat up. "You don’t need to be shy around me, Kaine. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll go make us some breakfast."

  Kaine was about to say that she wasn’t hungry, but kept her mouth shut. If it meant he would leave the room, he could make whatever he wanted. She quickly relieved herself as he closed and locked the door behind him. She looked for anything that she could use as a weapon, but there wasn’t much in the small room. Physically, she was no match for Camden. She needed something she could use as a weapon, but couldn’t find anything. She sighed in frustration and flopped back on the bed. She wondered if Adam was ok. The thought of her son watching Camden kidnap her brought tears to her eyes. Her sadness quickly gave way to anger, and she clenched her fists, waiting for Camden to come back. Maybe if she caught him off guard, she’d have a chance of escaping.