by R. Linda
“Thanks.” Not wanting to push my luck or Ray’s patience, I quickly downed the coffee and followed him to the living room. We pushed the worn brown sofa to the side of the room and leaned the coffee table against the wall to make an ‘aisle’.
“Okay, come on, boy,” Ray said. He led me out of the room and into his bedroom. His room was much the same as my old one with the cream and brown patterned wallpaper and a large timber bed and timber dresser against the wall. The only difference was the old leather suitcase on the floor that acted as a bedside table. He’d broken too many timber ones over the years.
Ray walked to the closet and opened the door. “This is for you to wear. I wore it on my wedding day thirty years ago.” He pulled a suit out and passed it to me. I was honestly surprised by it; it wasn’t as terrible as I’d thought it would be. Black slacks, white shirt, white jacket and black bow tie.
“Get dressed. It’s almost time.” And with that, he turned and left me alone to get ready for my wedding.
I HEARD THE scratching of the record player and knew it was time. Ray was standing proud in the living room in front of the mantelpiece in his soft blue suit. He shook my hand as I came to stand beside him.
“You did good with this one, boy,” he said, tilting his head to the door where I noticed Kat and Lucy were standing. Kat smoothed down the skirt of her black and white polka dot dress and smiled quickly before shooting a nervous glance at Lucy, who was hovering behind her. They walked slowly down the aisle toward us.
Lucy was fidgeting with her small bunch of flowers held tightly in her gloved hands as she chewed her lip. She looked lovely in a white lace dress that stopped just below her knees and flared out like a giant tutu. She was a beautiful bride. I just wished that it was the wedding of her dreams, not the one my sadistic father was forcing her into. Lucy linked her arm nervously with mine when I gave her a soft smile and whispered, “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she replied softly before turning to face Ray, who was smiling at her and letting his eyes linger on her longer than I thought appropriate. I cleared my throat to snap him back to attention.
The ceremony was short, just the official do you take this man and do you take this woman stuff. Saying ‘I do’ felt wrong. The words sort of got stuck in my throat, but I forced them out and waited for Lucy to say them in return. She was staring at me with wide eyes. Tears slowly filling them as she swallowed back a cry. I squeezed her hand gently to reassure her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. My blood ran cold. Surely she wasn’t going to say no? She had to say yes. I do.
“Lucy?” I asked softly. Ray’s smiled dropped and his jaw was tense.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered softly.
Shit.
Hendrix
MY HEART STOPPED. Time seemed to slow down. Kat gasped and lifted her hand up to cover her mouth while Ray’s breathing increased. He was panting heavily and I knew he was mad. Beyond mad. If I didn’t fix this now, it was over. He was ready to snap. A tear slipped from Lucy’s eye; she quickly wiped it away.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before facing Ray and asking him for a minute alone with Lucy. “I’m sure it’s just cold feet, Dad. Let me talk to her, please. I can’t let her go. I won’t.”
I was clutching at straws. I needed to convince Ray I wanted this wedding to happen as much as he did. I needed to convince him that Lucy was the one, because it might just save her life. I’d do or say just about anything to keep her and Kat alive. They were too important to me now, they were family.
“Two minutes. You’ve got two minutes or I have no use for her anymore,” he growled, spit shooting from his mouth as he tried to control his breathing. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I had never seen him that angry. He was barely in control.
I pulled Lucy to the corner of the room and sighed when I realised Ray wasn’t going to leave us alone, so I had to choose my words carefully or I’d risk making him even angrier. Bringing my hands up to cup Lucy’s face, I wiped away the tears that were silently falling down her cheeks and made her look at me. I didn’t have the faintest clue what to say to her to change her mind, but I had to try. I couldn’t let him kill her like I knew he was planning to if she didn’t say ‘I do’. Two fucking little words would save her life right now.
“Lucy, love, look at me,” I whispered, and she opened her eyes slowly. They were sad, so sad and terrified. If she was terrified, I had a chance to convince her. I just had to play on that fear a little.
“I’m sorry, Hendrix, I can’t,” she cried softly, shaking her head.
“No, you can, and you will. It’s just nerves, love. You can do this. I promise you everything will be okay in the end. You know what will happen if you walk away from this right now?” I said gently, needing her to see how serious the situation was.
“There’ll be no fucking walking away, boy. You know that.” Ray sneered from across the room, making my heart drop to my stomach.
“Lucy, please. Remember how scared you were when you thought I wasn’t going to wake?” I asked as she sniffed, nodding her head slightly. “Don’t make me go through that too. I can’t do that. You are stronger than me. You can do this. I love you; don’t make me lose you,” I whispered, pressing my head to hers.
Even as I said the words, trying to put as much emotion into them as possible so Ray would believe the act, I knew I wasn’t acting. I did love Lucy. I loved her in a completely different way to how I loved Kat. I cared for Kat; she was like a sister, made me feel comforted and loved, but Lucy—Lucy was different. Lucy absolutely terrified me all the time. She had the power to make my heart stop beating with a single tear or squeeze of my hand. She had the power to reassure me when I thought everything was turning to hell. She had a power over me I didn’t understand. And there was no fucking way she was backing out of this wedding now. I wasn’t above begging if that’s what it took. I dropped to my knees in front of her and grasped her hands in mine.
“I will spend every single day of my life trying to live up to the promises I have made you. I won’t give up on you if you promise not to give up on me. Please, Lucy. Marry me?” I said quietly hoping she’d understand the promises I was talking about, the promise to free her from this nightmare. She let out a loud sob as the tears began flowing more freely.
“I’m sorry, Hendrix,” she mumbled and dropped to her knees with me, nodding slightly. “Of course I-I-I’ll m-marry you.”
“Yeah?” I breathed quietly.
She was still crying and terrified, but she nodded her head and whispered, “Yeah.”
I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I do,” she said to me before looking over my shoulder at Ray and repeating, “I do. I do.”
It was almost as if she was convincing herself that she wanted to go through with it as much as she was trying to convince Ray, but I didn’t care as long as it saved her life.
“Well, that’s that then,” Ray said gruffly, pushing himself up from his seat on the sofa. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
We stood, and a weight lifted from my shoulders instantly. We did it, we actually fucking convinced him. Lucy just looked stunned. Sobs coming from across the room told me Kat was crying. I knew she was just as scared of losing Lucy as I was. They’d become very close in the past few months.
“You’re fucking lucky, girl. Another stunt like that and I won’t be so forgiving. Now, kiss your husband and make him happy.” Ray shoved Lucy in the back so she stumbled into my arms, making him laugh. I caught her easily and steadied her as she bit her lip to stop the whimpers escaping.
“What did I just say?” Ray growled. Standing to his full height, he towered over us. Threatening. Intimidating.
Lucy quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and pressed her lips to mine. They were wet and salty from crying but soft and warm as they moved slowly against my mouth. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close
, trying to let my actions speak louder than words. Trying to tell her how important she was and how I meant everything I had previously said to her. Her body slowly started to relax into mine and her hands moved up around my neck. She was giving me butterflies and making my stomach churn. I had never felt that before.
“I love you,” I said for Ray’s benefit when Lucy finally dropped her hands from my neck and pulled back. He was still watching us closely.
“I-I l-love you t-t-too,” she stuttered, and even though I knew she didn’t mean it, it still made my heart stammer in my chest.
Shit.
I was in trouble.
“Good. Now let’s eat,” Ray huffed, stomping out of the room and into the kitchen, finally satisfied with us.
“You scared me half to death, Lucy,” Kat whispered, pulling Lucy into a hug when we stood up. “I’m glad you changed your mind. Come on. I’ve made a chocolate cake.”
I linked my fingers through Lucy’s and turned to face her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I just panicked before. This is not how I dreamed my wedding would be,” she sighed.
“I know. But I meant what I said. I will find a way to get you out so you can have the chance to get your dream wedding,” I told her as I tugged her toward the kitchen where the chocolate cake was waiting to be demolished.
We spent the afternoon trying to act as if everything was normal, that we were happy to be celebrating our wedding, but it just felt wrong. I hated Ray so much for what he was doing to Lucy, what he was making me do to her, but until I could find a way out, I was powerless to stop it.
If it was even possible, Ray became happier and more relaxed as the day wore on. He seemed almost content now that we had married and he was one step closer to his perfect family. I still didn’t quite understand his desire for it, but over the years, I’d gathered enough information to assume it stemmed from his childhood.
I knew he came from a broken home and had a drug addict mother who had more men coming through the front door than a brothel. I knew a lot of those men used to abuse him and beat him. He had the scars to prove it. His desire to have a perfectly happy family must have started there. He married my mother thirty years ago and although I don’t remember her, he would occasionally talk about her and how in love they were. Then she died, which Ray never recovered from. I think that was the turning point that pushed him over the edge. His desire soon turned into a need to recreate the perfect family.
Jump forward twenty-three years and over twenty women abducted, battered and killed by Ray, but he had finally found what he’d been looking for. Kat played the part of the perfect wife and mother, exactly the way Ray wanted her to even though we were about the same age. Now he had me married to Lucy and I could see that aside from Lucy almost backing out of the wedding, Ray was genuinely beginning to believe it was all real. All he needed now was the grandchild. I didn’t know what to do about that. I could only prolong it so long before he’d begin to get suspicious, but there was no way I was forcing Lucy to have his grandchild. No child should be brought up in this house. I needed to find a way to free Lucy and Kat before Ray’s little bubble of happiness burst.
“Okay, present time,” Ray announced suddenly. I stared at him, a little uneasy. I didn’t trust him or what he was planning. He was never one to celebrate or give presents, so I knew he was up to something. Even when he and Kat married, there was no celebration. I shuddered at the memory of that wedding. As soon as it was over, Ray dragged her into his bedroom by her hair and kept her locked in there for days alone with him.
“P-p-present?” Lucy asked nervously, glancing from me to Ray as she pressed herself into my side. Kat was staring wide-eyed with her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. I knew she was as confused and worried as I was.
“Yep. This is for you two,” Ray said, dangling a key in front of us. I stared at it. It looked like the key to our room in the basement.
I reached out my hand slowly for it, but Ray snatched it away as I was starting to say thanks.
“You don’t get the key, boy, but you do get what the key takes you to. Come on,” he said, stalking out of the room. I looked at Kat warily and shrugged. She shook her head slightly to tell me she had no idea what was going on, so she followed him out of the kitchen as well.
“Hendrix, what—” Lucy turned to look at me with tears in her eyes. She also knew Ray had something planned.
“I don’t know, love, but it will be okay. I promise. Nothing bad will happen.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Ray was standing at the door that led to the basement, just like I assumed. A chill ran up my spine as I imagined all the possibilities that could be awaiting us down there. Cuffs, chains, torture devices, a goddamn hot tub and champagne. Who knew with him?
“Time to get this honeymoon started.” He laughed gruffly, winking in Lucy’s direction. She cringed beside me and her hand grasped at my shirt.
“It’s okay,” I whispered down to her while Ray led us downstairs, gesturing for us to walk in first.
I stepped down the creaky timber stairs with Lucy attached to my side. Her breath was shaky, and her hands trembled around my waist with each step we took further into the dark, dank basement. It was wrong of me to revel in the fact she clung so tightly to me because she trusted me, but I did. Ray’s heavy footsteps thudded behind us as he followed us down. When we reached the door to our room, we stopped and waited. It was too dark to make out much of anything.
“Happy honeymoon,” Ray said, chuckling quietly as he reached for the light.
A soft glow illuminated the basement and my jaw dropped to the floor as both Lucy and Kat gasped. I looked around and tried to take in everything I saw. The door to our bedroom was open and I could faintly make out what he had done in such a short amount of time. I had no idea how he’d planned or organised this in time for today, but I knew one thing, though; despite being completely amazing at first glance, it was sick and completely fucked up. Just like Ray.
“These are for you,” Ray said quietly, slipping something into the pocket of my suit and patting my chest. “Use them wisely.”
I was too afraid to check what he had given me, so I just nodded a thanks to him and turned back to look at the basement.
“A honeymoon is a special time, perfect for you to bond as husband and wife. This is your honeymoon.” Ray gestured to the area in front of us.
He had redecorated part of the basement to look like a hotel. Or at least what I assumed a hotel room would look like. I’d never seen one, except for TV and movies. There was a large bed in the centre of our bedroom, and a TV and two-seater sofa, a small fridge, a breakfast table and chairs outside the room. I noticed flower petals on the bed. Chocolates and champagne too. He was recreating a honeymoon suite in our basement.
It was beyond creepy.
“Thank you,” I mumbled quietly to him, unsure of what else to say. I didn’t know what he was expecting from us. It was too weird.
“We will see you in two weeks. Come on, Kat. Let’s leave them alone,” he said grabbing her by the arm to drag her upstairs.
“Two weeks? We can’t survive down here for two weeks. What about food and water?” I asked as he reached the second step, because the first was still broken after my head went through it.
“Kat will bring you food every day. Think of it as room service.” He winked and began stomping up the stairs.
Kat winced and mouthed sorry as she turned to follow him up the stairs. From the top, he called out again, which sent a chill through my body.
“Now get started on my grandchild.”
I looked over to Lucy. Her skin was white and her teeth were digging in the bottom of her lip as she took in the soft red glow coming from the cloth draped over the lamps in the bedroom.
Hendrix
LUCY WAS FROZEN solid. Stuck to the floor as though bound there by a ball and chain, which in reality wasn’t too different to the way things us
ually were. She was trapped. Captured. Held prisoner and forced to do my father’s bidding, which, at this point, was to give him a grandchild. Make me a father. I couldn’t let her do it. There was no way.
Lucy was the kind of girl a guy like me, or any other red-blooded male, dreamed about. She was, in a word, perfect. She had the perfect smile, perfect personality, a little feisty and stood up for her beliefs, but she was kind and always sought the best in people. She could see that I wasn’t my father, that I was a victim as much as her. She understood why Kat submitted—that it was a survival mechanism—and she never judged. Not once did she judge Kat’s affection, no matter how forced it was, for my father. She never judged me either. Not anymore. She knew that I was nothing like him, that I did what I had to to stop the pain.
I knew that if I had chosen the other girl I had seen at the mall all those months ago, we would be in an entirely different situation. If I had chosen the hot little blonde in the tight mini skirt that initially caught my attention, we wouldn’t be here today. We wouldn’t have got ‘married’, nor would we be on our ‘honeymoon’. I would have been digging another hole in the woods or making another pair of concrete boots.
Lucy was different.
I often imagined meeting her under normal circumstances. The way she was at the club, a little shy but still open enough and willing enough to believe that I could be interested in her—because I was. As wrong as it was on my part, and as easy as it would have been to choose the hot blonde in the short shorts, in my heart, I knew I couldn’t. If I’d been given the opportunity to live a normal life, to grow up with a normal mother and father, I knew that I would have fallen head over heels for Lucy the moment I saw her. She was perfect. She was everything. Everything that I was not. Everything that I needed in this life.
Normal.
Perfect.