by Beth Maria
“I’m going back home tomorrow. Come on. You trust me, don’t you?”
Do I trust him? I gave him my heart, and he broke it, but do I trust him not to cause me any harm now? “Yeah, I trust you,” I sigh in defeat. I know he won’t hurt me. I just feel uncomfortable being with him here after not speaking to him properly for months.
I cautiously get out of the van and meet Matt around the front. He grabs for my hand, and I let him hold it, not because I want him to, but because I’m pretty scared right now. This place is completely dark. Anybody could be hiding or living in it.
He squeezes my hand in reassurance, leading me through the dark corridors.
Finally, we end up in a damp room, which has lanterns scattered around. It’s like he planned this in advance. But why? Then I spot the bed. He doesn’t think that I will sleep here with him, does he? He will be sadly mistaken. That ship sailed a long time ago for us.
“Matt… Why did you bring me here?” I ask, letting go of his hand.
“Let’s sit down first.” He leads me over to the bed, where I sit down uncomfortably on the edge. “I love you, Maisie. I tried telling you…”
“No. It’s too late for this, Matt. You need to leave it and move on,” I interrupt him. I don’t want to dig up the past. Like I said, that ship has sailed. He just needs to start realizing it.
“Please, Maisie. I need to get this off my chest. It’s killing me not being able to tell you, and now I finally have the chance,” he pleads, his eyes losing that glint that I saw in the van.
I’m not changing my mind on this, though. I don’t want to hear what he has to say. I shake my head adamantly.
“I’m sorry,” is all he says before he pounces on me, forcing my hands above my head. I’m no match for him. His strength is impeccable. He holds both of my arms with one hand, the other moving to his pocket. I watch to see what he pulls out.
Handcuffs.
I try to fight him as soon as I see them, but I can’t fight him off. He has my wrists cuffed to the bed in no time.
“Matt, this isn’t funny. Let me go!” I thrash around, trying to get my hands free, but it’s no use. The handcuffs just cut into my skin.
I’m helpless.
I close my eyes, and the bed dips down next to me.
“I’m sorry, baby. I really am.” Matt says.
“Then let me go,” I cry.
“If I let you go, you’ll go back to him. I can’t allow that. If I keep you here, then we can be together. Have you missed me, baby?”
Has he lost his mind? He was being nice to me a minute ago, but now he’s completely changed. He’s like Jekyll and Hyde.
“You can’t keep me here, Matt. You’re crazy if you think you can. Someone will come looking for me. You know they will.”
“Nobody will find you. Last I heard, your wonderful boyfriend dumped you, so it’s not going to be him who comes after you. Chloe probably will, though she’s got her own problems to deal with at the moment, doesn’t she?”
He’s right. Nobody is going to find me. Hope leaves my body, leaving me feeling numb.
“We can finally be together in peace,” he says as he starts to get on top of me.
No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. Bile rises to the top of my throat.
I thrash my legs to no avail as he just pins them with his own.
“Stop, Matt. I don’t want this!” I scream.
“You want this. Don’t pretend you don’t. You still love me, Maisie. I know you do. You don’t get over a love like ours.” His head dips, and he starts kissing my neck.
My body shakes. His lips on my skin makes me feel physically sick. I need to stop him. I can’t let him do this to me.
“Get the fuck off of me, Matt. You disgust me. There’s no chance in hell that I want to be with you again.”
Bad move, Maisie.
I watch his face turn red, his eyes go hard. Then his fist is flying straight toward my face, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Pain shoots through my eye; blinding, torturous pain. I scream.
“I’ll make you want me again.”
He starts ripping my top open, exposing my breasts. He greedily takes them in, his hand squeezing one hard. I don’t feel the pain, though. My focus is on my eye, which is closing fast.
I can’t look at him anymore, so I close my eyes.
I hear my jeans zipper, and then he’s tugging at my jeans, trying to get them off.
“Matt? I need to talk to you,” a female voice says.
Wait… Someone else is here? And that voice…
“I’m a bit busy right now, Tiffany.”
Tiffany…
How do they know each other? Better question. Why is she here?
Turning to look at her as best I can, I see that she’s looking in my direction with a huge smirk on her face. Of course she’s in on this. She’s been out to destroy me since day one. What better way to do it, than to get my ex to help; an ex who seems to have gone crazy. Just like her.
“You look good, Maisie. The eye really suits you,” she says snidely.
“If I wasn’t tied up, I would smack you. You really are disgusting. No wonder Jesse never wanted you. He could see right through you. Bat. Shit. Crazy,” I tell her with a smile on my face.
It wipes the smirk off of hers.
She runs up to me, her fist in the air, but Matt stops her.
“Don’t you dare! She’s mine, remember? You get Jesse.” That calms her down.
Wait… Jesse? He’s here?
“What have you done to Jesse?” I ask frantically.
“Nothing, yet… He should be here shortly, though.” She walks out without another word.
I’m too busy thinking to notice Matt getting off of me.
“I’ll be back,” I vaguely hear before he closes the door behind him, leaving me with my thoughts.
What is going on here? And why are they bringing Jesse here?
Oh, God no. Please don’t let them hurt him. He’s bound to be hurt more than I am, and I’m in a lot of pain.
Now that I’m finally alone, the pain is unbearable. I can’t do anything. I’m cold, scared, and alone.
So I cry.
Chapter 24
Maisie
I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Trapped on this bed. Alone. All I know is that nobody has come to save me yet.
Matt’s brought food to me three times. I’ve not eaten a thing.
I don’t speak when I’m spoken to.
I don’t open my eyes when someone’s in the room.
And when I’m alone, I cry or sleep.
Jesse
What day is it? How many days have passed? All I know is that it hasn’t been enough.
I have a mega hangover this morning, but I need another beer. I need to forget, and if that means spending the rest of my days drinking myself into a stupor, then that’s what I’m going to do. I don’t even care that I’m going to be like him. I knew I would eventually. I just made it happen faster.
Opening the fridge, I’m sure I’m seeing wrong. Where the fuck has my beer gone? I had a whole case in here last night.
“I threw it away, and there’s no point looking in the bin outside. It’s not there,” my mom says.
Closing the fridge, I stare down at her, anger seeping through my body. “What the fuck did you do that for?”
“Don’t you talk to me like that, Jesse Cohen. Just because I’m not at full strength doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass. I’m worried about you. You’ve spent the last two days drunk. I won’t have you turning into your father. Do you hear me?” she says seriously, her hands on her hip.
“It’s not up to you what I do, Mom. If I want to have a fucking drink, I’ll have a fucking drink. Stop interfering. If you hadn’t have had sex with that son of a bitch, I wouldn’t have been born, and then I wouldn’t have to deal with what I’m dealing with.”
I know I shouldn’t be attacking her. She’s done nothing but try her b
est for me. I just need someone else to blame right now, and that happens to be my mom. I can’t see past my anger.
“Oh, for goodness sake, Jesse. Sort yourself out! You want to end up like your dad? Fine. Go ahead,” she says, opening her arms out wide. “But you won’t be living under my roof, so pack your bags and get out. I refuse to watch another person I love destroy themselves.” With that, she walks away.
Fine. If that’s how it’s going to be, I’m gone.
My cell phone rings just as I’m about to walk out the door. It’s Chloe. Why is she calling me?
“What?” I answer, not in the mood for pleasantries.
“Well, hello to you too,” she replies sarcastically.
“What do you want, Chloe? I’m really not in the mood.”
“Geez, Mr. Happy. Fine. Is Maisie with you? I’ve been trying to get a hold of her, and her phone goes straight to voicemail.”
“No. Why would she be with me? We broke up. I’ve not seen her since Brandon took her home on Wednesday.” Has she not told Chloe that we’ve broken up? They usually tell each other everything.
“Wait… She left yours on Wednesday?” she asks, confused.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Sarcasm drips from my voice.
“Fuck! Jesse, Maisie’s not been home since Wednesday morning. I’ve not seen or heard from her since then. That was two days ago, Jesse…” She’s panicking now.
“I’m sure she’s fine. She’ll come back when she’s licked her wounds. Now, I’ve got things to do.” I hang up the call and put my cell away.
What does she think I will do about it? Maisie’s not my problem anymore. She’s probably hiding for attention. Well, it won’t work on me. I’ve got bigger problems to deal with.
I need to get drunk. Now.
Maisie
The door opens. I keep my head facing the wall. I don’t want to look at him. He’s keeping me here, locked up like a caged animal. He’s disgusting.
“You’re beloved boyfriend will be here soon,” he sneers.
That gets my attention. My head snaps in his direction, my eyes wide. “What are you going to do to him?” I croak.
It’s all I can manage. I’ve not had a real drink in hours; only when he feeds me water through a straw, which isn’t very often.
“Nothing for you to worry about. I’ll be back soon.” He closes the door before I can ask more questions.
I have a bad feeling about this. He’s going to hurt Jesse. I just know he is.
He hasn’t hit me since we arrived, but I know it’s not over. It’s far from over.
Chapter 25
Jesse
“Another, please,” I ask the pretty bar tender.
She flutters her lashes and gets me my beer, just like she’s been doing for the last two hours. She wants me. I can see it in her eyes. I might just take her up on her silent offer. She can help me forget about her for a little while. I’ll take whatever I can get.
Leaning over the bar, purposely showing me her cleavage, she passes me my beer.
“I didn’t get your name, darling,” I drawl, putting on the charm I’m so famous for.
“It’s Daisy,” she coos.
“Well, Daisy, what do you say to leaving here with me when your shift is finished?”
Her eyes light up, a greedy look taking hold. Oh yeah, she fucking wants me.
“I finish in an hour. I’ll come get you when I’m done, sexy.” She winks, leaving to serve another customer.
“Tut, tut. You’ve only been single for what, two days? And you’re already getting someone else into bed,” Tiffany says quietly into my ear.
Great. Just what I fucking need is whiny Tiffany keeping me company.
“I’m not in the mood for your games, Tiff,” I tell her bluntly.
“Oh, I’m not playing games, Jesse. I’ve never been playing games. I’ve always made it clear what I wanted. You just weren’t ready for me. But I’ll wait. Just don’t sleep with her. You know I can show you a better time.” Her hands slide down the front of my shirt, riding lower.
I have to agree with her there. She did always know what I liked. Looking over my shoulder at her for the first time since she arrived, I remove her hands from me.
“Okay. But you play by my rules. No touching unless I tell you to. You let me do whatever I want,” I tell her seriously. She needs to understand my rules if she wants me. Otherwise, I’ll go elsewhere.
“Understood.”
I slap a bill down on the counter and grab her hand, stumbling out the door with Tiffany behind me.
“We’ll take my car. You’ve had waaaay to much to drink, by the looks of things.”
She’s right. I can’t drive in this state. I follow her to her car, get in the passenger side, and then we’re off.
I rest my head against the window, closing my eyes. I guess I drank more than I thought I had. Everything is spinning. I better get used to it if this is how I’m going to spend the rest of my life. I just need a nap, is all.
****
“He fell asleep on the way over here. How are you going to get him inside?” a voice says, sounding far away.
“I’m going to have to knock him out. Do you think this will work?” another voice says.
“Yes, just be careful, please.”
“This was your idea, remember? Don’t change your mind now.”
Opening my eyes, I come face to face with Tiffany and Matt, Maisie’s ex. What the fuck? Where am I? Tiffany stares at me wide eyed. Matt just smirks at me before swinging something at my head.
Then everything goes black.
****
Ow, my fucking head. It hurts like a motherfucker. This is definitely not just a hangover. What happened? And why won’t my eyes open?
“Jesse!” Someone is shouting my name. It sounds so far away. What’s going on?
Then it all comes flooding back.
The bar. Tiffany. Getting in her car. Falling asleep. Matt. Something hitting my head. Now I’m here. Where is here, though?
I pry my eyes open, and the light stings for a few seconds.
“JESSE!” that voice shouts again, louder this time.
“Shut your mouth, Maisie. I’m not going to warn you again.”
Maisie? She’s here.
My eyes snap open, searching the room. My eyes fall on Matt and Tiffany, both standing in the corner near a door. Where’s Maisie?
That’s when I see her, handcuffed to a bed with her clothes ripped open. One of her eyes is black and swollen.
What the fuck have they done to her? I’m going to kill them.
I try to get up, but I can’t. I notice now that I’m strapped to a chair. Fuckers! When I get out, I’m going to rip both of their heads off for this.
I can feel my face heating up, the anger about to boil, but there’s not a damn thing I can do about it when I’m strapped to a chair.
“Let me out of this,” I warn, my tone biting. I’m in no mood to mess around.
“Nice to see you awake, Jesse, but I wouldn’t get too demanding. I don’t take well to being told what to do, and it’s not like you can defend yourself now, is it?” Matt laughs in my face. He fucking laughs in my face. Is he trying to piss me off?
“When I get out, you’re dead.” I stare him straight in the eyes, letting him know that I’m serious. I’ve never been more serious in my life.
I watch his face contort with anger as he marches straight for me, his fist flying straight into my face. I hear Maisie scream, and it kills me. God only knows what they’ve done to her. I should have listened to Chloe.
Jesus Christ, that hurt. I can taste blood.
Matt roughly grabs my face, making me look at him. “You’re as bad as she is,” he says, pointing to Maisie. “Never listening. She seems to be starting to learn, though, and in time, you will too. You’re going to be here a long time, so you better start.”
“Not fucking likely.” I don’t listen to anyone. I’m certainly not goin
g to listen to a pussy like him.
My head snaps back as his fist collides with my face again. In. Exactly. The. Same. Spot. I act like it doesn’t affect me, when really, it fucking hurts.
“Matt, leave him alone. I don’t want you ruining his lips. I need those,” Tiffany whines, giving me a wink.
Eurgh, I think I just threw up in my mouth. She better not come anywhere near me.
I look at her with disgust. “Oh, honey, don’t look at me like that. Do you still want me to carry on with what we had planned not even an hour ago?”
Maisie’s been quiet since I opened my eyes. When I look at her, I see tears streaming down her face. She’s staring straight at me. Fuck! Now she knows that I was going to sleep with Tiffany.
That’s not what’s bothering me right now, though. We can deal with that later. What’s bothering me is what they’ve done to her and the fact that she’s tied to a bed, battered and bruised. It’s breaking my heart, especially when I can’t do anything about it. I just want to go over to her, apologize, and hope and pray we can work things out. Seeing her like this has made me realize how much I love her. I should never have kicked her out of my house. She wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her quietly. It’s all I can say.
“Not as sorry as me,” she whispers.
Those five words cut through me like a knife. I’ve royally screwed up, and this time, I have no one to blame but myself.
Matt walks over to Maisie, wraps her hair around his fingers, and says, “It doesn’t matter. You have me now, baby, and I’ll look after you. I’ve always loved you.”
Oh, please! I watch Maisie shrink away from him, her face full of disgust.
“Get away from me,” she croaks at him. That’s my girl.
Next thing I know, Maisie’s head is ripped back, causing her to scream out in pain. I try to jump up, but when I go nowhere, I remember I’m stuck. Fuck!
“Matt, please, I’m sorry,” she begs, her dried tears no longer dry.
“You will be sorry. I’m promising to give you everything you could ever need, and you’re throwing it back in my face. What makes him so special?” Matt asks, pointing at me, his eyes still on Maisie.