by Vi Carter
“No.”
“Where are we going?” She asks, and I remember she pulled the trigger, and that I’m mad at her for that.
“Get dressed, and stop asking me questions.”
She stands taller and I want her to defy me. I want her to give me a reason to put my hands on her. She doesn't; instead she grabs the bags and takes them out of the living space.
I make us both a sandwich. I’m tempted to make her favorite, but she doesn’t deserve that right now.
When she returns, she pulls at the tight red t-shirt that’s painted to her skin. My cock hardens straight away.
“I made you a sandwich.” She sits down in her usual spot and I slide her plate down to her before sitting down with my own. We eat in silence and I can’t stop staring at her. I shouldn’t take her out. It isn’t safe.
Gage is my brother and he won’t hurt her, I remind myself.
“Dean.” Her voice is low. I hate how nice it is to have my name on her lips. “What’s going to happen to me?”
Fear clouds her eyes and I soak it up. “That depends on you.”
I finish my sandwich and hate how hers has only one small bite missing.
“Eat,” I say, before getting up and pouring out a drink of water. I gulp half the glass down before turning and giving her the other half. I hold the glass so her lips will touch where I drank from, she takes it from me and my trousers tighten further.
“Do you still want to leave?” I ask her as I look down at the crown of her head. She doesn’t look up at me. Her hand tightens around the bread and it’s squished between her fingers.
“I don’t know.” She sounds tired.
“Put on your jacket.” Her head snaps up to mine and she shakes her head again.
I laugh. “You’ve been trying to escape since you arrived here, now you get to leave and you don’t want to.”
She’s looking towards the door with a longing in her eyes before glancing back at me. “I don’t know what’s going to happen out there.” She points towards the door and I kneel down so we are eye level.
“I never know what you are going to do in here. You keep trying to kill me.”
She swallows and her eyes fill with tears. “You are going to kill me.” She’s nodding like it’s the answer to it all.
“Get your coat on.” I rise and she scrapes the chair along the floor. I don’t notice how perfectly the coat fits her.
Each step we take up the stairs has me wanting to take her back down. I hate how she looks to the sky when we step outside. I open the passenger door of the truck. “Get in.” She turns and stares at me but does as I tell her. Her shoulders fall forward as I close the door. She doesn’t speak as we leave the property, she’s taking it all in. I shouldn’t allow her but it reinforces the knowledge that she can never go. I can never let her leave me. It only takes fifteen minutes to arrive back into the town. I see the recognition in her eyes when we pull up to the park.
“We are so close.”
“We are meeting someone who wants to ask you some questions. Answer them and that’s it.”
“Who? Why?” Her chest rises and falls quickly and I don’t like the fear in her. It’s not caused by me but her belief that someone else might hurt her. I unclip my seatbelt.
“Listen to me, Kate. No one is going to hurt you. Not when I’m around.” I need her to believe me. I would never let anyone hurt her. She quickly glances out the window before she looks back to me. Her emotions vanish and now it’s my turn to feel fear.
“Don’t you dare try to run.” I warn and lean into her.
“I won’t.”
I unclip her seatbelt. “Why do you lie so much?” The snap of her seatbelt has her tightening her eyes.
“I don’t understand what’s happening.” She sounds tired again and I hate what I am putting both of us through.
“We’ll be home soon.” I touch her beautiful face and she moves away from me. Then I remember she pulled the fucking trigger. I get out and walk around to her door. Opening it, she climbs out. I take her hand in mine. It feels so right. She does that thing again as I lock the vehicle: she stares up at the sky like she hasn’t seen it before. I lead us to the park.
“Dean.” Her voice is small again and I squeeze her hand.
“I know where you live.” I glance at her and she doesn’t look afraid, she looks resigned. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
I look around me and my stomach twists. I can see Gage walking to us in the distance.
“No. But I don’t want you to answer any questions without my approval.”
“How will I know?” Her eyes follow where I am looking, and I squeeze her hand so she refocuses back on me.
“I’ll nod my head. If you say anything else, I won’t kill you, Kate. I’ll hurt you.”
She looks away from me again. I grip her chin and make her look at me. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Her one word is filled with so much defiance and I can’t stop the grin that tugs at my lips.
My grin slips as Gage stares at me, his eyes taking in our joined hands as my other hand holds her chin.
“Hi.” His voice rumbles and captures Kate’s attention. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SCARLETT
My fingers tighten further on Dean’s. I don't know this other person and have no idea what he wants. Looking into his face reminds me of Dean’s, only Dean’s is stronger. They have the same eyes, only Dean’s always feels like they are tinged with something indescribable, like madness.
“Hi.” His deep voice has me stepping closer to Dean.
I look to Dean and he nods at me.
“Hi,” I say back. I could scream or run across the open park. The shop isn’t far from here, would someone help me? My focus zones in on a woman running the other side of the green lawn, if we stand here long enough she will pass and I can scream then. My heart starts to race.
“What’s your name?” The stranger asks and I look to Dean, he nods.
“Kate,” I answer automatically.
“Do you have family?”
“I already told you she doesn’t.” Dean speaks up for me but the stranger doesn’t take his eyes off me.
“Did he hurt you?” He sounds so sincere; his words are a little rushed.
Dean tugs me away from the stranger.
“Are you fucking serious? You said you had questions.” Dean pulls me further behind him and I keep watch on the runner.
“Let her go.” The stranger steps closer to us. “You know this is too fucked up.”
“That’s why you brought me here? To take her?”
“Take her?”
The runner is getting closer and hope blossoms inside me. Dean takes a step towards the stranger. “Yeah, take her. She has nowhere to go. I told you, she’s homeless.”
I look back to them, hating how they are talking about me. The stranger's eyes meet mine. “Are you homeless?”
I look to Dean, who nods.
“Yes,” I answer.
“Someone is blackmailing my brother. They want fifty thousand or they will release the image of you.”
“What the fuck, Gage?” Dean releases my hand and pushes his brother. “What are you doing?”
And I’m standing here. I’m free. Gage looks at me, his eyes dart to the runner who’s watching me, too. She nods at Gage and her pace quickens. “It’s okay.” She grabs my arm and I’m moving with her.
“Run!” I’m moving. I’m running away from Dean. There is this tiny part of me that feels a sense of confusion. The blast of a gun has me and the jogger hitting the ground.
“Dean!” Gage shouts.
I look up from the ground to see Dean with the gun trained on Gage as he walks back to me.
“Get up.” He holds out his hand and a whimper leaves my lips.
“You can’t keep her.” Gage moves towards Dean.
“You fucking tried to trick me.” The jogg
er covers her head as the gun is waved at her skull.
“Just let her go and all this ends.” Gage begs Dean and he glances at me.
I plead with my eyes for him to let me go but I already know the answer.
“Get into the vehicle.” He points at the truck but I don’t move.
“Kate!” His raised voice makes me jump.
“That’s not my name!” I’m shouting back. It’s all I have left—this tiny snippet. Dean’s too consumed with getting me back into the truck to care about my name.
“See, she’s lying. That's not her name. What else is she lying about? She might be the blackmailer. She might be in on it.”
Dean doesn’t let me go as Gage helps the jogger up off the ground.
“Dean.” Gage shouts again.
I’m forced into the car and watch the world behind the pane of glass. The jogger keeps her eyes on me.
“She knows what I am. She knows where I live. Letting her go isn’t an option.” Dean’s words cause whatever response Gage had, die on his lips. Dean gets in and starts the truck.
I hate how the jogger keeps looking at me. It's like the last time she will ever see me. I blink and tears fall because I think she’s right. I don’t think Dean will let me walk away. I sit back in the seat as he tears from the town.
My hand touches my bare neck. “I want my pendant back.” The words are heavy on my tongue.
“I can’t think right now, Kate.” Dean rubs his temple.
“I don’t care!” I shout.
He looks at me. “Be quiet.” His words are so dismissive.
I stare back out the window as the world flashes past us. It’s a split second decision. Do I want to die? No. I want something else. Freedom, control, a choice.
I make the choice to reach across and pull the steering wheel from his hand. We hit the ditch hard. His roar is deafening as he tries to control the vehicle and I’m floating, hair covers my face as the world turns upside down. The seatbelt rips against my chest, stealing away all the air from my lungs. I see the ground fast approaching and curl up as best I can but the impact feels like it smashes every bone in my body. I’m suspended in pain as I slam back into the seat and the world shakes for a few seconds.
The blare of a horn has me lifting my chin off my chest. I see trees, lots of trees. I turn to see Dean’s head resting on the horn that continues to blare. My hands work quickly at my seatbelt and I manage to get it free. The door is heavy to push open and I fall out of the vehicle. My hands sink into the damp grass. I try to stand but the world shifts and I land on my hands and knees. I take a few steadying breaths before I start to crawl. The grass grows wetter the further I move. Pain screams in my left ear and I try to rub it with my shoulder. I glance back at the truck. Smoke billows out from under the hood. I pause, imagining it going up in flames with Dean trapped inside.
Scarlett, he took you. I remind myself before I continue to move across the wet ground. It’s starting to sink under my hands. I look up to see a huge lake in front of me. It must have overflowed. I look back again and smoke continues to billow from the car.
Standing, I manage to stay up. I sway with dizziness as my conscience becomes too much, and I find myself swaying back to the car. The horn continues to blare. I try to open Dean’s door but it’s wedged. I have to go around to my side and crawl back in. His seat belt comes loose easily. I push him back and the noise stops. His head is pretty banged up and some part of me doesn’t want to leave him.
Tears blur my vision as I crawl out of the car and start to run. I fall, but each time I do, I pick myself back up. I can’t be far from a road. I know that we had been on one before we crashed. I see a blue car in the distance.
“Help me!” I start to run towards it. “Help me!”
I hit the ground hard as a branch snags my trousers. I scramble up again. “Help me!” I start to wave at the car. I’m so close. It’s right there. I can almost make out the driver. “Help me!” My shouts turn hysterical.
Something hits my back and I’m on the ground again, only this time I can’t get up. Dean spins me around and clamps a hand over my mouth. Blood drips from his head onto my cheek as I scream into his hand. He doesn’t say anything but keeps me pinned as I squirm and scream under him. The car is gone. It’s gone and I’m looking into dark eyes that torture me.
He removes his hand but I don’t stop screaming at the top of my lungs. He keeps me pinned as he just watches me, all my pain seems to latch onto my screams and I want him to stop me again because I can’t seem to cut the pain off. My roars turn into cries and I hate him. I hate him for making me sit still and sort through my head; it’s like I’m touching each memory and somehow he’s making me relive the worst part of me.
“I hate you.” I tell him and he doesn’t blink.
“I hate you!” I shout louder and he doesn’t react.
“I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”
His lips are on mine cutting off my anger. “I hate you.” I mumble against his lips as salty liquid flows into my mouth.
“I hate you.” My words are dying slowly as my strength dwindles. His kiss is warm and I kiss him back, when his tongue enters my mouth I open wider for him. I need to go somewhere else and I don’t want it to be the dark room anymore. I think I’ll go wherever Dean wants to take me. I get lost in the kiss and I hate when he breaks it. He pulls me to my feet. He winces before touching his head. His fingers tighten around mine and we are walking across the wet land towards the lake.
“What are you doing?” I ask. I don’t want to die. Is he going to drown both of us?
Dean looks back at me before tugging my hand so that I’m right beside him. I scream as the truck behind us explodes and a ball of fire is released into the air.
“Come on.” He tugs me harder and I don’t want to go into the water. I try to stop but Dean doesn’t pause. He pulls me into his arms, scooping me up against his chest, as he steps into what I thought was a lake. It doesn’t go past his knees, as he wades through it. I glance over his shoulder at the smoke that billows from his car. Sure enough, that would attract a lot of people. Even the cops. I look forward and the water seems to go on forever.
“I can walk,” I say to Dean. He doesn’t release me or answer me. The water circles around us and it’s like we are walking on water. I look up into Dean’s face. His head is bleeding pretty badly. He’s losing a lot of color. Maybe he’ll pass out. His dark eyes flicker to me and guilt churns in my stomach. I fear he knows what I’m thinking.
His steps slow down and I don’t offer to walk again. I want to wait for him to collapse. The fire ball behind us grows smaller.
“We are nearly there.” Dean’s words have dread curling in my stomach. Nearly where? He steps out of the water and only then does he put me down. My feet touch dry ground as he takes my hand and we step out into another field and right there, in the middle, is his fucking house. I stop and swallow the saliva that pools in my mouth.
“Kate.” He sounds tired but his hand feels strong around my fingers. He tightens it and we start to walk back to the house. Back to my prison. Back to the box that I will die in if anything happens to Dean.
“Your head is bleeding pretty badly,” I say, as a new fear of getting stuck in the bunker takes over.
“Are you feeling bad that you hurt me?” he asks as we start up the steps of the house.
No. I’m afraid of being buried alive.
“Yes.” I answer.
He stops outside the large silver door and grins at me. “You lie so much, Kate. Now close your eyes.”
“No. What’s the point?”
He pulls me into his chest. “Close your eyes.” His words are whispered, as his gaze flickers to my lips.
“No.” I answer again and he tilts his head to the side.
“Kate.”
“That’s not my name,” I tell him before my eyelids flutter closed. I hear the beep of the code as he presses it in. Each number has a different sound. I’ve h
eard it before but I just didn’t know what I was hearing. I want to open my eyes as my heart sings. His fingers wrap around mine as I’m led back down into the bunker, only this time I have a bit more hope of getting out of here.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DEAN
My head pounds and I can’t even consider leaving Kate for a second. I take her hand once we are inside. She doesn’t stop me as I lead her to the bathroom.
I need a shower and I don’t trust her to be left alone. No doubt she will try to kill me again. I pull off my top and my side aches. I hear her loud intake of breath. Glancing in the mirror, I see my side is black and blue—I don’t think anything is broken. I can’t bend to take off my boots. Kate watches me struggle but doesn’t offer to do anything about it.
“Could you help take off my boots?” I hold on to the wall to steady myself and she doesn’t move. I grin. Of course she won’t help. I lower myself to the toilet and manage to pull them off.
“Take off your clothes,” I say. I don’t have the energy to force her and I’m surprised when the green army jacket hits the floor. I remove my boots and manage to pull off my socks. I don’t want her to see how bad I am, so I sit back and pretend to take her in as she pulls off the t-shirt. Her breasts bounce free as she observes me.
“I’d let you go if I could.” She freezes at my words and I mean them. If I could turn back the time, I’d let her go.
“You’re a liar.” Her words are quick as she kicks off her own boots.
“Kate,” I whisper her name. I wasn’t lying. I become transfixed as she pulls down her trousers and underpants. I use all my strength to stand and open the belt of my trousers before I push them down.
Kate steps into the shower and starts the water. My boxers pull down over my large erection. It feels too tight. I’ve wanted her so badly. I would have taken her in the field with all her anger but I didn’t want us to get caught.
I step in and her eyes skip to my erection before they travel back up to my eyes. Color tinges her cheeks.
She steps towards me and I can’t decipher what I see in her eyes. Pain, anger, lust, a realization? I’m not sure.