by T K Barber
Nick's entire body engulfed in anxiety, and he broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes went wide, and he looked at her in terror.
No.
There's no way it's her.
There's no way she's there.
There's . . . no way.
If . . .
He gripped Scarlet’s face, and her eyes widened as her brows pinched. He stood her up carefully, pushed her back a step, then launched himself up from the chair and started pacing.
What now . . . how could he find out where . . . but there were so many . . . well, if the only way . . . No.
He stopped and slammed his hands to his head. His heart raced so fast he thought he might pass out.
There had to be another way.
He started pacing again.
Besides, there wasn't even a way to know ahead of time if Annalise was there! It could've been someone else entirely! So, there's no chance . . .
He turned the other direction and made quick steps. But this was the closest he'd been yet to a tiny chance to find her. He knew it was a warehouse. And it was in the city. He sucked in breaths.
But he'd never find out where on his own! As soon as they got word he’d stepped foot in the first one, there's no telling what they'd do to her. And without having to sacrifice—
“Nick . . .?”
The sensation of her soft hand on his arm brought him back to reality while at the same time wrecking his emotions. He grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, hugging her tightly. He couldn't even think.
Maybe if Scarlet knew, she'd hel—No. Even then he wouldn't let her just throw herself into danger for his sake. Or his sister's. He threw his eyes to the sky and glared at the clouds. Damn it! Annalise would never forgive him if he did that.
He failed at keeping his sister away from him if it was even the same guy. He failed at saving Eliza.
He looked down at Scarlet's wide, questioning eyes and exhaled through his nose as he chewed the inside of his lip.
But even if it wasn't the same guy, he'd be damned if this guy was getting Scarlet. Time to quit being a fucking coward.
“Scarlet you can't go home. He knows where you live, right? I can't . . . won't . . . let you go. I won't see you hurt. So . . . you're coming with me. I mean, it'll be safer. Okay?”
He didn't wait for her answer because he knew what'd be. Even still, she nodded as they trotted to his truck. He held the door for her, and when he shut it, he took a deep breath.
This couldn't be happening.
Annalise . . .
He walked around the back of the truck and stopped at the corner as a wave of nausea washed over him. He bent over and put a hand on the bumper.
No. There had to be another way to get to her. There's always . . .
He clenched his fists and exhaled slowly. The dark torment rolling through him was nearly suffocating.
There HAD to be another way. Anything! He couldn't be this close . . .
He grabbed his hair and pulled his head down, trying not to shout out loud. All he could hear was the sound of Annalise screaming and whimpering, and the sound of his own heart slamming in his chest. He had been so certain . . .so sure that he'd do anything and everything to save his sister. For God's sake, he'd been killing people, just to keep her alive! But now . . .
“God . . . this can't be happening.”
Of course, he wouldn't . . . would he? No, he couldn't do that. Wouldn't ask Scarlet to do that.
DAMN IT!
He exhaled again, straightened up, rounded the truck and got in. He sat there with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the key, struggling to breathe. To think. The second he opened his mouth to speak, Scarlet's ringtone went off. They looked at each other and Nick nodded and shrugged, thankful for another moment for his thoughts to fully form.
She pulled out the phone and frowned. “It's . . . my Mom. She hardly ever calls this time of day.”
She swiped her hand across the screen, eyes locked with his.
“Hey Mom, what's . . . What? Are . . . How?”
She put her hand over her mouth and threw her head back to shake off new tears. Nick's nerves were frayed. What else could go wrong in this poor woman's life? She cleared her throat and crossed her arm under the elbow of the one holding the phone.
“When? I'm glad you told me . . . Well, I'm sorry, no. I can't handle that . . . Not right now. That's pretty short notice . . . I know that Mom, but it's not like he loved me all that much anyway.”
Nick bristled. He prayed to GOD she wasn't talking about another man. That was a fight that wouldn't end well for the other dude.
He slapped his hand on his cheek and shook his head. Now he was thinking about beating other guys up to stay away 'from his girl.' What was he, sixteen?
He sighed and closed his eyes. This was probably a terrible idea. His eyes shot back open. No, it was definitely a terrible idea. What the hell was he thinking?! She couldn’t go home with him!
He glanced at her, that perfect jaw clenching.
“Mom! I'm not doing this right now. Just text me where. If I can, sure. Yeah, okay. Bye.”
She stared straight ahead as she lowered the phone, squeezing it for dear life. What could have happened that had her so upset? She finally closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Good, maybe it wasn't that bad after all. She put on a small smile and turned to look at him.
The second her eyes met his, the facade melted, and she drew the side of her mouth, her her chin quivering. Damn, she’d had it hard lately.
He reached over and tugged on her arm, pulling her across the bench seat. She curled up against his side, wrapped in his arm, and sniffled again. He had no idea how she had any tears left. Let alone any heart left to break.
“My dad died in a car wreck,” she said eventually.
"Oh God, Scarlet. I'm so—"
She waved a dismissive hand, cutting Nick off. "We weren't close. Well. Not anymore. It's a little sucky, I guess. My emotions are just completely fried."
She shot out a single laugh. Nick lowered his brow and stared at the top of her head. What a bizarre reaction.
“What's funny?”
She sat up, wiped her face, and eyed him. "I think I've cried every single time I've seen you.”
He laughed, and her face softened. He nodded.
“Yep. You have. I'm developing a complex.”
She laughed in earnest and playfully elbowed him in the rib, wiping under her eyes. This laugh was a sweet, short sound that made him happy. He grinned and shook his head. Maybe it would be safest for her to go with him. He rubbed his hand down his face. This was a dangerous game.
“We need to get going. Are you sure you're okay?”
She shook her head but smiled before looking out the windshield. He smiled back, then frowned.
A deadly game.
Annalise
The gulls were particularly noisy and woke her way earlier than she wanted. Sleep was really all she had to pass the time, so that sucked. Big time.
“I'm never going to the beach again.”
Annalise groaned and rubbed her eyes with her cuffed hands as she rolled off the edge of the bed, then walked to the little bathroom to stare at her gaunt reflection.
She'd damn sure never call herself fat again. Now she'd seen the other side of that. She twisted left and right, eyeing the backs of her arms and the bones visible even through her t-shirt. She frowned and splashed water on her face, willing her tears to drain backward.
Who'd have ever thought that living in an abusive household would prepare her for something like this? Yeah, it sucked. It hurt. But it wasn’t new to her. Being starved wasn’t new. Being beaten wasn’t new. Being left completely alone for long periods wasn’t new. At least when Nick still lived at home, he took care of her, but when he moved out-
The door scraped open, and terror sprung up in her followed by a helpless small spark of hope. Maybe it
was Thomas.
She waited breathlessly, but when he didn't call out the hope died, taking with it a small part of her soul. That meant it might be him.
The door scraped again as it swung closed, the thud sounding far too loud in the empty room. She choked back a sob, then exhaled and squared her shoulders. Don’t give them the satisfaction. Don’t be scared. Be unaffected.
She blew out another slow breath and stepped up to the door.
The frame was simple. Just painted wood. Nothing fancy. Nothing to indicate that it might lead straight to the scariest man she’d ever met.
Her body didn’t want to move, but it would be far worse if he came to get her. She swallowed and shook her head as she stepped through the opening.
There he was.
Her heart thundered in her chest, but she swallowed down every ounce of fear she could manage.
Smug and terrifying, just like every other time. She could smell cigarettes from across the now microscopic room. They stared at each other until he sighed heavily. She walked over to sit on the bed before she braved the silence and cleared her throat.
“Will I get to talk to him today?”
She asked that instead of 'did you tell him to murder someone else.' It helped her stay detached from that reality. Well, it helped her try. He didn't respond. Instead, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes before smirking. Fear bubbled up inside, but she tried her best to stay calm.
“So.”
Her skin crawled at his voice.
“A little bird told me you've been having a visitor.” He took slow steps into the room and clasped his hands behind his back.
No . . . tell him no. Tell him it wasn’t anyone. Be strong. Loud. She scoffed and shook her head.
“Who the hell would that be? In case you haven't noticed, the only ones here are you and your little . . . puppies.”
He chuckled. A truly sick noise that grated up and down her spine.
“You like Thomas, don’t you?”
Air. There wasn’t enough, and she wanted to gasp it in by the truckload, but she fought a change in her facial expression with every ounce of strength left in her body.
“No, how could I like anyone in this hell-hole?”
He chuckled again and rubbed his chin. She hated that sound with a passion. But he wasn’t stupid; she knew that. There was no way he bought that. Hopefully, she didn’t just make it worse for herself. Again. Focus on the hate. Be strong.
“Annalise. Are you a virgin?”
She blanched and lost her breath despite her best effort not too. That was almost as bad as a literal gut punch, which she was intimately familiar with.
Why in God's name did he want to know something like that? The floor swam under her feet, and she squinted until it stopped.
She wasn’t green to sex by any means but hadn’t ever gone all the way. But he sure as hell didn’t need to know that. It was none of his damn business! Is that why he was bothering to talk to her today?
He laughed and nodded as he continued to advance slowly. He was taking his time; wanted her to be well aware of what was coming. God, she hated him so much. Good. Hate. She clenched her jaw.
“I thought so. You know, since we have nothing but time, I could certainly cure you of that. You'll never see Thomas again, so if not me . . .” he held his arms out wide and grinned.
Her stomach almost propelled itself from her body, and she bolted up from the bed in a panic. No, no, no, no. She took a quick step backward toward the center of the room. Be strong!
“No thanks,” her voice wavered. “I'll die like I am. I'm fine with that.”
The man lowered his eyebrows in confusion. “Die? Who said you were gonna die?” A sick smiled played on his lips, and he let out a single soft laugh. “I knew Thomas would overhear and spill to you. He’s always been so easy to read. But I plan on keeping you alive for a long time.” Nausea slammed into her, and she fought to stay upright as he eyed her. “Long after I kill your brother.”
Images swirled, colors blurred, her knees barely held her. She couldn’t . . . no . . . why would he . . . He sneered and rolled his shoulder like he was warming up to throw a punch, and she didn't succeed in holding back the tears that time. Failure.
The tall man grinned widely like he had just met his life's goal.
“Oh, sweetheart. Don't cry.” He bared his teeth. “Not yet.”
He stopped walking when he reached the bed and glanced at it before he glanced up at the window.
“Your brother is actually impressive in his tenacity; I’ll give him that. And his love for you. I'm not sure I'd kill for any of my family. Especially not my present family . . .” He spat on the ground before turning his gaze back to her. She briefly imagined the ground boiling away in that spot as she took another step back and scrubbed a tear off her cheek. She could do this. She could be strong.
“I'm not sure how much you and Tommy talked but, unfortunately, he's my little brother.”
Her eyes went wide. How could Thomas be related to this horrible person?
He scoffed and glanced at the floor as he took another deliberate step towards her.
“Well. Not my real brother. His family killed mine. Tried to pretend it was an accident and that they were some sort of . . . saints by ‘rescuing’ me.” His face changed quickly to a sickening pride. “I found out the truth, though.” He sneered at her, the venom emanating from across the room. “And why they did it.”
He chuckled. “Once I had all the facts and confronted my . . . benefactor. He gave me the incentive to practice my talents on Thomas over the years.” He cracked his knuckles and shrugged. “That's how I got so good.”
She covered her mouth to keep the words in but failed. “God, you're sick!”
That's probably what happened to his eyebrow. Why he has the scar on his lip. God, this man was horrible!
“Anyway, let's get to it, shall we? I'm sick of waiting.”
Before she had a second to process a physical or verbal response, he covered the space between them in two large steps and roughly grabbed her arms. She cried out as his fingers dug into the already aching flesh. Be str—
“You know, I hadn't planned on doing this. But my other prospect keeps denying me, and there's only so much a man can take.” He smirked, and she grimaced, looking away from his face. She’d just pretend she was at the beach, maybe with Thomas. “Plus, it seems a shame to let your assets go to waste.”
He yanked her forward and crushed his mouth to hers, bruising the soft flesh. She let out a muffled scream, and he dug his fingers in harder, nearly blinding her pain. All thoughts went fuzzy, and she could only focus on how much she wanted everything to end. She was tired. He pulled his mouth off just far enough to snarl.
“If you scream, I'll make sure it hurts worse.”
Don’t worry; she wanted to say, to pretend she wasn’t affected. But she was. She was terrified and wanted to go home more now than ever.
He released her arms and ripped her shirt open, snapping the front of her bra. She almost screamed but bit her tongue and fought to hold back the tears. Even now, her mind struggled to stay strong, her ingrained defenses still in place. But it didn’t matter. She was tired of trying. He blew out a harsh breath and hummed in approval.
“Yeah. It would be a total waste.” He darted his gaze back to her face and squinted. “Have you and Thomas been playing around?”
She didn't answer. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and gave every tiny scrap she had left not to cry out.
The sound reached her ears before her face even registered the cause.
Before she could process another thought, pinpricks of light formed behind her eyelids and the split opened on her lip. Her mind blanked, and her voice shredded as she screamed from the pain. He shoved her back a step and shook his hand.
“Next time, answer me!”
The door scraped open, and he growled loudly and spun around.<
br />
“Ace, this had better be a matter of God damn life or death, or I will kill you with my bare hands!”
Ace's eyes widened as he took in the situation. Anna stood locked in place, chest bare, cheeks covered in dripping tears, and her slack mouth reddening from the streaming blood. He seethed in front of her, eyes wide and wild.
Ace cleared his throat. “Sir . . . it's Scarlet. You told me—”
“I KNOW WHAT I TOLD YOU!” Rage shook his voice. “Get on with it!”
Ace scowled and clenched his fists. “She got in the truck with him. They were acting real buddy-buddy on the sidewalk; then he held her hand.”
The man's entire body straightened, and he took a deep breath. His demeanor completely changed, unrecognizable compared to seconds before. But she’d always recognize him for the demon he was.
“Well, that won't do.”
He stormed off, not passing a second glance to Annalise. Ace frowned and knitted his eyebrows as he looked her in the eye before he turned on his heel and went through the door. It closed with a thud, and she flinched.
Breathe in.
She violently shook, feet planted in the center of the now silent room.
Breathe out.
She couldn’t fully process what just happened. Thomas. She blinked several times. That monster had hurt Thomas. Her Thomas. Why was she cold? She almost got raped. Nick was going to die.
She looked down at her chest and blinked. A watery red line ran down from the gash in her now throbbing lip.
Her eyes widened, and she clawed at her neck as she sucked in a breath too deep for her lungs which burst forth on a graveled scream that stopped just as quick, leaving an eerie echo bouncing around the room.
She didn’t want to do this anymore. Any of it. She stilled again and her arms dropped. She took in her shirt and its ragged edges, before leveling her head and focusing on the far wall.