by Melissa Jane
The man in the front, who looked to be Anton’s shape and height, stepped forward, a finger pointed straight at me. He held the position showing no fear that people in the streets were watching on, filming with their phones.
“You know them?” the driver asked without moving his lips.
The man still pointing took a slow step forward, raising his rifle in line with my chest, causing those behind me to scream.
“Open the door,” I instructed.
The driver didn’t move. I panicked.
“You need to open the goddamn door!” I shrieked.
Reluctantly, the driver pulled the lever. “Good luck, Miss,” he said but I was already on the last step when the masked man rounded the front of the bus and slid his gloved hand through my hair. He pulled me out and I stumbled after him, the glow-in-the-dark star slipping from my grasp. It was like the world around me had fallen into a silent abyss, those watching too afraid to say anything, like they’d be interrupting the filming of a movie scene. They stood, mouths agape, eyes seeing what was unfolding, but not comprehending. And amid the eerie quietness, I heard the star clatter onto the road, tip first before falling flat.
“No,” I pleaded in desperation. It was the last thing I had left that meant anything to me. I reached for it, my fingers grazing the smooth plastic, but like everything good in my life, it evaded me. The man ripped my hair, dragging me to the waiting vehicle.
Another man opened the car door and I was shoved carelessly onto the floor of the back seat. The interior went dark, the heavily tinted windows cocooning me until the men all started piling in. One after another they claimed a seat. This wasn’t the first time I was surrounded by men who wanted to hurt me. But this time was different. This time I didn’t know if I would actually survive. I trembled uncontrollably, shuddering like I was trapped in a deep freeze.
The front right door opened and the man who’d dragged me climbed in. I swallowed hard, smelling that familiar scent I hated so much. The SUV took off at speed causing me to fall against the legs of those surrounding me. Treating me like an annoying, pesky child, they shoved me away until I was forced to clutch the front seat. When we pulled onto a straight stretch a few minutes later, the man turned in his seat, cold, uncaring eyes meeting mine.
Without removing his mask, he said, “You stupid fucking bitch. You really fucked up this time.” He swung and everything went black.
~~~
I woke while being pulled from the SUV. Arms hooked under mine, my heels dragging along smooth flooring. I had no idea how long we’d been traveling, all I knew was my face hurt worse than being shot in the shoulder. Thinking of my shoulder wound brought awareness to the painful sting, signaling my stitches had once again been torn open. Tossed into a heap on the floor, blood trickling down my arm, I took a moment to gather my senses. I was in a warehouse on a polished concrete floor, and I had a feeling, a long way from home.
Bravely, I lifted my head. Dominic smiled in perverse satisfaction, mockery and disdain.
“I’ll give you points for effort,” he humored. “Execution, not so much.”
Staying silent was safest.
Tilting his head, he silently watched for quite some time. His smile had long since faded and instead, I saw something I didn’t expect. He was hurt. Somehow, he saw my attempted escape as a betrayal. A betrayal that would only be felt between two people who cared for each other. That wasn’t us. Dominic, however, felt differently, and that hurt would quickly morph into anger.
“I gave you time to see if you could outsmart me. I gave you a taste of what you seemingly so desperately crave.”
“You knew all along?”
“Lucy,” he said my name pityingly. “I conceived the idea.”
“I don’t understand.”
Men’s dress shoes clip-clopped behind me and when the two came into view, it felt like I’d been sucker-punched. Vice agents Jason and Simon wore small, knowing smiles as they took position next to Dominic.
Be careful who your trust.
Tears rolled, stinging the open wounds. “Why did you do this?” I asked the men who’d groomed me. Everything they’d said about Dominic, every word of hope they gave, came flooding back like the cruel joke it was.
It’s like he uses you as bait.
“You baited me!” I seethed, earning a smile from all three men. “Why did you do this? So you could find another reason to hurt me? Because you didn’t have enough already? Why would you be so cruel?”
Like a prowling cat, Dominic stepped forward, his thumb hooking under my chin to lift my face. “I could see it in your eyes, Lucy. You wanted an escape. You always have. But this last week and a half, something inside of you broke. Something broke and at the same time it gave you the encouragement you needed.”
“So you decided to trick me into thinking I had an option?”
“It was a test and you failed.”
“Well, maybe that had something to do with you putting a bullet through Blaze’s head and paralyzing Jonny. Maybe it was a reminder of the monster you were. Maybe I don’t want to be next.”
He nodded. “Maybe. But look where we are. I guess that means you are next.”
Jerking away, palms flat on the polished floor, I sobbed hard. It wasn’t even the idea of potentially dying at his merciless hands that had me crying, it was more about the sense of hope he’d given me. Hope that I’d never felt, not since the Sanchezes took me in. Hope, to someone like me, was the most valuable thing in my life. And he just tore it away. Made a mockery out of it and reminded me of the fact that I was nothing in this world if not his puppet he so carelessly played with.
Dominic lowered to his knees, fingers digging into my jaw and once again turned me to face him. He studied me curiously, looking for the emotion he so longed for.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I sobbed, his face becoming a blur through the tears.
“I don’t hate you.”
“Then what do you call this? This certainly isn’t love. You don’t do this to people you love. This is pure hatred.”
His thumb ran along my bottom lip. “This isn’t hatred,” he repeated.
“What did I ever do to you, Dominic?” I choked on the sob. “What did I ever do to you all those years ago in the schoolyard that made you want to be so cruel to me?”
His eyes hooded as if our life movie played behind him. “Have you ever been so infatuated with someone or something, you’d do almost anything to keep them in your life?”
“Even if it meant hurting them?”
He inched closer. “Yes, because hurting them is often more satisfying.” Dominic’s lips grazed mine. “Hurting you put you to your knees in front of me, pleading for mercy.” He picked the cross off my neck and studied the foreign jewelry, his tone, spiteful. “It makes you remember that I am your god.” With a yank, Dominic snapped the chain and held the broken pieces in his hand. “Perhaps you need a little reminder of why you’re here. Of why you owe me your life. And why you escaping is a betrayal to our agreement.”
“I never made an agreement with you. Ever.”
He smiled wickedly. “Oh, but you did. Finders keepers, remember?”
Chapter 14
THEN
“Good news, Lucy,” Mr. Daniels called, approaching my locker. We didn’t have English class so he’d purposefully sought me out. “Your C- is now an A, well done!” He handed me the test paper I’d been allowed to re-sit. Mr. Rosser instructed my teachers to give special consideration due to my circumstances.
“Thank you.” I smiled, looking at the red A at the top of the page. Now all I had was math to re-sit and I’d be back on track to securing the scholarship. Nothing was going to stop me now.
“And I may as well give you both these.” Again, he handed a form to me and the other to Romeo. “I can’t take the whole class to the theater so I’m giving you the permission forms now before I distribute them tomorrow. If you could get them signed and returned to me by the morning
, you’ll secure your spot.”
I shifted nervously. “Mr. Daniels, is it okay if I get Romeo’s mom to sign it?”
He smiled, regretfully. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I wish I could say yes to that, but it has to be a parent or legal guardian.”
Romeo nudged me gently with his elbow. “It’s okay, Luce, we’ll do it on our way home. I’ll come with you.”
A part of me felt like it wasn’t worth the hassle. Who knew what could be waiting me for back home. I hadn’t returned to the house since I carried my mother to the Sanchezes’. Now, I had to show my face and ask for their signature as if nothing had happened. I considered forging it, but I’d never actually seen a signature belonging to either of them so I’d just be creating one. The problem with creating my own with their name was that we all knew the school cross-referenced signatures with what was on enrolment forms to stop the very deceitful practice from happening. The punishment was suspension, and for me, the punishment for being suspended would be losing my scholarship. I had to either suck it up or not go at all. But I’d be damned if I was going to let my asshole father get in the way of my success. I crossed my fingers he’d be passed out and would never know I was there seeing Mom.
We left Mr. Daniels with the promise of signed slips and made our way home, the journey more subdued than usual. On a typical afternoon walk home, Romeo would often spend the time relaying a story he’d heard about someone in his class but adding his own dramatic twist just to hear me laugh, or he’d gently tease until I was in a fit of giggles. Today, he could feel the weight on my shoulders and didn’t press me.
“Romeo!”
We turned to the voice yelling from across the street. When I saw who it belonged to I groaned and wished I was rude enough to just keep walking.
“Hey, Callie,” Romeo greeted the beautiful blonde who was now crossing the road like a graceful gazelle. “What’s up?”
Her big blue, perfect eyes flicked to me but otherwise made no effort to acknowledge my existence. She was too caught up in acting all doe-eyed for Romeo. It was no secret Callie, the cheerleader-in-training, had a massive crush on him. “I was wondering if you had a date to the dance next Friday, and if you didn’t would you like to be my partner?”
A blast of sirens erupted down the street and within seconds, both ambulance and the police vehicles sped by in a blur of blue and red, the ear-shattering noise causing us all to block our ears. When the noise subsided, and with Callie making a point of waiting patiently for her response, the conversation continued.
“Real sweet to offer, Callie, but I already have a date.” There was a smile in his tone and I wondered who could possibly be responsible for that. Callie was already the most beautiful ninth grader in the school.
“Oh!” She attempted to hide her disappointment with her own smile, but it didn’t work. “Well, a bunch of us are heading to Game Zone later for fries and a milkshake. You should join us.”
Again, there was still no acknowledgment of my existence. The sad part was, I was used to it.
Romeo shrugged. “I don’t think so,” he said, letting her down gently for the second time in half a minute. “I’ve got important things to do this afternoon. See you tomorrow.”
Romeo turned and nudged me to fall into stride with him. I glanced over my shoulder to see an annoyed and somewhat pissed off Callie still standing there with her arms folded, one foot tapping on the sidewalk.
“She’s got it bad for you,” I said, feeling a pang of jealousy.
“Callie’s a nice enough girl.” Another pang.
We walked in silence until the burning question needed to be asked. “So, who’s the lucky girl you’re taking to the dance?” I didn’t know if I was ready for the answer. Especially with how I was already feeling about Callie.
Romeo stepped away and looked at me in bewilderment. “You, of course!”
This caused me to stop in my tracks. “Me?”
“Why do you seem so shocked?”
“Because we haven’t even spoken about the dance.”
“I didn’t think we had to. I mean, it’s just a given you and I go together.”
My heart was singing and swooning and doing backflips. And then doubt reared its ugly head. “Are you sure you really want to go with me, because I’m totally cool with you going with someone else if you want to. Like Callie.”
Lies!
Romeo stepped forward, cupping my cheeks, his thumbs gently caressing my skin. “One day, Lucy Sommers, I’m going to find a way to show you just how incredible you are. How beautiful you are, and how worthy you are. I could try to convince you now, but I know you’d never believe me. There’s a reason I didn’t think to ask you. I didn’t ask because I already know I want to go to everything with you. I want you there by my side so I can see your smile and hear your laugh everywhere I go.” This time he swiped the tears.
I sucked my bottom lip and tasted salt. “You mean that?”
“Nah! Maybe just a little.” Romeo winked and gave his most dazzling smile.
I laughed and delivered a gentle blow to his ribs. He caught my hand immediately after contact and pulled me close, one arm hooking around my neck, the other cupping my cheek. We held each other’s stare. “I mean every word, Lucy.” Romeo inched closer, his lips falling to mine, sealing his promise with a kiss. Every inch of me came alive, tingles running over my skin. When he pulled away I felt the immediate loss, my fingers gently touching where his mouth had been.
“Come on.” Romeo walked the rest of the way with his arm still hooked over my shoulder. It felt natural and I relished every second like the infatuated school girl I was. In fact, it was enough to steal my thoughts away from the job at hand. That was until we were only a hundred yards away from my house. We’d been so caught up in laughing and throwing playful digs at each other that neither of us had noticed the scene unfolding outside my house.
We saw it at the same time, our giggles fading along with our smiles.
“What’s happening?” I asked, taking in the ambulance and police vehicles stationed out front.
“I don’t know.” Romeo’s eyes were wide with worry.
We quickened our pace but slowed when the front yard, including the sidewalk, was cordoned off. A policeman finished establishing the crime scene by running the red-and-white striped tape around the street lamp and up to the fence line. There were three police cars, one parked with the left-side wheels on the curb, the other two haphazardly stationed in the front yard, atop patchy, overgrown grass. The ambulance waited in the drive, its back doors wide open.
Romeo threaded his fingers through mine, our presence going unnoticed. “Don’t say anything yet, Lucy,” he warned with a whisper. We stood back trying to make sense of it all. Romeo held tight, preventing me from running into the house.
“It’s a fucking mess in there,” a rather large officer said grimly to his colleague.
“What do you expect? There’s shit in every neighborhood and this is no different,” responded the shorter sheriff with the thick mustache.
“Yeah, well, it takes a special kind of fucked up shit to do what’s in there.”
I tried to shake myself free, but he held tight. “Romeo, I need to check on Mom. I need to see if she’s—”
“Lucy, you’re not going in there.”
This caught the Sheriff’s attention, their conversation ending, brows creasing together as they watched. They stared, mouths parted like they had something to say but couldn’t, eyes flicking from me to the house. Despite their candid appraisal of the ‘shit in every neighborhood,’ they grew rather concerned about our possible connection. Sheriff Moustache seemed to piece it together quicker than the other, but his words seemed lost in limbo as we all turned our attention to the voices emerging from the house. Paramedics accompanied by more police wearing blue booties eased a gurney through the front door. They took the porch stairs slowly, wood creaking under their heavy boots. Instinctually, I felt the need to warn them of the third
step.
“Get out of here, you two!” the heavier sheriff barked.
Romeo took a step toward them. “What happened? Lucy is—” While he was momentarily distracted, I pulled my hand free and ducked under the tape.
“Get back here, girl,” the officer called but he was just white noise to me. Circling the police vehicle, my fingers ran along the smooth paneling, eyes fixated to what was unfolding. Leaning against its hood, I bit my bottom lip and stared at the body in the bag. While my body trembled, my heart soared with a surprising sense of hope.
Today could very well mark the day all our troubles were over.
I felt delight.
Every night, I cried into my pillow wishing something like this would happen. Sometimes I felt guilty, other times I begged and pleaded for it to become reality. But now I felt hopeful he could truly be dead. Dead and never again able to hurt us.
Then I heard his voice.
“She fucking… fucking deserved everything she got,” my father raged, an officer strong holding each meaty arm. “The useless fucking bitch deserved it.”
A warmth spread between my legs, urine streaming down my thighs and into my sockless shoes. He was shirtless, his torso and face covered in blood.