Although her eyebrows furrow, she nods in agreement. Once her arms are secured, I pull her blindfold back down, plunging her into darkness. A shiver wracks her body, so I quickly take the thin sheet from her bed and wrap her bare body with it.
“Thank you,” she whispers through clattering teeth.
I lean in, my lips brushing her earlobe through the material of my mask. “Don’t think I’m a good guy.”
A sharp rise of her chest catches my eye. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Never believe what people tell you,” I reply, bending to scoop her up into my arms.
Chapter 5
Lux
Ipeel my eyes open to find myself in my bedroom. A wave of panic washes over me as I can’t recall when or how I returned to my townhouse.
The sun warms my sore cheek as I reach up to rub the back of my neck which is also tender to the touch.
What the hell happened?
Did I have a nightmare?
My heart leaps from my chest when my bed vibrates, but I breathe a sigh of relief when I see it’s my phone. In a state of alarm, I frantically search the bedsheets for a few terrifying seconds until I find it resting on my nightstand, plugged into the charger. Grabbing it with desperation, I’m shocked to discover it’s Monday.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hey, I haven’t spoken to you all weekend,” Stevie exclaims. “I was a little worried, but then I thought that you were holed up in your office, writing.”
“Yeah, that’s where I was,” I respond, confused.
“Sorry, I didn’t stay with you Friday.” After brushing the nervous moistness from my brow, I settle back into bed. Stevie left after she walked me through the courtyard of my townhouse. “I told you to go, remember?”
Suddenly, memories from this weekend roll in. We were together at the club on Friday night, but she left to hook up with that guy she’s been seeing. Then I remember waking up unclothed and restrained to a bed, and I’m certain someone…
A churning in my stomach brings on a wave of nausea, so I squeeze my eyes shut at the memory before opening them again, hoping to stop the room from spinning.
Tears spill from my eyes while my throat closes, forcing me to suck in a breath. Those fucking psychos were waiting for me. But how did they…my hand flies back up to the side of my neck.
The needle.
The sharp pain.
They fucking drugged me.
“I knew you’d get it.” A door slams in the background. “Hey, I have to run, but remember we’re meeting at Dad’s favorite restaurant at six for his birthday dinner.”
With my hands still trembling from fear or maybe the lack of food I’ve had in days, I switch my phone to the other ear. My throat constricts as bile shoots its way up.
“Yeah, of course,” I rush out, my voice strained. “I’ll see you there,” I add, ending the call before she responds.
Jumping off my bed, I run to the bathroom and dry heave multiple times, emptying the minimal contents of my stomach into the toilet. My muscles scream in pain from the violent thrusts forward while the soft pile rug cradles my fall as my legs buckle, sending my knees to the floor.
“Oh god,” I whimper to myself, tears pouring from my eyes.
I need a fucking shower. I need him off me. I need to be clean.
With a swing of the shower door, I turn the faucet on as fast as I can manage. The sudden coolness of the water takes my breath away as soonas I step in. My skin breaks out in goose bumps, but I don’t care, I need to be clean. Shivering, I stand under the spray, waiting for the temperature to change.
The water grows warmer and eventually the heat intensifies, but it’s not hot enough. Wrapped in a blanket of steam, I snatch the body soap from the ledge, squeeze as much as I can fit onto the washcloth and start scrubbing my skin. Hard.
