I didn’t put much stock in his threat before. Now, those words were all I could hear. I had to get out of here. But how?
Kicking the bars didn’t do any good. They didn’t so much as budge when the twang of my hell vibrated up to the dome roof. I tried the door, but that was securely locked. There was a keyhole, and I still had my glasses, but I couldn’t bring myself to break them. The feel of them sitting against my temple was the only thing comforting me. As long as I had those, I had something.
My vulnerability and fear were protected by those lenses. They gave me the power of anonymity. When I wore them, I was never truly seen. Not by my friends or parents. Not even my sister. They were my shield. The safe place I could retreat to. My sanctuary from the rest of the world. I couldn’t destroy them.
Unfortunately, that left me with few options.Unless…
I cocked a brow at the golden cord wrapped around the edge of my makeshift bed. It was a thick braided rope, definitely strong enough to strangle someone. I looked over my shoulder to ensure no one was hiding in here and reached for the one piece of salvation I had.
It was harder than I thought it would be to dig my fingers between the rope and the pillow, but I did it. After that, all I had to do was pull, pull, and pull some more. Whoever made this thing did a good job. It was really sewn on there. If I kept at it, I’d exert all of my energy, which I needed to conserve.
So, I bent down to gnaw at the stitches, which was not fun with a mouth drier than the desert. My lips kept sticking to my gums, and every swallow grated down my throat like sandpaper. But my dedication paid off. My teeth cut through the last stitch, allowing me to pull the rope free.
I shuffled to the back of my cage and tucked my weapon between the bars and the pillow. Not so far down, I couldn’t get to it quickly, but enough that it wouldn’t be easily seen.
Now I just had to wait.
I sat down, pressed my back against the bars, and glued my eyes to the large metal door.
Preston should be here any second.
‘Any second’ turned into minutes and then hours. At least that was what it felt like, not that I had anything to guesstimate the timeframe. There was no clock or windows in this place of darkness, and counting didn’t help. I got bored with that after the first thirty minutes.
My mind began to wander. First, over the happy things. Shelby’s smile, Riley’s art, and Trina’s laugh. Then my thoughts turned to my captor. I went over all the encounters we had, searching for something.
Was there some hint or clue hidden in his actions that I’d missed? Why did he start following me? Was it the tattoo parlor that triggered him, or something else? The answer to that might be the key I needed. But where did I start?
That was when another smile flashed through my mind. A bright, happy grin that brought a tear to my eye…
My knees sunkinto the soft earth as I reached out and swept some dirt off the headstone. The name etched on the stone broke my heart. Tico, my beloved friend, was gone, torn away by a monster no one saw. Well, one person did.
Harper knew what her father was and didn’t say anything. Lord knows I understood the trauma an abusive parent could cause. My back was still stinging with it, but my father wouldn’t punish anyone else. That would ruin his perfect God-fearing image.
My fingers dug into the grass under me.
If Harper had just spoken up, then Tico would still be here. But she didn’t. She kept her secret behind her closed lips, and now all I wanted to do when I saw her was cut her mouth open. Riley, Shelby, and Star were quick to defend her. They said I shouldn’t blame her. Harper was beaten into submission and was afraid of her father.
I say fuck her fear. She and her family were the cause of my pain.
All I wanted was my friend back.
I was so lost in sorrow that I didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind me.
Preston tipped his head down at me. “Don’t cry, Little Bird.”
Why was he here? “Leave me alone.”
“That’s not going to happen. But I’ll tell you what I will do.”
I didn’t care what he was going to do. I didn’t care about anything right now. Not even the hand that reached out to sweep a wet streak off my cheek.
“I’ll find whoever did this and make him pay.”
A snort shook my chest. “We already know who did this.”
And trust me. He didn’t pay nearly enough.
Preston arched a brow. “Do we?”
