CHAPTER 6

 

As my mind slowly drifts back to reality, a cool breeze brushes over me, followed by a rolling thunder. The booming sound tears away the rest of the fogginess surrounding my brain. To battle my dry throat, my tongue, which feels more like a ball of cotton wool, wiggles around in my mouth. I lick my lips before opening my eyes, fully prepared for irritating bright light to aggravate my senses.

Yet it is obscure in the room—only Luke’s Kindle shines dimly in the darkness, giving his face a surreal glow. He is captured by his book, not realizing that I’m awake. For a moment, my heart cringes. We used to be so close, and I don’t like this new distance between us.

“What time is it?”

His gaze finds me. “After eleven already. How’re you feeling?”

“Alright, I guess, for someone who was knocked out.”

He edges the chair closer to the bed. “About that.” His fingers brush over the back of my hand. “I’m really sorry I upset you.”

I can’t stand to look at him, painfully remembering the scene he caused in front of Finn.

“Look, I know you’re mad,” he continues. “And I really get why. I was just worried and can’t stand the guy. He’s nothing but trouble with his fuck-the-world attitude.”

I glare at him. “You don’t even know him.”

“I know exactly how he ticks, Kels.” He laughs with bitterness. “Remember, I used to be just like him.”

I chuckle. How could I ever forget? Luke Franklin—the poster guy of a bad boy when he was still in high school. Smoking, drinking, sleeping with any girl who was willing to spread her legs. He changed after my abduction. The ordeal marked the end of both our carefree childhoods.

“He only tried to cheer me up. If you make a big stink about the beer, he could really get into trouble.” I suck on my lips, my throat burning. Every word is an effort, but at least we’re talking.

He squeezes my arm. “I won’t. Our fight made me realize that I’ve been a real jerk these last few days.”

I open my mouth to protest, but his raised hand stops me.

“No. Let me finish.” He grimaces. “I feel I haven’t been listening to you. I was so shaken up with you almost dying that all I could think of was getting you safe, but I shouldn’t have tried to rush you with your recovery. If you need more time, so be it. I still believe this place is good for you, but I want to help you, not be your enemy.”

His eyes are so sincere that I almost forgive him. “I just don’t like to be locked up, Luke, and forced to participate in this circus.” I sigh. It is so hard to make him understand. “Healing takes time, and truthfully, I was stunned that you, of all people, sided against me.”

“I agree. I should’ve been more supportive, but trust me, your mom’s mind was made up. There was nothing I could’ve done to change that.” Exhaustion lingers on his face. “It is what it is and you are here now. Can you please just give this place a chance?”

I moan. What choice do I have? “Okay.”

He raises a brow. “Just okay?”

I stare at the ceiling, another crack of thunder breaking through the night. “I promise.” I haven’t kept my word on so many occasions this past year, it’s not even funny. “Is that better, Luke?”

“I guess that’s the best I can ask for.” A slow smile spreads across his lips. “Are we good?”

I have never been able to hold a grudge against him for long. Ever since our parents married and he became my stepbrother, he has always been my best friend, and sometimes, fights just happen. “Yeah, we’re good.”

The air escapes through his lips when he exhales, the wrinkle on his forehead smoothing. I can relate. I hate when we argue.

A cold gust slams the window wide open. I jump, the cover almost slipping off the bed, which makes him laugh. My eyes ogle him with played venom, causing him to laugh harder. I have always been easy to spook—the pranks he used to play on me at Halloween were legendary. One year I peed my pants when he pretended to be a ghost, making scary noises from inside my closet.

Of course this didn’t stop me from walking home alone in the darkness on the night of my abduction, having long learned that bold behavior guaranteed a certain respect from my friends. I was the fun-loving tough girl, always ready to accept a dare, and had come up with plenty of wild ideas of my own.

When Jed approached me in the van that night and asked if I wanted a ride, I never thought twice about it. My mom had warned me not to roam the streets after midnight alone, but being the typical stubborn teenager, I ignored her words. I felt she was just overprotective—we were in Stonehenge, of all places, and who would have ever wanted to cause me, the most popular girl in school, any harm.

Luke closes the window. The rain beats hard against the glass. A flash lightens the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

“I better go before the storm gets worse.” He stretches. “Do you need anything?”

My tongue still feels heavy. “I’m really thirsty.”

“I’ll tell the nurse to bring you some water.” He bends over me and kisses my forehead. “Sleep tight, Kels. I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Can you bring me Starbucks coffee?” I give him my best puppy dog eyes.

“I will, but you’ll only get it if you finally talk to your psychologist and make a therapy plan.”

“Always making me work hard for my coffee.”

“Anything to get you motivated, sis.”

I miss him the second he closes the door. After clearing the air between us, it seems like I have my old brother back.

When thunder booms again, I pull the blanket closer around me, shivering all of a sudden. Even underground, I was able to hear those summer storms, curled up on my bed in a ball of nerves, paralyzed by the horrid anticipation of what was to come right afterward. As soon as the storm passed, Jed would pick me up for a walk. He had said he loved the woods when the trees were still wet after a good rainfall. It made him feel the life of the forest.

 

The first time he came to my dungeon to announce we were going on a stroll and held up the dog collar, I thought he was joking. It was the choker kind with little teeth that tightened when the owner pulled on the leash. He ordered me to slide it around my neck.

“You’re kidding, right?” I stared at him incredulously with my mouth open.

He grinned with a vicious sparkle in his eyes. “I’m not, honeybun. Bitches belong on a leash, something your boyfriend should’ve remembered before he let his dog loose.”

“You know I tried to stop him.”

He snorted. “That’s a half-ass excuse. That dog listened to you, but not once did you try to call her back when she mauled me.” The words oozed with bitterness and his voice grew louder with every syllable he spat out. “You stood idly by until my body was a bloody mess and your boyfriend got scared that he’d land behind bars!”

A shudder ran through me—it was a day in my life I had wanted to forget. Justin and I had been walking his Doberman and had run into Jed by the lake. Justin hadn’t liked the smoldering look Jed had given me.

“That nasty fucker needs to be taught a lesson,” he had said before he had sent the dog after Jed.

I had begged him to stop, but he hadn’t listened. Roxy had always been quite aggressive and had totally lost it when she had tasted warm blood. She would’ve never listened to my command. When Justin had finally come to his senses after realizing that Jed could actually die, he had pulled Roxy off and called an ambulance.

Four months and several surgeries later, Jed had been quietly paid off by Justin’s father to avoid a lawsuit. His face had been restored in the fifteen months since it happened through reconstructive surgery, but his body had been too damaged to get rid of all the scars. Roxy had been put down after Justin and I had sworn to the cops that she had attacked Jed for no reason and had been totally out of control. It broke my heart since I have always loved dogs.

I had cried for a week straight and had felt terrible about Jed’s torment, but on Roy’s advice, I’d never gone to the hospital to apologize. Jed could have pressed charges against me or sued my mom if he had had any proof, and Roy didn’t want to take any chances. He had ordered me to stay away from Jed and I had gladly obliged. Not having to face him had been the easy way out. Or so I thought.

Looking into Jed’s eyes as he dangled the dog collar, I was not so sure.

“Put this on now, honeybun, or I’ll force you and your pretty face might get damaged. Either way, you’ll be on a leash under my command during our little walk.”

The collar was snug on my neck and tightened further when he attached a long chain right after I had made my way up the ladder. With a wide grin, his hand extended toward the small pathway cutting through the woods.

“This way.”

I stumbled across the soft ground, the moist dirt sticking to my bare feet. The air was fresh and crisp, the sun, which was hidden behind the thick forest tent, only taking a peek through the treetops once in a while. My body was covered with goosebumps and I tried to control my chattering teeth. A couple of days ago, Jed had given me a pair of panties and a bra, but otherwise, I was naked.

The first jolt on the chain took me by surprise. The metal bit into my skin. I tripped and fell on my knees, the collar tightening around my throat. A whimper escaped when my fingers tried to relieve the choking pressure, but I didn’t manage to loosen the restraint. My fingertips were soon raw and covered with blood, the pounding pain in my neck and hands excruciating. I gasped desperately for air while Jed continued to yank the leash. His cruel laughter rang in my ears.

“How do you like this, honeybun?” Another jolt forced tears to spill from my eyes. “That’s how it feels when you’re at the total mercy of someone else.”

As my torment continued, the metal teeth clawed deeper and deeper into my skin. Breathing became impossible. The pain continued to rage through me as my pleas and screams were replaced by my sputters for air. I gazed at Jed, my eyes begging for him to stop. My expression had to have been similar to the one he had the day Roxy’s jaw had ripped into his flesh.

When my body finally buckled, he loosened the leash. My fingers tore the teeth out of my nape as my lungs soaked up much-needed oxygen. I rolled onto the ground, my cheek resting on the damp forest floor. My eyes found Jed leaning against a tree, watching me with a twitch around his lips. When my ragged breath slowed, he was ready for round two.

“Slide down your panties and get on your hands and knees,” he ordered. “You’ll get what a little bitch like you deserves.”

When I tried to protest, a jolt of the chain convinced me to comply. My cries were muffled when my face was pushed into the soft grass after he mounted me. What followed was almost as bad as when his friend had stolen my innocence.

 

A knock on the door drowns out the terrifying memories. My fingers trace the scars on my neck, which were left behind by the dog collar, tears dripping off my chin. I quickly wipe them away with my blanket. I expect the nurse, but instead, Finn pokes his head in. Despite my distress, I can’t help but snicker.

“What’re you doing here?”

He quickly walks in, silently closing the door before turning on the light.

I squint at him while my eyes adjust.

He looks tired. “I feel terrible about your anxiety attack and wanted to make sure you were okay.” His lips curl to a crooked grin. “And since I didn’t want any more beef with your brother, I waited until he left. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Though he means well, I feel a little stalked and would prefer him to leave. “I wasn’t sleeping, but the nurse will be here any minute.” I wonder how he even managed to enter a secured mental health facility in the middle of the night. “How did you even get into the building at this hour?”

He lifts a badge hanging around his neck. “I have janitor credentials which gives me access to the building twenty-four seven.” He shuffles his feet. “I’d better go. You need your rest.”

I realize how rude my behavior is; after all, he waited the whole night just to talk to me. His clothes are still soiled from this afternoon’s yard work and his hair is messy—he didn’t even go home to take a shower.

“Thanks for checking on me, I’m fine.” I force a small smile. “Luke promised he won’t give you any hassle about the beer, so don’t worry about your probation.”

“Main thing is that you’re okay.”

There’s an awkward silence.

“Well, goodnight, Kelsey.”

I call him back at the door. “Finn, thanks for today. For all it’s worth, I had a really good time this afternoon.”

He nods slightly. “If you have the urge to cut yourself again, punch a pillow real hard and imagine it’s Jed’s or Drake’s face. It doesn’t come close to the thrill of a pain rush, but it at least takes off the edge.”

I raise my eyebrows askance, and in response, he pulls up the leg of his jeans. His whole calf is covered in scars, clear leftovers from cutting.

“I didn’t think it was cool if anyone knew, so I never used my arm.”

“How did you get over it?”

“I beat up my demon and almost killed him. It’s not what I’d recommend, though, so better stick with your therapy.”

It’s the best pep talk I’ve had in years. “Maybe I’ll give it a try.”

His hand reaches for the door, but I’m not ready for him to leave.

“Finn.”

He spins around, amusement in his eyes. “Girl, if you carry on, you’ll get me caught by the nurse.”

One question has been on my mind since the afternoon and I need to get if off my chest. “Your mother’s boyfriend—he didn’t only molest your little brother, did he?”

He silently shakes his head, a single tear trickling down his cheek. There is so much pain when our eyes interlock that my heart winces.

“You have to fight them, Kelsey, or they’ll ruin the rest of your life. Don’t give them the satisfaction of completely breaking you.”