He didn’t speak to me either.
When he finally allowed me to use the restroom, I saw myself in the mirror. I had bits of dog food in my hair. My face was bruised on the right side, where he’d slammed it against the table.
I didn’t give a damn what he said. I stayed in the bathroom until I’d cleaned myself up a bit.
I brushed my teeth twice. I ran the sink full of icy water and plunged my face into it. I considered leaving it there and drawing a deep breath. It shouldn’t take long to drown. The only problem would be my body working against me, fighting for life. I wasn’t sure I could overcome the will to live. And as Mason popped forward in my mind, I knew I couldn’t. His adorable little face was enough to make me pull my face from the sink and suck in a deep breath of air instead of water.
So what? What was the worst thing that had happened to me really? He’d shove d rotten dog food down my throat? Left me hungry in the basement? Left me without water for days? Made me piss the bed? Hacked up the body of a woman he’d killed only feet from me? Gave me a slap and some bruises? That wasn’t so bad. I could handle that. I had to. For Mason. And Wade.
I walked out of the bathroom with my head held high, though I still wasn’t in the mood to talk to Ron.
He seemed to have forgiven me. He talked to me as though nothing had happened. He made our dinner , and we ate as usual. We had drinks after dinner while playing cards. I said little to him, but he made more than enough conversation all by himself.
Shortly after we’d finished dinner, I began to feel groggy. It became a battle to keep my eyes open. I’d only had two drinks, so I knew that wasn’t the problem. When the cards became blurry, I put my hand on the table and rested my head on it, thinking I’d just lay there for a minute until the feeling had passed.
Right before the blackness overcame me, I remembered the last time this had happened. It was a repeat performance of the last time I’d made him angry with me.
He pretended he was over it, made us dinner and drinks, and I became sleepy. When I woke, I was in...Oh no. I knew as I fell into a deep sleep what I would find when I awoke.
Chapter 19
Just as I suspected, I woke in the basement. Only this time, I wasn’t on the mattress and cuffed to the pipe. I soon wished I was, though.
With my head pounding, I opened my eyes and surveyed the room around me.
Melinda was still spread out on the floor as she’d been the last time I’d seen her, but she didn’t look as good as she had then. Her hair was filthy and caked with blood. Her skin was covered in dirt and bruises. Her wrists and ankles were raw and bloody from struggling against the restraints. And worse still, the fight had gone out of her. There wasn’t even any left in her eyes.
I sat in a chair, hands cuffed behind my back and around the vertical beam not far from Melinda. I was only a few inches away from her right foot. She didn’t appear to be awake, but at least she wasn’t dead.
“Melinda,” I said with a dry throat.
She didn’t respond.
Once more, I said, “Melinda.”
“She doesn’t seem to be willing to talk to you, Nicole,” said Ron behind me. I hadn’t heard him come down the stairs, so he must’ve been back there silently waiting for me to wake up.
I was terrified of anything he may have planned for us, but I had to keep my wits about me, and more importantly, keep him liking me before I ended up like Melinda.
Slowly, Ron walked around me and stood on the opposite side of Melinda, in a position where he could see us both.
“Nicole, I’ve given much thought as to what your punishment should be. You have no idea how angry it makes me that you would lie to me like that,” he said, his voice starting to boom. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down. Then, he continued. “I thought about putting you back down here on the mattress that you hated so much. But I felt that just
When he finally allowed me to use the restroom, I saw myself in the mirror. I had bits of dog food in my hair. My face was bruised on the right side, where he’d slammed it against the table.
I didn’t give a damn what he said. I stayed in the bathroom until I’d cleaned myself up a bit.
I brushed my teeth twice. I ran the sink full of icy water and plunged my face into it. I considered leaving it there and drawing a deep breath. It shouldn’t take long to drown. The only problem would be my body working against me, fighting for life. I wasn’t sure I could overcome the will to live. And as Mason popped forward in my mind, I knew I couldn’t. His adorable little face was enough to make me pull my face from the sink and suck in a deep breath of air instead of water.
So what? What was the worst thing that had happened to me really? He’d shove d rotten dog food down my throat? Left me hungry in the basement? Left me without water for days? Made me piss the bed? Hacked up the body of a woman he’d killed only feet from me? Gave me a slap and some bruises? That wasn’t so bad. I could handle that. I had to. For Mason. And Wade.
I walked out of the bathroom with my head held high, though I still wasn’t in the mood to talk to Ron.
He seemed to have forgiven me. He talked to me as though nothing had happened. He made our dinner , and we ate as usual. We had drinks after dinner while playing cards. I said little to him, but he made more than enough conversation all by himself.
Shortly after we’d finished dinner, I began to feel groggy. It became a battle to keep my eyes open. I’d only had two drinks, so I knew that wasn’t the problem. When the cards became blurry, I put my hand on the table and rested my head on it, thinking I’d just lay there for a minute until the feeling had passed.
Right before the blackness overcame me, I remembered the last time this had happened. It was a repeat performance of the last time I’d made him angry with me.
He pretended he was over it, made us dinner and drinks, and I became sleepy. When I woke, I was in...Oh no. I knew as I fell into a deep sleep what I would find when I awoke.
Chapter 19
Just as I suspected, I woke in the basement. Only this time, I wasn’t on the mattress and cuffed to the pipe. I soon wished I was, though.
With my head pounding, I opened my eyes and surveyed the room around me.
Melinda was still spread out on the floor as she’d been the last time I’d seen her, but she didn’t look as good as she had then. Her hair was filthy and caked with blood. Her skin was covered in dirt and bruises. Her wrists and ankles were raw and bloody from struggling against the restraints. And worse still, the fight had gone out of her. There wasn’t even any left in her eyes.
I sat in a chair, hands cuffed behind my back and around the vertical beam not far from Melinda. I was only a few inches away from her right foot. She didn’t appear to be awake, but at least she wasn’t dead.
“Melinda,” I said with a dry throat.
She didn’t respond.
Once more, I said, “Melinda.”
“She doesn’t seem to be willing to talk to you, Nicole,” said Ron behind me. I hadn’t heard him come down the stairs, so he must’ve been back there silently waiting for me to wake up.
I was terrified of anything he may have planned for us, but I had to keep my wits about me, and more importantly, keep him liking me before I ended up like Melinda.
Slowly, Ron walked around me and stood on the opposite side of Melinda, in a position where he could see us both.
“Nicole, I’ve given much thought as to what your punishment should be. You have no idea how angry it makes me that you would lie to me like that,” he said, his voice starting to boom. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down. Then, he continued. “I thought about putting you back down here on the mattress that you hated so much. But I felt that just
Similar Books
