Unknown: Ready to go for a ride Eden?
Panic reared within me as every hair on my body rose in fear. My head swung around, back and forth, looking up and down the crowded sidewalk trying to locate the culprit but I also knew that evil always hid in the shadows.
People surrounded me, going about their day, talking in calm conversation, completely oblivious to the terror taking over my body.
In the distance I saw the safety of the diner and something within me told me that I needed to get to the security of those four walls as quickly as I could. My feet began to take me and my hands shook as I pressed Ky’s number into my phone.
I needed my protection.
He picked up after two rings, and I didn’t even give him a chance to speak.
With a rushed panic voice I whispered, “Ky, I got another message. It said did I want to go for a ride. I’m so scared I’m at the__”
My desperate pleas halted the moment my phone was snatched out of my hand. A strong hand gripped the back of my neck halting my movements and paralyzing me instantly. I was pulled against a stone like body and instantly I knew who had me.
“Guess who’s about to take your pussy for a ride.”
My heart twisted painfully in my chest the moment I heard the voice I wished I’d never hear again.
Jeremy Davis.
The frightening sound of the call ceasing shattered the air, and I knew Ky was gone. The pressure on my neck subsided and Jeremy slithered around until he stood in front of me with an evil smirk dripping with vindictiveness. Fear froze me as my eyes took him in.
My need to escape beat inside me, but my legs wouldn’t move.
“Do not move. Do not scream. Do not look at anyone, and I swear to fucking God if you say a word you will never speak again. Do you understand me?” Jeremy hissed into my ear.
I nodded in response.
“We are about to start walking and head toward my car, do you understand?”
Once against I nodded.
The air suddenly felt thick and wet and my lungs squeezed tightly in my chest as breathing became a chore. I stumbled, tripping on pebbled stones and the cracks in the uneven sidewalk as Jeremy held me close to his side, locking me in with his arm. His fingers dug viciously into my hip as he forced me away from the safety of society, away from a chance to run, and into a darkened alley that felt like a hallway leading to hell.
We reached a silver Honda complete with blacked out windows that sat hauntingly at the end of the alley. My brain screamed at me to run, but my legs felt like an endless weight held them down, planting them firmly to the dirty ground below. This couldn’t be happening. My veins pulsated with fear, dread, and anger as the winter air swirled around me, stabbing my skin tauntingly; making me realize this was now my reality.
“You can’t do this again,” I seethed. My hands came up to his chest and with all of the strength I could muster I forcefully pushed myself away from his rigid body. His eyes flickered with fury at my blatant attempt at rebellion. A liberty I should never have taken. The force of his hand connecting with my cheek sent me stumbling. My back slammed into the car door and the edge of the metal pressed violently into my spine. I gasped in agony as a pain-induced haze immediately clouded my vision.
His body pressed against mine locking me in and flicks of spit hit my face as he roared, “I will do whatever the fuck I want, now get in the fucking car.”
He shoved me into the backseat of the car, and I landed on my hands and knees with a thud, thrown around like I was a piece of trash. I didn’t know whether it was his hand or foot that pushed me until I smacked into the opposite door with my face. I groaned and shifted until my back was against the leather seat. Jeremy slid in beside me, and the clicking noise of the lock sounded through the space; I was locked in with no escape. Confusion swam through my turbulent mind. Why was he in the backseat? I looked toward the front of the car at the same time the person sitting in the driver’s seat twisted around and my eyes met evil.
Chris Edwards sneered back at me.
“Surprise!” he taunted, maliciousness penetrating from his every pore. I sat there frozen, the ability to breathe, to think, to acknowledge escaped me as his eyes narrowed in on me.
The seat dipped beside me, and Jeremy’s body was soon hard against mine. Chris’s eyes shifted between both of us before he turned around and the roar of the engine startled me. My hands twisted in my lap, my fingers entwining, weaving their way together as I always did when I was nervous.
“Where are you taking me?”
Jeremy twisted to face me and with his finger and thumb he pinched my chin and forced me to look at him. I whimpered in pain at the death grip he possessed and tears pricked in my eyes. The monster looking at me had absolutely no life in his eyes and that was what scared me most.
“We are going to have some long overdue fun.”
••••
After a short drive filled with an unnerving silence, Chris pulled into the familiar parking lot of the motel I had stayed in when I first arrived. It was like a devastating case of déjà vu.
“Don’t you fucking say a word when we get out of this car. One word comes out of you, and I’ll fuck you twice as hard when we get inside. I will rip you to kingdom come.”
“You are a monster,” I hissed as I was vehemently pulled out of the car.
“Monster is a bit harsh don’t you think? I’d prefer to be called your worst nightmare.”
Jeremy slipped a threatening arm around my waist as we stepped through the entry doors of Hotel De Luca. My eyes darted around for someone familiar, but all I found were strangers going about their day. I thought we would head to the elevator, but I was shocked when we turned to the left and headed down the equally familiar hall toward the room I had stayed in, the very same room that had been broken into.
“Look familiar?” Jeremy spat as he pushed me through the door with a violent hand to my back. I stumbled forward, colliding with the corner of the wall and smashing my face. My cheek throbbed and my eyes watered as pain shot through me. Suddenly, I was jerked back with brutal force causing me to stumble and fall face first onto the unmade bed.
I flipped over quickly, wanting to keep my eyes on my predators. Chris lingered by the window, his focus on the outside world. Jeremy stood at the end of the bed, his hands clasped behind his head as if he was attempting to shove a sense of determination and fear in the air. A determination I refused to allow him to have, a fear I didn’t ever wish to feel again.
“Chris, tie her up. Hands behind her back,” Jeremy instructed.
I tore my gaze from Jeremy and watched Chris stalk toward me. Every step he took was heavy with arrogance and purpose. His hands fell to his belt buckle, and I swallowed the bile rising from the pits of my stomach as he fumbled with the clasp and pulled it so slowly out of the loops. He snapped it violently as he stood beside the bed and smirked at his grand prize.
A grand prize which was me.
“Fuck I am going to enjoy this,” he hissed brutally into my ear. His unforgiving hands ripped at my wrists and pulled them behind my back. My shoulders screamed at his force. The leather of the belt dug into me, burning the top layer of my skin as I fought the restraints. I shuddered as his tongue speared along the rim of my ear and along my jawline. My eyes remained fixed on the wall mounted television all the while chanting to myself. I will not break. I will not break.
“Back off asshole,” Jeremy growled from the end of the bed.
Chris pushed off the bed and took his position by the window again.
I didn’t know how long the standoff between Jeremy and I lasted. I sat back on my heels glaring at him, and he didn’t flinch. He made no attempts to touch me, to speak to me, to engage with me. I could see Chris hovering in the corning of my eye, but at that moment it was Jeremy who was in my sights.