Chapter Thirteen

The bedroom feels lonely. I crave him but won’t admit it aloud. To admit it is to admit that I’ve fallen into the lifestyle of a prisoner. Loneliness has forced me to crave my captor.

And I will not allow it.

I had to learn how to stop loving Will, my abuser. I will not do that with Jay. I want freedom. I need to work on devising a plan for that.

A few hours later, I am startled after having fallen asleep, to Cross. He’s in my room, hand over my mouth as he leans close to me on my bed. I begin to panic but he gives me a hard look.

“Shut the fuck up, or I’ll knock you the fuck out,” He snarls and removes his hand from my mouth. “Understand?”

I bite his hand when he strokes my lips and he curses, yanking his hand back to cradle it for a moment. I go to leap off the bed and he strikes me.

What is he going to do to me?

I begin to scream.

Where’s Jay?

Cross strikes me again and I become dizzy from the force of the blow.

“I told you to shut the fuck up! Jay wasn’t sent for you. I was. Now be a good little bitch and obey. Or I promise things will be much worse for you.”

Oh my god.

“Where are we going?” I squeak. He seethes with anger from my question.

“What the fuck did I just say?” He growls and I clamp my mouth shut as he hauls me out of bed. At least I’m clothed now. Courtesy of Jay. Cross holds my arms tightly as he moves us out into the hallway.

Please tell me I’m not going to be killed…

Tell me Jay will be wherever we are going.

I gasp when I make a beeline for a door that opens up to the outside. It’s dark and I’m unable to really make out my surroundings once I’m outside. My feet are cold as they pad against the earth.

“W-wait, please? Where’s Jay?” I stammer.

“Let’s go,” He says, ignoring me. He yanks my arm hard enough to pull it from its socket as he continues to walk to an SUV that is idle in the dirt path. I scan my surroundings hoping Jay will emerge, my knight in shining armor. He doesn’t appear.

I feel my stomach dropping as I’m ordered to climb into the backseat. There’s another man on the driver’s side that I’ve never met before.

“The bitch is ready. Did you receive the call?” Cross snaps at the man who nods.

“Yes, It’s all set.”

I’m going to die!

Alarm bells blare in my head. Panic surges in me and my hands begin to shake as my stomach twists into knots. They are going to kill me… and Jay couldn’t stop it. I wanted him to be the one to do it. Not these assholes.

This has become my fate.

“Please don’t kill me,” I beg. It’s pathetic to plea for my life from another abusive male who thinks he’s god’s gift to earth. “Please! I can help you guys more. I can be helpful to Dominico.”

Say anything I can to help them… Anything.

“I don’t know what he needs me to do but I’ll do it.” I’m shaking as sweat begins to coat my limbs. It beads my forehead and my palms as my heart begins to race.

“Get a fucking load of this,” Cross jeers while gesturing to the back seat with a jab of his thumb. “This bold bitch is now beginning like a fucking baby… Would you look at that? All that attitude has gone out the window.”

Cross clicks his tongue. “You think you’re in a position to bargain? Dominico wants nothing from you. Nothing you can offer him… You’re valuable when he deems it. You better learn your fucking place,” He snaps and spits at me. I cringe from the venom in his tone.

“Did Jay okay this? Please…I don’t want to die.”

“That’s not your choice. Sit the fuck back and shut up,” He hisses, and the SUV begins to drive. I want to remain strong, just as I’ve always tried to do in the face of abuse, but I find the tears are too great as they well up in my eyes. I can’t fight them. I weep silently.

Fuck you, Will.

I knew I shouldn’t have married him. I knew it. I can imagine where I’d be today if I hadn’t.

Much happier.

Living my life and he’d be the captive. He’d be the one who was getting tortured.

The car continues to drive for what seems like hours. Finally, we arrive in a town I’ve never been to.

Oh god… I have to do something.

My eyes move back and forth between the two of the men.

I lunge forward, grabbing the seatbelt of the driver and pulling it back, choking him. He struggles, hands going off the steering wheel. Cross curses and grabs the steering wheel as the driver tries to fight.

“Fuck!” I scream and pull harder. Cross swipes at me, trying to grab me but with one hand on the steering wheel, he can’t reach.

He’ll be next.

The driver’s hands aren’t fighting nearly hard enough anymore so Cross releases the steering wheel and twists before lunging for me. I scream and a punch to the side of my head rocks me sideways.

Ow!

My fingers slip from the seatbelt, but by that time the car has careened off the road and onto a curb where it spins and clips another car before it flips on its side. I’m disoriented. My hand is pressed to my head.

Am I dead?

It hurts.

I groan in pain as I clutch my head. My fingers come back wet and I realize its blood as I’m met with the deep, familiar red.

I can’t be dead if I’m bleeding.

I’m shaking when someone rips me out of the sidecar. I scream as I’m thrown onto the road, and although my vision is blurry, I search the street for people to come to save me. An arm wraps around my neck and I panic.

“Such a fucking nuisance,” He says through a clenched jaw as he tosses me aside once more and a cough sputters from my lips.

There’s no one.

Cross has a knife in his hand, wielding it threateningly.

“I was going to wait to do this, but I’ll just fucking do it now.”

I scream. It sounds foreign to my ears and is interrupted by the slice of the blade on my arm. I recoil, rolling away from him but he’s too quick.

I guess that car crash did nothing to him.

Fuck.

I’m going to die… but at least I’ll see Phoenix.

“This gives me great please, Akira,” Cross says amusedly. The sound of a gun goes off, and I watch as Cross yelps in pain before he clutches his stomach and falls to his knees. The blade clatters against the pavement. I watch the blood pour from the wound in his stomach.

“What the—” Cross gasps, his words falling away from his blood-stained lips. My eyes peer around him and that’s when I see him. His name is a relieved groan on my tongue.

“Jay!”