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After easing into the garage, I put the car in park When I reached to grab lile escaped ht of my mussed-up sex hair, rosy cheeks, and swollen lips I looked exactly like I had almost been had Immediately, I was thankful that it had been dark outside on the drive holance at ot out of the car After stepping inside the house, I couldn’t help leaning back against the door as I continued to cling tomy eyes shut, I could alue oninto my core
Suddenly, I was snatched out of my fantasy world as a sense of dread prickled overoff even though I had yet to enter the code I peered at the screen, and my chest clenched when SYSTEM DISABLED flashed on and off
Waves of fear crashed over reetover every available part of le dance In a shaky voice, I called, "Atticus?" When no bark of acknowledgment came, I took a few tentative steps farther into the kitchen "Atticus?" I repeated Silence reverberated back at et out of the house, I whirled around to flee My feet slipped in so slick on the floor, and I crashed down onto ,down, I realized I was in a puddle of blood A screa, I pushed my way out of it Whendesperately to get up, but each time I pushed on my hands, ht flicked on aboveman in the doorway He wore a sinister smile as he stared down at me with one eye A black patch covered his other eye, and beneath it a jagged scar cut across his cheek and down over his neck
"H," the man said
Repulsed and horrified both by his words and his appearance, I ducked ht of Atticus’s lifeless body at the ash at his throat had sent his blood across the floor, causingdown my face Concern for my own fate momentarily took a backseat to the horror of the loss of Atticus
When I glanced up again, themy hands in surrender, I pleaded, "Don’t hurt me I have money here You can have all of it--you can takeled fros tried to find steady ground With a sneer, he replied, "Oh, I’ to be any money or your car For this to matter, it has to be physical"
His threat caused htly, I would have collapsed down onto the floor "Please, no," I begged He released one ofslap acrossword, or I will end you--no ether, I nodded in agreehts Who was the bossorders about me?
He set me on my feet and then shoved ainstaway Fro knife--one that looked like it belonged in the ht After adht it to ainst asped for breath
Lowering the knife, he brought it to the buttons on my shirt Slowly, one by one, the blade popped the buttons off until the shirt gaped open Grabbing ht an to shred the fabric of my shirt He slid the knife back into his cut and took one of the strips, holding it taut between his hands
"This should keep you quiet" Before I could protest, he had the strip overht sent delirious desperation rocketing through htmare You’ll wake up in a few seconds
With another one of the strips of cloth, he bound ainst the gag Then he gripped htto the chandelier "On your knees," he co on the kitchen table
"Now, that should keep you quiet and still for what I have to do" When his hand went to his belt, I began to thrash againstdown the chandelier if I had to Once his belt was off, he gaveit over his head A loud crack echoed through the room before the leather bit into the flesh onThe next blow of the belt hit me across the breasts I didn’t even have the chance to recover before another lash broke against h"Rue his words, he brought the belt acrossfrom the pain, his eye locked on mine "Answer me, bitch Are you Deacon’s old lady?"
I shook my head furiously back and forth My response was rewarded with another lashing from the belt "He had you on the back of his bike You spent the night at the Raiders co old-lady territory"
"N-no, I--I’ "I s-swear"
The man eyed me curiously before his lips curled in a sneer "You lie You lie to try to save yourself and to save that piece of shit you spread your legs for"
"No!" I cried
"I’ll go easier on you if you tell the truth You see, we need to draw him out Since he keeps that brat under lock and key, you were the next choice He’ll want revenge for us hurting you, and that’s e’ll strike So I’ll ask you again, are you Deacon’s old lady?"