Pain. Everywhere.
It’s the only thing I can focus on. Every breath sends an electric shock through my ribs, to the point I think I might puke.
The shouting from above makes me realize my eyes have been tightly shut. Squinting them open, the bright daylight intensifies the pounding ache in my skull so much that my teeth grind. I roll onto my side, propping up on my elbow before pushing myself onto my knees. The motion makes the ground sway beneath me, and I don’t know which way is up or down. On the plus side, I still remember my name and how I got into the mess: Kelsey Anderson, and I’m a twenty-year-old woman who fell for a psychotic man with a twisted, mysterious backstory that I’ve yet to figure out, but quickly learning why they wanted me far away.
Getting to my shaking, aching feet, I take a look around, scouting out my best escape route. Jessie’s yard is surrounded by six-foot-tall fencing and a tall brick retention wall behind the pool that looks like it could lead to a neighboring yard.
I hope it does anyway.
My ankles pop with each step. I’m pretty sure they’re broken, but I keep going. Pushing myself to get to this godsforsaken brick wall that I only pray will lead me to safety. The soles of my feet tingle as I trudge along theblistering pavement. I know they’ll be blistered and bleeding by the end of this.
It takes immense effort to focus on my breathing instead of the pain. Every breath is agonizing as it tears through my ribs.
If only I had gone with Hayden, none of this would be happening. Facing my death. Hayden’s words rush back to me, “There are worse things in life than death, Kelsey.”And right now, in this moment, I have learned the bitter truth to that statement. The problem is, I haven’t even experienced the torture behind this man’s hands yet, and if I can help it, I won’t have to.
The dissonant sound of the iron gate grating open has me pausing briefly, only to glance back and see the man of my nightmares charging right for me. At my current pace, I’ll never make it out of this. I swallow a painfully deep breath of humid air and put every ounce of my soul into running for that wall. The sudden spike in adrenaline is blocking out the excruciating pain, thank you, God!
My fingers dig between the brick, and I hoist myself up, hooking my toes wherever they will get traction. Every muscle burns as I climb. The unforgiving surface tears at the bear skin on my fingers, toes, and knees. Once at the top, I feel my body relax.Almost there.My elbows rest on the ledge while the rest of my body hangs over the wall.
The pain is excruciating, and it comes from everywhere. So much pain. My eyes burn, but I blink away the tears. There’s no time for crying. No time for weakness. I have to keep moving.
A scream tears from my throat as I lift my leg to bring it over the ledge, but a strong hand grabs my other one. Their fingers dig into my bone, ripping another scream from my lips.
“You could’ve done this the easy way,” they growl. An unfamiliar voice. My heart races as I kick with every ounce of remaining strength in my brutally beaten body, but I can feel my fingers slipping from their grip. Blood rushes in my ears and tears blur my vision, but I dig into the wall, trying to regain my hold.
“Don’t touch me, you sick bastard!” I scream as loud as I can, hoping, praying anyone on the other side will hear me and call for help.
Despite my kicking and bucking, he manages to grab both legs in a tight hug, preventing me from fighting. My body still jerks in his grasp, refusing to give up, no matter the pain that engulfs my exhausted body. My swollen, tear-filled eyes plead with the giant of a man to let me go, his bald head so shiny it reflects the blinding sun.
It’s when a second guy charges over and rips me from the wall that I lose all hope of my escape. The grip I once had on the wall takes the skin from my fingers with it.
My nails dig into his arm, and I squeeze until I feel them penetrate his hairy, sweaty skin. Even after I feel the slick, sticky blood pooling under what’s left of my nails, I squeeze harder. Digging deeper. His warning growl should scare me, but it only fuels my rage. The sound that comes from my chest could only be described as a primal rage. I’m fuming!
“Let go! Ryder! Hayden!”
His laugh rattles my soul. “They’re not coming for you, sweetheart.”
There it is. That name again. Ihateit!
“Fuck you!” I spit, and his grip around me tightens, squeezing the breath from my lungs.
The side gate opens, and the man I’ve seen too many times now strides in with a menacing kind of authority. Smoke bellows from his hideous mouth as he puffs on a fat cigar. You’d think if he could afford that kind of suit and Cuban gold, that he could afford to fix his teeth.
The closer he gets to me, the more I fight. Taking one last chance, I latch onto my captor’s arm, biting as hard as I can manage with my throbbing head and jaw. Flesh pops between my teeth, and a metallic tang fills my mouth, making my stomach churn.
“Fuck!” he growls, ripping his arm from my teeth. “She bit me!” He cries like a little bitch to his mommy. Blood runs down my chin, and I try to spit more out, but I only succeed at making a bigger mess all down my shirt. I eye his arm as blood seeps from the wound, realizing I did a good number on him.
Pain explodes through my head as it’s smacked sideways. His hand came out of nowhere, leaving no time to prepare for the blow. Hissing a breath through my teeth, I squint one eye, looking up into a set of wickedly dark eyes. The spinning in my already concussed head spins more violently, to the point I can’t hold my eyes open withouthurling my guts up. I’m glad I skipped breakfast this morning.
“You broke it, so you carry it. Restrain her and put her ass in the trunk.” The man with the cigar commands my current captor. This is it. I no longer hold the strength to fight. In fact, sleep is desperately calling my name.
Like nothing more than a bag of trash, he tosses me over his shoulder. The new position sends a rush of blood to my head. It feels like a bomb ticking and ready to detonate.
He drops me to the hard, rubbery floor mat in what I assume is the trunk. The world around me becomes one huge blur when I open my eyes, so I don’t even attempt to look around me. It wouldn’t do me any good anyway.
“Mark, get your ass over here and help!”
Mark.Now, if I can get all the others’ names.
