Page 10 of The Addict

Or until I kill him, I thought bitterly.

I clenched my fists and turned a street corner. Except for the occasional car that passed by, the lanes were empty and quiet. The only sound I could hear was the insane beating of my own heart, like a drum. The outdoor lamps flickered when I passed, as if they could feel the anger radiating off of me. The stores and shops had no lights on, the “Closed” sign hanging ominously on several of the window frames. The streets were silent.

The Hansen mansion wasn’t that far from here, and yet it seemed like miles until I would reach it. I should have just called my fucking driver, but it was such an odd hour, I doubted they would reach him any faster than my feet could go.

Suddenly, a shrill broke the peace. “Let me go!”

At first, I was unaffected by the cry because the streets had been so undoubtedly serene. I immediately assumed my insanity was still playing with the strings of my mind, so I kept on walking without stopping.

“NO!”

But when I heard it the second time, I stopped, my curiosity making me wonder where the sound was coming from, and why the person seemed in distress. My eyes darted back in the direction of the bar, now about three blocks away.

I stilled, breathing slowly and listening intently. I waited for any noise to penetrate the silence once more, but there was nothing. I shook off the alarm and continued on, needing to get home and check on my mom.

“Somebody help me!”

I halted and my ears were tingling at attention. I hadn’t imagined it after all. The scream sounded like a female’s voice, coming from the alley, back the way I came.

“Please!” The voice in question was begging, screaming in a way that made my skin crawl and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

It was none of my business.

I didn’t like to get caught up in the drama of strangers. I served this world as scenery, only good for the background, meant to stay out of everyone’s way. Just look hot and do absolutely nothing worthwhile—that was me. I followed my own set of rules and I pursued danger in a way that I saw fit, not the other way around. This person, whoever they were, sounded as though they might be in an altercation. I was too busy for it. I already got into enough fights on my own accord, I didn’t need to be showing up to a random one.

“It’s not my problem,” I said aloud, hoping that hearing it would make me feel better about leaving the woman to her own devices. But my stomach was in knots and my feet didn’t budge from their firm placement on the ground.

I had promised my mom that I would be home soon. I couldn’t keep her waiting.

“PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!”

Why was she screaming so loud? Was someone hurting her? Someone else must have heard the distressed woman by now.

Someone will help her…right?

And then a thought made my blood run cold.

What if I was the only person that could save her?

Was it my duty to step in?

The answer was no. It was not my duty.

I went stiff. My skull hammered as memories assaulted me once more.

“Stop it, David! The children will see!”

“Fuck them. It’s you and me right now, baby.”

“Please stop this! You’re hurting me!”

I had been seven the day me and Damian saw our mother raped. I hadn’t been able to do anything but watch in horror as our father overtook our mother in the dining room. He hadn’t wanted to wait before she served him dinner.

Without wasting another second, I turned on my heels and sprinted back the way I came.

I hoped I wasn’t too late.

Chapter four