Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I curled over, dropping to my knees. I coughed and sputtered and tried getting up. Another kick landed against my ribs. I cried out for help, but the kicks continued to rain down on me. He started to laugh; I started to cry. I curled up into a ball and covered my face with my forearms to try and get some cover from the barrage.
Jake… he’s—he’s hearing this. He—needs. He needs me.
“That’s what you get for running away from me,” Robby said, blows still raining down on me. The pain blurred into one massive throb, radiating through every single bone in my body. I gasped.
I need to get up— for Jake.
The thought of him being hurt was more painful than the kicks. I found a buried well of strength and reached forward, latching onto a leg and pulling it to my mouth.
I bit down, hard. It was the only thing I could think of doing. An admittedly savage move that also admittedly worked. Robby shouted, “What the fuck!” before stumbling backward, holding the back of his calf. It gave me enough time to get up.
“It was you this entire time.” My lungs felt like they were on fire, but I still managed to get the words out.
“Surprised?”
“Not really,” I said, that well of strength growing. This was it. This would be the end, one way or another. No more looking over my shoulder, no more being scared of shadows and noises. Everything would be brought out into the light.
He lunged at me again, but I was ready this time. I used my shoulder as a brace, hitting him in the chest before he could land a punch on me. That seemed to have surprised him, knocking him back. His fist flew through the air again, this one connecting with my jaw and sending a stinging pain across my face.
“I don’t want to do this to you,” he said, coming at me again like a rabid dog.
“Then stop,” I said, blocking a hit with my forearm. “Stop. Please, stop.”
“I can’t. It’s gone too far. I messed up.”
I pushed him up against the wall and managed to land a knee directly into his groin. He closed his eyes and clamped his arms around his gut. I took this as my chance to run, going down the hallway, forgetting about my phone and needing instead to get to Jake.
There he was, tied down to a chair in the center of the room. Plenty of moonlight came in through the open windows. He looked at me with wide and scared eyes, a rag stuffed into his mouth. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, his chest bare. He didn’t look hurt.
I undid the knot on the gag, dropping it to the floor and kissing him. “Jesus, are you okay?”
“My wrists. Untie them.”
I nearly tripped moving to the back of his chair. I tried to untangle the knot, but my hands were shaking, and the knot was made from a thick rope that looked like it was used for anchoring ships. I could only undo a single knot before Robby came back into the room. “Get up. Now.”
I looked around Jake and realized Robby was no longer unarmed. He held a gun, which shone in the moonlight, the jet-black weapon appearing to glitter in his grip.
That changed things. A fear like I’d never felt before gripped me by the throat. I stood on wobbling legs, using the chair Jake was currently bound to as a brace.
“This was not how I envisioned all this going,” Robby said, stepping into the living room. He flicked the light on with the barrel of the gun. He stood there, wearing a stained white T-shirt and black pants. I’d never seen him this disheveled, this undone. His hair was wild, growing down to his shoulders in oily tendrils that clumped together, and his glasses were cracked, sitting lopsided on his nose. Acne clustered around his cheeks, and his eyes had heavy bags that made it clear he’d been running low on sleep. The way he sniffed and rubbed at his nose with his free hand gave away what substance he’d been using to keep himself up.
Robby was unhinged, and that made this all extremely unpredictable.
“How did you envision it going?” Jake asked, his voice surprising me. How could he talk without crying? I doubt I could get any cohesive words out. “You stalked and threatened us both, for what? To kidnap and kill us?”
“No, no,” Robby said, a hand covering half his face. “Oh, that’s not it at all. I didn’t want things to get to this. I just… I wanted you, Noah. I’ve wanted you ever since you showed me the true meaning of happiness. I connected with you on a level I’ve never felt, not with anyone. But I knew you’d need more work to see it. You’d need something to push yourself into my open arms.