Page 106 of Finish Line

We enter Mr. Silva’s office, and he motions to one of the chairs. “Have a seat.”

He takes a chair on the other side of his desk.

“You’re a hard worker, Shelby. I hate doing this, but I must let you go. Her dad can’t buy my store, but he can buy the building and jack the rent up so high I can’t afford it. I can’t lose the store.” He drops his head into his hands.

I roll my eyes. “She’s lying. She’s hated me since I moved to town.”

“I figured. My kids went to the same elementary and middle school as her. Before they started high school, I transferred them to a different district to get them away from her.” Regret fills his face. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a choice. Her father’s influence in the community could impact my business. Come by tomorrow, and I’ll have your final check ready.”

“Right.” I stand and take off my store apron, dropping it on his desk. “Thanks.”

As I walk outside, I glance around, hoping to find Carrie hanging around gloating, so I can smash her face in. But she’s long gone.

I hop on my bike before I text Dom, telling him what happened and that I need to go for a ride to calm down.

An hour later, I pull into our driveway and shoot off a text to let Dom know I made it home safely.

When I walk into the kitchen to grab a Dr. Pepper, I notice an envelope on the counter addressed to me. I’ve been waiting for the GED materials, and I carry the envelope outside since it’s a beautiful spring day.

I sip my drink and put it down on the table. I open the envelope and pull out a bunch of pictures. My whole body grows cold when I realize they’re pictures of me in the basement.

I don’t remember Roger ever taking photos of me. He must have had a video camera hidden somewhere.

I flip through the stack. Photos of me hanging from the chain attached to the ceiling, sitting naked on the floor, and lying on the floor cover each one. The next one I flip to is of Evan, naked and on top of me.

My hand shakes, and the photos flutter to the ground.

Needing to distance myself from them, I jump up, knocking the chair over in my rush. As I move to take a step, my feet tangle in the chair. I fall and land on the cement next to a photo of Evan and me on the ground. The one next to it shows Evan smirking at the camera, looking directly at me.

With a scream, I scramble backward and wrap my arms around my knees, rocking back and forth.

“Shelby?” Cam calls from inside the house, but I can’t move.

He barrels outside and falls to his knees. “Shelby, gorgeous, are you all right?”

When he goes to touch me, I lash out, my palm connecting with skin. “Don’t touch me! Leave me alone!”

Unfazed, Cam kneels in front of me but doesn’t touch me again. “Shelby, you’re safe. It’s all right. I’m here.”

Amid my panic, his voice throws my mind back into the basement in a waking nightmare. Cam is in front of me, but my vision blurs with an image of him dying in the basement.

“I have to get you out, Cam. I’ll convince Roger to let you go.”

Cam frowns, but I don’t understand why. Does he think I can’t do it?

“I will get you out.”

Cam sits with me, helplessly clenching his fists as I suffer through my nightmare.

Nick walks out the back door and stops in his tracks. “What happened?”

“She’s having a panic attack. These pictures were near her.” Cam picks up a photo and hands it to Nick. “I arrived a few minutes ago and found her like this. Her mind is back in the basement. She keeps saying she ‘needs to get me out’ and will make Roger let me go.”

Sadness enters his voice. “She won’t let me touch her.”

Nick picks up another of the pictures. “Are these from the basement?”

“Yeah,” Cam says.

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