Page 2 of Finish Line

His brow scrunches up as he weakly shakes his head. “No, I’ve been here.”

“Roger must have taken your phone. We got a text saying you went down to visit your dad.” I pace my side of the room. He never said what happened to him. I narrow my gaze on him. “Cam, what did he do?”

“This is all your fault.” Hannah gestures around the room. “If Cam dies, it will be on you!”

“Hannah… Shelby doesn’t have any control over what Roger does.” Cam eyes narrow on my step-sister, then sighs. “I’m okay. He nicked me with a knife. I’ll be fine.”

Wrapping my arms around my waist, I turn away from them. She’s right. Everything happening with Luke, Mav, and Dom is my fault. If something happens to Cam, it will be on me, and I don’t think I can survive it.

From the moment we met--or I should say crash into each other—he’s made my heart go wild. He didn’t care if I was screwed up or not. Between Mav and he, they always make me smile.

“If she never came to Greyhedge, then this wouldn’t be happening. Carrie would be with Dom, you would be with Liv, and I would be with Luke!” she shrieks, throwing up her hands.

The cot creaks, and I turn around.

Cam groans as he pushes up on his elbow. “I hate to shatter your delusions, but none of that would have happened. Over the summer, we decided we were done with all of your girls’ pettiness. How you treat people is wrong, and we don’t want anything to do with it.”

“You’re just saying that to make her feel better.” She points to me, turns away, then heads to a dark corner.

“No, Hannah, I’m not. It’s the truth.” He sighs, falling back down on the cot, panting and holding his side.

“That doesn’t matter right now.” I shake my head. “We need to escape. Cam, you say it’s only a nick, but I think you are downgrading the damage. How bad is it really? You been trying to hide the blood on your side by keeping your shirt buttoned, but I still noticed it.”

He raises his head off the cot, eyes flashing with determination. “If you need me to move, I’ll move.”

Hannah spins back around crossing her arms. “The last time he tried to stand, he passed out.”

Cam gives Hannah the evil eye. “If I need to move to escape, I will.”

I run my hand through my hair. If what Hannah says it true, Cam won’t be able to run if we have to.

In the distance, a door slams. My eyes shoot to the window as my breath whooshes out of me, and I stumble back until I’m in the corner.

“Oh god, he’s back.” Hannah huddles against the wall, shaking.

The locks click as they’re being undone. The door at the top of the stairs creaks opens, and boots clump down the steps. My body is rigid, and I’m right back where I said I would never be again. Trapped.

My throat closes up, and gasping for a breath, I bend over. The walls close in on me, my vision darkening at the edges.

No! No, I can’t panic, I need to be strong. I have to get Cam and Hannah out of here.

I straighten, taking in a deep lungful of musty air, and ready myself to face my monster.

“Ah, good, you’re awake,” Roger says as he rounds the corner, the old wooden stairs groaning under his weight.

“What do you want, Roger?” I say with confidence.

“I thought that would be obvious. You.” He walks forward to grab my jaw and squeeze it between his index finger and his thumb. He tilts my head up and forces me to look into his soulless eyes. “And it’s Randell. How are our other guests today?”

He releases me. Could there have been two of them this whole time? No, I don’t believe him for a minute; this is another one of his tricks. But for now, in case there’s a possibility of helping Hannah and Cam escape, I’ll play along.

Curious, Randell cocks his head to the side. “The others were so easy to control. Did you really think they loved you, Monkey? They went back to those other girls so easily. If they cared about you, they would have resisted even a little bit.” He uses his thumb and pointer finger to illustrate.

“I don’t know what you did to my friends, but they love her.” Cam points to me.

Roger strides over to the other side of the basement. He stops and peers down at Cam, while Cam glares back at him.

Roger bares his teeth and pokes Cam in the chest. “My hypnotism didn’t work on him. He had no fears about your relationship I could exploit.”

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