Page 50 of Reverse Perspective

“You are a disrespectful little girl,” Paul says simply. There is a warning in his tone that sprouts a fear that I haven’t felt since the time I spent with him in the cabin.

“And what the fuck are you going to do about it? This isn’t summer camp anymore, Paul. You can’t just banish me to my cabin so that you can work up the nerve to rape me,” I say with venom and hatred in my voice. “Fuck you and fuck my parents. I’m washing my hands of all of you. I refuse to pretend to be the happy little daughter while knowing that my parents are supporting a fucking rapist.”

“You can’t be serious,” Mom says tearfully. “We are trying to save you, Sadie.”

“I don’t need to be saved,” I shout at her. “Lance, Mason, and Dean saved me a long fucking time ago. I don’t need this and I don’t need you. Get the fuck out of my face.”

“Sadie,” she says with a broken voice.

“Go!” I scream as tears slip down my cheeks. Lance turns me to face him before wrapping me in a hug. I bury my face in his chest and try to fight off the sobs.

“You’re not welcome here,” Dean says calmly. “Just go.”

“I’m not leaving my daughter,” Dad says.

“You lost the right to claim her as your child when you brought him here in an attempt to force her to marry her abuser because he has you convinced that this is the way to salvation. You’re all sick in the head,” Dean says, still calm. “If I have to repeat myself, none of you are going to be having a good day.”

“Is that right?” Paul says with humor in his tone. I look up to see Dean go nose-to-nose with Paul.

“Dean,” Todd says softly.

“Understand one thing for me, Paul,” Dean says, ignoring Todd. “It may not be today. It may not even be tomorrow, but you will pay for what you’ve done to her.”

“Looking forward to it,” Paul says with an ominous smile before he averts his eyes to meet mine. “Be good, Bunny.”

Paul steps back from Dean and nudges my parents. Before they all walk away, he grins at me and chuckles softly. I stare at them as they walk away. Hearing that fucking nickname brought back the feeling of what it was like to be trapped like prey, stuck in that cabin with him at night. He is the reason I still sleep with a light on in fear of something touching me when I cannot see.

When they are back in their vehicles, Mason grabs my face and makes me look at him. “Why did he call you that? Why did he call you Bunny?”

“That’s what he would call me when he would touch me or make me do things to him,” I say quietly. “He would say that he was the wolf and I was the bunny. I didn’t get it then… but right now… I know he meant that I was trapped because that’s what happens to prey. We get trapped and consumed by the predator.”

“Well, you’re done with all of them now,” Lance says. “It’s over now.” I nod in agreement, but it’s not true. It’s not over until Paul says it’s over. Will I ever truly be free from him?

Chapter eleven

Sadie

Two Weeks Later

It’s Friday finally. Iam ready for the weekend so I can sit at home and do nothing. The last two weeks have been peaceful, but work has been crazy. We launched a new version of our in-home virtual assistant on Wednesday. Yesterday we spent all day in meetings, but today should be pretty easygoing.

The only problem is that I woke up with a raging migraine. I have the blanket pulled over my face so that the guys can get ready for work so the light doesn’t cause my brain to explode. They’re being as quiet as possible because the slightest noise makes pain shoot through my head. I’m trying my best to avoid getting sick because it will just make my headache worse.

“Hey,” Mason says softly, pulling the blanket away. “The light is off.”

“My head hurts so bad,” I groan.

“I know, baby. Take this,” he says as he puts my medicine in my hand. I put the pill in my mouth and he hands me my bottle of water to wash it down with. “Todd is working from home today so he’s just going to come hang out here today.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “Tell him to come tell me when he’s here so he doesn’t scare me.”

“Okay. If your head gets any worse, have Todd take you to the doctor and call us. Okay?” Mason says before gently kissing my forehead.

“Get some rest, Little Demon,” Dean says quietly. He and Lance kiss me gently before leaving me to rest. I hear the front door shut around the time that the dizziness that my medication creates hits me. I slip into meditation-induced dreams.

“Sadie,” I hear Todd call out to me. There’s a sense of urgency in his voice that makes my eyes fly open. “Fuck. There you are.”

“What’s wrong?” I mumble and run my hands down my face.

---