Page 3 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“No, look back at me. Focus on my voice. Small breath in. Hold it. Now let it out. Good girl, you’re doing so good.”

Monroe’s eyes closed as she focused on his voice. It was slowly starting to calm her down.

“Can you unlock the door?” he asked.

Her eyes went wide as she pushed her body further away from the window. She flinched as one of her bruises pushed up against the center console. Pain radiated through her whole body as she moved too fast.

Why did he want the car door to be unlocked? Did he want to get in and take her away? Was he going to beat her until she passed out?

“Shit,” he mumbled. “Look at me. It’s okay, you don’t have to unlock the door.”

She kept her eyes trained on him. She didn’t want him to get out of her sight and do something. Monroe still didn’t know who he was or if Jared had sent him to her.

“You’re doing okay. No one is going to hurt you. You’re safe now.” The man kept talking. “No one is going to get you. I promise.”

Monroe didn’t like that he promised that. He could be trying to get her to calm down and trust him so he could knock her out and give her back to Jared.

She had tried to run away before and thought her next door neighbor was a safe place to stay before she left the next morning. It was foolish of her to trust him when her neighbor said no one was going to hurt or get her.

Jared had come over and taken her back to their house. He’d known she was there from the beginning. The neighbor was on his phone several times and made sure that Monroe spent the night there.

She should have known something was up, but she had trusted her neighbor. She wanted to see the good in people and trust them, and Monroe regretted that now. That night, she got the worst beating she’d ever received; at least until the most recent one.

This past one had been particularly brutal. Cuts littered her body along with the bruises. She was pretty sure she might have a concussion, but she had to push through. The adrenaline was still lingering three days later, but she knew she was going to crash soon.

Everything was starting to hurt more, and it was harder to focus on anything.

“Little Bunny? I need you to breathe for me,” the man said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Little Bunny? Where did he get that from? Why was he calling her that? All those questions went through her mind, but she couldn’t help but give a tiny smile at that. She loved the nickname.

“No one is going to hurt you,” he said again. “I promise.”

Monroe just stared at him. Why did he keep promising things? It was stupid. Everyone broke promises at some point.

“Bunny, focus on me,” he said. “Focus on my voice and calm down.”

There he went again calling her Bunny. Monroe’s eyes went wide. She had a stuffed bunny in her back seat. Could he have seen that? Shit. She tried to hide it, but she had placed it in the backseat the last time she stopped.

She needed the little stuffed bunny for comfort every now and then. It also brought out her Little, which wasn’t wise at this moment. She didn’t need to be Little and forget about all the responsibilities she had now.

Granted, Monroe didn’t think she would be in Little space anytime soon.

“Little Bunny,” the man said. “Deep breath in. Hold it then let it out. Good girl. Now, I don’t think you heard me the first time. You’re safe now. I’ll keep you safe.”

Would she ever be able to trust anyone again? If Jared found her, he could have anyone watching her until he thought it was the right time to bring her back. Would he wait until he thought it was the right moment?

Her breathing came out as pants with all those thoughts and questions. She needed to get out of here. Monroe’s first destination would be to get gas and drive as far as she could before she completely ran out of money. After that, she would have to hitch a ride.

It was risky, but she needed to keep moving and get as far away as she could. She couldn’t risk getting caught by Jared. He would be so livid, she knew she wouldn’t survive the night if he got her.

“Breathe in for me,” the man said. “Hold it. Now let it out.”

Her breathing didn’t calm down one bit. If anything, it sped up as the man continued to talk to her. Why was he trying so hard to calm her down?

As black spots littered her vision, she closed her eyes for a second, trying to get them to go away.

“Open those pretty eyes for me,” the man said. “Focus on my voice and look into my eyes.”

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