Page 345 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“I didn’t hurt her,” Marcus says.

I flinch at the unexpected sound of his voice, and get goosebumps when my mind latches to his words.

Get out of my fucking head!

I make a sound through my gag, and Marcus laughs. “You don’t believe me? You’ll see. She’s just fine.”

Who the fuck is he talking about?

But then he’s setting me on my feet. Pushing on my shoulders until I sit on something hard and smooth.

A light breeze touches my cheek, bringing me the scent of burned wood. I squirm, blinking back tears when Marcus steps back.

He doesn’t even bother lashing me to anything. What would be the point? Where would I run, bound and blind?

There’s a soft sound a few feet away, and I freeze.

Someone else is here, but who? And why are they so quiet?

Briar.

It’s an irrational, panicked thought, but that doesn’t make it any less terrifying.

It’s been the both of them all along, hasn’t it? Was this all just some sick game for them, keeping me guessing? The one luring me in, while the other stalks me from the shadows?

“Please,” I push through the gag. “Don’t hurt me.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath, and then I hear a muffled whimper.

Not Briar. Addy.

I should have been relieved, but I’m not. At least if Briar was here, I might have stood some chance at getting him to let me go. I know I didn’t imagine the chemistry between us. That inexplicable connection we’ve had from day one.

But he’s not here.

Maybe he’ll never be. Maybe he doesn’t even know I’m gone.

In which case it’s just me and Addy…

And Marcus.

Chapter Forty-Two

Briar

I stand in a rush, pressing a fist against my mouth until the urge to puke dissipates some. All this time, I was convinced I was a rapist.

The worst part is, I was kinda okay with that. Thinking about it brought the occasional fit of guilt and rage, but at the same time I felt numb to everything. Like it was all happening to someone else.

Because itdid.

Because I never raped anyone. I never told Marcus to get rid of Jessica. He did it by himself. To protect himself, in case Jessica’s memory came back.

And the idiot kept proof. Fine, he didn’t exactly keep it laying around the house, but it didn’t take that long for me to find it. Did he honest to God think this video would never be discovered? And the drawing? He sure loves his trophies.

Fucking psycho.

I glance to the side, and avert my eyes when they touch on that perverted drawing. But then I do a double take. At the angleI’m sitting, the person depicted in the picture looks even more like Indi than before.

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