Page 32 of Deceit

“Jerome got her when she was leavin’ the grocery store. She knew he was followin’ her. Started walkin’ faster toward her car and got the groceries put in the passenger seat before makin’ her way to the driver’s side. Just before she got the door handle in her hand, Jerome got her. Yanked her back by her hair before he said somethin’ to her. That’s when he started draggin’ her away. I can’t hear what’s said between the two of them, but Brynn was goin’ off on the fucker.

“At one point, she managed to get away from him and took off runnin’. He got her back again before she could get more than a few cars away. The parkin’ lot was full of people and not a single fuckin’ one of them tried to help her in any way. Brynn fought as hard as she possibly could against Jerome but he overpowered her. When she almost got away again, Jerome grabbed somethin’ out of the trunk of his car and hit her in the back of the head. She lost consciousness just after he stuffed her in the trunk. He raced to get in the car and tore out of the parkin’ lot like his ass was on fire. Just after that, the police showed up but no one was willin’ to talk to them. Guess they don’t want everyone knowin’ what pieces of shit they are,” Valor informs us all as I start pacing my side of the table.

Knowing that people watched my girl get taken and they did nothing to stop it fills me with an anger I’ve never once felt before. These stupid fucks could’ve prevented Jerome from getting his hands on my girl and saved her when she needed it the most. I can’t stop myself as I grab anything that’s not nailed down and start smashing it. Ghost and Jinx are on me before I can get too far into destroying our meeting room. They hold me as everyone around me talks and works out a plan of how to not only find Brynn and Jerome but how to get her back without anything more happening to hurt her. I can’t focus on the words with the new knowledge I’ve been given. My vision is nothing but red and I know this shit is going to haunt me for a long time after I bring my Kitten home.

Chapter Eighteen

Brynn

WAKING UP, MY eyesfeel as if they’ve been glued shut and the pain in my head is so fucking bad I want to throw up. When my eyes finally open, my vision is blurry as hell and I can hardly make out anything as I try to figure out where I am and what’s happened to me. As my vision slowly starts to clear, the reminder of Jerome kidnapping me surfaces. Of seeing all those people in the parking lot of the grocery store who stood back and did absolutely nothing to help me makes me angry as fuck. I would’ve run to someone who was screaming for help and telling a crowd they were being kidnapped. These people just stood back and watched on as if I was a toddler throwing a tantrum and her dad was taking her to the car until she calmed down. I will never, ever forget those people doing nothing to help me.

Tears fill my eyes as thoughts of Kingston fill my mind. I know he’s more than likely found out that I’ve been taken by now and he’ll be losing his shit. Kingston takes my safety and protection extremely seriously and I know I made a mistake when I rushed out of the clubhouse without letting anyone know I was leaving. Yes, Savannah knew, but if I had made a call to any of the guys, they could’ve met me so this wouldn’t have happened. Kingston won’t see it that way though. He’ll take the blame on his shoulders and blame himself for what happened to me. All I want to do is get back to him to wrap him up in my arms and hold him close. To promise him this isn’t his fault and stop him from carrying the guilt and rage overwhelming him right now.

I try to move my body and find that I can’t bring my arms down and my legs won’t close either. Suddenly, my vision clears completely as I look down at myself. The first thing I notice is my naked body. While I was dressed in one of Kingston’s tee-shirts and a pair of leggings when I left the clubhouse for the kids, now I’m only wearing my bra and panties. Bile starts to rise up at the thought of Jerome touching me in such an intimate way. Secondly, I notice my ankles are tied to a rusted, metal bed frame. It’s not a chain holding me in place, but some kind of scarf or bandana. The material is so fucking dirty I can’t figure out what it is. Tilting my head very slowly, I find my wrists have also been tied to the frame of the bed I’m laying on. The mattress under my body is lumpy with springs sticking out in various places and several stains cover it. I don’t even want to think about what has stained the mattress I’m currently on.

Pulling on my arms, I try to break free from the restraints holding me in place to no avail. I’m stuck on this bed until Jerome makes his way back to me. I faintly hear sounds from some other part of the house and know he’s still here. I want to be free when he makes an appearance since I have no clue what he’s already done to me. Unfortunately, I’m unable to break free using all the techniques my dad and uncle taught me over the years. Realizing I won’t be able to break free, I turn my attention to taking in every single detail of the room I’m currently in.

The wallpaper covering the walls is old and outdated. It’s a puke green color with all of these small flowers going up and down in rows a few inches apart. I’m sure at one time someone loved this pattern and the colors, but I don’t know anyone who would currently put something like this in their home. In many places, the wallpaper is peeling and I can see holes and gouges that have been taken out of the wall over the years. There are a few holes in the scuffed and worn wooden floor in the areas I can actually see. There’s one window in the room that has no curtain or blinds covering it to block out anyone looking in or the sunlight shining in the room. Yes, I’m on the first floor of the house I’m in based on how the trees I can see look. I know that’s not going to be an option to get out of. Bars are on the outside of the window. They look as if they’ve been placed there recently with how new they look. Jerome planned this and took away my only chance to escape without him seeing me get away from him. Fucker!

One light is on the nightstand next to me and it’s covered in a thick layer of dust. Everything in this room is covered in dust. That tells me this house has been sitting empty for a long time. Currently, the lamp is off and the only light filling the room is from the window. I try to find anything I can use to cut off the restraints but there’s nothing on the stands with the lamp. I don’t see anything in this room other than the bed I’m in, the nightstand with a lamp, a small chair in the corner of the room, and two doors. One of them is most likely a closet and the other one is the exit out of here. My way to freedom if I get the chance to take it. I will find a way to get away from Jerome and back to Kingston—the man I’ve fallen in love with who completes me in ways I never dreamed possible.

Ihave no clue howmuch time has passed; I can’t seem to stay awake long enough to understand how much time has passed. All I know is it’s now dusk as the sunlight starts to fade from the room leaving it darker and filled with shadows. Jerome hasn’t been in the room while I’ve been awake and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or something bad. My body and head are still in a lot of pain. I’ve been trying to get free of the restraints every time I wake up so my wrists and ankles are damaged now too. I’ve felt the blood dripping off of my skin from where I’ve rubbed them raw. I’m still nauseous as hell and have gotten close to throwing up more than once. It took every ounce of strength I possess not to be sick all over myself and the nasty mattress I’m laying on. Now, I’ve also got a sharp pain in my side from holding off on going to the bathroom for so long. While I don’t know how long I’ve been here, I know it’s been long enough to cause a deep ache from the lack of going to the bathroom.

The door opens up as I continue to take stock of my body and Jerome fills the frame while staring at me and licking his lips. I take in his appearance since I really didn’t get the chance when I was fighting him off in the grocery store parking lot. His long, graying hair is greasy and stringy as it hangs around his face. He’s going bald on top. Jerome’s eyes are cold and lifeless as he continues to stare at me. While he used to have a beer belly, now there’s nothing. His body seems to be fading into nothing as I can see his skin hanging off the bones of his body. Jerome’s teeth are broken and disgusting as if he hasn’t brushed them his entire life. I take in the track marks going up both of his arms.

Jerome’s clothing is stained and full of holes as they hang off his body. The boots covering his feet are falling apart and should have been replaced years ago. He has no pride in his appearance and it’s as if he’s been wearing the same clothes for months. I know he hasn’t taken a shower based on the body odor wafting off of him. It fills the small bedroom and makes me gag. Even his tattoos are faded to nothing and weren’t taken care of properly when he first got them done. It seems that if it’s not about drugs, he couldn’t care less about what he looks like or if he smells like a giant pile of shit.

“You’re finally awake,” he says, his voice grating on my nerves as I try to glare at him. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to.”

“Fuck you, Jerome. I’m gonna fucking kill you,” I threaten him as he starts laughing hysterically. “What’s so fucking funny?”

“You are, my sweet Brynn. You’ve wanted me since I first showed up in Brighton Hills. You were always tempting me with your sweet body whenever I was around. I was the one who was called sick and depraved when I tried to protect you and keep your secret from your family. That was the day I lost everything. You were kept from me and it took me months of planning to get close to you once again. I waited and watched you from afar as you turned into a slut. The best day was when you moved away from your family to Pine View. I knew then you were ready to be with me. That was your signal to me,” Jerome says, his voice determined as he believes his words of disgusting lies.

“You’re fucking delusional, Jerome. I’ve never tempted you or given you any indication that I want anything to do with you. And I never once turned into a slut,” I tell him, anger filling my voice as I watch him walk closer to me.

“You’re fucking lying,” Jerome yells, spittle hitting my face as he leans down over me before backhanding me so hard my head turns to the side.

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