Page 49 of Neverland

“Open the door,” I instructed.

The driver didn’t move. I panicked.

“You need to open the goddamn door!” I shrieked.

Reluctantly, the driver pulled the lever. “Good luck, Miss,” he said but I was already on the last step when the masked man rounded the front of the bus and slid his gloved hand through my hair. He pulled me out and I stumbled after him, the glow-in-the-dark star slipping from my grasp. It was like the world around me had fallen into a silent abyss, those watching too afraid to say anything, like they’d be interrupting the filming of a movie scene. They stood, mouths agape, eyes seeing what was unfolding, but not comprehending. And amid the eerie quietness, I heard the star clatter onto the road, tip first before falling flat.

“No,” I pleaded in desperation. It was the last thing I had left that meant anything to me. I reached for it, my fingers grazing the smooth plastic, but like everything good in my life, it evaded me. The man ripped my hair, dragging me to the waiting vehicle.

Another man opened the car door and I was shoved carelessly onto the floor of the back seat. The interior went dark, the heavily tinted windows cocooning me until the men all started piling in. One after another they claimed a seat. This wasn’t the first time I was surrounded by men who wanted to hurt me. But this time was different. This time I didn’t know if I would actually survive. I trembled uncontrollably, shuddering like I was trapped in a deep freeze.

The front right door opened and the man who’d dragged me climbed in. I swallowed hard, smelling that familiar scent I hated so much. The SUV took off at speed causing me to fall against the legs of those surrounding me. Treating me like an annoying, pesky child, they shoved me away until I was forced to clutch the front seat. When we pulled onto a straight stretch a few minutes later, the man turned in his seat, cold, uncaring eyes meeting mine.

Without removing his mask, he said, “You stupid fucking bitch. You really fucked up this time.” He swung and everything went black.

~~~

I woke while being pulled from the SUV. Arms hooked under mine, my heels dragging along smooth flooring. I had no idea how long we’d been traveling, all I knew was my face hurt worse than being shot in the shoulder. Thinking of my shoulder wound brought awareness to the painful sting, signaling my stitches had once again been torn open. Tossed into a heap on the floor, blood trickling down my arm, I took a moment to gather my senses. I was in a warehouse on a polished concrete floor, and I had a feeling, a long way from home.

Bravely, I lifted my head. Dominic smiled in perverse satisfaction, mockery and disdain.

“I’ll give you points for effort,” he humored. “Execution, not so much.”

Staying silent was safest.

Tilting his head, he silently watched for quite some time. His smile had long since faded and instead, I saw something I didn’t expect. He was hurt. Somehow, he saw my attempted escape as a betrayal. A betrayal that would only be felt between two people who cared for each other. That wasn’t us. Dominic, however, felt differently, and that hurt would quickly morph into anger.

“I gave you time to see if you could outsmart me. I gave you a taste of what you seemingly so desperately crave.”

“You knew all along?”

“Lucy,” he said my name pityingly. “I conceived the idea.”

“I don’t understand.”

Men’s dress shoes clip-clopped behind me and when the two came into view, it felt like I’d been sucker-punched. Vice agents Jason and Simon wore small, knowing smiles as they took position next to Dominic.

Be careful who your trust.

Tears rolled, stinging the open wounds. “Why did you do this?” I asked the men who’d groomed me. Everything they’d said about Dominic, every word of hope they gave, came flooding back like the cruel joke it was.

It’s like he uses you as bait.

“You baited me!” I seethed, earning a smile from all three men. “Why did you do this? So you could find another reason to hurt me? Because you didn’t have enough already? Why would you be so cruel?”

Like a prowling cat, Dominic stepped forward, his thumb hooking under my chin to lift my face. “I could see it in your eyes, Lucy. You wanted an escape. You always have. But this last week and a half, something inside of you broke. Something broke and at the same time it gave you the encouragement you needed.”

“So you decided to trick me into thinking I had an option?”

“It was a test and you failed.”

“Well, maybe that had something to do with you putting a bullet through Blaze’s head and paralyzing Jonny. Maybe it was a reminder of the monster you were. Maybe I don’t want to be next.”

He nodded. “Maybe. But look where we are. I guess that means you are next.”

Jerking away, palms flat on the polished floor, I sobbed hard. It wasn’t even the idea of potentially dying at his merciless hands that had me crying, it was more about the sense of hope he’d given me. Hope that I’d never felt, not since the Sanchezes took me in. Hope, to someone like me, was the most valuable thing in my life. And he just tore it away. Made a mockery out of it and reminded me of the fact that I was nothing in this world if not his puppet he so carelessly played with.

Dominic lowered to his knees, fingers digging into my jaw and once again turned me to face him. He studied me curiously, looking for the emotion he so longed for.

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