Page 1 of Pretty Lies & Ugly Truths

Prologue

MAGGIE

Aloud bang sounds on the back door, startling me out of my daydream.

“Finally,” I mutter to myself. I’ve been waiting for a shipment to arrive at the bookstore for over an hour. Better late than never, I guess.

I open the door, ready to get this over with so I can finally go home.

“You’re in luck,” I say. “I was just about to give up on you guys and go home. You can put the boxes over there…” I trail off as I take in the hooded man in the doorway and the empty alley behind him.

This man doesn’t have any boxes, nor does he look like a delivery person. I see the light glint off the cold steel of a knife clutched in his left hand, and my stomach drops as realization hits me all at once.

I lunge, trying to slam the door shut before he can do anything, but he wedges his body inside, pushing it open before barreling his way into the tiny storeroom. Hisbulky frame overwhelms the space, and I back up slowly until my hip hits the low counter along the back wall.

“Wh-who are you?” I ask, my voice coming out shaky.

A slow, sinister smile spreads across his face, revealing slightly crooked yellow teeth. He has this crazed look in his bloodshot eyes, and I wonder if he’s on something.

“What do you want? There’s not much money in the register, but you can have it all.”

“I don’t want your money, girl. What I came for is you,” he drawls, his voice deep and raspy, as if he just smoked a whole pack of cigarettes.

“It’s such a shame I can’t keep you for myself. You really are such a pretty young thing.” His fingers come up to twist my ponytail around his filthy hand.

“Lucky for you, he made sure to specify that you’re to be left unharmed. Unfortunately for you, that leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation. I fully intend to have a bit of fun with you first. Don’t worry; I won’t harm a single hair on your pretty little head.” He tugs my hair roughly and a whimper escapes me as he runs his nose up the side of my neck.

Bile rises in my throat at his insinuation, and I have to force back the vomit threatening to spill out onto the wood floors. He brings his knife up to press lightly at the hollow of my throat.

“Now, be a good little girl and turn around,” he growls, spinning me around and pressing against my back until I’m bent at the waist, my chest flat against the linoleum counter.

He comes down behind me, leaning over until I canfeel his erection against my backside. I smell alcohol and cigarettes on his breath as he grunts into my ear.

“Who knows; if you’re anything like your whore of a mother, you’ll probably enjoy this.”

My eyes, which had been screwed up tight fly open at his statement. My mother? What does this man know about my mother?

He huffs out a laugh at my obvious confusion.

“Oh—you didn’t know? She was nothing more than a traitorous whore. All women are. You all pretend like you’re so much better than me, but in the end, you’re nothing but a bunch of filthy holes looking to be filled.”

I flinch as he spits the words at me. I don’t know what he’s talking about, but he’s clearly fucked up, and I need to figure a way out of this—and soon. Despite what he said about not hurting me, he is obviously not in his right mind.

My heart beats like a panicked bird inside my chest, and my eyes dart around the room, looking for any way to escape. They come to land on a box cutter just a little outside of my reach. Not ideal, but as his rough hands slide up the back of my legs and disappear under my skirt, I know it will have to do.

As my mind retreats inside itself to escape the reality of what’s happening, I begin to formulate a plan. I need him to drop his guard long enough for me to get away. My stomach lurches as I realize what I’m going to have to do.

I let my limbs go lax, resting my cheek on the cold surface, hoping he will be fooled by my act of submission.

“See? Look at you, practically begging for it.”

My insides shudder with revulsion, and I almost say to hell with my plan and bash my skull into his ugly face, but he’s still holding that knife, so I lie still and wait.

I surround myself with that icy darkness I keep locked deep inside, allowing it to wrap around me, numbing my mind and body.

Just when I think I won’t be able to contain it anymore, I get my chance. I hear the low thump of metal as he sets the knife on the shelf beside him, the clink of his belt buckle as he undoes his pants.

I wait until I can feel the heat of him as he comes down over me, his hot breath bearing down on the back of my neck.

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