Page 29 of Bleed for Me

An idea popped into my head suddenly. The fact that she fell right into my lap when I was just trying to figure out how to spread the word more within the asylum seemed like God’s doing.

“You know what,” I began thoughtfully. “I’ve been looking for an assistant of sorts.” I turned toward my desk and started sifting through the pile of papers lying on top of it. When I found what I was looking for, I turned back to face her. “These are brochures for our upcoming trip.”

She took the papers, glancing down at the writing sprawled across the front page. “Trip?” she repeated.

“It has to be cleared by Dr. Blake of course, but we are going on a wellness retreat soon. Members of the church have to have been ongoing members for a total of six classes to qualify.”

Hope sparkled within her gaze as she finally brought her eyes to meet mine. “Seriously? Like…we get toleavethe asylum?”

“Only for two days. If you run, or try to run, you’ll be put in solitary for a month minimum.”

She nodded in agreement. “What do you want me to do with these?” she asked, motioning to the brochures.

I grabbed a row of tape off my desk and offered it to her. “Hang them up all over the asylum. When I see you on Wednesday, I’ll have something else for you to do.”

“Thank you?—”

Her sentence was cut short as a shadow towered over her, my blood running cold as my eyes connected with those familiar dark blue and green ones. Rosalie turned, her posture stiffening as he invaded her personal space, but he didn’t seem to notice her. His gaze was trained on me.

“Jordan,” his name tasted bitter as I spit it out. “What can I do for you?”

A malicious smile curled the corners of his mouth and he side-stepped the terrified girl, putting more distance between them as he started for me. With a nod of my head, I motioned for her to leave, but she shook her head stubbornly, probably sensing the danger rolling through the room with his entrance.

“It’s been a while, wouldn’t you say?” he asked in a taunting tone as he rounded my desk and dropped into my seat. His gaze moved to the blonde-headed girl that still occupied the doorway. “You can leave,” he said coldly.

My teeth scraped together in irritation. It wasn’t easy to find eager people who wanted to follow God’s word, especially in a place like this. The fact that he was trying to scare her off had my skin prickling with annoyance.

I could tell from here that she was terrified of him. Her gaze bounced from me to Jordan a few times before she slowly turned for the door. But then…something happened. She stopped and turned back around. “No,” she said. Two letters, but dangerous when uttered to Jordan Hayes.

My pulse raced as he tilted his head to the side in that sadistic way he always did when he was up to no good. His gaze darkened, zeroing in on her. He pushed himself up from my chair and rounded the desk, passing me as he started toward her.

“Jordan,” I hissed. “Leave her alone. You don’t want to be locked in solitary again, do you?”

His back straightened, his movements falling still. Slowly, he glanced at me over his shoulder. “Do you want to know what your step-mommy said as I fucked her?” he asked, a malicious smile cresting his face. My hands tightened into fists at my sides, heat spiraling through my veins. “She saidGod no. Please stop. Don’t hurt my daughter. Jordan, you’re better than this.” He mocked her voice, excitement flashing across his face. “Do you want to know what I did after?” he pressed. It was a rhetorical question; he didn’t give me the chance to respond. “I continued to fuck her and then I choked her before stabbing her again and again and again while your father watched, begging me to stop. She was surprisingly pretty tight.”

“Stop,” I growled. My body trembling with rage. It was taking everything in me not to attack the smug bastard. He was baiting me.

Satisfied that he managed to piss me off, he turned back to Rosalie, leaning in close. Her body stiffened at the close proximity. “The next time you tell me no, will be the last time you utter a syllable,” he whispered. Then he pushed past her, vanishing out of the room.

Tension filled the room after his departure. Neither one of us said a word, still clinging onto the things that had spewed from his mouth moments ago.

Clearing my throat, I looked her in the eye. Her back was ramrod straight, her body still trembling slightly. “Welcome to hell, Rosalie.”

My heart was still racing when I pulled into the parking lot of my single-story home. My hands were tight around the steering wheel, even as they shook against it. It wasn’t uncommon for Jordan to disturb me Sunday mornings after church. An unwanted memory resurfaced, forcing bile to the back of my throat as my stomach coiled with unease.

I was on my way to grab something to eat after classes ended for the day. I was studying to be a business major, just like my father. The plan was to work alongside him once I graduated. I’d stayed late, finishing up a module for a report we had due that I’d slacked on. It was worth a decent percentage of my grade. It was already dark when I got out.

My phone started ringing from the passenger seat, cutting through the rap music that blared from my speakers. Turning down the stereo, I lifted my phone, glancing at the screen.

Jordan’s name flashed across it. He didn’t call me often, so it had to be important. Swiping the green icon, I placed it to my ear.

“Val? Thank God.” He breathed, his voice shaking as he spoke. “I-I did something really fucking bad, man. You’re—” He cut off, his voice cracking. Was he…crying? The sniffles came moments later, confirming my question. “These voices, man. These fucking voices.”

Voices?

My heart started hammering against my ribcage. “Jordan…what did you do?”

A sob racked through him, vibrating through the phone. “I’m a lost cause. A fucking piece of shit. They tell me things. They tell me to do things. One minute I’m thinking something,and the next, my perspective has changed.” His rambling confused me further. This had to be bad if he was acting like this. Really fucking bad.

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