Page 86 of The Devil's Redemption

I use his real name because of how he reacted to it the same night he’s talking about. He hates when people call him by it, but something about me using it turns him on.

Carson: This fucking car can wait. I’m leaving now, and I’ll see you in five.

I look at the time on my phone.

7:35 P.M.

He wasn’t planning on closing up until eight tonight because they’re behind due to the lockdown. I know Blade owns the garage, and his brothers technically work for him, but I seriously doubt they’re going to be happy that he’s closing early on his first day back.

But that’s not my problem to worry about.

I stuff my phone back into my pocket and re-enter the kitchen to grab the other trash bags. Walking them out to the dumpster, I consider texting him back and telling him how much I’m looking forward to our evening plans. I throw the bags in, and just as I pull my phone out, I feel a pair of strong arms grab me from behind.

My phone shatters as it hits the ground. A shrill scream rips from my mouth before a large, very recognizable hand covers my mouth, deafening the sound.

Oh my god.

I know that hand. The one with the tattoo of a rat in a snake’s mouth that trails up his bulbous arm before disappearing underneath his dirty sleeve. It’s the same hand that punched me in my apartment. The same hand that held me down on that mattress. The same hand that pinched my broken nose, forcing my mouth open so he could shove his dick in it.

Rooster.

I hear a voice shout as he turns around and removes his hand from my mouth. But I can’t scream again. My voice no longer works. Without putting me down, Rooster raises his hand toward the commotion.

Mikey.

He fires off two shots, only one of them hitting him in the leg, causing him to go down. Please, god let someone have heard that. Please come save me.

Do something, Sasha.

Not waiting and allowing myself to become a victim again, I begin hitting him wherever my fists will reach. I pound on his arms and hands. I kick my legs. I reach behind me to try and land a punch to his head but am unsuccessful. The sheer size of this motherfucker is too great to attempt to fight off. Finally, I find my voice as Rooster reinforces his grip around me and runs toward the street behind the diner.

Initially, his destination is unclear, but when I see the old red Lincoln screech to a halt in front of us, I realize that’s where he’s headed. He tears open the back door and launches me inside. I land on my stomach across the large backseat before he jumps into the car after me. The tires peel out as Rooster crushes me with his massive weight, knocking the wind out of me.

The memory of me landing on the table in my apartment and feeling exactly how I do right now nearly sends me into a panic attack.

It’s happening again.

I feel the weight of Rooster lift off of me before he sits upright in the seat.

“Stay down, and don’t move. Don’t try to fight anymore, or you’ll regret it,” he threatens, touching the tip of his gun to my forehead to ensure I listen to him.

“Oh,princess,it’s so wonderful to see you again.” I see Jasper in the driver’s seat, speeding down the road, heading to only God knows where. Hearing his voice again makes my skin crawl. “Are you ready to ascend the throne?”

I resent the tears that begin to fall because they represent the weakness I thought I was leaving behind. I let myself believe that I was headed for a happy future. With each day that passed and no further sign of Jasper, I let my mind get lax. I let Stone’s and Royce’s thoughts of him getting scared out of town make me complacent. I was incredibly stupid to think this nightmare was over.

I pray that Kid or Ellie heard all the commotion and was able to witness Rooster running off with me before we disappeared. How will they know how to find me this time? Then I remember the app that Blade installed on my phone. The one that broke into pieces when this asshole got his disgusting hands on me.

Fuck.

Where are we headed? Is Jasper really planning on keeping me around, or will he kill me this time?

If they’re taking me someplace where no one will find me, I would be content with death.

* * *

I thought we’d be driving for hours, far away from Whispering Valley, but I was wrong. Jasper headed north, driving through parts of Pleasant Valley, over the state line into Pennsylvania. But when he turned off the main road, I lost all sense of direction. Unfamiliar with these backroads, I have no idea where we ended up other than at an old barn. Jasper parks the car behind it, as if to hide it from the view of the road.

Instructing Rooster to stay put, Jasper turns the car off and gets out. He walks around to my door, opens it, then gently helps me out of the backseat. That’s the most fucked up thing about Jasper. The majority of the time I was stuck in his clubhouse of horrors, he was gentle. His touch completely devastated me, but not because it was physically painful. Nothing he does is simple. When he strikes, he does so in a way that it will have the most impact—physically, emotionally, psychologically…

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