Page 47 of Strings Attached
I hesitated for a second before shaking his hand, doing my best not to whimper at how hard he squeezed my fingers.
“Great to meet you. Can I go now?” I asked again, half-expecting him to laugh at my request.
“Of course,” he said with a smile. I couldn’t believe my luck, so I turned and strode toward the door where Lee still stood. “However,” Noah called out, and I froze, “there’s still your payment we need to talk about.”
My pulse throbbed in my ears as I turned back to the boss. “Payment?” I asked as my stomach seemed to roll on itself.
“Well, yes. You see, Lee here was giving you discounts on...” He frowned as he glanced toward one of his men. “Codeine, was it?” When he nodded, Noah grinned. “Yes. Well, he didn’t have permission to do that, so you owe an outstanding amount.”
“Wait, what?” I nearly shouted the words. “No, no, hang on. I made deals with Lee each time. If he fucked you over, that’s on him, not me.”
The man by Noah’s side smirked. “Oh, he paid his price for that.”
I stared toward Noah, and he lifted his hand, showing his pinky finger was missing. That had to have happened after the last time I’d seen him. Shit.
“How...much do I owe?” I asked quietly, looking back at Noah.
“Five thousand.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” This time, I yelled and didn’t care. I was getting more terrified by the second but also a lot angrier.
Noah’s glare could’ve burned through me. “Interest. You didn’t pay for over a year, so your amount increased.”
“By what, fifty percent? I couldn’t have owed more than like, what? Twenty dollars per pill?”
“He discounted it by fifty, actually.” He looked over my shoulder. “He’s lucky he only lostonefinger for that.”
“Well...can I get some sort of payment plan that doesn’t involve cutting any of my appendages?” I asked, my voice sounding small to my own ears.
Noah straightened. “Of course. You can pay half now and half tomorrow.”
“This may shock you, but I don’t have twenty-five hundred on me right now.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping to keep my fingers safe from the psychopath.
He smirked. “I didn’t think you did. So, instead, you’ll pay me the total amount tomorrow, and for tonight, you leave with a warning.”
I wanted to ask if it was a verbal one, but before I opened my mouth, a foot connected with my back, and I fell to the floor. Breathing was impossible, even through tiny gasps. Another kick on my upper back sent fire throughout my body, and I cried out.
Jack. Help.
The man Noah had been speaking to grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me off the floor. I screamed, grabbing at his hand and trying to relieve some of the pressure on my scalp. Lee walked up to me and backhanded me across the face. My lip burned, and copper filled my mouth as I stared at the floor with a blurry vision. Was I crying?
He did it again but on the other side, and my ears rang.
“I’m going to make you pay for my finger,” he said through gritted teeth as his fist slammed into my abdomen, and I doubled over.
I took sharp breaths, tears and snot rolling down my face.
I fucked up coming back here.
30
Beaten
Iburied my head into my pillow as my whole body throbbed. There were no more tears; I’m pretty sure I’d cried all of them out last night. Lee made good on his threat and made me regret he’d lost that finger of his. My throat was raw from all the screaming, and I winced as I swallowed hard.
The beating was bad but still owing that much money was worse. I had access to that amount, but it was to pay my tuition fees. Without it, I’d have to either pick up way more hours as a teacher’s assistant or get a second job. And even then, would I make the payment in time? It would be due at the start of January.
The sound of the door unlocking sent goosebumps across my skin, and I pulled the blanket up higher to cover my face. If Jack saw me... I didn’t want to explain what had happened. Or why it had. I didn’t even know what I looked like, but it couldn’t be good with the way I felt. I was so ashamed of having gone there last night. I was such an idiot. Going back to that place...
