Page 15 of Now that I Found You
“I think you know what I want,” he slurs.
Struggling to swallow, my vision gets hazy as my heart rate picks up in speed.
“I’m sorry?” I ask, not understanding what he means.
Tingles spread out across my skin, as I suddenly feel dizzy. I concentrate on the words my therapist went over with me.
Focus on your happy place.
Breathe in.
Picture sitting by the pond in your backyard with Callum.
Now breathe out, Ellie.
“Empty the register,” he commands, jostling me from my thoughts.
“I don’t, I - I - I don’t have any money in here. We just did a shift change. The register was emptied, and the deposit was taken to the bank.”
“I don’t fucking believe you for a second. Listen here, bitch. I want you to call up Hudson and tell him you need him to get back here. I know he keeps a safe in the back. I want you to call him, tell him you need some help. I want him to empty that safe and you’re going to help me do it.”
“O-O-Okay,” I stutter.
Bending down, I reach for the phone we keep beneath the counter.
“The fuck you think you’re doing?” he shouts. “You put your hands in the fucking air where I can see ‘em or you’ll be eating this.”
He raises a knife in the air, pressing the blade against the column of my neck. Just like that, once again, one man threatens to hurt me, taking everything I’ve ever wanted right along with him.
