Page 61 of Broken Promises
I heard her crying as I attempted to shove the tip of the knife into the lock opening to no avail. Next, I tried to force the tip between the lock and frame, only for it to slip out, leaving the lock engaged. This was infuriating, and if I wasn’t careful, someone was going to hear me.
“Pearl,” I whispered as I kneeled, “I’m going to push something under the door. You need to use it to pry the pins from the hinges.” I pushed the knife under the door and felt when she grabbed it and pulled it in. “Push the tip in between the little cap at the top and the hinge, then use force to get it out.”
“I-I-I can’t,” she cried softly, and I felt my heart breaking for the innocent young girl.
“You can do this. You’re stronger than you know,” I returned softly, hoping to give her the confidence she needed to save herself.
“I’ll . . . I’ll try,” she said and cleared her throat.
I could hear her pressing the knife into the hinge and was so focused on listening to her actions that I didn’t hear someone walking up behind me until it was too late. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hair and yanked me to my ass before they dragged me away from the door.
I couldn’t see who it was as their back was turned to me as I yelled, “Let me go!”
They muttered something but didn’t turn around to look at me as they began walking down the stairs. I held onto their hand firmly as I was yanked backward down the carpeted steps. My tailbone dropped with each step, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t spin around to get traction with my feet. When we reached the bottom, my ass fell to the cold tile floor, and they released my hair, causing my head to bounce off the floor.
My vision grew spotty, and I instantly felt nauseous as my world ebbed in and out of blackness while I tried to focus.
“Waylon,” the man yelled, and I heard rapid footsteps approaching, “deal with that.” I was so out of it that I didn’t see who they were as they left me lying on the floor and walked out.
“Why did you try to escape?” Waylon asked quietly as he helped me from the floor. “They’re going to hurt you to make a point.”
I tried to say something, but the nausea was too much and I bolted from his hold, falling to my knees as vomit spewed from my mouth into the trash can. When the first wave passed, I turned my head to see a worried Waylon standing next to me, looking back and forth between me and the closed door to the right of the stairs.
When I was able to focus a little clearer and the nausea wasn’t so bad, I sat and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before asking, “Who is it I need to be worried about?”
His eyes grew wide, and he looked back to the closed door before shaking his head at me. I could see the fear in his eyes as I pushed up from the floor and steadied myself. Stepping closer to him, I whispered, “Whoever is making you do this, you don’t have to be afraid of them.”
He took me by the forearm and started to maneuver me toward the stairs when he returned softly, “You don’t know what they’re capable of.”
I gave him a confused look, and he lifted his shaggy hair and turned his head to show me something. A jagged scar ran from the corner of his right eye, up his forehead, and into his hairline. “This is what happened the last time I tried to help someone.”
My eyes grew glassy, and I could only say, “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged as he walked beside me, reaching out a hand to steady me as we approached the staircase. Going back upstairs meant I was giving up and accepting whatever fate they had chosen for me. Just as we got in front of the steps, I yanked my arm from Waylon’s hold and looked over at him.
“I’m sick of this. Whoever is behind that door owes me some fucking answers,” I proclaimed, and Waylon tried to stop me, only for me to move away from this hold.
The door was closed, and he was shaking his head with glassy eyes as I reached out and turned the knob, expecting it to be locked. Imagine how surprised I was when the knob turned and the door opened to reveal a huge office. I could see the back of a leather chair behind a desk, and just as Waylon went to step into the office to stop me, the chair turned and I let out an audible gasp.
The sick smile on the woman’s face was enough to send me back to childhood, when I was afraid of making her angry,terrified there wasn’t enough food to eat, and worried when the utilities would be disconnected. When she linked her hands together and rested them on the top of the desk with her blood red fingernails showing, I swallowed down the vomit that pushed back into my throat.
“I was wondering how long you were going to follow directions before you became a pain in the ass,” my mother, Kelly, said as she extended one hand toward the chair in front of the desk. She looked over my shoulder and shook her head. “I should’ve known you’d fuck something up. God, you’re worthless.”
I glanced at Waylon, who had his head lowered and his shoulders hunched forward, and I could tell from the slight shake in his shoulders that he was crying. Looking back at Kelly, I kept my eyes locked on hers as I took a seat.
“Why are you here, Mother?” I asked, and she cracked a sick smile as she leaned back in the chair. “And what’s with all the bullshit? You’ve resorted to kidnapping and sexual assault now? Why?”
“All this bullshit, as you call it, is my kingdom, and I won’t have you or that man you’re fucking mess anything else up,” she reasoned, then she yelled at Waylon behind me. “Close the damn door, you dumb ass.” The door closed and she sighed deeply. “I swear, I should’ve swallowed with that one.”
“Who is he?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“Him? He’s not important.” She flittered her hand. “What’s important is that you play your part tonight.” Pausing briefly, she added with a sinister smile, “For the family.”
“Family?” I screeched. “What the hell do you know about family? You left me alone when I was six years old, and I haven’t heard from you since. And now, you kidnap me and expect me to play along with whatever demented game you’re playing.”Crossing my arms, I shook my head. “No. Fuck that and fuck you.”
“Hannah, if you don’t follow the rules tonight, then there’s no need to keep you around,” she calmly replied.
“Fine. Let me go and you’ll never have to see me again,” I spat, and she shook her head.
