Page 8 of Innocence
“No,” he stated, following my lead and taking a long stride closer.
There was that moment everyone had when faced with a dangerous situation. Time slowed down and everything was heightened.
The pulse of my fear collided with the leaky tap in the back of the Gas ‘N’ Go, thudding loudly in my head. Long drawn out ticks of the drops splatting on the asphalt.
I tipped my chin over his shoulder. “The store’s over there.”
“I know.”
I shivered at the way his lips curled.Relax Kya, he’s probably just being a dick.That didn’t stop the shiver from shooting up my spine.
“You better hurry. They close soon.”
“Come now, Pet. Are you really going to pretend that you haven’t seen me watching you?”
I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t crazy. Hewaswatching me. It took every ounce of my concentration to take another step back.
“You should go. The owner smokes.” That was a lie. Ted was Worthington’s leading anti-smoking activist. “He’ll be out here any minute.”
He stepped in, further crowding me with his large body, and leaned in. “I guess I’ll have to kill him then.”
Turning my head away from his breath tickling off the shell of my ear, I glanced at the wall to my left. Ted was on the other side. If I screamed, he’d hear me.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
As I rolled my eyes up to his, I wondered if he really would hurt Ted? What I saw in his icy stare told me that he would. Only predators had that glint in their eyes.
“What do you want?” I asked, stumbling over a discarded bottle behind me.
The clink the glass made rolling along the asphalt caused my heart to skip almost as much as his next words did.
“Do you remember what I said about freedom?”
‘True freedom belongs to the person holding the keys to your cage.’
Instinct took over. My hand flew up, swinging the bag and striking my assailant in the side. Cans sputtered, spraying us with a shower of beer that he ducked out of.
That was my chance, and I took it. Bolted as fast as I could for the end of the alley. Dodging boxes and jumping over rubble.
The well lit parking lot glowed with a beckoning embrace. Calling out,‘It’s safe here. Come to me.’
I could taste it on the tip of my tongue. Felt light touch my fingertips, before I was yanked back into the dark. Away from protection. A heavy hand quickly clamped over my mouth, muffling my scream.
“You’re spry.” The predator’s voice echoed in my ears, as I felt a prick in the side of my neck. “I’m going to have fun with you.”
I swung my arms back and kicked my feet. Clawing at every available piece of flesh I could get my hands on. My struggle was less than useless.
Held in a tight grip of hard muscle, my limbs quickly grew heavy, my movements sluggish until they stopped entirely, as mumbled cries escaped through the fingers gripping my face.
Blackness began to bleed into my vision, clouding the soft light shining from the front of the store. I could hear my mother’s voice somewhere in the distance. Her words taunting yet another way I’d failed.
“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you do anything right?”
I needed to run, but my knees buckled, and then suddenly I was floating. Weightless in a dark void, with my head lulling against something hard and warm.
“Come, Pet,” a deep voice rumbled in my ear as my heavy lids slid shut, “your cage awaits.”
The first thing I felt was the dull ache crawling up my neck. I groaned and rolled over, trying to avoid the throbbing creeping across my scalp. My heavy limbs argued, fighting against the effort it took to lift my hand and dig my fingers into my temples.
