Page 4 of Follow Me Down

“What the hell else do you plan to do?” Titus pulls me back to the present.

“I... I appreciate the ride but I can’t stay here. I don’t even know you.” My bottom lip trembles slightly as the day’s events begin to catch up to me.

“Well it’s either here or the woods, which would you prefer?” His nostrils flare and I can tell he’s growing annoyed with me. “Link, clothes,” he barks.

“On it.” Link slips out of the room and disappears down a hallway.

“Don’t worry. No one is going to hurt you here.” Titus’s voice softens but his expression is as hard as ever. “You can sleep in my room. I’ll take the couch. We’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s done,” he states with such finality that I don’t dare say another word.

Needing to break free of his hard glare, I quickly avert my eyes, looking around the relatively tidy cabin. It’s small but not too small. The main floor is completely open. The living room bleeding into the kitchen as if they were one large room. A long counter lined with stools is the only thing giving the space any type of separation.

The walls are wood, and so are the floors. It kind of reminds me of the cabin in Michigan we used to frequent when I was little. Well, other than the bulky leather furniture which has most definitely seen better days and the box television that looks to be as old as I am.

All in all, it’s not really what I would have pictured after looking at Titus. It’s cozy and warm. I would have expected dark and dungeon like. Though I will say it seems very impersonal. There are no pictures or paintings. Hell, the only real piece of décor is the lamp on an end table next to the couch, if you can even consider that décor.

I can feel Titus’ eyes on me as I take in the space, but I don’t dare look in his direction. I feel off kilter enough. I don’t need to add to it if I can help it.

Link reappears to save me from the awkward tension that has been building since he went to find me some clothes.

“Here.” He extends a pair of black lounge pants and a faded red shirt in my direction. “They’ll be big on you but it’s better than what you have on.” I look up, realizing that Link isn’t as tall as I had originally thought. He’s maybe three inches or so taller than my five-foot-five-inch stature.

“Thank you.” I force a smile even though my lips feel too heavy for the action.

“I also tucked a pair of panties and bra inside the pant leg,” he whispers. “They’re clean.” He winks.

I’m not sure how to react. I swear I feel like I’ve stepped out of real life and onto the set of some weird, comedic thriller. Part of me is ready to burst into tears while the other is teetering on buckling over in laughter. This situation could definitely call for either reaction.

I nod, afraid if I open my mouth I’ll lose my composure, which would probably make me look even crazier than I likely already do.

“Do you need anything else? Something to drink or eat?” Link asks, gesturing toward the kitchen.

“Actually, a water would be nice,” I admit, having not actually had anything to drink in quite some time.

“One water, coming up.” He bounces across the room, tugging open the refrigerator the moment he reaches it. He reappears seconds later with a bottle of water in his hand. “For the lovely lady.” He bows his head as he extends the bottle to me, a smile on his face.

I bite back my smile, and Link’s fades from his face when Titus’ voice rumbles between us. “If you two are about done.” He gives Link an annoyed look before his gray eyes come to me. “My room is back here.” He gestures to the mouth of the hallway.

I have to physically force my feet to move toward him.

“Night, night, puppet,” Link calls from behind me in an accent that reminds me of a line from the movie,Pirates of the Caribbean.

I follow Titus to the end of the hallway where he stops and opens the last door on the right. He steps to the side so that I can slide past him.

“There’s a bathroom attached. Feel free to shower or do whatever you need. Towels are under the sink. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” With that, he pulls the door closed without another word.

I almost expect for him to lock me inside so I purposely listen for the click of the mechanism. Thankfully it never comes. I’m not sure why that’s my first thought. I guess I’m still waiting for all hell to break loose. What the hell was I thinking coming here?

I wander around the small room, setting my bottle of water on the nightstand. The room is pretty bare bones. There’s a king-sized bed with a wood frame that matches the walls. A worn-down dresser. And a tiny closet that has very little inside other than some clothes. If I hoped to learn anything about Titus by the contents of his bedroom, I clearly won’t.

Making my way to the bathroom, I flip on the light. The room is almost as small as the closet. The sink and toilet are so close together I could probably pee and wash my hands at the same time, and get my toes wet in the stand-up shower tucked in the corner.

Setting the clothes Link gave me on the sink, I flip on the shower and let the water heat up. It isn’t until I’ve stripped away my bathing suit and am standing under the steaming hot water that everything hits me.

Austin. The feeling of his hands on me. The way his voice sounded. I shudder, scrubbing my body harder. I try not to think about how much worse things could have been. He could have succeeded. I could still be there, raped and beaten, or worse... Dead.

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