Page 160 of Beautifully Damaged Boxset

“Dude, do you know how many people never made it back to reality with this kind of bullshit hypnosis therapy?” He stammered, his brows furrowed together as he waved his hands around. “Tell me what happened before it fades completely.” He collected the pen and notebook from the counter and sat on the edge of the tub. “Thank God I remembered to bring a few bags of ice. It’s been a long-ass time, and I’d almost forgotten how we brought you out years ago.” He flipped the pages, pulled the cap off the pen with his teeth, then slipped it on the end. “Spill. Now.”

I folded my hands in my lap and closed my eyes.

“At first, I was the age I am now, then I started to walk down a corridor toward a light. With each step I was a little younger. I saw Dad, Mom, Mallory, Hannah, and Brynn at different times in their lives. I saw Christmas and cupcakes … Everything went black, then a light came through a crack in the door. The same voice from my nightmares called for me. It definitely belongs to a young kid. By the time I arrived, I was young—maybe four or five. I have no idea whose house it was. It wasn’t familiar.”

Drops of water fell from my hair onto my cheeks, and I wiped them off with the back of my hand. I pushed myself to continue.

“So many kids. My guess is they were around eighteen, but I couldn’t tell for sure.” I choked, panic and grief punching me in the chest. “Naked. One young lady was forced to crawl around on all fours and eat out of a dog bowl.” I gripped the counter, my knuckles turning white, as my breathing became labored. “Young men lined one of the walls as adults selected them like they were candy at a store. Jesus.” My words lit a fire in my gut that burned up my throat, and I clung to reality.

“I don’t understand,” Jace said softly. “Tell me everything.” He jotted down notes as I tried to continue.

“I can’t.” I shook my head. “I can’t.”

“Holden, this might be your last chance. Hang in there. Take some deep breaths and tell me what happened.”

Tears burned my eyes as I looked at my best friend. My brain was still trying to process what I’d seen and where I was. More importantly, who was calling my name.

I scrubbed my face with the towel, then slowly looked at him.

“I … they …”

Chapter Thirty

“Those people were sex slaves, Jace.” I jumped off the toilet, flipped the lid open, and lost my dinner.

“What do you need? I think Chance has some ginger ale in the kitchen.” Jace stood and hurried out of the bathroom before I could answer him. I flushed the commode and pulled myself off the floor. My limbs trembled as though the weight of the confession had rendered me nearly immobile.

He returned and popped open the can, the hiss of the carbonation breaking the silence of the quiet room.

Once I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I felt a little more human. More grounded to the present instead of the visions from the hypnosis.

“I’m good. I’m going to head into the living room.”

Jace frowned and eyed me suspiciously. “You’re definitely not okay.” He grabbed the notebook and pen and nodded at my clothes. “You need to change first. Chance will kick your ass if you trail water all over his house.”

“Shit. I’m still so out of it I didn’t notice.”

“I’ll give you a minute.” Jace left my bedroom, and I tossed the towel on the carpet near the dresser so I could stand on it without making a big mess. I opened the drawer and removed a pair of black boxer-briefs and red basketball shorts. Images plagued me as I removed my wet shirt and jeans. My stomach clenched again as I recalled the hollow look in the girl’s eyes as she was led around on a leash. I nearly gagged. As I dried my body off, it dawned on me that she might have been drugged. Everything happened so fast that I couldn’t tell for sure.

After I’d rolled my clothes in the towel, I placed it on the counter. I slipped into the dry clothes and flipped the lever that allowed the tub to drain. A chill skated over my skin, and I decided to wear a long-sleeved shirt. I was fucking freezing.

Once I’d cleaned and dried the floor, I collected the bundle and ginger ale, then grabbed the black and white throw off the foot of my bed. I threw it over my shoulder and headed to the living room. I tossed the blanket on the end of the couch, then located Chance’s washing machine and threw the wet items in. Once I started the small load, I settled in on the sofa.

“Are you doing better?” Jace propped his elbows against his knees, his expression flickering with concern.

“I think so.” I ran my hand through my wet hair and pulled the cover over me. “Thanks for your help. I don’t know why I thought I could do that without anyone.”

Jace’s hand trembled. I wasn’t the only one who was trying to keep his shit together. The hypnosis had really fucked him up, too.

I looked at my feet. “Someone is always calling me for help but … whoever it is never has a face. Not in my dreams and not during the hypnosis. I don’t know who it is and it’s fucking with me bad.” I tugged a loose thread at the corner of the blanket.

“Young? Old? Male? Female?” Jace had his pen poised and ready for any information that might help us connect the dots.

I stilled, attempting to access that deeper part of myself that I trusted had the answers. “I can’t tell. Definitely young. And someone close to me. In some of the dreams they come into my bedroom and wake me up.”

“Why the fuck haven’t you told me about this before, dude?” Jace looked as if he wanted to punch me. “This is serious shit. Whatever your subconscious is trying to tell you, it’s fucking big.”

I took a sip of my drink, the carbonated bubbles dotting my upper lip. “I told Brynn. She heard me yelling in my sleep one night.”

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