Page 94 of Resistant

He calls her pussy, and then he calls me his pussy. If it weren’t for the sweet kitten purring in my lap, the entire situation would make me queasy.

I wake in Knox’s bed and the kitten is curled up on my neck. My hand searches the bed, and the sheets are cold. Knox has gotten up for the day.

It’s still dark outside and I dislodge the kitten. Soft light is burning over the stove, and I pull down a mug to make coffee.

I feel Knox’s presence before I see him. He’s behind me and he wraps his arms around my middle tucking his hands in the pockets of my robe, rubbing small circles on my belly. He’s already dressed, I can hear his watch ticking in the quiet of the kitchen. His aftershave swirls around my face.

“Good morning, Brynn. I’m glad you are up. I didn’t want to wake you to say goodbye.”

He kisses my neck, and my hand trembles as I bring the mug of coffee to my lips. I consider throwing it over my shoulder and scald the fuck out of his face.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to the city. My little respite with you here is going to have to be paused while I take care of a few things.”

“Whose house is this Knox?”

“It’s mine, ma lagniappe I grew up here, it’s the only thing I have left of my mother, this house. My father bought it to hide his mistress and his bastard son in the bayou.”

“So, the pictures, these are all of you and your mother?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she now?”

“She died many years ago. I spent my summers in town with my father and his real family. He gave her enough money to live in modest luxury and she squandered it on drugs when he refused to give up his family for us. She overdosed. I haven’t spent much time here since she died.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

His arms squeeze my middle in affection, and I close my eyes, pushing the disgust I feel for myself in the recesses of my mind.

“It was a long time ago. I like seeing you here, in my real home. It’s cathartic for me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

He steps away from me and rinses his cup in the sink.

“I like what has happened with you in your time here, Brynn. I have more hope for the future than I’ve had in a long while.

The next time I come, we’ll be going to town to run tests to develop a cure for radiation sickness. And in a few months, there will be another event that I will have you attend as my date. We’ll worry about the logistics for that later.”

I nod and look at the floor, remembering none of this is about me. It’s about the acquisition of power, and I’ve played into his hands like clay on the master potter’s wheel.

Arcadia

Declan

I drive for twenty-four hours putting space between myself and Knox’s compound before I dare to stop or sleep. I breeze into a small town and rent the most decrepit hotel room with the credits Rick the Dick gave me.

Tomorrow, I’ll sell the car and take the GPS devices and attach them to another vehicle to throw Knox off my path. I’ll also pull as many credits as I can from his credit card and try to deposit them into an untraceable account.

I’m hoping I can find someone sympathetic to my situation to help me with this, since I’ve been incarcerated and don’t know how the credit system works.

Despite the precariousness of my own situation, I can’t stop worrying about Brynn. I hate the way I fucking left, without saying goodbye.

I feel like I broke my fucking promises to her. I’m certain Knox will contrive a deranged plan to try and turn her. She’s in a delicate place, a place where she needs someone to help ground her. I was that someone, and now I’m afraid she’ll do some shitty drastic something to make sure that her sons are safe. Her self-preservation skills need work.

---