Текст книги "Twisted Ties"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter Eighteen: Jesse

“Happy birthday!” Andy shouted as he walked into my house, unannounced.

Emma and I had finally managed to crawl out of bed right before he showed up, and I wasn’t conscious enough to deal with his shouting.

“Fuck off,” I mumbled as I reached into the cabinet for a bowl.

All I wanted for my birthday was a bowl of cereal—and Emma naked. That wasn’t too much to ask. I didn’t need to be tormented by Andy.

Since we had been kids, he’d tortured me on my birthdays. To me, it was just another day, but to him, it was his favorite day of the year. He would run through the halls at school and sing “Happy Birthday” to me until everyone else would join in. He’d gotten a fist to the stomach more than once for that shit.

“Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine, snookums?” He tried to kiss me on the cheek.

I glared as I shoved him away. “Are you high?”

“I’m high on life.” He grinned at me. “It’s my two best friends’ birthdays. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

For some reason, Andy found it hilarious that Emma and I were born on the same day.

“You’re so fucking weird,” I grumbled.

We both looked up as the bathroom door opened.

Emma stepped out, wearing nothing but a towel. “Jesse, I have a birthday present for you.” She stopped dead when she saw Andy standing there. “Oh shit.”

Andy laughed. “Don’t stop just because I’m here. You could make it my special day, too.”

I elbowed him in the stomach—hard. He grunted in pain as Emma flipped him off and walked into our bedroom.

“Thanks, asshole. You just cockblocked me on my birthday.”

Andy laughed. “Mission accomplished.”

Emma emerged from our room a few minutes later and walked into the kitchen. “Let’s try this again now that I’m wearing clothes. Good morning, Andy.”

“It’s afternoon,” he pointed out.

“We slept in,” I told him.

“I’m sure you were sleeping,” he said.

He was right, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Over the past two weeks, I’d slowly started to relax when Emma and Andy were around each other. Now that we were all three hanging out together, I could see that nothing was going on between them. But that didn’t mean I was going to tell him that I’d spent half the night fucking her on every surface in the house, including the counter that he was currently leaning against.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

“So, what are we doing today?” Andy asked.

“We? If you mean Emma and me when you say we, then we’re going to watch a movie on the couch and order pizza. If you think you’re included in that we, try again.”

“Oh, come on, I’m lonely by myself at my apartment.”

“Call one of your girlfriends to keep you company.”

“I got bored with them. I’m currently taking applications for new ones.”

I rolled my eyes. “You need help.”

“Nah, I need to get laid.”

“Really?” Emma asked. “That’s more information than I needed.”

He ignored her as he looked at me. “Come on, let me in on the birthday fun.”

“Let’s not and say we did.”

“Let him stay, Jesse,” Emma said.

I gave her a pleading look. I’d lied about the movie part. I had no intentions of watching a movie with her. I wanted to get her naked. That would be kind of hard to do with Andy around.

I finally gave up and agreed to let him stay. By his reaction, I would have thought I’d told him that Christmas was here three months early. He really did need to get laid.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he walked to the door.

“Take your time!” I yelled as he closed it behind him.

A few minutes later, he returned with bags full of alcohol and a birthday cake. I almost laughed at him until I saw the excitement in Emma’s eyes. I kept my sarcastic comments to myself as she took some of the bags from him and put them on the counter.

“Damn, Andy. Did you rob a liquor store?” she asked as she pulled bottle after bottle from the bags.

“Nah, I’m friends with a guy who works at a liquor store. He hooked me up.”

“Obviously.” Emma said.

I finished my cereal as Emma cut the birthday cake. It was obvious that she was way more excited over it than I was. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her dig into a piece. It was good to see her happy again. When Ally had been around, I had been afraid that I would never see her smile again.

I pushed Ally from my mind as I picked up a piece of cake and started eating it. Today had nothing to do with Ally, and I wouldn’t let her ruin my birthday. Everything was going great for us right now. I finally had not only Emma back in my life, but Andy as well.

“You could at least pretend to be civilized,” Emma said as she watched me eat my cake with my hands.

“What’s the fun in that?” I pointed to Andy. “Yell at him, too. He’s eating it the same way I am.”

“I’m surrounded by cavemen.” Emma laughed at us.

Once we finished our cake, Andy started mixing drinks. It was kind of early to drink, but who cared? It was our birthdays, and we had nowhere to be. By the time we finally got around to watching a movie, we were all buzzed.

Andy sat in the chair closest to the couch as Emma snuggled into my side. I was actually kind of glad that I’d let Andy stick around. He was my best friend, and it was nice to have him here.

When the movie was finished, I put another one in and settled back onto the couch. Emma grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over us. She snuggled back against me and sighed.

Even though we’d done nothing special, this was the best birthday I’d ever had. Things were finally coming together for me, and I couldn’t be happier.

Chapter Nineteen: Emma

I stretched and yawned as I glanced at the clock. I’d been studying for almost two hours, and I felt like my brain was about to explode. Jesse was still in class, so I’d taken advantage of the quiet to get ready for a big test on Monday. Whenever Jesse was around, things were rarely quiet.

I decided to take a break and find something to eat. As soon as I thought of food, my stomach growled loudly. I laughed as the sound seemed to echo around the quiet room. Yeah, I definitely need food.

I threw my book down on the living room table and walked to the kitchen. I opened the cabinet to grab a bowl. I rolled my eyes as I dug through Jesse’s eight-million cereal boxes until I found something that looked good. I swore that he lived off that stuff.

I poured some cereal into a bowl and sat down at the table to eat. I looked into the living room and smiled as I noticed that my things were everywhere. Since Jesse and I had gotten back together, I rarely spent any time at my dorm room. Without even realizing it, I’d managed to move half my stuff over here. If Jesse had noticed, he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was always the one who insisted I stay the night.

I was rinsing my bowl out in the sink when my phone rang. Thinking it was Jesse, I answered without looking at the screen to see who it was.

“Hello?”

“I’m surprised you answered,” my mother’s cold voice replied.

It took me a moment to get over the shock of hearing her voice.

“Mom?”

“Who else would it be?”

“What do you want? I mean, why are you calling?” I asked as I sat down at the kitchen table.

“To see if you’ve wised up yet.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Don’t play stupid, Emma. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I want to know if you’re bored with that school yet.” The way she’d said school made it sound like it was a dirty word.

“No, I’m not bored with it yet. I’m actually really happy here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Why do you always do that? Anytime I’m happy, you always act like I shouldn’t be. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“You don’t belong there, Emma. You need to come home where you’re supposed to be.”

“So you can control my life again? No, thank you.”

“Where did I go wrong with you? I made sure you had everything you ever wanted, and you do this to me.”

I ground my teeth together to keep from yelling. I hated how she always tried to make me out to be the bad guy. She’d done it to me my entire life.

“Yeah, you gave me everything I wanted—except for a mom.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” she asked angrily.

I really didn’t want to do this with her. I was finally happy, and I knew she would only try to tear me down.

“You never acted like I was your daughter. All I wanted was for you to be a mom to me.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not. I’m tired of pretending that we have a relationship because we don’t. We never have.”

“I’m done with this conversation, Emma, and I’m done with you. Don’t bother to call me when the world comes crashing down around you.”

With that, she hung up on me. I sighed as I put my phone down on the table in front of me. Tears slid down my cheeks as I realized that I would never have a normal relationship with my mom. Things would always be tense between us. She wasn’t capable of being the kind of mother that I wanted. I wiped my tears away as I vowed not to let it bother me any longer. I wouldn’t let her destroy whatever life I’d built for myself here.

I picked my phone back up and deleted her number from my Contacts list. She would never know about Jesse. She would never know when I graduated from college and found a job. She would never know when she was a grandma. She would know nothing about me from this day on.

I stood and started walking to the bedroom when the doorbell rang. My forehead creased in confusion. I had no idea who it could be. The only person who ever stopped by was Andy, and he never bothered to knock, let alone ring the doorbell. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. Not seeing anyone, I opened the door, but no one was there. I stuck my head out and looked both directions, but there wasn’t a soul around.

I assumed it was just kids messing around as I closed the door and walked back into the bedroom. As soon as I made it there, the doorbell rang again. I ignored it, but whoever it was rang it again. Afraid that someone was actually out there this time, I turned and made my way back to the door.

I opened the door to see that no one was around—again. This was starting to piss me off. I walked out onto the porch and looked around the yard.

“Okay, whoever you are, you’re hilarious,” I said sarcastically.

When no one appeared, I turned and started to walk back inside. As soon as I turned toward the door, I was shoved from behind. I stumbled through the entryway and grabbed the chair to keep from falling. I spun around to see who was behind me, and I stopped dead. Ally was standing in the doorway with the most chilling smile I’d ever seen. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I stared at her.

“What? No hello?” she asked sweetly.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I told her.

I’d never liked her, but I’d never been afraid of her like I was now. Something in her eyes told me that I should be very afraid. I glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it would be another hour before Jesse came home.

“Why shouldn’t I? I live here. My name is on the lease,” she said as she continued to smile at me.

“You’re not welcome here,” I told her, refusing to show that I was afraid of her.

“No, you’re not welcome here. This is my home.”

“It’s Jesse’s.”

Her eyes lit up at the sound of his name. “Where is Jesse anyway?”

“He will be here any minute,” I lied.

“Tell the truth, Emma. I know what time he gets home. I lived here, remember?”

“So you keep saying.”

I needed to get her out of here—now. She was slowly inching her way into the house and away from the door. The farther away from the door she walked, the less chance I had of getting her out.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for something to use as a weapon if I needed one. My eyes landed on my cell phone. It was still on the kitchen table. It was so close yet so far away. I knew Jesse wouldn’t be able to answer if I called him, but Andy wasn’t working today. If I could just get to my phone, I could call him to help me.

“Why are you really here?” I asked.

“Can’t I just come to visit you guys? I mean, you’ve pretty much moved in, and Andy is here whenever he isn’t working.”

“You’ve been watching us.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I have. It’s funny how blissfully unaware you three are. I mean, I was practically part of the party on your birthday. I have to say, I liked the second movie a lot better than the first.”

“You were here?”

“Well, I wasn’t in the house, if that’s what you’re asking, but I was around.”

She was seriously starting to freak me out. It was clear that she had been stalking us. She’d never left.

“Why didn’t you leave, like Jesse told you to?” I asked.

She laughed. “Jesse is just confused. He’ll come around eventually.”

“He’s not confused, Ally. He hates you for what you did to him, to us.”

“You’re being silly. Jesse could never hate me. He loves me.”

“Ally, something is seriously wrong with you. You need help.”

She just laughed as she stepped closer to me. If she came much closer, I wouldn’t be able to make it to my phone. I needed to distract her, so I could either make a run for it out the door or get to my phone. Right now, she was still between the door and me, so I needed to make a move toward my phone.

“So, why do you think Jesse loves you?” I asked, trying to distract her.

She smiled. “You wouldn’t want to hear why.”

“Of course I do. If something happened between you two, I should know about it. That would mean he lied to me.”

She studied me for a minute. I tried to look like I was genuinely worried about what she would tell me. I knew she would probably say the most horrible thing she could think of just to hurt me. I wouldn’t believe anything she might say.

“He told me he did,” she said quietly.

That wasn’t what I’d expected at all. I’d assumed that she would make up some story.

“When?”

“The first time was when we were just little. There was a boy at school who liked to pick on me. It was before I started taking up for myself. Jesse saw me crying on the playground, and he tried to make me feel better. He told me that he loved me and that he would always protect me, no matter what. Besides Andy, he was the first person to tell me that he loved me.”

My heart broke for her. It was obvious that her childhood hadn’t been that great. I knew I shouldn’t feel sorry for her, but I did.

“Ally, I think he meant that he loved you in a different way than you think. He loved you like a sister.”

She glared at me. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! Jesse loves me! He loves me, not you!”

I shrank back as she screamed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yes, you did. You always try to hurt me, but you can’t. Jesse loves me, and he is mine!”

I crept closer to the kitchen and to my phone. “Ally, he loves you. I know he does. It just isn’t the way you want. He loves me. I know it hurts to hear that, but you need to understand. You’re obsessed with him, and it isn’t healthy.”

“He loved me until you came around. I knew as soon as I saw you on the beach with him that day that you would be trouble.”

“On the beach?” I asked.

“When he was teaching you how to surf. He was so caught up in you that he didn’t even notice me, but I was there. I’m always there.”

I felt a chill go down my spine. Ally’s obsession with Jesse wasn’t new. It wasn’t due to the fact that he’d left her in California. No, it was much older than that. If she had watched us that day, then she had been watching him before that, before I even knew him.

“I saw the way he touched you that day. I wanted to drown you in the ocean. Then, he started bringing you around. I tried to warn him about you, but he wouldn’t listen. I only wanted to protect him.”

“Ally, I would never hurt him.”

“You destroyed us.”

She closed her eyes, and I scooted closer to the kitchen. I was almost close enough to sprint to my phone.

“If you left, he would come back to me.”

“You can’t really believe that. You hurt him when you lied about being pregnant.”

“I know now that it was stupid to lie to him like that. Once I apologize to him, he’ll forgive me.”

“I don’t think so, Ally. You really hurt him.”

“I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t screwed everything up. Once you’re gone, he’ll need someone to help him get over you again, and I’ll be there. I’m always there when he needs me.”

“When I’m gone? I’m not going anywhere, Ally.”

She smiled. “Yes, you are.”

I was as close as I could get to the kitchen without tipping her off to what I was about to do. It was now or never.

“Oh, thank God! You’re home!” I said as I looked over her shoulder.

She spun around, thinking Jesse was behind her. As soon as she turned, I shot across the kitchen and grabbed my phone. I unlocked it and started to push Andy’s speed dial number when she plowed into me. I dropped to the floor, and my phone went flying across the room.

“No!” I shouted as I watched it land several feet away from where I was.

“You sneaky little bitch!” She climbed on top of me.

I thrashed around as I tried to push her off of me. I managed to grab her hair, and I yanked as hard as I could, making her scream in pain. It gave me the opportunity I needed to shove her away from me. As soon as I was free, I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door.

I almost made it. Just before I reached it, she tackled me from behind. My forehead slammed against the floor as I went down. Black dots danced in front of my eyes as I tried to crawl toward the door. I had to get away from her. If I didn’t—well, I didn’t want to think about what she might do.

“You’re not going anywhere!” She grabbed me and flipped me onto my back.

Her fist connected with my face, and the black dots became larger. I could barely see past them. I reached out blindly and tried to push her away.

She laughed as she slapped me across the face. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

“Please let me go, Ally. Please,” I begged.

“Why? So you can go running to Jesse to tell him what a mean, horrible person I am? I don’t think so.”

I felt like the world was spinning off its axis. My stomach lurched, and I fought to keep myself from throwing up. Ally’s fist connected with my face again, and I raised my hands to try to protect myself. She laughed at my feeble attempts as she delivered another blow. My eyes closed, and darkness took over.

I welcomed it. I’d do anything to escape the pain.

Chapter Twenty: Emma

My head felt as if it was going to explode. I refused to open my eyes as pain shot through my forehead to the base of my skull. Everything was fuzzy. I took a deep breath as I tried not to cry out. I’d never felt such pain in my life.

I cracked one eye open to look around me. There was very little light in the room, but it still hurt to open my eye. I was in a room with no windows. Nothing was in the room, except for the floor lamp across from me.

Where am I?

I tried to remember how I’d ended up here, but I had no idea.

I was eating cereal, and then my mom called. What happened after that? Someone knocked on the door. Neighborhood kids were playing a prank. No, that wasn’t it.

Pain shot through my head, and I clenched my jaw as I waited for it to pass.

Danger…I tried to reach for my phone.

Ally’s face slammed into my mind like a hammer. I gasped as I finally remembered.

She came to the house and attacked me. I tried to escape, but she tackled me. I hit the floor, and then Ally hit me. Black dots. After that? Nothing. I must have blacked out.

I tried to stand, but something stopped me. I forced my eyes open to see that my legs were tied to a chair. My arms were tied up behind me. I am so fucking screwed. Ally was crazy, and I was alone and defenseless.

“It’s about time you woke up, princess.” Ally’s voice came from behind me.

I turned my neck to look for her, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Suddenly, she was beside me. She slapped me across the face, and I cried out in pain. The pain in my head increased until I couldn’t bear it anymore. I wanted to black out again. I’d do anything to escape that pain.

“How are you feeling?” she asked sweetly as she pulled a chair in front of me.

She must have grabbed it from somewhere behind me because there was definitely nothing in front of me.

“Like someone cracked my skull,” I spit out as I looked away from her.

She laughed as she raised her hand. “Guilty.”

“Let me go, Ally. Just walk away, and no one has to know what you did. You got your anger out. It’s over.”

“Oh, it’s far from over, dear Emma. I’m just getting started.”

There was a coldness to her voice that made me wonder if she would actually kill me. I looked up at her. As soon as I looked into her eyes, I knew she would kill me without a second thought. Her eyes were cold, and there was no kind of emotion behind them at all.

“Please let me go,” I quietly begged.

“But we’re just starting to have fun. Don’t you want to see everything else I have planned for you?”

I ignored her question and looked away. She could hurt me all she wanted, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of me begging a second time. I already knew that she was planning to kill me. That was all I needed to know. The less I knew, the better. Maybe if I didn’t fight, she’d get bored and make it quick.

Jesse would lose it when he found out what she’d done. I had no idea how long I’d been out, but I knew it had to be a while from the pain shooting through my skull. He had to know by now that I was gone. Maybe he was searching for me. Hope swelled in my chest as I pictured him rushing in to save me.

My hope was crushed when I realized that even I didn’t know where I was. I might not even be in Morgantown anymore. Hell, I might not be in West Virginia.

“Where did you bring me to?” I asked.

“My house.”

“And where exactly is your house?”

She studied me for a minute. “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you. It’s not like you can call someone for help.” She laughed as if she’d said something funny. “You’re still in Morgantown. Actually, you’re only about twenty minutes away from Jesse’s house.”

If I was still in Morgantown, Jesse stood a chance at finding me. It was a slim chance, but I needed to hold on to something.

“You’ve been staying this close to us the entire time since you left, haven’t you?”

She nodded. “Yep, and you guys had no idea. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. I’ve spent a lot of time watching you at Jesse’s house since he kicked me out. I’d give you some advice about closing your curtains, but I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that anymore. There are no curtains where you’re going.”

I turned away from her. I couldn’t even stand to look at her right now. I felt sick. She’d been stalking us for weeks, and we had been clueless.

“Get away from me.”

“Why? Did I say something wrong?” she asked innocently.

“You’re a fucking psycho,” I told her.

I tried to break free of my restraints. The rope dug into my skin, but I ignored the pain as I struggled.

“You might want to stop before you hurt yourself,” she said happily.

I stopped struggling once I realized that the ropes weren’t going anywhere. “Just do what you’re going to do, and get it over with.”

“Oh no, I want to draw this out,” she said quietly. She placed her finger under my chin and lifted my face to look at her. “And I can’t wait to watch you cry out in pain.”

“You won’t get away with this, Ally. The police will catch you. Jesse will know that you had something to do with this. He hates you now. You know how I told you that he’d meant he loved you like a sister? You don’t even have that from him now. Even if I die, he will never be yours.”

“Shut up!” she shrieked as she slapped me again.

I clenched my teeth to keep from crying out. One thing was for sure—the bitch was strong. Even her slaps were enough to make my head spin.

“You know nothing about how Jesse feels about me. You have some kind of power over him. Once you’re gone, he’ll realize that he loves me. We’ll be happy together, and he’ll forget all about you.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Think whatever you want. You’ll see.”

“You know what the worst part is?” she asked suddenly.

“That I’m tied to a chair?” I asked sarcastically.

“When I watched you guys, I saw you…together. It made me sick to see him touch you.”

My stomach rolled at the thought of her watching while Jesse and I’d had sex. “You’re sick.”

“I didn’t want to watch, trust me.”

“Then, why did you?”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

She stood and walked behind me. I could hear her moving things around, but I couldn’t turn around far enough to see what she was doing. I glanced around in front of me, hoping to see something that would help me. There was nothing. The room was as empty as before.

I tried to hold my tears in as they filled my eyes. I wouldn’t give Ally the satisfaction of seeing me cry. While I knew something was wrong with Ally after everything she’d done to Jesse, I never realized that she was capable of something like this.

She silently walked back over to me. I met her gaze head-on. Fuck her, I wouldn’t shy away.

“I overheard Jesse talking to Andy about you one day at our old house. Jesse told him how beautiful he thought you were.” Her eyes were so cold as she spoke. “You and I both know that I’m prettier than you, but Jesse doesn’t seem to realize that. I’m going to change that. When they find you, he’ll realize that you could never be as pretty as me.”

I had no idea what she planned to do, but I knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant for me. She had kept her hands behind her since she walked over. I watched silently as she finally moved them. My stomach dropped when I saw the knife in her hand.

“Ally, think about what you’re doing. We can still work something out. If you use that, then you’re done.”

“I think you’re confused as to who is tied to the chair and who has a knife. I’m in control, Emma, and I always have been.” She ran the dull side of the knife across my face. “You’re not pretty in the least, but you obviously have something that Jesse likes. We need to fix that.”

“Ally, let me go. You don’t want to do this,” I pleaded, forgetting my earlier promise to myself that I wouldn’t beg.

“Trust me when I say I do. I want nothing more than this. I want to hurt you as bad as you hurt me.”

She turned the knife, so the sharp edge was pressed against my cheekbone. I held my breath as I waited for her to kill me. I wouldn’t scream. I would never let her know how much pain she caused me.

Despite my determination not to cry out, a small whimper escaped me as she ran the knife down my cheek. The cut didn’t hurt as bad as my head, but it stung. I shuddered as I felt blood start to slide down my face. Apparently, she didn’t plan to stab me like I’d originally thought—at least, not yet. With the shallow cut, she only wanted to cause me pain and destroy my face. I was too worried about how to escape to even think about my face. I had to figure out a way to get her to untie me.

“Does it hurt?” Ally asked softly as her eyes followed the drop of blood that had dripped from my cheek to the floor.

“No,” I said stubbornly.

“Then, you won’t mind if I try the other side.”

She held the knife up to my face and made a cut on my other cheek. It was shallow like the first one, but it still hurt. Blood ran down my face and fell to the floor. It was like I was crying blood.

“There—now, you match.” She giggled.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

She circled me slowly. I turned my head as she went, afraid to let her out of my sight for even a second. There wasn’t much I could do if she decided to stab me in the back, but it still made me uneasy to have her right behind me.

“Are you sorry yet?” she asked.

“For what?”

“For ruining everything I had with Jesse. Duh.”

“I didn’t ruin anything. If he wanted you, he never would have come to me.”

“It’s not his fault that you tricked him. He’s only a guy, and we both know guys never think with their heads. Well, at least, they don’t think with the right heads.”

“You think he was only using me for sex?” I asked incredulously.

“Of course I do. What else could he want from you?”

I didn’t even know how to respond to that. Ally was living in her own little world, and nothing I said would change that. There was no point in fighting with someone who couldn’t view reality like a normal person.

“I’m hungry, and I need to pee.”

“I don’t have any food here.”

“Fine, but I still have to pee.”

“You just want me to untie you. I’m not stupid.”

“You’re going to look very stupid when I piss myself, and you have to clean it up.”

She studied me for a moment. If I could get her to leave me alone in the bathroom, maybe I could escape. If not, maybe I could find a way to subdue her. The thought of me hitting her over the head with my chair was very appealing.

“Straight to the bathroom, and back here,” she finally said.

I sighed in relief as she untied my legs from the chair. She was in the perfect position for me to kick her, but I needed my arms free first. It would be useless to kick her and still be stuck to this damn chair.

She moved out of the way of my legs as she untied my arms. “If you try anything, I will kill you. Stand up.”

I stood up slowly and stretched my arms and legs. They had gone practically numb from sitting in the exact same spot for so long. I yelped more from surprise than actual pain as I felt the end of her knife poke into my back.

“Start walking toward the door. If you try anything, I will put this knife in your back. I don’t want to kill you like this, but I will if you force me to.”

I don’t want to kill you like this…like this. There it was. There was no doubt in my mind now that she planned to kill me. I needed to get out of here and fast. I walked slowly toward the door. I needed a plan.

“Open it,” Ally instructed once we reached the door.

I opened it slowly and looked around. The door led into a dimly lit hallway. Another door was a few feet away to the left. On the right was a door near the top of a staircase.

“Which way?” I asked.

“Walk to the one on the right.”

I walked slowly, debating on whether or not to run for it. I had no idea how close the front door was to the stairs. If I could get outside, there was a good chance that I could escape or at least scream for help. If she had been telling the truth about still being in Morgantown, I knew that other houses had to be nearby.