Текст книги "Pretty Little Things"

Автор книги: Teresa Mummert

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 10 страниц)

Chapter 4 – Colin

I watched Annie’s finger slide across the spines of the movies, and occasionally she would stretch up on to her toes, making her legs look miles long even though she was only about five foot five. The fact that I still didn’t know where she’d been going or who she’d been seeing weighed heavily on my mind, and I wasn’t above some harmless flirtation to get the information I needed from her. I could say I was worried about her safety, but jealousy was what fueled my inquisition. No one should be putting his hands on her.

She finally held up a case with her lower lip pulled between her teeth as she waited for my approval.

I nodded, not bothering to see what she chose, and she hurried to put the disc in the Bluray player before walking back toward the couch. I patted the cushion next to me, but she sat a foot away, her bare legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them.

“What’s this about?” I asked as she put her cheek on top of her knees, her face toward me.

She shrugged and reached for the popcorn. I pulled the bowl away as she glared at me, reaching farther as she stretched over me before pulling her arm back.

“I asked you a question.”

Her eyes locked on mine, challenging me before she reached again.

“Fine. Take it.” I set the bowl on my lap, and she fell back into her seat and reached her hand into the bowl to grab a handful. I relaxed, stretching out my legs and tucking my hand behind my head. The movie began, and the warmth of the alcohol was settling deep in my stomach and spreading throughout my body, but it was doing nothing to numb the thoughts that crept to the forefront of my mind. They were always present, haunting.

“It’s about this psychic in a small town, and she starts getting visions about a girl who’s missing.”

I smirked; even as defiant as she was, she still always listened to me one way or another. My cock twitched in response to her obedience.

“Sounds boring. I may need to find other ways to entertain myself.” I felt her gaze cut to me. I sighed as the opening of the movie seemed to drag on, but Annie was absolutely entranced and lost in the unraveling mystery. I pulled out my cell phone and began to scroll through the contacts, stopping on Leslie. I clicked the call button and stared off at the television as it rang, waiting for her to answer.

“Hello?” she answered with a thick Southern drawl.

“It’s been a while. Have you forgotten about me?” I asked as I pictured her bent over my desk as I took her from behind, her long, honey-colored ponytail wrapped around my fist.

“Like that’s possible. I’m in Texas.”

“That’s a shame. I was looking for some company.”

Annie groaned and turned up the volume on the television as her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t look my way.

“I’ll be back early next week. I could drop by.” There was a hopeful eagerness in her voice. None of these girls gave me the thrill of the chase, but at least they didn’t mind when I got a little too rough.

“I’ll already have replaced you by then, sweetheart,” I joked, and Annie glared at me, causing me to laugh. I pushed up from the couch and walked into the hallway to get away from her.

“That’s not funny,” Leslie shot back as I paced the floor, running my hand over my hair. She began to ramble on about visiting family and how her uncle was ill and not expected to make it. I didn’t give a fuck about her problems, her hopes, or her dreams. She served a purpose, and when she didn’t satisfy that urge any longer, she would be gone.

There was only one constant in my life, and that was Annabel. Her appearance was similar, but she couldn’t be more different from those girls. Even as she tried to prove otherwise, she was still the innocent one.

I plopped down on the couch next to her, our sides grazing each other as I rolled my eyes and focused on the movie. She adjusted herself like she was going to move away, but she stayed by my side.

I tried to shelter her from it as much as I could, but after the shower incident, it was all I could think about, weaving its way through my subconscious.

She was still clutching her knees to her chest, and I reached to the end of the couch and grabbed the red woven throw and laid it over her. She gave me a sideways glance but pulled it over her as she put her legs down.

“You can be pretty nice sometimes when you want to be,” she said, and I laughed, running my hand over my hair.

“The problem is I don’t want to be.” I studied her profile as she reacted to my words, her pink lips parting slightly and her chest rising a little farther and faster. That brought my gaze lower, and I turned to look at the television, closing my eyes as I pushed the thoughts from my mind.

The fog that had taken up permanent residence in my conscience as a child was now back in place, blinding me from the consequences of my actions. We always had a choice in life. I chose to give in to the darker side of my soul. The side that gained satisfaction from control. The side that was on the brink of starvation, waiting, biding its time until I was able to feed it again. It craved the wrong.

I did it all for the greater good, but now I wasn’t sure what that was and if I could really justify it as anything other than pure evil.

“She isn’t like the others.” The muscles ticked over my jaw as I clenched and unclenched my fists.

“What do you mean? Of course she is.” Taylor glanced back at me over his shoulder before continuing to type away at his next sermon on his laptop.

“She’s not.” I slammed my open palms down on the edge of his desk, bent over and glaring. This was wrong. This was all wrong from everything he had taught me. His eyes met mine with a warning glare.

Physically Taylor was no match for me, but mentally he had whittled me down to the same depraved, heartless creature he was. I looked up to him for guidance, and he fed my hunger—a hunger that he had helped create. His fingers stopped moving against the keyboard, and he eyed me intently.

“She scares you?” he asked rhetorically, and I stood, shaking my head as I paced the floor, my hands fisted in my hair.

“Nothing scares me.” I glared over at him, but he simply sighed and relaxed back in his seat, ignoring my thinly veiled threat.

“Perhaps I chose the wrong son,” he mused, and I felt the familiar boiling rage begin to simmer inside the pit of my stomach. Taylor liked to pit the boys of the church against each other. He got a sick thrill from watching us commit unspeakable acts to compete for his affection. “You don’t find her attractive, is that it?” He pulled off his brown-rimmed glasses and tossed them on the desk in front of him.

“She’s a good person. She doesn’t deserve—”

He cut me off as he stood, his face shacking in anger and turning red. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!” His words echoed in the small space. “Is it my fault that she has deceived you?”

“No, sir,” I responded without hesitation.

“Then find out what her transgressions are. That is your job. If you ever question my decisions again, you will be on the street.” He sat back in his seat, his hand smoothing over his dark, greasy hair as he expelled a heavy breath. “Don’t let her fool you, son. That is the devil working.”

I nodded and pulled open his office door, propelling myself into the cool night air. I bent over, my hands on my knees as I struggled to gain control over myself. This girl was playing me, toying with me.

I headed across the dark field with a mission. I was going to find out what it was that Annabel was hiding.

My eyes opened at the familiar sound of heavy breathing. They fell first to the television, where a woman stood wearing only panties, being pursued by a man. Next I took note of Annie’s heavy breaths as she focused intently on the sexual encounter unfolding on the screen. She hadn’t yet noticed that my eyes had opened, and she did nothing to hide her curiosity.

I watched with her, scrutinizing her response to force and violence as she slowly raised a few kernels of popcorn to her mouth. But her reaction wasn’t one of repulsion and fear—it was fascination. The idea of her accepting and not batting an eye at the kind of things that made me hard scared me and thrilled me at the same time. I knew whatever she had learned about relationships was knowledge gained from seeing me satisfy the darker side of my soul. Even after we escaped from Taylor, she never really had a fighting chance.

I told myself protecting Annabel was the right thing to do, but it was also penance for the person I was. I needed her good to balance my bad, and she needed me to keep her safe. I was all she had left. Connor and Grace could never understand. Annabel herself had barely skimmed the surface of what she was involved in, and I wanted to keep her in the dark for as long as possible.

“What are your plans for the day, little one?” I asked, and she startled.

“I have a report I need to finish on the adverse effects of corporal punishment used on children.” I laughed and shook my head, my eyes going back to the television. “Yeah, so that will be fun. But if Connor and Grace aren’t back, I can always skip school tomorrow.”

“Not a chance.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

I looked over at her, her eyebrow raised in challenge.

“You had a private tutor.”

“I had antisocial tendencies and a habit of challenging authority.” I laughed as the credits rolled on the screen in front of us.

“I don’t doubt that.”

We fell silent as we both sat, unmoving. “So this guy…” I let my voice trail off.

“He’s just a guy.” She shrugged as she pulled on a loose thread on the blanket.

“Is he a good guy?”

“Are you?” she shot back.

“That’s a loaded question.” I stood up, stretching, and when I looked down at her, her smile fell. “What?”

“Did that hurt?”

I sighed as I thought of the marks that covered my back. “Don’t.” I walked over to the shelves of movies, scanning the titles. I didn’t know if it bothered me more that she was asking about them or that she looked upset over my injuries. I was no one for her to feel sorry for. While I’d received them for not doing what I was told, I’d earned them by following through with the orders. But answering that question perplexed me. If you take a child and never show him affection, any attention received is positive in his eyes. Coupling that with the twisted abusive behavior and dominance that was instilled in me so young, I learned to derive gratification from receiving pain as well as giving. It was a release, a way to atone for my sins.

She stood and walked up to my side. My scars should have been a warning to not get close to someone like me, but Annabel saw my dominant side as a reflection of my overprotective nature toward her. My eyes closed as her hand ran softly over my back. Her featherlight touch on my own wounds more painful than when I had received them.

“Annabel, stop,” I bit out, but she continued on, her fingers trailing over the raised welts. My body stiffened, not wanting someone to give me affection I didn’t deserve. It turned my stomach, and for once I was completely thrown off guard. So I did what I knew best, and I instilled fear in her.

“I said fucking stop,” I seethed as I grabbed her by her shoulders and slammed her small body against the movies, causing the shelves to shake. Her green eyes were wide with fright, and now I was the one desperate to touch. Her fear was palpable, and while I knew I was pushing away the one person who even remotely began to understand me, it was for her own good. She didn’t have to understand as long as she listened. But listening to me was something Annabel rarely did anymore. She’d become too comfortable in my presence, and now she ignored the alarms that would set a normal person on edge. That was what terrified me about her seeing this guy. I had no idea what kind of person he was, but I knew Annie wouldn’t be as cautious as she should be.

“Annabel…” I rested my forehead against the case, my body hovering over hers, caging her in with my arms on her shoulders. Her name came out like a plea for help.

“I-I’m sorry.”

I lifted my head and looked at her. The fear-induced stutter let me know I had succeeded in making her understand.

I took a step back from her, running my hand along my jaw before turning and leaving the room, desperate to put distance between us.

Chapter 5 – Annabel

I was left in shock. Was my touch that repulsive to him? I quietly climbed the stairs, glancing over at Colin’s door, which was closed, music blaring from inside. I entered my room, grabbing my laptop and sitting down on my bed to work on my report.

The topic of physical punishment to children was heavy, but anything that would take my mind off my life was a welcome reprieve. I began typing and forced myself not to look up from the screen when Colin left his room, slamming his door and hurrying down the steps. The front door slammed next, and I sighed as I jumped from the jarring sound, glancing up to notice he hadn’t locked his door.

I chewed my lip and entered another query into the search engine, my finger tapping the back key as I typed out “Descendants of God.” The screen immediately flooded with links, and I clicked the top one, a news story with the first picture of a girl who was beaten until she was unrecognizable. I closed the window and focused on the task at hand.

My report grew from a few hundred words to several thousand, and my stomach rumbled from hunger. I glanced out of my doorway, noting that Colin still hadn’t returned. Where the hell could he have gone in such a hurry?

I saved my paper and set my laptop on my bed, thankful that at least the house was empty. I left my room, pausing to look at his door, but I hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I grabbed a dish of Grace’s macaroni salad and set it on the counter while I grabbed a fork, eating directly from the container. Tears stung my eyes, and my throat grew thick with sadness as I recalled my mother’s macaroni salad that she always made for any event or holiday. We didn’t have any extra, but we always had what we needed and helped others as much as we could. She was a good and decent woman who would have done anything for anyone.

I replaced the plastic lid and stuck it back in the fridge, my hunger squelched. I climbed the stairs, stopping to look back at the front door before taking a slow step toward Colin’s room. I paused, my heart racing as if he would burst through the door at any second. When the house remained silent, I grabbed the handle and turned, my eyes closed in a silent prayer that I wouldn’t get caught. The door opened, and I shoved it, staring at his clinical, pristine room. His walls were white and the bed a deep blue that matched his curtains. I tiptoed across the beige carpet and pulled open the heavy wooden nightstand drawer. Inside were a notepad and pen, an empty prescription bottle, an open box of condoms, and a broken watch. I closed it and turned around, glancing at the other furniture. The antique dry sink held several glass decanters and tumbler glasses.

I slipped inside his bathroom and glanced around, my cheeks heating from the memory of him inside it when he was doing unmentionable things to himself. I pulled open the cabinet under the sink, which held extra bottles of body wash and shampoo. I sighed as I stood up and let the door close. There was nothing good in here. That was when I heard the front door and heavy footfalls on the steps as a woman giggled.

There was no way to leave his room without being seen. I glanced around, panic setting in, and I was unable to think. I pulled open the shower door and slipped inside, pulling it closed just as they entered. From the mirror in front of me above the sink, I could see two figures enter the room. Colin turned around and was looking behind him. Shit. I had forgotten to close my bedroom door. His door closed behind them with a thud, and my heart beat wildly against my chest.

I watched through fogged glass and darkness as Colin pulled his tan shirt over his head. The female had light hair that faded to brown underneath. She was wearing tight jeans and a tube top, and she was definitely not Amanda. I watched as he shoved her back onto the bed, and she laughed, crawling back farther as he came down on top of her, his mouth on her neck. Her hands crept over his shoulders, and he grabbed them, pinning them over her head and holding them there with one hand. His other slid over her chest and down to her jeans as he undid them and tugged them down over her hip as she bucked against him.

Placing my hands over my mouth to keep from gasping audibly, I watched with wide eyes as he ordered her to keep her hands over her head so he could remove her pants. There were no whispered words and affection. Colin looked down at her like she was his prey and he was ready to attack. He slowly undid his jeans as she gazed up at him.

“Roll over,” he barked, and the girl obeyed without hesitation, pushing up on her hands and knees, her top still in place. Colin didn’t even bother getting completely undressed. He reached inside his dark boxer briefs and gripped himself in his fist, stroking beneath the fabric as he looked down at her. My entire body felt warm as I watched, holding my breath.

He pulled himself free from the confines of the fabric, still stroking as he grabbed her hip and positioned himself to enter her from behind. My hand fell from my mouth, down over my small breast, squeezing it under my palm as Colin leaned over her, his hand sliding over her chest as he whispered something in her ear. She turned her head and smiled, and he straightened his body, pulling open the side table drawer and grabbing a condom. He bit down on the corner of the wrapper, tearing open the package. I watched in amazement as he slid the thin plastic over himself, rolling it down his length. I was shocked at the size of him, and so was the woman. She gasped as he slid inside her, and she cried out with pleasure.

The fogged glass was making it difficult to make out details, and as he grabbed her hair, pulling her head back, I stepped forward to get closer to the glass. The door clanked against its latch, and I jumped back against the sandstone tile, pressing my body into the wall and hiding myself in the shadows.

The gasps from his visitor turned into moans, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh in a steady rhythm filled the air. I only hoped he was gentlemanly enough to walk her to the door when it was over so I’d have a chance to get back to my room without being seen. I stared at the large tiles for what seemed like an eternity, my palms slick with nervous sweat as I waited for them to finish. Finally, with a growl and a cry of pleasure, the room fell quiet.

“I can leave my number,” she purred, and it sounded like she was getting dressed.

“No need,” he replied, and I cringed for her at the rejection. A few more words were exchanged, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying before footsteps grew farther away and the front door opened and closed.

“Are you going to come out, or do I have to come get you?” Colin called out, and I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing I could disappear. I held perfectly still, hoping by some miracle he was talking to some other crazy idiot hiding in his room. “Little one…” He drew out the endearment, and I groaned as I stepped forward and opened the shower door. I ducked my head, unable to look him in the eye as I made a beeline for the door.

“Annabel,” he said, and I froze beside his bed. “Look at me.”

I slowly lifted my chin and looked down at Colin, who was wearing his jeans, button undone, and lying across his bed, arm tucked behind his head. He looked relaxed, and a hint of a smile played on his lips.

“Um…sorry…I was looking for…”

He raised his eyebrow as he waited for me to finish my lie, but I was at a loss as I stared at his body, covered in a thin layer of sweat, the guttural moans still fresh in my mind. “You’re making a habit of this,” he stated, still not looking the least bit bothered as I squirmed.

“Sorry.” I turned to leave the room but stopped. “How long did you know I was in there?” I glanced over my shoulder, and he smiled widely, revealing his perfect teeth, dimples settling into his cheeks. I felt myself turn ten shades of red as I left his room, pulling his door closed behind me.

I sat on my bed and pulled my laptop open and began typing furiously to rid my mind of what had just happened.

I didn’t stop until I was yawning and forcing my eyes to focus on the screen. I saved the document and set my computer on the stand next to my bed, falling back against my pillow.

Colin stumbled in the door of his cabin, and I hurried to his side to help him. I wrapped my hands around his arm, but he pulled from my grasp, angry at me.

“What happened?” I asked. He looked ill, and he was covered in sweat.

“I’m fine.” He trudged over to his bed and lay facedown across it. Long, thick wounds across his back wept blood.

“Who did this to you?” I rushed to his side, my hand hovering above him, afraid to touch his fresh injuries. He groaned but didn’t answer. I hurried into the bathroom and dampened a washcloth, adding soap.

“What are you doing?” he asked, raising his head, but his eyes were hooded, and he seemed slightly disoriented.

“I’m going to take care of you.” I climbed onto the bed on my knees as I looked down at his injuries. Very carefully I rubbed the washcloth over him. He inhaled sharply, his body stiffening under my touch.

“You shouldn’t help me,” he moaned, but he didn’t move, and I continued to clean him until all of the blood was gone.

“What kind of person would I be if I didn’t help you?”

His eyes blinked open. “You would be like me.”

I awoke to the sound of the annoying buzzing of my alarm clock next to my head. I swung my arm out, feeling for it and gasping as my fingers landed on someone else’s. My eyes flew open as the sound ceased, and I was staring up at Colin, who did not look pleased.

“That’s the third fucking time it’s gone off.” I groaned and rolled away from him and felt for the floor below my feet.

“Why are you in my room?” I asked as I stifled a yawn.

“Interesting question coming from you,” he mused.

“Do you need something?” I glanced over my shoulder at him, taking in the stubble along his jaw.

“I need you to get ready so we can leave.”

“You’re going to have to give me some privacy.” I rolled my eyes and pushed from my bed as I made my way to my closet, feeling like I hadn’t gotten any sleep. I pulled one of my uniforms from the hanger and tossed it on my bed.

“Five minutes.” He turned and left the room, leaving the door wide open.

I groaned, mumbling expletives under my breath as I shoved it closed and pulled off my black tank and shorts.

I was ready in ten minutes, and Colin was standing outside my door with his arms crossed over his chest. I finished buttoning my white shirt, leaving it untucked over the gray plaid skirt. I opted for a high ponytail, not wanting to take the time to curl my hair. My bruise was fading, so a dab of concealer and a quick coat of mascara and I was ready to start the day.

“Those uniforms should be against the law,” Colin mumbled as he followed me down the stairs in a white T-shirt and faded jeans. He pulled open the front door, taking my book bag from my hand as he waited for me to walk out in front of him. I slowed my pace as he walked casually to the passenger side door of the 300 and pulled it open for me. I slid in, careful not to expose myself in my skirt, which I had rolled a couple times at the waist so it wouldn’t be as long. Colin shook his head as he closed the door after me, but for once he didn’t scold me for my fashion decision.