34. Montana

34

Montana

W hen I open my eyes, I see frozen meat in front of me. I’m in a walk-in freezer. My arms are bound behind my back with a tighter, rougher rope than Mason used to snatch me off Violet. I can breathe better than I did when I was on the ground, but my body still feels broken.

Each time I breathe, I have a pain on my right side that feels like it’s coming from my ribs. “HELP ME!” I scream at the top of my lungs, hoping someone, anyone, can hear me and save me. I have no idea where I am. All I remember is my father injecting me with something and then closing the trunk shut.

I screamed for a little longer, feeling the bumps from the road before I completely passed out. My screams go ignored. I have to get out of here or I’ll freeze to death. I push myself onto my knees and find a way to get on my feet, still feeling woozy from the drugs.

Taking a look around, I see there’s not a single thing that can help me escape. No knife, no blade. Nothing to cut my hands out of my restraints.

Feeling like I have no other option, I throw myself against the metal door, screaming for help over and over, praying that the barrier will fly open. I have no idea what time it is or how long I’ve been throwing myself at this door for, but after what feels like ten minutes, I sink down against it and start crying.

I can feel my phone’s been taken from my bra which means my father has it. I’d rest in the hope that Gunner can track me, but Mason’s probably discarded my phone by now.

My body shakes violently against the cold and from shock, and I start to feel like I’m fading again.

Maybe I should just go to sleep. If I fall asleep, I won’t have to be awake while I freeze to death.

The tears on my face add to the chill within me, and I take slow breaths in and out while my mind slips into darkness.

When I wake, I’m somewhere else. I’m in a warm room. It’s hot. I look around and see it’s a shipping container, and lamps point directly at me, making me sweat.

“There is not enough time in this life for me to punish you, child.”

I whip my head up and stare ahead, and when my eyes finally focus, I see Mason standing before me. “What do you want?”

He laughs deeply, shaking his head while he takes off his white hat. “I already have what I want, Montana. That’s you. My daughter, back with her father where she belongs.”

I spit at his shoes. “Your sperm may be the reason why I’m here, but you’re not my fucking father, you piece of sh—”

My body flies out of my chair and onto the floor from the slap he just delivered to me. Tears burn my eyes, and I cough on the ground when he kicks me in the stomach.

“I am your goddamn father, you fucking ungrateful bitch. Apologize. At once. Or I’ll make you sorry.”

The pain in my rib is worse after his kick, but I still have my voice. “I’d die before I ever apologized to you.” Right after I close my mouth, I shut my eyes, preparing for the pain of his belt. But he wraps his fist around my neck instead, squeezing it so hard that I can’t move a muscle .

“Yeah. Didn’t see that coming, did you? I brought you into this world, and I might just take you out. Maybe I should kill you just so I can revive your dumb ass and kill you again. Perhaps I’ll kill you differently each time. I’ll choke you out, then I’ll drown you. You could probably survive some stab wounds too.”

I open my mouth, trying to move my throat under his grip. When I start to fade, he lets go, and my face hits the floor.

“Or maybe I’ll leave you alone in here for a week without food. Maybe two. You really only need water to survive, Montana. I could give you a few sips every so often until you wither away to nothing like a dried out piece of fruit.”

My hair falls in my face and covers my lips, but I whisper to him through it. “Do whatever you want to me. It won’t change a damn thing.”

Mason kneels beside me and lowers his face to mine, brushing my hair out of the way. I try to avoid his gaze, but he grips my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“Montana Elizabeth Barnes, my biggest regret in life is the fact that I allowed you to be in it. I’ve given you a chance to seek forgiveness, but you’ve done nothing but spit at me. Literally. You’re disgusting.” He scoffs. “You may not think so now, but you will beg for forgiveness. You will seek my mercy. When your frail, useless body is bleeding out, you’ll cry my name, asking me to save you. And all I’m going to do is make things worse until you drown in a pool of your own fluids. Even then, I’ll find you. I’ll haunt you for eternity. After I remove you from this world, you’ll see me again. In hell.”