13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

I wake with a pounding headache and shoot my eyes open. No way this fucker got me again so soon. When I look around the room, I realize I'm in mine. Lying in my bed, body covered in sweat. Moonlight floods in through the open curtains. It's late. Quiet.

The remnants of a nightmare linger in my mind, and I realize that's what woke me. Ignoring it, because they're nothing new, I roll over to get comfortable. There's a sharp sting along my ribs, and I lift up to see a dark stain on my bed. What the hell is that? I flip the lamp on, gasping when the spot on my bed is bright red. Checking my ribs, I see a fresh wound that throbs worse now that I've seen it.

"What the fuck," I growl, getting out of bed and moving to the bathroom.

Sure as fuck, there is a new letter carved into my skin. V.

S-E-V

That can't be his full name, but what the fuck is it short for? Seven? Severus? Seviche? No, that's not even how it's spelled. I think it's spelled with a C, not an S. Regardless, I don't think anyone would name their child after a dish of raw fish. But Sev is a nut case, and that usually runs in the family, so maybe his parents were as whacked out as he is. If he were younger, I'd actually consider the name Severus considering the amount of people obsessed with the franchise, including my own damn cousin. I huff out a dry laugh as I stare at the new wound. This is un-fucking-real.

This guy is on a whole other level of crazy. Did he break in and do it here? Was I at his cabin and made it home but don't remember?

The fact I don't remember any of this kidnapping is concerning to say the least. More so than the fact he now has gotten three letters of his name into me. This guy is going to give me permanent brain damage if he doesn't fuck off.

With anger coursing through me, I carefully clean up the letter and bandage it. It seems deeper than the others but doesn't look like it'll need stitches. This guy is fucking crazy. Yet, I'm still more concerned with not remembering anything than the fact he's so fucked that he's kidnapping someone to carve his name into them.

When I'm done caring for the wound, I go back to bed. What else am I supposed to do? When I reach for the lamp to shut it off, I spot a yellow sticky note with handwriting on it that I don't recognize.

I'll get the dose right one of these days.

-Sev

I blink a few times, reading the note over and over. It tells me nothing, other than he did something and I can't remember because he gave me too high of a dose. Does it make me feel better? No. Not at fucking all. Was it here? Did he carry me home from the cabin? The thought of that giant man carrying me bridal style up my stairs and into my apartment is laughable. How did no one see?

I lie awake for hours, stuck in my head. I need to get this guy under control. Need to find him and kill him. I need this money so I can get the fuck out of here and figure out my life because this isn't it for me. I'm tired of being someone's bitch, tired of hunting people down for useless kills. Beating people up for money. This is never what I wanted to do. Though my last employer was a fucking douche, at least I liked the position I was in. I was doing some good. As a spy, I risked my own life, but I gave info to people who helped others. I saved people. Yes, I had dirty shit to do too, but at least there was good that came from it. Now? I'm no better than a remote-controlled zombie.

But there's still something stopping me. I can't leave here until I settle this shit with my parents. Who is after me? How am I going to handle them? What if I can't? I refuse to go to Reese and Ezra with this shit lingering over me. I won't risk their lives over this.

Not being able to sleep is annoying as fuck. I'm in a weird mood and have no idea why or what caused it. Where is this sudden urge to run away coming from? Yes, I want to get out of here, but it's never been so dire before. Life or death. I feel like I'm suffocating, and this is all so new. It came on like a sudden storm, and it won't go away.

One day I was fine. The next I wasn't. At least, that's how it seemed. Maybe it was a slow build up that I didn't realize until it was overflowing. Now there's no going back. I'm desperate to get out of here.

I get up to get a drink, trying to figure out what the fuck to do with my life. When I spot the invitation on my cork board, I come up with a solution. At least a temporary one. Maybe a vacation will be enough to clear my head for a while. When I come back, I'll be able to breathe easier. Figure this out so I can make the move more permanent. Maybe I could talk to Reese about Sev, come up with a plan to kill him so I can get the money.

I don't like that thought though.

I know Reese. He isn't going to take it well. I mean, who would? Admitting a man is kidnapping me, drugging me, and carving his name into me? It's not normal. Even I know that. Which is more of a reason to tell someone, but I can't. I don't want to. I want to keep this to myself. I want to figure it out on my own. I want something that is just for me, without anyone else involved. And right now, that thing is Sev. If I share it with Reese, he'll make it about him. He'll demand info. Ask for updates. Give me suggestions. I don't want that. I just want to do what I want to do, and that's it.

I drink half a bottle of water and stare at the invitation. I'm sure there weren't many of these that went out. Reese may be a people-person, but there aren't many people he's close with. Hardly anyone he trusts. Regardless of what I need, I should go to the wedding for him. He's my cousin. Family. He's always there for me when I need him. Though, it always works out that he needs me way more than I need him. Still, I should go. So, I get my phone and make plans to do just that.