Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

M y head pounds. Correction: my entire body is throbbing. I don't think I have a single cell that isn't in agony right now. I work on finding a peaceful place, a way to override the pain. It's all just mind control. I can do this.

The image of Enzo's face hovering above me is the first thing that pops up. My eyes snap open. Enzo is not my peace, damn it. A light flickers on, blinding me momentarily while illuminating the room—or should I say dungeon?

It's not until I attempt to bring a hand up to shield my eyes that I discover my wrists are bound to something. Trying my feet next, I'm not surprised to find they're also tied up. "Are you really so afraid of a girl you had to tie me up, you coward!" I yell out.

I know he's watching. I'm not going to give him the privilege of seeing how scared I am right now. I will not cower, no matter what they do to me. It's stupid, but Enzo's face pops into my head again. I don't know why his smile makes me feel something I shouldn't.

Safe. I'm anything but safe. My head knows that. But when I think about Enzo, when I think about how I felt last night, giving into my desires to be with him…

I want that feeling back. I want to be free, which is exactly what I was last night. With him.

"Argh, come and face me like a man, you old bastard." My scream echoes off the cement walls. I have no idea where I am. All I know is that if I can't save myself, he wins. And I refuse to let this monster win.

Think, Kayleigh. Think. You can get out of this.

My mental pep talk is interrupted when the door opens and the monster who killed my father walks in, but that's not what surprises me. It's who walks in behind him that has me confused.

"Geoff? What are you doing?" I ask. I know. Stupid. Because when he smiles at me, I know exactly what he's doing here. He sold me out.

"If you don't fight, Kayleigh, it'll end sooner," Geoff says.

"Why? Why would you do this to me?" I honestly thought we were friends. If not friends, then at the very least, partners . He's a detective. He's supposed to be on my side of the law. He should be helping me, not feeding me to the wolves.

"It's not personal, Kayleigh, but I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time. You see, Frank here is my cousin. When he went away, I made it my mission to help find you and your mother."

"Leave my mother alone!" I yell. My arms pull against the plastic binds around my wrists. Fucking zip ties. They put zip ties around my wrists.

Why didn't I just stay handcuffed to Enzo's bed this morning? Then again, there's no telling what he would have done to me if he knew who I was.

"Oh, it's not your mother I'm interested in. You see, I was going to have a lot of fun with you back then. You're not as small as I like ?em now, but you'll still do." Frank face gets so close to mine I can feel his breath on my cheek.

Rearing my head back, I use every ounce of strength I can muster to bring it forward, head-butting Frank right in the middle of his face. I get a brief moment of satisfaction when he stumbles a few steps. Until he regains his composure and backhands me across the side of my face.

"Fucking little bitch. You really shouldn't have done that," he sneers.

"Fuck you." I pull at my bindings again but it's no use. They're tied around some kind of metal poles. The fear I've been trying so desperately to hide shows its face when Frank draws a knife.

"No, I think I'll be the one fucking you," he says, closing the distance.

There's nowhere for me to go. I can't move away from him. I can't defend myself at all. I'm literally in the hands of a monster. The light glints off the blade as Frank points the tip at the top of my shirt. I scream when he slides the knife downwards.

"Much better. I knew you'd scream nice for me," Frank says, drawing the knife back from my skin. Blood drips down my chest. Not too much. He hasn't cut that deep. Still hurts like a bitch though. "Keep screaming, baby. I've waited a long time for this. I'm going to take my time with you."

The knife lands near my ankle this time. I try to kick my legs out, but I still can't move them.

"Inch by inch, I'm going to reveal your skin. I'm going to mark it. And only when there's nothing left to cut off you, will I take what I deserve," Frank hums.

The tip of the blade travels up my leg, digging a little deeper this time without causing any major damage. He doesn't want me bleeding out just yet. Unfortunately.

Closing my eyes, I try to find a different place. I need to be somewhere else. Anywhere that's not here. And, of course, the first thing I see again is Enzo's face. At least he'll never know who I was. He won't have to find out. I won't have to see the disgust staring back at me. Or the hatred.

It wasn't supposed to end like this, though. What I thought would be a rather simple infiltration turned out to be the last case I'll ever work on. And I failed. Worse than that, I didn't even try. I never once looked for anything to use against Enzo's family. I was in his home and I didn't use the opportunity to find anything… something.

What if he finds out who I am and I never get the chance to tell him that I changed my mind? I don't want to see him behind bars. I don't want to build a case against him. All I want to do is go back to last night…

Either I'm delusional and am losing more blood than I thought. Or I'm having one of those weird life flashing before your eyes moments, where things that seemed so complicated yesterday are suddenly crystal clear.

Not that it matters. Because I'm screwed. There's no getting out of this for me.