Page 7 of Save Me

I think about his words as I watch him make himself at home, grabbing one of the muffins out of the plastic package before walking towards the couch. He keeps his jacket on as he sits down and sprawls out, looking as if he’s sat here a million times before, and maybe he has. He turns on the TV and it’s only a few seconds before a movie is playing on the screen.

For some reason he puts me on edge, despite him seemingly wanting nothing to do with me. I can’t make sense of him, can’t get a good read on him; he seems uninterested in hurting me, yet he’s here keeping me captive after knocking me out just a few hours ago. He brought me food and says he’s just here to make sure I stay put, but something tells me his calm demeanor will vanish the second I rush for the door.

I’m still standing where I have been the entire time, not sure what exactly to do with myself as I slowly look between him and the front door.

“What do you mean by ‘I should think it through before I try to leave?’” I question. He looks up from the TV and our eyes meet.

He gives me a look as he takes a bite of his muffin chewing slowly as if contemplating what he wants to say.

“What I mean is, do you even know where you are?”

I don’t bother answering him. We both know I have no idea where I am.

“I can promise that you’d never find your way off this property, let alone all the way back to the city.” He takes a breath before continuing, “Plus it’s cold out, you have no shoes besides the heels you were wearing, and the consequences you’d face when Rhett finds out won’t be worth it.”

He goes back to eating his muffin and watching the movie, not noticing how my chest deflates as hope leaves me as quickly as it appeared. He’s completely right. Any escape attempt would leave me lost at best and probably dead somewhere in the woods or in the middle of the lake at worst.

Silence descends around us and it’s clear he’s done with any conversation for now, but I can’t stand still. My breathing is shallow as too many emotions start to rise within me, the events of the past twelve hours wreaking chaos on my body and soul. I feel like every part of me wants to scream, to run, to get outof here, but I’m stuck, unsure of what to do or say to make that happen. I wait until he seems distracted by the movie on TV before I slip quietly back into the bedroom, the door clicking shut behind me. If he notices me leave the room, he doesn’t say anything, and I can’t help but pause, listening for any footsteps that may follow me, trying to keep my breathing steady as I press my ear against the door. All I can hear is the sound of the movie playing in the background.

I lose track of time as I pace the room anxiously, rubbing my bare arms as I try to stay warm, my dress doing nothing to shield me from the chill in the air. The floor is cold against my feet and I shiver against the draft that floats through the air despite the windows being closed. I look outside at the fog hanging low over the water, now eerily still as the sky starts to darken.

Where is Jax? Where is Ryan?

How have I been here all day and heard nothing from them? Surely they would have given Rhett his money by now and I should be on my way back to them.

Unless they don’t care about you.A little voice sounds in the back of my mind.

I shake my head, banishing the thought.

They care about me. Jax loves me. At least, I think he does. I never got to tell him how I feel.

My chest feels like it’s going to crack at the thought, at the words that almost left my mouth as he dropped me off at work last night. But I got too nervous to say them out loud.

If he loved you, he’d be here by now.

I shake my head again, rubbing my temples and trying to keep my anxiety at bay.

They will come for me. They will save me. And they will give Rhett hell for everything he has put me through.

CHAPTER 4

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Iwake up,my body relaxed on the soft bed and warm under the blanket on top of me. For a few moments, peace washes over me.

A dream. This was all just a bad dream.

I stretch and feel the soft sheets against my skin. My hand reaches towards the other side of the bed, expecting to find Jax beside me, and my eyes shoot open as I find nothing but empty space next to me.

Everything comes flooding back to me, and just as quickly as it came, the peace that flowed through me has been pulled away, replaced by an alertness and fear that I am tired of feeling.

I let out a groan, defeat and exhaustion mixing together inside me.

“Jax will be here today,” I tell myself quietly as I sit up in bed, shivering as the blankets fall off me, the cold air biting at my skin. Whoever owns this place clearly hasn’t heard of heating or wasn’t anticipating the place to be occupied.

I look around the room again, trying to find my bearings. I don’t remember falling asleep, only pacing the room until I was too tired to stay upright, sitting on the bed and trying to think of a way out of here, a way to get back to Jax and Ryan in case they can’t find me. I continue to look around the room, searching for anything that could help me come up with a plan, but I can’t think clearly. Despite just waking up, I feel exhausted and my thoughts are scattered, as if I am too worried to think logically. The inner turmoil I feel is at odds with my environment, thequiet sound of the water below and the neutral color scheme—psych ward white and Xanax blue—doing nothing to calm me.

Jax will be here today, I repeat to myself. Refusing to let anything but hope flourish this morning.

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