Page 95 of King of Clubs

“Lori, we can fix this,” I tried, desperately.

“Yes, we can,” she grinned wickedly, the Lori I used to know long gone now. The woman before me was maniacal and was mentally unwell, sleep deprived, or both. “Because you are home now and he will have you again. I actually thought once your parents had their little accident that all my Christmases had come at once. That he would finally have you all to himself, just as he always wanted. But, we don’t always get what we want. No matter how hard we try. And part of being in a family is about making sacrifices, isn’t that right Marlee?” She asked, her eyes glazed.

What the fuck?Her grasp on reality was blurred, even talking to herself.

A low pulse in my chest told me my chance of escaping this unharmed was slipping through my fingers. Her eyes danced with delirium, her words mixed and the intonation swooped and soared like a slide whistle at the mouth of an overzealous child.

Looking anywhere but at her, I took a sip of my drink and sat back, my head hung low as she recounted a version of a story I’d also lived for far too long, but from an entirely new perspective. From the perspective of a sister who was so broken she would do anything to escape. Even if that came at my own detriment.

My mug had long ago gone cold, the last few mouthfuls I was unable to stomach, despite the knife she held against my throat when I protested. I felt nauseous and not just because of the grotesque manner in which she lauded my heartbreak like her own personal trophy. How she recounted hearing about the life I lived but knowing ignoring it was easier. Better for everyone.

My eyes stung from the tears I shed while listening to what was her respite but my own personal hell.

I tried to disassociate. Tell myself she was playing games and this wasn’t really her. She was another victim of abuse. But deep down I knew it was more than that. Knew she wasn’t just a victim, but was also deranged herself. No wonder their parents chose not to see them.

“So, Marlee. We’re going to go for a drive. Lucas is going to be so happy with me. And so happy to see you.”

Was Lucas even aware his sister was doing this? Would he care?

“Can I use the bathroom first? Freshen up for him?” I asked, pushing back the bile threatening to surface.

“Yes, good idea. You look disgusting right now. Go clean yourself up.” Her voice, razor sharp, felt like tiny cuts on my skin, her misplaced laughter like citrus dripping into old wounds.

“Leave the door open,” she threw over her shoulder with total confidence. As if I wouldn’t dare to disobey her. And she was right. She’d taken my phone and turned it off so no one would know where I was. There was nothing left to do but hope Lucas wasn’t as deranged as his sister and Gab had been able to speak to Sebastian.

I stood with a grunt. Getting off the lounge without the use of my hands proved more difficult than I would have thought. My jacket was still firmly in place over my wrists, my hands gripping my purse. Not that there was much left – she’d made sure of that earlier, but it somehow felt important.

My feet scuffed heavily along the floor as I passed a bedroom before reaching the bathroom. I didn’t bother trying to run or scream. I was tired. And my body ached. I didn’t have any energy left to even try.

I put my purse and jacket on the basin before using the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror opposite. My eyes were blurry, my head beginning to pound.

I washed my hands and turned to grab my stuff when a thought seized me. A moment of pragmatic clarity amid a sea of fatigue.

A short burst of adrenaline, a welcome kickstart to my heart as I quietly opened my bag, my eyes darting to the door, listening for Lori.

Hurriedly, I left something I knew only Seb would understand, trudging out of the bathroom with a reluctant gait. If I believed anything at this point, it was that he would come for me. He would move heaven and earth to save me and I told myself this as I shuffled along, my feet getting heavier by the second.

I’d not made it far when Lori appeared, another piece of rope in her hands and a wicked grin on her face.

“This next part is going to be fun,” she sneered.

I leant against the wall, any small amount of energy I had left dissipating. I couldn’t even muster the will to panic as she stalked towards me. I tried to focus on her face, read her emotion but my focus was dissipating and the words she spoke next mumbled.

I sensed myself sliding along the wall, my purse and jacket falling from my grip and the sharp tug of her hands in my hair was the last thing I felt before the world went black.

Sebastian

Chapter Forty

Likebefore,myfeetwere on the bitumen before I’d pulled the keys from the ignition. A single-minded focus – find her. The thud of Cooper’s feet hot on my heels was the only other noise as we raced for the door. I scanned the signs, desperately seeking the one I was after, just as Coop signalled he’d found it.

“It’s this one,” he appeared calm, but I knew there was an underlying desperation in his tone. A burning compulsion to find Marlee because I mattered to him and she mattered to me.

I smashed my fist against the door, a dog in a neighbouring apartment barking at the sudden intrusion to the otherwise quiet block. My face was slick with perspiration, more from an intense fear than exertion as I banged another three times, calling for her. My voice wavered somewhere between angry and terrified and Coop placed a steadying palm on my shoulder, when there was still no reply.

“I’m going to go round back and have a look. Kick the fucking door in if you have to,” he said, but was gone before I could reply.

I tried the handle, ready to send my foot through it as Cooper suggested but to my surprise, it opened.

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