Page 129 of Between Regrets and Promises

Blinking, I see his fuzzy figure in front of me, and when my eyes finally focus, I see the devil is still taunting me.

“You’re such a little cock tease.” I hear the smile in his voice. He’s giddy as fuck knowing he holds all the power over me and can easily strangle me until I lose consciousness. I don’t know how long I was out before, but my dress is ripped, and my bra is exposed. All I want to do is hide from him, but he’s determined to steal every last shred of my dignity.

“Smile for the camera, sweetheart,” he purrs, snapping photos of me. “Oh, speaking of, I never showed you the pictures my brother sent me of you.”

Just when I think it can’t get any worse, it does. Dalton grabs my hair and jerks my head back, forcing me to look. After scrolling through his photos, he turns the screen around for me to see. What I see on his phone are intimate pictures I took for Weston. Along with pictures Weston took of me when I didn’t know. I’m disgusted.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t jerk off to your picture a handful of times. That ass, Sophie. I might need to have a little taste before I end you,” he says, adjusting his noticeable erection.

“You might as well kill me now then,” I say, holding back the urge to vomit all over him. “You fucking disgust me!”

Dalton shakes his head. “Oh no…I’ve got a list of things to do to you first. Cut off your fingers, one by one. Shave your head so I can have that gorgeous dark hair as a keepsake. Can’t forget knocking your teeth out. Can’t risk anyone identifying you. No ID means no way to link it back to me. But I’ve decided to add fucking you to my list too. My dick is fucking hard and needs relief, Sophie darling. You’re probably wet for me, aren’t you? My cock will ruin that cunt in no time, and then I’ll jerk my cum all over those perky tits.”

I dry heave when his hand slips into his pants and he touches himself. My head pounds so fucking hard, and each time I gasp for air, pain radiates through me.

“Fuck you.” I spit out blood.

I’m done with begging. It does no good with him anyway.

“Keep it up, and I’ll cut your goddamn tongue out too.” He inches closer and slides the knife down my cheek, then puts the cool blade against my lips. “After I make you suck me off, of course. Should we start now? Send your boy toy a video?”

While I’m more afraid than I’ve ever been in my life, I can’t show it. Mentally, I begin building a wall between reality and where I wish I was right now—with Mason. I picture us on the couch, watching our Netflix shows, and laughing together. I take myself out of the nightmare I’m currently living and force myself inside my fantasy.

My eyes flutter closed as he continues rattling off the horrible things he’ll do to me all the while pulling at me, touching my chest, and sliding his fingers down my stomach. I remain still, feeling numb, no longer giving him the power to control my emotions.

I think about Mason. He’s already had to find one girlfriend dead. It destroys me to know what this will do to him, and I canonly hope he’ll be okay and can move on one day. Maddie and Lennon come to mind and Allie Cat. I’ll miss my niece growing up, miss Lennon getting married and holding their new baby. The realization that I won’t be around is almost too much to handle, but the quicker I come to terms with it, the quicker I will be at peace before he ends it all for good.

Dalton won’t make it easy. He wants revenge for his brother’s death and sending Mason pictures is only the start. He won’t let me out of here alive, that much is obvious.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

MASON

“Driving around isn’t doingus any good,” Hunter says from the back seat of the truck. “They could literally be anywhere.”

Liam agrees, and I stay busy scrolling through the text messages Dalton has sent over the past hour. Learning Sophie wasn’t at Weston’s nearly ripped my heart from my chest. I hoped he’d be there and make it easy for us to save her, but obviously, I underestimated him.

I’m not sure what the hell to do now or where to start. I feel so fucking hopeless, but I refuse to give up. Knowing what he’s done and what he’s doing now, I can’t risk calling my dad or the cops. He’s smarter than any of us thought, and I think about how he must’ve orchestrated attending the grief meetings with the intention of befriending Sophie.

My thoughts wander to how he found her, and then I remember she went to Weston’s funeral, but Sophie didn’t even know he had a brother. But if Weston told Dalton, he could’ve sent him pictures or details of their relationship, for all she knows. He probably started stalking her that same weekend.

Being sweet and compassionate, she allowed him into her life without a second thought. I grit my teeth, growing angrierwith every passing second, and swallow down the lump lodged in my throat.

“We should go to the house and try to figure out what the fuck to do next,” Liam suggests, but I’m so lost in my head that I don’t reply. I’m angry and in shock that this is really happening. I keep hoping I’ll wake up from this fucking nightmare. I’d do anything to switch places with her right now, anything to take away the pain she’s enduring.

When we pull into the driveway of the house, Hunter’s phone rings. “It’s Lennon,” he says, forcing a smile as he answers.

“Hey, baby. What’s going on?” he greets, putting her on speakerphone.

I hear Lennon on the other line, not suspecting a thing, not knowing how much danger her sister is in, until she asks about Sophie. Hunter grows quiet, and Lennon calls him on it. Hunter tells her not to come over while explaining what’s going on. Lennon is as hysterical as I feel.

“I’m calling the cops.” Her words ring out.

“No!” Hunter grows more serious. “If you call the cops, you’re only putting her in more danger. We’re looking for her now. We’re gonna find her, and if we don’t soon, then we’ll get the authorities involved.”

Liam gets out of the truck, and I follow him inside as Hunter lingers outside, trying to calm her down.

“You need to call Jerad,” Liam tells me as he paces around the living room, brushing a frustrated hand through his hair. “See if he has any other information or what can be done. We’re losing time.”

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