Page 14 of Hurt to Love
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I might have been jumping off a cliff to land on solid ground, like the proverbial frying pan to the fire. But really, what choice did I have?
I rattled the chain that was secured around my ankles and nodded up to the windowsill by the far door. Taking my hint, he stalked over there and ran his hand across the top, finding the key that they kept in easy reach for when they came in.
He ran back and skidded on his knees as he reached down and made quick work of unlocking the rusty mechanisms. Eventually, they fell open and I stood, wondering what he had planned next.
“I’ve got my car parked up at the front of the house. We just need to get the hell out of here. Let’s run,” he said, grabbing his things off the floor.
I shook my head and yanked at the collar that had been a millstone around my neck for the past eight months. We weren’t going to get anywhere fast if I still had it on. Quickly, I darted past him and out of the barn door. Behind me, I could hear his footfalls coming up fast. I think he thought I was making a run for it away from him, but when I turned and headed into the garages, he stopped in his tracks.
“What are you doing?” He watched me scrabbling around for what I needed from the shelving at the side of the garage. He had one eye on me and one of the main house. I knew I was tempting fate, staying on their property for longer than I had to. But if this was going to be my escape, I wanted to do it right.
Suddenly, I saw what I needed and I grabbed it, pushing it towards him for him to take and use.
“Bolt cutters?” He stepped forward and took them from me, and I bent over a table against the wall and moved my hair to the side. At that precise moment, I didn’t care if he slipped whilst working them and cut me. Anything was better than living the life I was.
He brushed his fingers over my neck, moving some stray hairs from his path. Then he lifted up the collar and sighed.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
He slid the cool metal of the cutters against my skin and I braced myself for pain.
“I’ll try my best.”
He clamped the bolt cutters down on a grunt, and I felt the collar tighten at the front of my neck as he made the first cut.
“One more, then it’ll be off.”
He spun the collar around to cut the opposite side, and as he clamped down a second time, I felt the metal, which had enslaved me for months, slide to the floor with a subtle, quiet clink. The relief and loss of weight wasn’t just felt around my neck. I felt it everywhere, right down to my very soul. I was free.
I ran my hands around my now naked skin, my eyes finding his in the darkness. Then we heard it, the sound of men coming out of the main house. They were coming for me.
“We don’t have time for this.” Cillian lurched forward and grabbed me around the waist, hoisting me onto his shoulder and running for the side door that led to the edge of the gardens. We couldn’t go back the way we’d come. The men who’d just left the house would see us, and then we’d both be fucked, well and truly.
I tried to push myself up off of him, get myself to the ground so I could run by myself, but Cillian was having none of it.
“I know you don’t like being touched, but stop fucking wriggling and let me run.”
I clawed at his back, trying to get myself the upper hand, but it was no use. He was stronger than me. Not difficult after living on the basic rations I’d grown used to. My energy levels weren’t the best.
He flew around the side of the house with his arms wrapped around my legs, panting like a dog. Before I knew what was happening, he was lowering me to the ground and opening a car door. I swayed and stumbled forward as he pushed me onto the front seat. Then without even stopping to see if I was inside, he slammed the door shut and ran around to the driver’s side.
“You’re gonna love my driving, baby.” He laughed, like it was all some great game to him, and we hadn’t just done a runner from two of the most evil, sadistic fuckers it’d ever been my displeasure to meet. “Buckle up, sweetheart.”
The car sped away, and I was plastered back against the seat with the force at which he was travelling. My hands were shaking so badly I couldn’t even touch the seat belt, let alone put it on. And as fast as the car was racing, so were my heart and my mind. What the hell was I in for now?
I drovedown that driveway like I was Lewis fucking Hamilton. I could see the Contis and a few of the security guys spilling out of the main doors of the house, pointing down the driveway at me and racing to get into their cars. They’d have a job trying to catch me up though. I would be long gone by the time they got their asses into gear.
I glanced to the side of me, where Wednesday sat gripping the edges of her seat like she was on a rollercoaster. She looked terrified. Like a wounded animal that’d been tricked and trapped into a vet’s cage. Ready to be taken somewhere and healed, but having no idea that was what lay in store for them, instead, bracing themselves for more pain and lashing out at whoever came near. This wasn’t going to be an easy road for her, I knew that. But I wasn’t a quitter, not when someone needed my help. So, I made a vow that I would stand by her. I’d busted her out of there, after all. I owed it to her to get her straight and give her a life back.
I drove around the city streets, trying to plan my next move. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about what to do next. All I’d focused on was getting her out of there. I’d make a shit James Bond. Johnny English was more my style.
I could sense her whimpering next to me, so I turned the music on to try to calm her down. Kings of Leon belted outSex on Firethrough the stereo; not the most appropriate song for our journey, but it was a good tune so I let it slide. I felt my mobile phone vibrate in my pocket. No prizes for guessing who was calling me. I let it go to voicemail and carried on through the dark streets, heading to the one place I knew I’d get the support we needed.
* * *
Twenty minutes later,I pulled into the underground car park at Jackson and Ryley’s apartment. I swung into a parking space close to the elevator and cut the engine. Looking across at Wednesday, I could see her eyes were wide and she was ready to bolt at any moment.
“I know you want to run. Believe me, I’d feel the same in your shoes. But please, let me help you. These people we’re here to see, they’re good people. They’ll help us.”
