Page 41 of Like Fathers, Like Son
It was one of those epic dumb moves that women in movies or books made, where you’d be shaking your head and tutting at them, for being so dumb. Iwasdumb though, wasn’t I? Because somehow I hadn’t expected this from a guy who’d obsessed over me as a kid.
“Unlock me, Anneka,” Blaze murmured quietly, his head lolling on his shoulders slightly. Was he still feeling the effects of the drug?
“No.”
He groaned, a shudder running through him as his head thudded back against the wall, and I could see a pained look on his face.
“P-please…”
“What… what’s going on?”
He curled in on himself, gasping out in pain and then his body started twitching rapidly. What the hell? Was he having some kind of seizure? What if the drugs had caused it? What were people supposed to do for someone having a seizure?
The cuff clanged against the bed leg, and I realised the first thing I should do is free him, so I scrambled across the floor, dragging the key from my pocket as I moved.
I lunged over Blaze’s prone body, and struggled to get the key in the lock while he was shuddering so intensely. As I finally popped the cuff open, Blaze’s hand slipped lifelessly from it, his body suddenly stilling and falling silent.
Oh god. Was he dead? If he died in here, I’d be doomed to die too! I rolled him onto his back, cupping his face in both of my hands like somehow that’d help me figure out what was wrong with him. His eyes flickered a little, but didn’t open fully. Was he okay? Would he wake up?
His eyes popped open at the same time as he suddenly latched that same cuff around my wrist, locking me to the bed leg. A slow smirk appeared on his face, and I realised I’d been duped by the asshole.
“People like you are so easy to manipulate, Anneka. You might think you hate me, but you’re one of those idiots who think everyone’s worth saving. I’m not, but you missed your chance.”
He sat up, his hands looping around my neck as he moved.
“You’re mine, Anneka, but no matter what you do, you can’t fix what you did. No matter how much you try to make up for it, you’ll always be the bitch who destroyed my family.”
He squeezed my throat with both hands, and I pulled frantically at them with my one free hand. Blaze’s eyes were fixed on mine as I started to gasp and choke, my eyes pleading with him because he’d stolen my breath, and I couldn’t utter a single word.
“Here’s what we’ll do. I like the idea of you being pregnant, so I’m gonna keep fucking you until you give me a child. Our baby. Our offspring. The culmination of Blaze and Anneka. Only at that time will I decide whether I want to keep you here.”
He grinned widely, even as the room started to dim as lack of oxygen became an overwhelming issue, even worse than his horrifying words.
“If I decide I don’t want you anymore, nobody will ever find your body.”
25
Blaze
OnceAnnekahadpassedout, I got her back up on the bed, cuffed properly once more, and headed downstairs. I still felt off balance, and my memories of what had happened in that bedroom were hazy.
I sat in the living room with a coffee, and picked up my phone, surprised to find it was exactly where I’d left it. Had she not even tried to get help? It was locked and needed a passcode, and my eye, but still. It was almost like she wanted to be here.
I dialled home, and heard my dad, Dory, pick up.
“Hey dad,” I said, clearing my throat when it sounded a little weak.Damn drugs.
“Hey kiddo, how’s it going?”
I gulped some coffee as I pondered what to say, since I’d made such a fucking mess of things already.
“Blaze?”
“Yeah, sorry… it’s uh… she’s here, but uh… it’s going, I guess.”
He groaned. “How badly is it going, Blaze? She won’t be open to staying at first, but it takes time to build what you have now into something real. Trust me.”
“I know. I know all about what you guys did to mum, but I guess I thought it’d be easier than this.”
