Page 77 of Has-Been
The Bad Guy
Theyweresofuckingdumb. Honestly, they had no idea how close I was, or how much I knew of their pissy little efforts to try and weed me out. And last night? Last night was a fucking three pronged attack that they never saw coming. They couldn’t be prepared for me, because I was smarter than every last fucking one of them.
Yeah, my main target had been Has-Been, because that smug fucker was asking for it. He popped the VP’s sister’s cherry and survived? It was about time that fucker’s charmed life came to an end. Pouring the pre-mixed paint into his stupid locs? That was genius, because that shit wasn’t just paint after being mixed for spraying, so it was like glue. I’d been tempted by using glue, but yeah… I’d already used most of it on the doors.
See, I figured I’d have to take him out when I lured her out of her room, but he made it too easy. Having a spat with his bird, then hiding out in the spray bay like that. Pathetic. Fucking up his stupid hair and those fucking traitorous colours… that was just the beginning.
When I’d finished with these bastards, they’d all be mourning their women, and dying in agony. It was the way it had to be.
Forty-Eight
IwascoldwhenIwoke up next. I think I kept dozing off because of the head injury the bastard had given me, because why else would I even be able to sleep when I was in so much danger?
I was still in that same room, but I suddenly realised why I was so cold. I was only in my underwear now, and my hands and ankles weren’t tied anymore. How did he undress me without waking me? It was then that I realised the uncomfortable thing wedged against my hip was the remains of my jeans. He’d cut them off. He’d cut my clothes off and left me in my underwear. I scrambled into the corner and hugged my legs against my chest, trying to cover myself up with all I had left.
I started shivering then, but it wasn’t because of the cold, it was because of the fact that I was in the worst kind of danger a woman could be in. I was half naked and trapped with a man who’d already made it clear that he planned to force himself on me. A man we already knew had raped and killed other women.
I wanted Has and Seth to turn up and save me, before he could do anything more to me, but I didn’t even know if they were safe or alive. He’d led me to believe he’d mortally wounded Has. Was he lying? Was Has out there looking for me? Or was he cold and lying on a slab somewhere?
I think a piece of me died inside, just at the thought of that. We’d barely had a chance together. He’d been so sweet and considerate and patient with me, and he’d asked me to be his old lady. Why weren’t we going to get that chance? Why did this have to happen?
“You look so pretty curled up in the corner like a terrified little mouse.” I flinched at his voice and cast my eyes around the dimly lit room. I couldn’t see anyone in here with me. How could he be in here and not be, all at the same time?
“Yeah, I can’t be there with you right now, baby girl. Gotta be seen at the clubhouse as much as possible, so they don’t know I’m their nemesis and all that jazz. Don’t worry though… I’m spending this idle time planning all the things I’m gonna do to you. Just means we both get to enjoy the uh… unplanned edging. I, for one, will be jerking off while I watch you cowering in the corner like that. Remember that, Elise… I can see you any time I want, so even though I’m not there, I’ll know if you try to escape. Remember this too… right now, I can get at any number of people you care about. You piss me off, and they’ll pay.”
My mind was racing after his last statement, and even though he didn’t speak again, all I could do was curl up in the corner, knowing he could see me, while I worried about everyone I cared about. That, and what the hell he’d do to me, when he got away from there and returned to me.
Has-Been
WhenRocketreturnedtothe clubhouse, he was dragged straight into Reacher’s office, along with Stitch and me. There was no fucking way they were keeping me out of things, and no amount of telling me to wait had made even a tiny difference.
“Sit.”
Rocket sat down, frowning in confusion, looking from Reacher to Stitch and then at me, although there was no sign of recognition when he saw me. That was how different I looked with my new shaved head, and of course no cut, because that fucker had destroyed it.
“Has, you sit down too, dammit.”
Rocket’s head swivelled again and then his jaw dropped.
“Fuck me. I didn’t even recognise you, man. What the fuck happened?”
I opened my mouth to yell at him, and Reacher silenced me with a fist slamming against his desk.
“Rocket, explain your fucking absence all night. Right the hell now.”
Rocket grimaced, scratching at his short hair.
“Ah. Yeah, look, Pres… I’m sorry about that. I know I was supposed to clear it with you guys…”
Stitch lunged at him, grabbing his cut as he leaned close and shook him.
“Where the fuck is she?!”
It took Reacher’s help for me to drag Stitch away from Rocket, because he was like a fucking rottweiler once he got started, and he was losing his shit, just like I was.
Rocket was smoothing his cut, and everything about him was so familiar, because I knew him so fucking well, or at least I thought I did. We did the spray jobs together. We did the signage on Lissa’s place, and various other jobs around town. Hell, we did the old lady tattoos together too. The thought that he could have done all of this, well… I was struggling with it more than I realised.
“Please tell me you didn’t do this, man. I trusted you.”
