Page 78 of Cedar Edge
Slowly, so very slowly I take a long inhale, the air reeks of tequila and cologne. My stomach heaves and I force myself to remember the smell of Logan and Ace. I want to cry when I think of Law, the way he kept reaching for me, the way the bullets wentthrough his body. I’ll never forget how his body looked hitting the ground.
“I know you're awake.” The business voice of Royce needles at my head as he clears his throat. I’m unable to suppress the soft cry that parts my lips when I shift my body around. He snorts, shaking his head. “Cut the shit Theadora, you did this to yourself. Between running and allowing that bastard to cover my mark, you’re lucky all I did was beat you.” Pushing to a stand and buttoning his suit jacket he shakes his head with disappointment.
“Fuck you Royce. Stop laying your poor choices at my feet.Youdid this to me.” I glare at him, tears shining in my eyes for the things this man took from me.
“Those animals really let you go didn’t they?” He trails off for a moment, the sneer on his face painted on like cheap lipstick. “You are going to take far more work now to get back into the condition I expect from you.”
I snort in an attempt to cover the fear the words inspire in me as I shift a bit on the mattress, or at least as much as I can given my hands and legs are bound tightly. The rope cuts into my bare skin with no give on my wrists but my legs? That's a different story, the rope is a bit looser there and hope surges through me.
“They’ll come for me. You can’t hope to survive this Royce, let me go.” I don’t promise his life will be spared because one can’t promise Death won’t take your soul. And no matter what Royce thinks, Death will come.
His fist comes to purchase on my throat, dragging me up from his disgusting bed and shoving me against the wall. His face spreads into a wide smile, an unhinged, crazed look entering his eyes. “You think they are coming for their whore?”
I cough out a laugh. “You taking the tracker out won’t stop them, they’ll find me. They know it’s you who took me.”
My vision has black dots throughout it as I try to stay focused on the words vs the pain and desperate attempt to breathe. Even as I blink over and over again I still can’t seem to clear them, my heart rate starting to pick up as panic sets in at the idea of going unconscious once more.
I need to stay calm. I need to buy myself time.I repeat the mantra over and over until my heart seems to finally slow, and while the dots don’t seem to go away they don’t get worse.
Royce releases me from his fist, my body slumping to the ground as he laughs, looking down at me. “Which one is coming for you? The dead sheriff in the snow? The assassin whose organization has suddenly decided to cut ties with him?” My mind goes blank at his words even as my stomach bottoms out. I watch as he drags his cell phone from his pocket, shooting off a few texts. “Or maybe it’s the tattoo artist who was the victim of a house invasion gone wrong.”
“What did you do?” I whisper the words out in horror.
“I did what I had to do!” Royce hisses. “They were always with you, or fucking you! I had to distract them, get them away from you.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “No, you can’t kill them. They will be fine. You are delusional if you think whatever traps you laid will catch them.”
The laugh that echoes from him sends chills down my spine as he edges closer to the spot I’m propped up. When he leans in I can see the way his eyes are bloodshot now, see the toll this whole thing has taken on him and I can see the unhinged madness that's been let loose.
“The people Ace works for want him gone, he’s become a liability ever since he stole you from me.” Horror freezes the blood in my veins as he continues to talk. “He’s already long gone, even before your fucking cop hit the snow. No one is coming for you. You are all mine.”
“Oh my god,” My stomach heaves and I want nothing more than to vomit up the bile pooling in my mouth. My mind whirls as reality sinks in. If they aren’t coming for me.. Because they can’t… this is it. This is my life.
“I did you a favor. I did us a favor really, see, they were the reason our relationship was fucked from the start.” He looks at me with wide eyes, eyes that beg to be understood but all I can do is look on in shock. His words take on a frantic tone and I know, without a shadow of a doubt he believes the ramblings he’s spouting. “After all, if they hadn’t existed you wouldn’t have ran. They poisoned you against me. You see it right? We can be together now. Forever.”
A calm washes over me. One that is fueled by a single purpose and it’s what makes me nod slowly, eyes wide. “You did good, Royce. I’m sorry. I was just surprised.”
“Of course I’ll need to punish you for everything you allowed to happen.” He goes on before once more taking his phone out of his pocket. He scowls down at the message. “I have to take care of something. I’ll be back shortly.” He exits the room in a wave of cheap tequila, the lock of the room engaging and leaving me alone with my grief and fear. And yet, it doesn’t drag me under, not like it should.
Royce still sees me as his little doll to dress up and play pretend with.
He’s forgotten one thing.
Even dolls can kill.
And I won’t allow myself to grieve those I’ve lost until the man responsible for their deaths joins them in the afterlife.
Chapter Thirty-One
“The Amanita Family contains one of the most lethal natural poisons that we know of.”
-Fez Inkwright,Botanical Curses and Poisons-
Thea
Three weeks.
That’s how long I’ve been here.
