Page 57 of Traces of Her

“It’s time to sleep, Lydia,” I tell her as she slowly drifts off and I quietly exit the room.

Rowena is waiting at the door at the top of the stairs when I come up from the basement. Wrapping her arms around my neck tightly, she pulls me flush against her. The fear mixed with relief flows from her body into mine. Pressing my lips against the side of her neck, a small sigh escapes her lips.

“When will this be over?” she whispers as she buries her head in the crook of my neck. Her words, the desperation in her voice wraps around my heart, constricting it.

Smoothing her hair and lightly rubbing her back, I pull back slightly, meeting her worried eyes. “Very soon, love. I promise we’ll be out of here as soon as I can get us out.”

She nods as her eyes become glossy.

“Come lay with me,” I say, pulling her along to the room we’ve been confined to. “I need to feel you close to me.”

She lets me take her to our own secluded space and curls into me as we lie down on the small bed of blankets. Holding her close, her breathing grows slower and falls into an even pace as she falls asleep in my arms.

I lay awake for the few hours we have as just us and hold her tightly until it’s time for us to help finish the job.

Rowena and I walk back down into the basement and into where Lydia is being kept. The tension and unease roll off of Rowena’s body as she stays close to me. I can sense her hyperawareness, taking in everything around the room on high alert. Jared walks over, stopping directly in my face.

“This has been a total waste of time,” he says in a hushed voice. I glance over his shoulder, staring at Lydia. “Come with me, I need help with something.”

Reluctantly, I nod and turn to walk back out of the room, expecting to have Rowena and Jared following behind.

“Griffin will be done with you soon. It’s only a matter of time. And then you’ll be mine, you whore.” Jared’s voice is sickly sweet.

Spinning around, I find Jared with his hand wrapped around her arm, holding her tightly.

“Get your fucking hands off of her,” I growl from the doorway, ready to jump him. Jared drops her arm and chuckles. Rowena’s face is emotionless until her eyes meet mine and immediately soften. “Stay here for now,” I tell her with a quick nod before turning back to Jared. “Let’s go,” I command as we leave the room.

“What the fuck do you need help with now?” I question him as soon as we reach the top of the stairs.

“Okay,” he starts, raising his hands with a grin creeping onto his face. “Promise me you won’t get mad.”

Scratching my forehead roughly, I run my hands back down my face. “Just fucking tell me.”

“If you insist.” He smiles, motioning toward his bedroom. He opens the door, stepping to the side as I walk into another bloody fucking mess.

Literally.

There’s blood all over the bed, some splattered on the floor and the wall. Scarlet’s limp, crimson colored body lies in the middle of the bed, with her wrists bound to the headboard with chains and her feet tied together. She’s stark naked, blindfolded with a gag in her mouth and her throat slashed open from ear to ear.

“What the fuck is this shit?” I bark. “Please, enlighten me on what the fuck happened here.”

“Well, you see.” He smiles sheepishly, lacing his fingers together and shifts his weight on his feet. “I may have gotten a little carried away earlier.”

“A little carried away?” I ask incredulously. “A little carried away?” I raise my voice. “Jared, she’s fucking dead.”

He looks at me stupidly, cocking his head to the side and rolling his eyes. “Oh please,” he scoffs. “Don’t act like you’ve never seen a dead body before.”

Dropping my head into my hands, I stand there slowly shaking it in disbelief. My mind can barely comprehend what is even happening here anymore.

“I’m not cleaning this one up,” I retort. “This one is on you.”

He stares at me with his black dead eyes for a moment before shrugging. “Fuck it, she can rot here, my work’s done here.”

Fuck this.

“I’m going back downstairs, fuck this shit.” I turn around and walk back into the hallway.

“Hey, there’s always some collateral damage,” he says, following behind me.

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