Rescue Me(75)

He grabs my arm and forces me to follow him out of the room and when we enter the kitchen he directs us toward the back door.

“The cops are outside, Joel. You’re not going to get very far.” My voice is unsteady.

“Don’t you think I know that? I’m not stupid, Erin. Not like your fucking boyfriend who left you here.”

Oh, God, no. What if he has done something to Adam? I can’t do this. I know he is going to kill me, I just know he is. I have no other choice but to scream and so I do. I scream as loud as I can.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He jerks me back inside by my arm and turns me to face him. I see him reach into his jacket and pull out a gun and he jabs it into my stomach. “Don’t fuck with me, bitch or I will shoot you right here and then I swear to God I will take Sierra and no one, I mean no one, will ever hear from her again.”

He twists my arm and pulls it behind my back and just as he opens the back door I see Shelby running in.

“Let her go!” she screams as she grabs him by the hair. I try to yank myself free but he pulls on my arm even tighter. I grimace from the pain that is shooting up my arm. I don’t know how he does it between holding onto me and with Shelby pulling and tugging at his hair and yelling at him to let me go, but he spins us around, and the next thing I know the gun is pointing directly at my head.

“Let go of me you bitch, or I swear I will shoot her right here.”

Shelby wobbles on her feet and lets go, taking a couple steps back.

“You’re still feisty as hell, Shelby. Are you still a fucking virgin, too? Of course you are, you were always a fucking prude and a pain in my ass. Maybe I should take that virginity from you, what do you say to that?” Oh, God, no, no, no. “Come here Shelby,” Joel rages as he puts his arm around my neck in a chokehold. He removes the gun from my temple and points it at Shelby. I hear the trigger click.

“Joel, stop. I’ll go with you. Come on, let’s go. Just leave her alone, please.”

“Oh, so when it’s convenient for you, now you’re going to talk. You play this game by my rules, Erin. But in spite of how bad I would love to stay here and fuck with your little sister more, I have plans that involve you and me. Now go say goodbye because this is last time you are ever going to see her.”

He releases me and pushes me in Shelby’s direction. My palms are sweaty, my heart is racing, and my entire body feels numb as I inch my way toward my sister. The minute I have her in my arms we both begin to cry uncontrollably. I slowly stroke her soft hair in my hands and I take a deep breath to try and remember her sweet scent.

“That’s enough. Let’s go.” Joel grabs the back of my sweatshirt and pulls me away from Shelby.

“Please don’t do this, Joel! She has a daughter, please don’t do this.” Shelby is crying hysterically.

“Jesus, shut your fucking mouth about that damn kid, would you?”

The venom spewing from Joel’s mouth about his own child is unfuckingbelieveable. I need to get us out of here before this wakes her up. I can’t have my daughter be a witness to this. It will haunt her for the rest of her life. This situation is going to be hard enough on her as it is.

“Shelby, look at me,” I plead through my tears. “Take care of her for me, and tell her...Oh, God, tell her she is the best daughter, and tell her I love her.”

I am sobbing right now and this, this person who I don’t even know is taking me away from everyone I love. How is Sierra going to survive this?

“Please don’t do this, Joel. Please,” Shelby begs some more.

He’s not listening to her anymore as he opens the door and points the gun into my back.

“Erin! I love you!” Shelby races out the door after us.

“I love you, too.”

I can still hear Shelby’s words ringing in my ears over and over as Joel makes us run through the backyard and through the small wooded area behind the house. He doesn’t say a word until we are standing next to a dark colored car.

“Give me your hands.” He grabs my chin and wrenches it to face him. “Don’t fuck with me, Erin. I said, give me your hands.”

And I do. I stick my hands out and stand there as he takes out a roll of tape and winds it around my wrists, binding them together. He then reaches down and unlocks and opens the back door of the car and I assume he wants me to get in.

“I am not getting in there, Joel.” He looks at me and tilts his head to the side.

“You either get in there or I will fucking shoot you right here, Erin. Your choice.”

He pulls out his gun and aims it at me.

“Shoot me then, because no matter what, I am dead already. I hope you rot in hell for what you have done.”