Stay(9)

“I don’t know,” Rochelle said loudly over my cries for help. “She must have done something wrong. Do you want to mess with that?”

“No!” I screamed. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Please,” I begged. “Please!” I sunk to my knees, bawling. I hiccupped a sob and forced myself up. I put my face to the hole and looked out. Lily’s eyes moved to the door, and I caught her eye. “Lily!” I cried. “Help me, please!” She held my gaze for a second, staring into me before flicking her eyes to Rochelle. She bit her lip and shook her head. I sniffled at my runny nose. Was she trying to tell me something about Rochelle? Lily ran a hand over her hair and turned her attention back to Rochelle. “Is she going to keep this up, like, all night? I can’t sleep.”

Rochelle cast a halfhearted look in my direction and shrugged. “Doubt it.”

“Please!” I tried again. “I just want to go home. Please! Help me!” I collapsed against the door and cried until my eyes swelled.

Rochelle and Lily ignored me and undressed. I made myself get up again and look through the hole. Lily looked at me and then quickly away. She pulled her shirt over her head and looked again. Her eyebrows pushed together and she bit her lip, looking conflicted. Then she moved out of my line of sight.

They got into their beds after turning the light off. Like a thousand dark hands, absolute terror grabbed me and pulled me down. My hand slid off the door, and a sliver of wood shoved its way under the skin on my ring finger. I almost didn’t feel the sting of the splinter. “Please!” I called again and broke down in tears.

I collapsed against the door, hitting it with the knob while sobs hiccupped out of me. “Please,” I cried. “How can you just leave me?” I asked, though I knew my words came out incoherently masked by sobs. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

And I didn’t. I did the right thing. I was here because I was trying to help someone. But then again, no good deed goes unpunished.





CHAPTER FOUR





“GET UP,” A gruff voice spoke. Something jabbed me in the side. My eyes flew open, and my hands scraped on the concrete floor in my haste to scramble to my feet. Fear made its way deep into my heart. I hadn’t been in a deep enough sleep to forget where I was or what had happened. I had, however, been out of it just long enough for Zane to take the doorknob from my hands.

The closet door was open, and weak sunlight filtered through a small basement window. Zane stood in front of me, blue eyes narrowed. I looked at him, trembling. He took a step forward, and I flinched. Was he going to choke me again? I crossed my arms tightly over my chest and backed into the wall. I clenched my jaw to keep my lip from quivering.

Don’t cry. Not now. Not in front of him.

“Go upstairs,” Zane ordered. “Nate wants to see you.” I wanted to know who Nate was and what he wanted with me. Zane jerked toward me, and I flinched away again. He snickered at my trepidation. I took a deep breath and tried to force away any visible fear, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing my obvious terror. Jackson stood back but kept his eyes on me. His quiet distance was unnerving.#p#分页标题#e#

“Now,” Zane added pointedly and jabbed my shoulder.

I stepped past him and hesitated, looking around the dingy basement. The card table was several feet in front of the closet, and the row of cots was just beyond that. Jackson tipped his head.

“This way,” he said softly and turned, leading the way upstairs. I blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks. Jackson moved slowly, his muscular body stiff as if he was sore.

The stairs were wooden and worn in the middle from use. There was a splintering railing and only a single, uncovered light bulb above us, offering a minimal yellow glow. Jackson opened the door at the landing and moved to the side to let me pass. Zane slammed it shut when he exited the basement. There were multiple locks on it.

On their own accord, my hands began to tremble. I balled them into fists, digging my nails into my skin. We had emerged from the basement into a large kitchen. The walls were painted a soft yellow and the white cabinets and stainless steel appliances were new. The granite counter tops were gleaming, and there wasn’t a crumb or streak of dirt on the polished hardwood floors. There was a bowl of fruit on the center of a light oak table in the breakfast nook, which had large, four pane windows. Pale yellow flowers had been hand stitched onto the valance.

The sound of chirping birds was carried in on the breeze through an open window. I quickly stole a glance outside and saw nothing but a neatly manicured lawn that stretched for about an acre, then gave way to a forest full of thick trees with dark leaves. Jackson picked up his pace and walked out of the kitchen, through a formal dining room, and into a living room. Both rooms were decorated in such a way that they reminded me of something out of a magazine. Everything was spotless and organized, leaving me to wonder if anyone actually lived here.