Chapter 10
Texas
The liquor kept pouring down my throat, and he insisted that I have another shot, then another, and so on. I needed to stop soon, or I would be drunk.
I knew that’s what he wanted, and he wanted me to be unable to defend myself. There was a glint in his eye that had me fighting the need to throat punch him and end this once and for all.
But discretion was important. No one could know what I did. Once he was dead I would leave, and no one would really know who I was, and if I really existed.
I didn’t stay in any hotel rooms or use any credit cards. The only thing was my car, and I would ditch it somewhere out of town on a deserted unused dirt road.
“Come on lovey, just one more,” he demanded.
I quickly took the shot and pretended I was wasted. Almost falling off my stool. Vomit threatened to explode as his hands steadied me.
“I think I need to go, n-n-now,” I tell him.
My words were deliberately slurred with a nice stutter at the end. The bartender looked ready to step in. The little hero was a little too late to protect me.
He abandoned me the other night. Maybe he felt guilty and was trying to save me from another bad mistake. Without meeting his eyes, I stood.
I gave a little sway as I stumbled towards the door. I needed him to follow me. I needed him to take me wherever he liked to hide out.
I wanted to do this in a safe, quiet place and I knew this sick fuck had one.
“I’ve got you lovey,” my target said.
The endearment had me biting my tongue. I wanted to punch him in his dick and tell him where to stick that endearment.
“You are so sw….sweet,” I reply.
I use my best drunken slur, singing voice. I perfected it years ago when I was old enough to go to a bar and collect my target. A few times I almost became the victim, not the other way around.
My target grabbed my elbow with a biting grip. It was uncomfortable and nothing like the man from the other night.
“This way, I’ll make sure you get where you need to go,” he tells me.
I smiled sweetly at him and gave him my best doe-like eyes, which made him blink. I knew I was pretty, at least my face was.
I was ugly underneath this dress, and I knew if my mystery man saw more of me, he would have backed away in disgust.
The thought of him rejecting me stung. It was for the best, I reminded myself. The dick directed me around like a dog with a leash, then pushed me into the passenger seat.
I fell into the dark cloth seat hard, almost hitting my head on the steering wheel. I was tilted to the side from the force.
“Thank you,” I say.
I giggled again, and his smile got bigger.
“Don’t worry, lovely, you will be saying that a lot tonight. I can promise you that,” he tells me.
Shivers of disgust raked my body so strong that they almost had me showing my hand.
“I know I will!” I lie.
His smile got bigger as he slammed the door closed and then quickly walked to his side of the car. The drive was shorter than I thought it would be. He had turned up a dirt road about a mile from the bar.
It was an old trail, which looked like it hadn’t been used in years. It was the exact road I was looking for to ditch my car. But this one, wouldn’t be it.
I was going to kill him, and my car shouldn’t be anywhere near this place. The car jerked to a stop, and I could feel his excitement rise to a whole new level.
I let him walk around the car and pull my door open. I blinked at him like a good drunk would.
“Where are we?” I ask.
The confusion was rather perfect if I do say so myself.
“Don’t you worry, lovey,” he replies evasively.
Oh, I wasn’t worried. He’s the one who should be worried. Then, once again he gripped my arm. I knew I would have bruises showing up later.
I was pulled from the car harder than I thought he would, which caused me to stumble slightly.
“Come on,” he demanded.
He was getting impatient. Well, good for him because I was already there.
“I don’t understand?” I tell him.
And honestly, I didn’t. Why was he out here and not in the home Michael had? Why didn’t he bring me where they brought the others?
“I told you not to worry,” he replies.
With that, he started pulling on me harder. My feet fought to keep up as we moved over the uneven ground. There was nothing but dirt and a little gravel.
My shoes had nothing to grip to keep me from sliding. He pulled me in the direction of the shack in front of us. When he pushed the door open, my breath stilled in my lungs.