Chapter 19 (Mandy)

I was cold. Very cold. It felt like my skin had been covered by a thick layer of ice.

Countless times, I had tried to open my eyes and see but everything was dark. Had I grown blind?

No.

Don’t be ridiculous, Mandy, I chastised myself for jumping to such conclusions. Of course, I wasn’t blind. I was simply in a dark place. That’s all.

that thought wasn’t very comforting either. I knew, without a doubt, that Keith had kidnapped me. He had broken into Jasper’s house, drugged me, and brought me to some unknown place.

What worried me the most was Jasper. What had happened to him?

For the millionth time, I struggled against my bonds but all I managed to do was rattle the chair I was sitting in. Already, the rope around my wrists was starting to chaff around my skin.

Tears stung my eyes.

This couldn’t be happening.

Every day at work, I placed myself in direct threat of dying. I did the dangerous job that many others would never think of doing. But this uncertainty was worse. Much worse. I had dragged someone else into my problems. I had put Jasper in jeopardy. For all I knew, he was already dead…

No.

He couldn’t be.

I refused to believe that.

He had to be alive. He just had to.

Just thinking about it made my heart hurt to the point of pure agony. Even though I barely knew the man, I could not picture a world without him. I needed him.

I loved him.

Just then, a loud creak sounded, making me flinch.

I held my breath, muscles tensing in preparation for what was to come. During my detective training, I had gone through plenty of kidnapping simulations. I had learned how to negotiate my way out of one. How to free myself from most bindings. Despite all my training, I could not think straight.

My heart was beating a mile a minute.

Was it Keith? What was he going to do to me?

Flashbacks from our relationship came charging into my mind. I was paralyzed. Keith terrified me. He was the monster underneath my bed that I just couldn’t quite face. I wanted nothing more than to tear him apart – to remove him from my life once and for all – but he was my kryptonite – the one thing that made me weak.

“I see you’re awake. Good.” His voice sounded right in my ear.

I tensed, skin crawling. The taste of disgust formed in my mouth. There were a million things I wanted to say to him but with my mouth gagged, I decided to save my breath. He wouldn’t listen to me anyway. He never did.

Suddenly, he ripped the blindfold from my eyes.

I blinked but still, I could not see.

He snapped.

Overhead, a light flickered to life.

I gulped.

Keith was standing right in front of me, a smug look on his face, arms crossed over his chest, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and his favorite leather jacket. I hated that jacket. He was always such an asshole whenever he put it on. Like it turned him into an entirely different person.

“You look just as gorgeous as I remember you.” He whispered, running his finger along my cheek.

Unable to stand his touch, I squirmed, trying to get away from him.

Roughly, he grabbed me by the chin, grip so tight that it hurt.

“Keith!” I mumbled into my gag.

He chuckled. “You’re cute when you struggle. I can only imagine the fun I’ll have with you tonight. Did you really think you could get rid of me?” He asked. “Did you really think you could dump me without facing the consequences.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade.

My eyes widened. “No!” I screamed as best I could, struggling with all my might.

Still, he advanced right toward me, knife aimed at my face.

Oh, god, please. Don’t let him hurt me. I started to cry harder than ever. I squeezed my eyes, unable to witness what was about to happen.

He grabbed me by the hair, pulling so hard that I thought he would rip it right off my scalp.

I cried out in pain.

And that’s when he sliced through the gag.

At first, I didn’t comprehend what had happened.

The wad of fabric fell into my lap.

My mouth remained open as I sat there, completely frozen.

A second later, he pressed his lips against mine.

I nearly threw up, the taste of him was like vinegar – bitter and disgusting. Desperately, I tried to push him away, but I was vulnerable to his advances. He could do whatever he wanted to me.

The thought just terrified me even further.

What was I supposed to do?

Think, Mandy, think.  my brain had stopped working long ago.

Finally, he pulled away. “Hmm, we will have to work on that. Seems like spending time with the billionaire has tainted you. It doesn’t matter. I’ll make you mine once more. And, this time, you won’t get away.” Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed the side of my neck.

“Stop… please. Keith. You can’t do this.”

He laughed. “I can’t. I’m sorry. And, who exactly is going to stop me? You’re supposed to be a police officer and yet you’ve done nothing but cry this entire time.” He shook his head, running the tip of his knife against my thigh. It was then that I noticed I was wearing nothing but my underwear. I had been so preoccupied with my situation that I hadn’t even realized that I was practically naked.

Now, I had no doubt about his intentions.

No. He couldn’t do this to me. He just couldn’t.

He wasn’t supposed to be a part of my life. That nightmare was over and yet, here I was, staring it right in the face.

“ Maybe you mean that your billionaire will come and rescue you like some kind of fairy tale prince. Well, you can keep dreaming, princess. There’s no one left to save you this time. You’re mine.” He hissed, the blade pressed against the waistband of my panties.

“Please…” I begged but my pleas fell on deaf ears.