Harlow
I was dozing on the couch when my phone rang. Sleep wasn’t my friend lately in between working two jobs and Scott keeping me up late every night. Grumbling, I reached out to the coffee table to answer it. Checking the caller ID, I noticed it was Lisa calling me. Worry hit my gut; why else would she be calling other than if she had a problem. I’d had to go up to her school last week and help her make a complaint about being bullied; I hoped this wasn’t still going on.
“Hi Lisa,” I answered, trying to project an upbeat attitude.
“Hi Harlow,” she said in her timid voice.
“What’s up, honey?”
She started crying and my heart hurt listening to her. “Where are you?” I asked. It wasn’t quite three o’clock so I figured she was probably still at school.
She sniffed. “I’m in the toilets at school. Can you come and get me?” she begged.
“Yes, I’ll be there soon. Just wait where you are; I’ll find you.”
Just under ten minutes later, I pulled up at her school and followed the directions she’d sent in her text as to where she was. When I found the toilets, I entered and called out to her. A door opened and she stepped out; her face was a mess from crying, and her hair was an uneven mess. Someone had cut her hair and screwed it up completely.
I waited for her to say something but she didn’t so I went to her and simply took her in my arms and hugged her. She slowly wrapped her arms around me and then squeezed tighter until she was practically clinging to me; her body wracked with sobs.
We held each other for nearly ten minutes while I waited for her crying to subside. Eventually she pulled away from me and I asked, “What happened?”
“They cut my hair and hit me.”
“Who did that?” I wanted to throttle whoever did this to Lisa.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Can you just take me home?”
I wanted to talk about it; I needed to know the names of these little shits. But I put Lisa’s needs first. “Of course I can do that,” I said and indicated for us to leave. “Come on, let’s go.”
She already had her schoolbag with her; she must have been planning her escape. I got her into my car and started driving towards my house. “Do you mind if we just drop by my house first because I think I left windows open. It’s sort of on the way to your house.”
“Sure,” she agreed.
When we arrived at my house, I made Lisa wait in the car while I quickly ducked inside to shut the windows. I figured that Scott would be annoyed if he knew I’d left them open. As I entered the house, I smelt a smell that I’d never smelt there before. It was a putrid, sweat smell and I quickly covered my nose. I kept walking to the kitchen and came to a stop when I saw what was waiting for me there. My heart froze and panic spread throughout my body.
“Well, hello there, sweetheart,” the biggest guy said with a smile that scared the shit out of me. His eyes flicked over me and he licked his lips He was sweaty and filthy looking and I prayed to God that he wasn’t left alone with me because I wasn’t sure I’d survive anything he did to me.
My legs turned to jelly and I threw out a hand to steady myself against the wall.
“Cat got your tongue?” he leered at me and started walking my way.
I tried to back up but another guy came up behind me and grabbed me, roughly shoving me forward towards the scary guy. Hands reached out and gripped my neck, and in one clean movement, he reefed me forward and turned me before planting me on the seat that was waiting for me.
My heart was beating rapidly now and my arms felt tingly from the fear I was experiencing. Why had I decided to come home and close the freaking windows?
“So, you’re Scott Cole’s woman? Never known him to have a broad.”
“We just met,” I answered him, desperately hoping that it would make a difference to him that I hadn’t known Scott for very long.
His evil laugh sent chills up my spine. “What bad timing for you then, darlin’.”
My mind was racing frantically trying to come up with a way to escape but I just couldn’t see a way out. There were three of them and one of me. Where the hell was Stoney? Tears pricked my eyes; I was sure I was about to die at the hands of these assholes.
“What do you want from me?” I begged.
“We’re actually here to teach Scott a lesson. He’s fucked with us and we don’t appreciate it. Unlucky for you, especially if you’ve just met the motherfucker.”
Another man entered the room and he was even scarier looking than any of these men. His eyes were void of any emotion and his body was tense; he looked like what I always imagined a cold hearted killer would look like. He threw rope at the scary guy. “Tie her hands and legs. I’ve got some calls I’m waiting for and after those we’ll get the party started.” He was standing right next to me now and he ran a finger down my cheek. “Scott’s got good taste. I can’t wait to hear you scream.”