“I suppose you’re right,” he says. “We’re keeping her in the basement of the Silent Barn, though. I’m not taking any chances. And that’s final.”
“Fine. I don’t give a shit. But you don’t kill her without my permission. All this woman is guilty of is being a little scared of some admittedly bad people,” I tell them.
I glance over at her. Tears have stained her cheeks. She’s beautiful, even if she can’t feel it.
I personally feel at an all-time low. All of this shit, well, it’s my fault. It always is.
When my first girlfriend died in my arms, it was my fault, too. She was in the business. Maybe we both signed up for the lifestyle, but I’ll continue blaming myself for a lifetime.
That kind of pain never goes away.
“Come here,” I tell her, grabbing her chained up wrists. I make sure the others can’t see my hands, and I slip a key in her palm.
I whisper, “What the fuck were you thinking, huh?”
The guys laugh as I push her into the basement. She walks down the stairs obediently and she avoids all eye contact with me.
“You treat her well,” Jeffco says. “Like she’s your wife or some shit.”
“Yeah,” Andy joins in. “Like she’s your wife.”
I walk back up those stairs and grab the shotgun from the floor. I stick it in Andy’s face and say, “Watch it, boy. I’ll blow your jaw right off.”
They back off for the last time, but I’m breathing like a maniac, feeling the blood coursing through my veins.
I want violence.
There are so many options I could choose. I could shoot a hole through their fat stomachs. Leave them bleeding out on the floor. Why not? Do I need money that bad?
I picture the amount of money I have in my safe. It’s a low amount. About 100 dollars. I sigh and think about my life back home, back when I was worth something. Out here, I have to prove myself, time and time again. Ever since this woman got involved in my life, things have turned upside down.
I slam the basement door and stare at them, wide eyed. “I need a fucking drink,” I say.
“You’re in the right place,” Jeffco says, pacing around the bar. I have to be careful now. I’ve threatened the bastard, and he seems stupid enough to react. For the time being, I need to get out of here.
“Nah, I think I nee
d to head home. I’m feeling a little tired. All this Hunter shit is a bit too much, right now,” I say. “I’ll see you tomorrow or something. You treat that woman well, you hear?”
The both nod. I toss Jeffco the shotgun. “You watch yourself, now,” Jeffco says.
“Don’t you worry about me,” I say. “You know I will.”
20
Caroline
I fucked up. I ran. I didn’t know what to do.
When you’re down underground for that long, in a makeshift cement room, you start to lose a bit of your logic.
I wish I had waited like Rowan told me to. Now he’s so angry with me. I can’t even bare to look at him.
I know a lot of what he’s doing is to protect his own ass. Still, I can’t help but feel a little betrayed.
When he leaves, there’s a darkness that creeps over my soul, and I begin to realize the truth to my life. I have no one. No real friends, no family I can rely on, and no love of my life to fill my void.
In fact, this basement I’ve been put in is the perfect metaphor for my existence. Darkness. The nothing. The blackness. This is who I am.