Gym Junkie

“Cole, please…”

He opens the car door, grabs a handful of my hair, and he drags me from the car. The gun is still firmly in place. My eyes flicker to the house. Oh no… Brock.

“Ouch!” I cry. “You’re hurting me.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you in a minute. Give me the memory stick.”

“I don’t have it,” I whisper. “I swear, I don’t.”

He hits me hard across the face with the barrel of the gun. Pain sears through my head and I become dizzy before I fall the ground. He kicks me hard in the stomach, and then he pulls me down the driveway and into the forest.

Oh my God, help me.

Brock

I answer my phone and hear Joshua’s deep voice. “Hey, fuck knuckle.”

I chuckle. “Oh, it’s you, you ugly prick.”

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Picking up a phone for a pain in the ass client. What are you doing?”

“I’m still at work. I was calling to see if you wanted to come to Kamala with us. Bring your new girl if you want.”

I walk around the back and struggle with the key. It’s sticking and won’t open the door properly. I stand and jiggle it for a few moments as I try to loosen it. Finally, it clicks and turns.

“When are you going?” I ask.

“June, I think. We’re waiting for the twins to arrive, and then we’ll head over for a month. I’ll be working from there.”

I narrow my eyes as I consider his offer. I’m not even with my new girl anymore. “I’m not sure. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to think about it,” I reply. “Hey, how did you get on at the weekend?” I ask. Joshua played in a major polo tournament over the last few days.

“We kicked some ass,” he tells me. “Hey, Ben told me you are having some issues with your chick.”

I roll my eyes. Now we get to the real reason he’s calling. “Nothing for you to worry about, Nana.” I sigh.

“You know why I’m calling?” He laughs.

“Tell Natasha to butt the fuck out.” I sigh again. Obviously, Tash has made him call and check up on me. “Listen, I got to go. I’m working.”

“Yeah, okay. Think about Kamala. Ben and Didge can’t come this year because of the babies.”

I smile. “Sounds fucking weird, doesn’t it? Babies, as in plural.”

“Fuck, I know. They’re going to know their alive real soon. Catch you later.” He hangs up the call, and I hear the car door slam shut.

Tully must have got sick of waiting and is coming to see where I am. I go to retrieve the phone but it’s not in the kitchen like they said it should be. I go into the living area and check there. I can’t find it. I wander into the bedroom where she was sleeping. Ben said it was on charge.

I dial his number.

“Yeah, what’s up?” he answers.

“Where’s this fucking phone, man?” I ask. “It’s not where you said it was.”

“Oh, it’s in the bathroom.”

“Why the fuck is it in the bathroom charging?” I snap. “Who charges a phone in the bathroom?”

Ben chuckles. “Apparently, if it explodes, it’s less likely to start a fire.”

I roll my eyes, grab the phone and charger, and then I leave, locking the door behind me.

“How far away are you?” Ben asks as I walk down the driveway to the car.

I see the door open, and I stop dead in my tracks. I look up and down the driveway, noticing blood on the ground.

“Fuck, Tully!” I cry.

“What’s happening?” Ben asks suddenly.

“He’s got fucking, Tully. Shit, there’s blood, get over here now!”

I hang up and run down the embankment. I can see drag marks where he has pulled her. There are large drops of blood on the ground, so he’s obviously hurt her. My heart begins to hammer hard, and I run back to my car to grab my hand pistol from under the seat. I run back and slide down a muddy hill under a thick canopy of trees.

I look left and then right, trying to get my bearings. It’s just getting dark and the shadows of the trees aren’t helping. It’s eerily quiet.

What the fuck?

I pant as I try to catch my breath. I don’t want to call out and alert him to where I am, but I need to find them before they see me. I bend to the ground and put my finger through a droplet of blood. My adrenaline surges.

Not Tully. You’re not getting Tully.

“It’s time to give up!” I call out, and then I wait.

Silence.

Fuck, what do I do? My chest is rising and falling as I suck in some much-needed air. I run back to my car and flick open the glovebox, searching through it manically.

Bingo! The memory stick with photos of Hawaii on it.

I run back down the embankment. “I have the memory stick!” I call out.