The monster’s lair. A small house on the outskirts of town at the end of Mulberry Street. That was where my torment began. Adam wore the mask of a respectable man. He was active in the community, had a good job by Glendale standards, and was even a deacon at his church. I knew that from the time we spent together when he was trying to convince me he wasn’t going to hurt me. I knew who he really was, though. Facing him was the only way I could put the past behind me permanently. I just hoped Trent and Chase could restrain themselves because there were things I had to say to Adam before I let them unleash hell.
“Hannah?” Adam’s pulled the door open and his eyes were wide with confusion.
“Hello, Adam.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Can I come in?”
“Yes, of course.” He pulled the door open immediately.
Trent and Chase were parked a few houses down and out of sight. I walked the rest of the way to Adam’s house so he wouldn’t see them. My cell phone was on in my purse so they could hear the conversation and if things got out of hand, they would be there in an instant. I was glad they let me do things my way, and at least talk to Adam first. They wanted to do a lot more than talk, and I was going to let them, but not until I said my piece. I needed Adam to understand that I didn’t fear him anymore. I needed him to understand the he might have broken me once, but I was no longer the girl he took advantage of. They could do what was necessary after that. Chase was convinced that Adam was a danger to others and while I had gotten twisted up in his obsession over me, I doubted I was the only girl he had hurt. I hoped others hadn’t suffered because of my silence, but all I could do was make sure it didn’t happen again.
“You’re just as beautiful as I remember.” Adam walked up and put his hands on my shoulders. “Every inch of your flesh, begging for my touch.”
“Keep your hands off me.” I pulled away and turned to face him. “I didn’t come here for that.”
“But you are here.” He took a step closer and locked his eyes on mine. “You’ve been away so long. I’m going to have to punish you quite severely for depriving me of what is mine.”
“You’ll never do that to me again.” I glared at him and took a step back. “So, what did you do exactly, sit here for five years and just wait for me to come back? You said you would find me if I left you—yet you never did.”
“Hannah.” He chuckled and smiled. “Or should I just call you Kayla?”
Oh shit.
“What?” I felt my bravery fading immediately.
“Oh, I’ve known where you were this whole time, tucked away in Chicago where you thought I couldn’t find you. I know everything about you. I know where you work, where you eat lunch, and I even know where you live—well, at least until you set the place on fire. Naughty girl.” He tilted his head to the side.
“You know all of that?” I swallowed hard.
“Yes.” He tilted his head in the opposite direction. “Did you really expect me to just come and kidnap you? I found you, just like I said, and I waited for you to come back. I knew you would return eventually. You always do.”
I lived in fear this whole time—for nothing? No, that can’t be true.
“There’s no way you’d just let me walk away—unless I truly meant nothing to you.” A blank stare formed on my face. “That it, isn’t it? I was just a toy for your amusement.”
“You were more than that, but toys can be replaced. You’re not the only girl in Glendale that likes to be punished.” He chuckled and shook his head. “But don’t worry, I can still make room for you in my playroom.”
“You didn’t build that for me, did you?” I narrowed my eyes and exhaled sharply. “I wasn’t the first one, was I?”
“You needed to believe you were and you wanted to feel special.” He nodded his head slowly. “I made sure you felt that way.”
“What I needed? You hurt me.” My jaw tightened as I listened to his words and I felt my anger rising. “You did things to me that I didn’t want you to do! I begged you to stop, and you just hit me harder. You left scars!”
“Unfortunate—but necessary. I liked to watch you cry and it took more and more to get the reaction I needed every time you returned.” A sick smile formed on his lips. “I’ve gotten better at it since you’ve been away. Why don’t you come down to my playroom and ask the girl that is locked in your old cage.”
“You’ve got someone here right now?” I blinked in confusion.
“Yes, I learned a lot after you left. I prefer not to let my toys wander off these days.” He chuckled and motioned towards the basement door with his hand. “Shall we?”
“Never again.” I shook my head back and forth. “And whoever you’ve got locked in your basement is leaving with me.”
“She’s not going anywhere—and neither are you.” He took a step towards me and clamped his hand around my throat. “You came back for a reason. You came back to taste the pain and you’re going to get more than you’ve ever felt before. I’ll te
ar the flesh from your bones if I have to just to see those delicious tears again. I waited a long time for this moment. I intend to savor it.”
There you are. There’s the monster.
“Thank you.” I forced my words out as I struggled against his grip. “Now I don’t feel so bad about what they’re going to do to you.”
Adam hid the monster he was as long as he could, but when I stared down the beast I once feared, I was no longer afraid. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. It was time to make sure it never happened to anyone again, especially the girl he had locked up in the cage I used to dread. Trent’s boot smashed through the front door. Chase was the first one to get his hands on Adam. I staggered away and coughed. I turned to see Chase land a punch in Adam’s stomach, followed by a knee that appeared to have shattered his nose. Adam tried to walk towards the door in a slanted stagger, but Trent quickly slammed him to the ground. Chase pulled out his phone and called the police while Trent held him against the floor.