SAMMYSammy was in a really bad place. She was mostly driven by passion and determination, which her father really hated. He thought she was too self absorbed with the events in her life. Sammy would beg to disagree; the things and people in her life needed her touch. Only then would they be able to be fulfilled. She was the messiah for them. She made them feel better, just like she did Tessa.Oh, Tessa.Tessa was the first best friend she’d ever made. Sure, she had lots of friends, but most of them didn’t seem to want her. Tessa was the only one who actually needed her touch in her life. She was in a messy place then, obsessed with a man who would never love her. It took Sammy weeks—almost a month—to drag her out of that dark place. She showed her enough love to smother her, just enough for Tessa to be drawn to her.“He’s trash,” Sammy said to her the first time they talked about Tessa’s obsession. “He’s not worth it. You’re not supposed to fight a man who isn’t worth it to you.”Tes
HAYDENHe raised Lolita’s arm to his face, inhaling deeply. The infected flesh struck a chord of excitement in his heart. He liked seeing her this way; helpless and needy of his touch. She moaned in her sleep, trying to detach her arm from his grip. She was in too much pain, enough for her to escape into her dreams.He hated it when she tried to run from her problems, seeking solace from her delusions. Did she not see him enough? Did she not see that he loved her? A pang of fury crossed his eyes. Did she wish her lover was there, waiting patiently for her so they could have meaningless talks about the future? He wanted to yank her away from those dreams, to bring her back to reality so she could see his face again.“What are you doing?” Tessa asked quietly behind him. “Did you just smell her?”He nodded, and then kissed her arm where he had drawn the tattoos. “They’re infected. Call the doctor.”“No.”He turned slightly to look at her. “No?”“You pay her too much attention. She’s goin
Brother’s War“We found him.”“Oh yeah?” Hayden inhaled his smoke deeply before turning to face Burly. “If you’re here, then where the fuck is he?”“We found Jarrod Dane, sir. You said we should find them, not bring them in.”Hayden inhaled another puff of smoke to calm himself before he erupted. “Are you always like this, just waiting around for more instructions or you’re just plain stupid?”Burly smiled, somewhat insulted. “I only do what I’m instructed, and you sir, simply asked that we find them dead or alive.”“Find them and bring them to me! What the fuck is wrong with you? For goodness sake.” Hayden rubbed his face in distress. “Just tell me where he is and I’ll meet him myself.”Burly raised a brow. “Are you sure that is wise?”“You could have simply brought him to me if you’re so concerned for my safety.”“There was some information that you withheld from us. Perhaps if you had mentioned it, I would know what you wanted me to do in that situation.”Hayden took a deep breath.
JARRODTessa woke up handcuffed to her bed. She stretched and tugged, calculating the pull and the level of grip on her wrists. It was pretty tight. She was eagle-spread on the bed, her legs and hands wide apart. She waited for the fear to settle in, for her heart to jump out of her chest in fright. It didn’t come. She knew who had done it. There was only one person she was vulnerable around to let this happen.Hayden.He was sitting on a long chair at the foot of her bed. The room was cast in dim red light, so she couldn’t exactly see his face. She was wearing a tailored trouser and a torn white shirt—completely out of character.“You’re awake,” he said.Tessa gulped, the fear now truly settling in at the tone of his voice. It was dangerously low and calm. He was always calm and collected, but this situation was different. Whenever he wanted to have sex with her—which rarely happened—he was extremely rough and excited. He liked to hit her, bite her, and throw her against the wall. He
Death Call The sounds above scared her. Sammy curled into herself, cold as ever. At least the man in the corner was gone and she didn’t have to hear his voice again. He whimpered all night long, even after Tessa left him alone. The next morning she came back into the room, chirpier than she usually was.“I’ll let him go now,” she’d said to Samantha. “Isn’t that right, my love?’ she tucked a finger under the man’s chin so he could look up at her. “You love me, don’t you?”He nodded urgently. Samantha’s heart squeezed at the sight. She knew that Tessa was going to do more horrible things to him, but at least she was considerate enough to not do it in her presence. While dozing off, she wondered what her friend had turned into. This wasn’t the person she knew. Perhaps she had rushed too fast into the friendship. She should have given it more time, studied her enough to prevent Lolita from befriending her too.The noise above started again. A whip slashing the air, a yelp and a particula
ReunionSamantha was again transferred to another unit. She’d been waiting, knowing that they would take her to see Lolly, even if it was the last thing she’d ever see. Jarrod knew the hold he had on her. He kept her locked down in the basement, making Tessa deliver small amounts of water in a cup.“You’re going to stink when you see her, Samantha. You’d like that, won’t you?” he’d said.He was treating it as though Lolita was her lover and she was just pining to see her before she was brutally murdered. The idea of being killed right after seeing her best friend was scary, but not as scary as what Lolita might be going through. She was mostly starved, but Samantha knew to use the water to wash up sometimes. If Tessa pitied her enough in Jarrod’s absence, she might even get a night shower and fall back into her stinky clothes so he won’t know. Another plus was that he was almost never around.She imagined him walking around like a free man, complaining about how he’s not seen his fian
Love and Chaos“I’m sorry,” Lolita started to say, grasping Samantha’s hands to her chest. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. What did he do to you? Oh, my god…”Samantha looked away from Jarrod to focus on the frail being in front of her. “No, no. You didn’t do anything. I wanted to come here myself. I tracked you and now…”“You tracked me?”“Yes. I first went to Hayden—”“Oh, Hayden.” Lolita glanced momentarily at Jarrod, tears streaming down her face. “He’s changed so much, Sammy. He’s been torturing me. He’s real.”“He’s not here.”“He’s by the corner, Samantha, look.” Lolita paused and licked her lips, hope coming into her eyes. “He’s not here? He’s an illusion? He didn’t hurt me? Have I been dreaming all these while?” Her eyes brightened even further. “Have you come to save me?”Jarrod laughed by the corner. He remained where he was, watching the scene before him. Samantha was struck with how mad her friend looked and sounded. She held Lolita’s hands tightly, willing both th
The Search BarHayden had never seen a parent less involved in a child’s life than Lolita’s parents. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, considering his own family practically abandoned him for being the black sheep—asides from other monumental disgrace he usually brought them. But Lolita was different. She was adorable and sweet. How would anyone not love her, not worry about her, not want to know where she was at all times? Samantha wasn’t even family and she was going crazy with worry. A good thing Hayden had been one of the last persons who saw Samantha; it just went out to prove his theory about Lolita being kidnapped and now Samantha was missing too.“She isn’t kidnapped,” Mrs. Adams said. “I assure you, our daughter is fine. We spoke on the phone the day before yesterday.”“Is that so?” Hayden stared at her, not believing a single word. “You spoke to her two days ago and she said she was fine? Are you sure she was the one you spoke to?”Mrs. Adams was clearly offended. “I th