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My heart ached for the nightmare that was Max’s childhood.
My eyes watered as Max groaned out in pain. The sound of bones crunching and punches landing only backdropped the voice screaming in my head. A voice that kept telling me Hannah was right. A voice that kept telling me I should’ve listened to her. A voice that kept telling me I had made such a bad decision in falling in love with Max.
My heart still didn’t believe it, though.
My heart refused to believe that Max was a bad decision.
His father tilted my head to one side, then the other. And as he studied me closely, my mind fell back to my roommate. The girl who I had once considered my best friend. As much as my heart was angry at me for admitting it, she was right. Just not about Max. I knew Max would never hurt me. I knew he’d never bring me harm. But, I should’ve taken him--and her--more seriously when they warned me how dangerous this life could be. I should’ve listened when they told me about the horrors that might follow him around. About the trouble he might get himself into because of choices he made when he was younger. I mean, I didn’t actually believe Max when he told me I might have to die for him. That my love might mean the difference between living and ceasing to exist.
Nor did I figure it would happen so soon.
I don’t want to die.
I didn’t want to die. I wasn’t ready to die. Nor was I ready to watch him die. This entire situation was so convoluted and so full of bullshit. And yet, I wondered how it could’ve ever been avoided. My mind turned to mush. His father cupped my cheek. And as he pressed into my bruise, I moaned in pain.
“Look at me, little bird.”
Reluctantly, I lifted my eyes to his. “What?”
He grinned. “Good girl. You’re a very good girl, aren’t you?”
“What. The fuck. Do you want?”
He smiled at me. “You don’t deserve this, little bird. You deserve so much more. But business is business. And I’m a man of my word.”
“Wonderful. Yay for those morals again.”
He sighed. “And, unfortunately, we’re all making the necessary sacrifices tonight.”
He released my chin and bent his lips down to my temple. I tried pulling away from him, but he fisted my hair. He kept my head in place as his lips planted themselves against the shell of my ear. I heard him breathing. I felt him breathing. And as I heard Max growl out in pain again, my jaw quivered.
“And among those sacrifices is you.”
My eyes darted around. He couldn't possibly be thinking about what I thought he was. I didn’t do anything! I hadn’t done anything wrong against this man! He stood up and backed away from me. He moved out of the way and I saw a man jump onto Max’s back. The man took him down, pinning him to the ground while another man kept kicking Max repeatedly in the ribs. I wanted to cry out for him. I wanted to scream at him to get up. That he could do this. That we could do this, together.
But fear blocked off my ability to speak.
“Ready?”
His father stepped back in front of me and I started shaking my head.
“No, no. No. You don’t have to do this. Please.”
He placed his foot between my legs on the chair. “I really wish I didn’t have to.”
“Wait. Please. I just--”
He snickered. “Ah, who am I kidding? This is the best part.”
“Maaaaaaax!”
His knee flexed and it was as if everything happened in slow motion. The way Ashton’s body moved. The way my hair flew about my face. The way I caught a glimpse of Max getting to h
is feet before the sky came into view. I heard his father chuckling. I heard gunshots ring out. And as the back of my chair hit the water, I let out a deep sigh.
Let’s see how well I can hold my breath.
I drew in a deep breath through my nose as water surged around my body. I took in one last glimpse of the sparkling night sky before the water closed in around me. Everything went silent. My lungs inflated with air that would soon run out. My bound appendages prevented me from swimming to safety. Nothing was heard but the sloshing of water. The crashing of waves at the ocean. Hannah’s insistent voice ringing out in my head.
