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The air whooshes from my lungs as my limbs flail around me, completely detached from my will. My motor skills are shot, and my body feels weighted with lead.
“Strip her and move her to the tub,” I hear Marjorie instruct. The man from the front gate comes into my misty vision, his lips in a thin line as his hands mistreat me.
“Stop it,” I bark, but it’s weak, the volume not computing from my brain to lips.
“Don’t rip them, idiot. It needs to appear as she undressed herself,” Marjorie snaps. Cold air creeps over my exposed flesh as he removes my clothing. Tears build in my eyes and fall to my cheeks as humiliation stains my soul.
“Shame we couldn’t take another route with this.” The guy sneers, lifting me up to tug my shirt from beneath me. Attempting to fight him, I thrash my body and end up kicking out and gaining purchase. He howls out and growls, “Bitch.” His backhand whips out and collides with my cheek, rattling my teeth and making fire explode over my face.
“Don’t mark her, you imbecile. Get her into the bathtub if you think you can handle a drugged little girl on your own,” she mocks cruelly.
Thick fingers grab at my flesh, digging in and ripping me from the bed. I’m scooped up into an unwelcomed hold, a hard chest I don’t find comfort in, the touch of a man I don’t know breathing over my naked skin. This is all wrong. Emotions clog my throat as he marches me through my own bedroom. Attempting to struggle is futile. His grip is painful, and whatever was in that tea has left me weak. Cool water consumes my body with a splash, cocooning me in its watery depths as he drops me like a stone in the ocean. Gasping for air as my head surfaces, the man’s face sneers above me. His square chin juts out, and slimy eyes creep over my body. Roughly, he pushes down on my shoulders. Maddening panic races through my muggy mind, causing me to call out in incoherent screams, which allows water to infiltrate my mouth.
He’s going to kill me. Drown me and make it look like I did this. My guys will blame themselves. They will think I did this because of the truths I learned from Rachel. They will never know how much I love them. How none of that stuff matters when you’re faced with your own mortality.
I was so stupid.
I had everything and instead of reaching out and grabbing hold, I let pride break me. I let outside interference sway me. Allowed Rachel to infiltrate our happy bubble and burst what we built.
I’m so sorry, Seb. And Ford and Leo and Zac. My heart aches.
“Such a shame you took too many pills and fell asleep in the bath. Suicide is an epidemic lately.” Marjorie’s voice penetrates through my drowning ears as I fight to surface.
I can’t go out like this. My guys need to know.
My hands ball into fists, the nails piercing the skin as I fight for my life, willing my heavy limbs to work, to move, to save me. The blood seeps from my skin. Try and convince people this was suicide, bitch, my mind screams.
I try with every cell in my overwhelmed fatigued body to fight to live, but the strength and water overpower me. I sink deeper, beneath the heavy weight of the drugs and the water. The arms submerge me harder, forcing me to stay under, keeping me there until I’m choking, weakening, losing. The cold liquid chases down my throat, stealing my life from me.
Darkness consumes me.
My life had finally just begun. They made me theirs, and I ran.
Now I’m dying…
I’m dying…
I’m dying…
I’m dy—
There’s no one at the gate when I arrive, which makes my muscles ripple over the bones beneath them. Even if Jack isn’t at the property, there’s always a guard at the gate. I jump from the vehicle and check inside the small security booth, hitting the button for the entrance to open. Climbing back inside the shitty Malibu that almost choked out halfway here, my fingers drum rapidly on the steering wheel, willing the gate to move fucking faster. I check my rearview mirror, but the guys haven’t caught up yet. Hopefully they’ll get here soon.
I’ve never felt anxiety like what she’s put me through in the past several hours. When Zac said she called her father, my heart almost exploded in my chest. I knew I loved her, but I don’t think I truly grasped just how damn much until the prospect of not having her became a real possibility. She witnessed something innocent with Rachel and us, but who fucking knows what shit Rachel has been whispering to her, making it out to be more than what it was.
