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Using my healthy arm, I pushed myself to a sitting position, and tore off the sweaty shirt. The movement almost floored me a second time, and I once again regretted the decision to do this on my own. But the room was empty. The sound of a shower somewhere on the other side of a closed door let me know Johnny was up long before me. As if he ever slept.
Clutching the arm to my stomach, I held on for my life, praying that immobility was going to ease the pain while my eyes searched for the tablets.
“Bloody hell, Marc!” Johnny shook his head at me as he came from the bathroom. His hair was wet, dripping water down his chest as he searched the bag for a shirt. He found a black t-shirt and put it on, smoothing it down his abs while eyeing the bandages on my arm and shoulder.
“How did you do that?” He asked, motioning to the dirty shirt thrown to the floor at my feet.
“I’m not a baby,” I muttered. “I can dress myself.”
He rolled his eyes, throwing another clean shirt at me. “Fine!”
My eyes traveled to it, already knowing it was going to be a tight fit. That was if I could even get it on.
“You wanna shower first?” he asked, confused by my lack of action.
I wanted nothing more, but how could I? I could barely move my left side. I didn’t see myself getting out of these wraps, let alone being able to wash myself and then get dressed, without bringing on another shockwave of agony. When the goddamn shoulder was still, it was manageable. I couldn’t jeopardize the brief relief it gave.
“I need another one.” I nodded toward the box of pills sitting on the small wooden table.
“That’s not—”
“Don’t fucking lecture me.”
“Marc…”
My scowl made him sigh and shrug. “You wouldn’t let me take two that fast,” he muttered. “Plus, you know what they do to you.”
“You don’t know what this damn shoulder does to me.”
He grimaced, shaking his head. “I’ve had my share of injuries. Can take a decent guess.” He hesitated, then sighed. “It’ll knock you out.”
“That’s the plan.” I gave him a twisted grin, swallowing the pill and waited for the lull of sleepiness to save me from myself.
“This is a fucking bad idea,” Johnny muttered as he helped me lay down with the least possible movement to my shoulder.
Getting out of the house was almost too easy. All I had to do was trick Alex into coming to my room, then pour threats over him until he caved under the pressure. I knew his dirty secrets. That gave me an advantage, and I used them well. No remorse. No guilt. Those feelings would chase me and later catch up. But now, survival was my top priority and staying here with a psychopath father-in-law-to-be, didn’t equallivingin my book.
As we stood outside the east corner, where no window overlooked the road leading away from the mansion, and no guards ever patrolled, I couldn’t relax. It was too easy. It made me suspect it was all a test. That at any given moment an entire squad of men would burst from the bushes and trees, pointing their weapons at us and demand me being taken back.
Nothing happened. Only Alex’s voice piercing the thick darkness that made me sharpen my eyes to see anything in the lurking shadows.
“You’re making a mistake.” The desperation in his voice almost made me pity him.Almost. Then I remembered how healmosthit me. How healmostforced me to marry him. And thealmostvanished.
“Even if Marc is alive as you claim, why should I stay here with you?” I snapped.
Something dark came over his face, and I gulped, wishing I could take my words back. There was no need to be rude. The guy was under as much pressure as I was. If his father hadn’t already broken him, he would.
“Come with me!” I said in the spur of the moment. “Take your boyfriend and be free.”
He laughed, a cold sound that made my skin crawl. “It’s not that easy.”
“It can be.”
“You’re so fucking naive,” he muttered. “Do you think dad will let us live happily ever after? He’ll chase us down as kill us both.”
Fear gripped my spine. That was something I should have thought about before standing outside the perimeter of the estate, ready to run.
The moon shone down on the road under my feet, casting long shadows over the dark asphalt. “Will he chase after me too?” I asked in a small voice.
