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Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tyson
MybodyachedlikeI’d gone five rounds with the biggest dude in the league. Everything hurt, even my throat which was raw and inflamed from the night of the fire and my screams. I would give anything for a drink of water and something to eat. She hadn’t fed me anything but protein bars since I woke up in this hell hole. And I’d only gotten a few sips of water here and there.
She was going to starve me to death.
I had drifted into a pain-hazed, shallow sleep when the sound of the door opening woke me. I groaned, I’d spent all day with her and she was back already. There was a part of me that wanted to pretend I was passed out, but the sound of someone gasping made my eyes snap open.
That sound hadn’t come from Clara.
There was only one, dim light in the shed and it was hard to see anything when it was night, but someone was pushed into the shed. She crashed to the floor with a small cry that sent my heart ricocheting against my ribs.
The door rolled shut with a thunderous clash. The padlock clicked into place from outside.
I stared at the girl on the floor, praying I was hallucinating. This couldn’t be real. She could not be here. My chest constricted as her terrified, blue eyes—clearer and brighter than Clara’s ever would be—met mine.
“Tyson,” she breathed, and any hope I had burst like a soap bubble.
I shook my head. “No.” My voice was a hoarse whisper, causing pain to flare down my throat. “What are you doing here?”
Tears filled her eyes as she struggled to sit up. There was a gash on her forehead where a welt was rising. Blood dripped down the side of her face. “I found you.” She sounded…almost relieved.
My stomach roiled and I thought I was going to puke, but it was too empty for that. I looked away, the panic overwhelming me. “Why the hell were you looking for me, Ellie? This isn’t safe. You shouldn’t be here.”
I looked back and she was on her knees, crawling to me, her hands tied behind her back. I clenched my jaw hard, almost breaking my back teeth. This was too much.
“It’s okay, Ty.” She was in front of me now, so close I could smell her—like wildflowers and salty skin. It brought me both comfort and terror. She shouldn’t be here.
“No, it’s not okay. It’s the opposite of okay.” She didn’t understand the mess we were in—the danger. “She…she hates you. She…she will hurt you.” My eyes burned with sudden tears but I didn’t care. The thought of someone laying a goddamn hand on her made me want to die. I couldn’t save her. Not now. I’d been trying for what seemed like weeks to get out of here. I wasn’t strong enough. I’d barely managed to loosen the rusty legs of the chair I was bound to.
Ellie leaned into me, pressing her face to my chest. Her warmth was a tiny ray of sunshine in this horrible, dark place.
“Ty, are you okay?” Her voice was forced calm, but I heard a slight quiver in it. Good. She should be scared.
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know,” I said truthfully. Everything hurt. My knee throbbed and I think I’d strained it trying to get free. Mentally, I was shredded. My brain felt like mush and now, with Ellie here and in danger, everything was brought to a new level.
She looked up at me, her eyes shining with grief. “Did she hurt you? What happened, Ty? What’s going on?” She searched my face, hers filled with confusion and fear.
“I’m so sorry, Ellie,” I choked out, the weight of everything crushing me. “It’s all my fault.”
Ellie struggled against her bindings, but it was no use. She bit her lip, looking at me helplessly. “It’s not. This isn’t your fault.”
I nodded. “It is.” My head was heavy and I had to work to keep it from slumping forward. My vision came in and out of focus. The exhaustion and lack of food were getting to me, but I couldn’t succumb. Not when Ellie was here. “Clara, she…she’s not right. I didn’t know…”
Ellie shushed me, as if trying to soothe me, but I shook my head. She had to understand. “I hooked up with her. It was a long time ago, but she was…she was in love with me, I guess. I didn’t think twice about it, but she never forgot.”
Her face paled. “You were with Clara?”
There was a hint of hurt in her tone that hit me right in the chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t really even know her. She….she had some kind of breakdown afterwards. She was hospitalized, and it hadn’t been the first time either. I had no idea, Ellie.”
She froze as she took in this information. It was hard even for me to understand. Clara had been talking to me a lot while I was stuck in this shed. She told me of her life, how her father had been institutionalized when she was young. Her mother raised her until Clara started showing concerning symptoms when she was twelve. She ended up being committed from the ages of thirteen to sixteen.
Apparently, I was her undoing when we were in college. I hadn’t known, or cared, back then. I guess this was what I deserved for who I’d been...the things I’d done. But Ellie didn’t. She shouldn’t pay for my mistakes.
“What about Abel? How is he involved in this?”
I blinked at her. I hadn’t seen him much, but he showed up once to punch me in the gut. “He’s…her brother.”
