AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was sick and tired of Dan, too. Lately, his drunken episodes had grown worse. I wasn’t sure if he was popping pills or what was different, but he had recently turned into even more of a challenge.
The slam of a kitchen cabinet startled me, and I laid still, pretending to be asleep in case he staggered toward my room. My arm was already sore, and I didn’t need any more attention from him.
“Georgia, you awake?” Dan’s words were slurred.
I peeked at him and held my breath. He wore the same brown, long-sleeved shirt he had on yesterday, paired with dusty and worn cowboy boots. But why had he called me Georgia? It was my mom’s name, and she’d been gone for years.
His footsteps grew closer as he entered my room, and my pulse kicked into overdrive. “Georgia, goddammit, wake the fuck up, you whore.” Dan plunked down on the side of the bed, and his large hand palmed my ass through the blankets. Holy shit, not again.
I shot up, glaring at him. His shirt had a hole in the pocket, and his jeans were faded and grimy. My expression twisted with disgust. “I’m not Georgia. I’m her daughter River. You need to get out. Now.” I pointed to the door, my voice sounding more confident than I felt.
My nose scrunched up. The bastard reeked of cheap whiskey and stale cigarettes.
A harsh chuckle filled my tiny room. “You sure are pretty, Georgia.” He touched my cheek with the back of his hand and dragged his knuckle down the side of my face. “Are you going to give me what I want, or am I going to take it again?”
“Dan,” I whispered, my body trembling with fear when I realized he wasn’t going to snap out of his drunken haze. I pulled the covers tighter around me, but I was well aware that it wasn’t enough to protect me. He overpowered me all the time.
I drew my knees to my chest and backed away from him. Terror gripped me when I realized I was trapped between him and the wall. There was nowhere for me to go.
“Dan, it’s River. You’re drunk and think I’m Mom.” Maybe I could break through to him before anything happened.
With a quick move, he placed his palm against my mouth and pulled on my ankle with his other hand, pulling me down onto the bed. I felt around on the top of my secondhand nightstand, frantically searching for anything that I might be able to use to hit or stab him with. Nothing. It was empty. Shit, I must have forgotten to return the letter opener. I usually kept it next to me for protection on nights like this.
I scratched and clawed at his arm as I struggled against him. Hot tears spilled down my face as he easily outmaneuvered me. With a quick jerk, he threw my sheet and blanket on the floor.
“Little bitch, how dare you hold out on me? You know this tight pussy is mine.”
Bile rose in my throat, and I choked it down. I bit the inside of his palm as hard as I could. Dan snatched it away, and I swung my clenched hand at his jaw. Unfortunately, he was too close to me, and all my struggling and thrashing around were just pissing him off even more.
“Oh? You like it rough?” He sneered at me, and a harsh laugh escaped him.
I curled my arms over my head, but he pulled them away, then his fist met my cheek. Before I had time to scream, his fury landed on my nose. Blood spurted across my black sweatshirt.
“You stupid piece of shit. I hate you!” I kicked at him as he tried to pull my legs apart. Pain dimmed my vision as I continued to fight him with every last drop of strength.
Earlier that day, I’d spotted a cot in the cleaning closet at the diner. I shouldn’t have come home. I should have slept at the restaurant.
I slammed my eyes closed. Time slowed to a crawl while my ears rang. Dan pinned me down and jerked my sweatpants and panties down to my ankles. A whimper escaped me as my entire world was turned inside out again in less than sixty seconds.
I was nineteen and only had sex willingly twice. Both occasions were with my almost boyfriend when I was sixteen. It was awkward, but we’d been friends for years, and he felt like a safe person for me to explore with. But Dan … he’d overpowered me and stripped me of my choice more times than I could count over the years.
My head throbbed as I attempted to sit up on my bed. As soon as Dan had finished, he’d crawled off me and left my room. Hopefully he was passed out cold because I needed to leave. One thing I knew for sure was that I couldn’t live here any longer. I thought I could lay low and stay off Dan’s radar, but he’d made it clear that I was sadly mistaken. Trying to manage the situation was a losing battle. Plus, I wanted more than a measly life where all I did was pick up everyone else’s scraps as they moved forward. The only reason I hadn’t escaped sooner was due to lack of money. But I didn’t care anymore. I would figure it out.
The diner was open twenty-four hours, so that would be my first stop. Although I wanted to shower and scrub that son of a bitch off me, it would have to wait. I was terrified he’d come in and hurt me again.
I quickly emptied my drawers and stuffed my clothes into my ratty pink-and-black backpack. A creak in the floor sent ice through my veins and I stood rooted in place. Holding my breath, I listened for Dan’s movements. I counted to thirty in my head and when I hadn’t heard any other noises, I decided it was the wind.
After removing my blood-streaked sweatshirt and pants, I changed into clean clothes and tossed on a hoodie over my long-sleeved black shirt. I slipped the backpack onto my shoulder and crept out of my room. Thankfully, I had a bathroom next to my bedroom, so I was able to grab my toothbrush and other toiletries. My gaze narrowed when I spotted the flashlight. Why it was in here, I had no idea, but it would have come in handy when Dan … I blinked several times, trying to clear the memory of him on top of me just minutes ago. My skin prickled from his touch and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I had to hurry the hell up. I could feel sick later.
A part of me wanted to look at my reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror that hung over the sink and see the damage Dan had inflicted on my face, but I couldn’t stop. If I saw my long, tangled brown hair along with the bruises blooming across my skin, I would lose it, and I had to keep going.
I shoved the flashlight and disposable razor into the front pocket, then tiptoed to the living room.
Dan was sprawled out on the floral velveteen couch that was older than I was, his mouth open and his leg hanging off the side. A soft snore told me he was passed out. Hopefully, he would stay that way.
I continued to the kitchen and loaded up my bag with food for the road. If I needed to, I could buy a hot meal at the diner while I planned my next move. Staying here with the son of a bitch was out of the question.
Eyeing Dan, I quietly opened the cabinet under the sink and removed the container of rat poison. I gently shook it, confirming there were still enough pellets in the box to get the job done. Since I always made the coffee in the morning, Dan wouldn’t think twice if there was some in the pot for him. This time, though, there would be an added surprise for him. If he happened to die, no one would think too hard about it. He was an alcoholic and drug addict. Hell, I doubted that anyone would squeal on me if they did suspect foul play. What I did know was that Dan had to pay for raping me.
