The Green Rising

Chapter Eighteen

She stirred but still wouldn’t awaken. We didn’t have all day and I suspected that Father Xavier would send in reinforcements once he realized Max was nowhere to be found.

I stepped over the piles of clothes on the floor, heading for the kitchen. Ice clinked and cracked in the glass as water rushed over it. Rosie wasn’t going to like this, but what were my alternatives?

I returned to her room, set the glass onto the nightstand, and gripped her shoulders, trying to shake her awake. She wouldn’t budge.

“I am so sorry, Rosie. You’ll forgive me later.” I poured the water onto her face, its coldness jerking her awake. Any other day, I would be laughing. Today, my shoulders relaxed at her reaction.

“The Hell?” she said groggily. She jumped up, pulling the sheet around her naked body.

“You weren’t waking up. We need to get out of here and I don’t have time to explain right now.”

“Did I bring a guy back? I remember this guy—Matt? Mac?—hanging around me last night,” she rubbed her eyes, coating her fingers and cheeks with mascara. 

“His name was Max and I think he may have drugged you,” I said. “We have to go. Pack an overnight bag so you can clean yourself up later.”

Her knees wobbled and she sat down on the bed. “I’m gonna be si…” Vomit sprayed onto the floor before she finished. Sympathy heaves bubbled as I quickly turned away from the mess.

“It’s okay. Mind over matter.” It was directed to myself, but Rosie acknowledged it with a nod.

I filled the glass with water and urged her to take small sips of it as I cleaned the puddle from the floor.

She hobbled to the bathroom and I opened her dresser. It was empty. Most of her clothes were in heaps on the floor. I raced to my room in search of whatever might fit her. She would be wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt whether she wanted to or not.

While she dressed, I packed toiletries and two summer dressesinto a duffel bag, hoping that would cover us for the day. I turned my attention to the throw pillow on my bed.

Thank god I’d had enough foresight not to leave them in my backpack. If it weren't for my paranoia, my parents would most likely be planning two funerals. I shuddered at the thought of them losing both of us. 

Why had I allowed myself to be talked into this precarious situation?

It all came down to a beautiful man. He could have talked me into anything. It also came down to my curiosity. Once it had been piqued, there was no looking back. Perhaps Jack saw that in me and that was why he chose me. Or maybe it was his attempt at establishing a bond with me. My worries were coming to an end tonight, and the prospect of destroying the church made my time in the darkness of that cold room worthwhile. We’d make Mad Max confess, and it was straight to the authorities after that.

All we had to do was make it through the day.

“Where’re your keys?” I asked as Rosie staggered into the living room. She shrugged her shoulders so I rummaged through her purse until my fingernails caught on the jagged edge of one of her keys. “We’re taking your car. I hope you’ve got gas in it.”

“I filled up yesterday.” My urgency finally registered with her. “What’s going on, Lily?”

“We’ll talk later.”  I tossed both our purses into the bag and slid the backpack over my shoulders.

She leaned on me for support as we walked to the car, her eyes filling with horror as she noticed the marks around my neck.

I neglected answering her pleas to be told how they got there. At the moment, they were distractions when my attention needed to be at its sharpest. Though my neck hurt, that pain was nothing compared to what I felt in my back and ribs. Max had done a number on me, but the thought of me having my way with him later strengthened my resolve not to complain.