Ace of Hearts

60| your villain lair is just an old shed?

     Everything is blurry when I finally open my eyes.
As soon as I move,
as soon as my brain tells me to move,
as soon as I get the instinct to move,
pain sears through my wrists and makes me want to scream.

    I know they're bleeding. I know when I can barely move them, that it's because they're raw from being tied together.

    No. No. No.

   This isn't real.

   But it is.

  Rye drugged me. Rye.

   My boyfriend's best friend. My best friend's boyfriend.

   Ex. I cringe.

   Where is he? Fear slashes up my chest. I shift, noticing how I'm tied to this chair. This wooden, rickety chair.

   Where am I?

   I've been to Rye's house before. This isn't the place. I sniff.

   It's soily. Damp. Dark.

   How long have I been in this place? Am I underground?

   Am I dead??

  I panic, bucking against the chair and causing the wood to creak. All at once, a wall opens up. No. A door.

   Light floods in, and Rye doesn't enter alone.

   The blonde girl.

What the heck?

   "You bitch!" I yell , but I realize I'm still taped.

   The blonde sneers. "Let her yell at me."

   Rye crosses his arms. The blonde stalks forward.

   "So we finally meet, Bryn Jasper."

   I've never looked at her like this. My mind is whizzing. Whirring.

   But all that crosses my mind is that night. What she did to Ace.

     My eyes are burning, and she sees that. With a smirk, she pulls the tape from my lips. It hurts when she does.

    "Go to hell." I say immediately.

    Rye shifts. "What's your plan, now?"

   The blonde squints. "Well, we planned to have Ace, didn't we?"

    Ace? My heart freezes.

   Rye rolls his eyes. "I told you. The best way to Ace is through her." He cuts his gaze to me. He looks like he wants to skin me alive. He's full of hate.

   "Why do you want to hurt Ace?!"

    The blonde slaps me, hard. I gasp, tears welling in my eyes.

   Rye pulls the blonde back. "Easy."

   "You drugged me." I spit.

   He grimaces.

   "I wanted Ace." The blonde narrows her eyes. "He and I have unfinished business."

   A chill goes up my limbs. For once, I'm too afraid to fight back.

   I hope Ace stays away. I hope he's okay. I think about his panic. I know he's distraught.

    I wish I could tell him something, anything.

   The blonde sneers. "This bitch just reminds me of how unfinished it is."

   "So, now you have leverage over Ace. I'm telling you, taking Bryn is a better plan than taking Ace. And I'm not sure I could've pulled it off any other way."