Love Me | Series Book #1

ONE

        We were driving.

A whiff of musky air  seeped in through a barely exposed crack from my window. In the split  moment my finger reached to lift the latch, the motion came to a halt.  Vehicles darted across the intersection. A hue of red reflected off the  drops scattered across the shield which were only to be swiped from the  glass a second later. My eyes weren't on him. It was a mere hint of  weakness. One small mistake. But, he had sensed it because I had given  it away.

And he chose this moment to strike.

I winced, mentally  preparing for the impact as a harsh fist came into contact with my right  jaw, instantly setting it aflame. A fresh set of tears blurred my  vision, doubling his hazy figure before me.

"You little bitch." his breath was in my face. "You'd better not ever lie to me again. Understood?"

I rose my gaze hesitantly. His glare injected a rush of fearful adrenaline through my body.

"U-Understood."

"Say you're sorry."

A threatening hand in my face. My jaw stung from its fresh hit, I didn't want to risk the chance of gaining another.

"I'm sorry."

"Now get out the fucking car. You're walking."

I didn't have time to  think as my hand pulled on the latch. A force against my back sent me  spiraling from my seat, wedging me through the door onto the glistening  asphalt. My hands intrinsically extended from both sides of my body as I  descended towards the ground. The scene blanked before my eyes as a  sharp pain rocketed up from the torn skin on my palms.

I writhed in shock,  opening and closing my mouth for the cries to escape. I could picture  how strange it would've looked to any onlooker, seeing me shiver and  contort; cast along the roadside like a stray animal. Of course this I  could only imagine since there were no witnesses.

There were never any witnesses.

Without a suicide wish, I  gathered myself from the ground, hauling my weight at least to the  sidewalk. Stars continued to dance across my vision as I pulled my feet  to the ground. As soon as his red Camry became a distant object is when  the tears came. They blended with the raindrops as my heart beat  struggled to find it's original rhythm.

I raised the fabric of  my right sleeve. The perfect outline of a branded palm and yet another  reminder of my living nightmare. If I'd have had the slightest insight  of this life two years ago, I would have never even assumed it was my  own. His tranquil silver eyes were an angelic facade to mask the  horrifying interior beneath the surface.

Mason Riley; high school quarterback, number three ranked in the senior class. My lover.

My abuser.

I began to unconsciously  shiver as my clothes dampened. My arms found a way around shoulders, as  I surveyed the semi-deserted road in search for a place to cover my  head. A gas station laid half a mile ahead on the other side of the  street. If I ran I'd make it there before my fingers grew numb.

I hurried towards  shelter, and pulled the phone out of my back pocket. As I shuffled my  way, I sent a mental prayer that he wasn't busy on this Saturday. The  day's plans originally consisted of a simple lunch date at Friday's.  At least that's what they were up until a few minutes beforehand. I  should've known when I climbed into the car. Should have known the  moment he locked the doors. I mentally scolded myself over and over  again for my lack of better discernment as my fingers struggled across  the numbers. I found his name a few scrolls short from the top of my  contact list.