Saved By A Bad Boy

[43]. Escape...

"Well, I guess it has been awhile," he began softly, more to himself than to me. Then his eyes snapped to meet mine. "Don't tell me there's someone else." I stared at him for a moment, trying to comprehend what he could possibly mean by that.

"W-what?" I asked, still too weary to think straight. One of his hands reached into his pocket. For one split second, I actually thought he was going to pull a gun on me. But instead, his fingers grabbed at a phone - my phone - and he held it up for me to see. My text messages were staring back at me from the lock screen.

Jax: Lis, are you still with Maya?

Jax: I just stopped by Milo's. Maya was home. She said you had to leave?

After that, I got four missed calls from him.

Jax: Lis, where are you? I told you not to go anywhere alone.

Jax: This isn't funny.

I was overcome with the desire to suddenly break down into tears.

"How long has it been?" I croaked, water filling my eyes. Jax, no. How could I do this to him? Not again.

"Why's he texting you?" Troy abruptly demanded, avoiding my question. "I remember that asshole. Never quite got along with him. It doesn't matter anymore, though. You won't be seeing him. It's been about fourteen hours, Cherry. You were out for a long time. I imagine that he's already seen what I left behind of that bitch you call a mother."

Everything inside me went haywire. The text I got from my mom. It was from Troy. I knew that now. He got a hold of her phone, which means he was there with her, which means...no...no...

"Where's my mom?" I screamed. "Tell me where she is! What have you done with her?" Troy just rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter. I didn't need her getting in the way," he said. "So I took care of her." The blood was pounding in my ears. My mom...he couldn't have...did he really...no...it's not possible.

"Where's my mother?!" I shrieked.

"Calm down, Cherry," he said, his voice taking on a note of sternness. "You'll like it better this way."

"NO!" I screamed, tears spilling down my face. I desperately tried to push against my restraints. "NO! I hate you! I hate you! You're a monster!"

The slap came hard and fast. His palm struck my face with a burning intensity, so hard that I felt the metallic taste of blood fill the inside of my mouth. Then he grabbed my hair and yanked my head toward him.

"Listen here, Bitch," he snarled. "Everything I've done, everything I went through, I did for you! You'd better watch it! Do you hear me?" I couldn't say anything, I just let the sobs roll through my body, and the tears cascade past my cheeks. My mother couldn't be dead. She couldn't be. Troy sighed. "I really hate talking that way to you, sweetie. You know I love you, don't you?" I wanted to shake my head. I wanted to scream again. This wasn't love. I know what love is. Love is being around Maya and Milo and Norah and my mom. Love is being with Jax. Jax loved me. Troy didn't love me at all. I had to say that to myself, over and over again, just to convince myself that it was true. Jax loves me. He's going to take care of my mom and find me.

And I really believed that he would.

< < < > > >

"Are you better now?" I didn't glance up from where I was sitting, still tied to the damn chair. My muscles were sore from being stuck in this position for so long. "Come on, Cherry. Answer me." I managed to slide my angry, fierce gaze toward him, and leveled him with the deepest glare I could conjure. He tsked and just walked toward me. "Cherry, I know you don't like sitting like that. If you're good, maybe I can let you out. Does that sound okay?" That almost got me. I was in pain from having my arms like this. My back and my butt ached to move. My joints were begging me to give in. But how could I? How could I just give in? After what he did?