Started With a Lie

Chapter Sixty

"Where. Is. She?" Lee replies, his voice dripping with spikes and venom.

Victor's smile drops. "And I said you listen to me." He walks closer to me. "But now you get to listen to this."

A stab of the taser into my gut makes me scream the loudest I have ever in my life. I have never been in so much pain. Even after he pulls his hand away, I can still feel my body pulsing for help. I can still feel every part of my body singing in pain, helpless against my chains and my enemy.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER," Lee yells, almost as if he is about to crawl through the phone and grab Victor by his neck.

I crumble to the ground, falling on my knees and scraping them surely. My arms are shaking and my throat feels dry and empty, my mouth following. For a minute, I think I might die. Victor, an idiotic psychopath, does not understand or care about the human body — especially not mine. How many jolts can I take? How many punches? What if I'm internally bleeding?

I sit, crumpled but unafraid. I have nothing more to lose.

Victor leans down, squatting before my weak self. He presses the phone to my ear and the taser in front of my face. "Tell him what I want, dear Ivory," he coos. "Or you know what will happen."

For a second, my ears seem to be ringing. But, silence follows and then a voice.

"Ivory?" A deep, velvet voice that makes my eyes sting and heart lurch. One word, my name, and I just want to cry. There is nothing I want more on this earth than to see and hold Lee again. Just hearing his voice envelops me in a bubble of safety, though this is far from true.

"L-Lee," I rasp, my voice dry and light. The tears fall. "Lee."

"I'm here, I'm here," he says, frantic in a way I've never heard him. "I'm getting you out of there, don't you worry."

"Lee," I say again. I can't form any other words. My tongue feels dry and speaking makes it harder. Victor eyes me nastily, pushing the taser closer and urging to tell Lee about the money. I focus back on trying to speak. There is something I have to say in case anything happens. "Lee, I love—"

My scream finishes the rest of my sentence as the sizzling noise of the taser cuts into my arm. I drop the phone, briefly hearing Lee yell for me before I collapse to the ground. I can barely process the jolt before Victor kicks me in the stomach. A loud noise erupts—my scream.

He walks away, picking up the phone. "Get the money in or she will die. Don't play with me here, boy." He snaps the phone shut. Soon, the door shuts. It's dark again.

I begin to have a strange dream. It's summer.

Crickets are chirping softly and I hear the small laps of water hitting the shore. When I open my eyes, I am standing, tall grass tickling my calves. It's the kind of night where no responsibilities or tasks are even a feather of a thought in my mind. The sky is dark, but the kind where the sun has just set. A sprinkle of stars softly light the sky.

A few feet away, there is a light pink blanket spread across the flat of the ground close to the water. There are open containers of strawberries and tiny homemade sandwiches. A patterned quilt lies in the corner. My eyes trail to the man lying on the blanket. Barefoot with his jeans rolled up, Lee sits in a black t-shirt, his arms behind him as he lounges casually. His electric blue eyes catch mine.

"There you are." He smiles, a gentle gesture. "Come here, baby."

I walk closer. I am wearing a sundress, no shoes either. There are sunflowers on the dress and I am holding a jug of iced pink lemonade. "Hi," I say, a bit confused but also feeling so right being here. I ignore the gut feeling I have that something seems off.