My lips twitch. “It’s all good. Your honesty is refreshing.”
The bell above the door dings as a small group of twenty-somethings walks in.
“Duty calls,” she singsongs.
*
“What else needs to be done?”
Java sets the mop in the bucket and looks around. “I think we’re good after we empty the garbage.”
“I can handle that.”
“Thanks, girl. There’s new bags are under the bathroom cabinet, and the dumpsters are in the back lot by the fence. Ours is the green one. It should be open from the mid-day run, but make sure you lock it when you’re done.”
“Got it.”
After I finish putting a new liner in the last trash bin, I gather the bags and head out the back door. Damn, it’s kind of creepy back here. I heave the garbage into the dumpster and make sure the padlock is secure. As I start to walk away, I swear I hear a shoe scuffing against the ground, kicking up gravel. My head snaps to the side, looking around, but it’s too dark back here to really see anything. I hurry my ass back inside and take a few breaths to calm myself.
Java frowns when she walks into the back room and sees me. “You okay? You look spooked.”
“Yeah.” I turn on the tap to wash my hands. “I just thought I heard something out there and got freaked out for a second.”
“Oh, that’s probably the squirrels.”
“Squirrels?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “There are tons of them that live in the trees behind the property line. Horny little bastards, too. I was taking out the garbage once, and I heard the strangest noise coming from up high. It was super loud and kind of sounded like an animal dying. As I got closer, I found two squirrels goin’ at it like rabid monkeys.” Java shivers. “I had to get really stoned that night to blur the memory. Sadly, it’s happened at least two dozen times since, so now it’s permanently etched into my brain.”
My lips twitch. This girl and her lack of filter are definitely amusing.
“Wow. That’s... interesting.”
Java looks around the strip mall parking lot as we exit the store. “Your ride’s not here yet?”
I shake my head. “No, I didn’t tell him we finished up a little early.”
“Oh.” Her gaze falls to her boyfriend’s Audi. “Let me just tell Ian real quick, and I’ll wait with you.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine.” I incline my head toward the other end of the lot, where there’s an open sub shop. “I’m just going to grab a sandwich while I wait.”
“You want a ride over there?”
I shake my head. “I’m good.”
“Okay, girl. Have a good night.”
I wave. “You too.”
I start walking faster when I notice a black Escalade pulling out of a parking spot. Now, that in itself wouldn’t be odd, considering we’re in a shopping center, but the only place that’s still open is the sub shop, which is quite a few doors down. When the SUV starts heading directly toward me, I break into a run. I only make it about fifty feet before the driver slams on the brakes, and the cargo door flies open. A big guy wearing all black, including a ski mask, jumps out of the car and lunges for me.
Oh shit.
I struggle in his hold, but the guy is too damn strong for me. He clamps a hand over my mouth and nose, practically suffocating me as he wrestles me into the back of the Cadillac. I want to cry out at the unfairness of it when my purse falls to the asphalt, knowing the gun I bought for this very purpose is in there. My phone is in there, too, which means Kingston won’t be able to track me.
Well, isn’t this some fucked up déjà vu?
The second the doors are closed, he yells, “Go!”
Wait a second... I know that voice.
The masked driver steps on the gas and peels out of the parking lot. I know how screwed I am if I let these guys take me to a different location, so I kick and bite and fight as much as I can.
“Hurry the fuck up and get there,” the guy who’s holding me commands.
“I’m trying!” the driver yells.
I know that voice, too. What in the actual fuck?
What seems like only a few minutes later, the Escalade takes a sharp right, knocking the beefy guy and me off balance. The rear seats are flattened, so I’m thrown toward the side door, while he stumbles toward the back one. I don’t give a shit that the car is in motion, I reach for the door handle, but the child locks must be engaged because it doesn’t open.
“Fuck!”
The car takes another sharp turn down a bumpy road before coming to a grinding halt.
The big guy tackles me, smooshing my body against the carpeted floor. “Leave us!”
Driver guy hesitates. “What are you going to do, man?”
“What do you think I’m going to do?” Meathead squeezes the back of my neck. “I’m going to teach this bitch a lesson. Go back to your dorm, Taylor. And leave the keys.”
I knew it! The guy behind the wheel is Christian Taylor! Ainsley once told me he lives in a dorm room at Windsor. Is that where we are? If the driver is Christian, that means the one on top of me must be— “Lucas, man, you said you were just going to scare her. That’s the only reason I agreed to help you.”
Lucas peels off his ski mask and tosses it to the side. I guess there’s no point in trying to conceal his identity now. “I said, get the fuck out .”
“All right, all right. Just... I don’t know. Just be careful, man.”
As soon as the door closes, Lucas’ meaty paws are flipping me over, so I’m on my back, and he’s sitting on my torso. Fuck, he weighs a ton. He quickly slams his hand back over my mouth and pinches my nostrils, just to prove he can steal my breath if he wants.
“You really fucked up by showing up at my house, bitch,” he growls. His face is mere inches away from mine, so I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “I was going to listen to Peyton and leave you alone, but you just had to push me. That boyfriend of yours just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Well, he might be untouchable, but guess what. You’re not.”
My scream is muffled against his palm as he shoves his free hand down my leggings, roughly grabbing my crotch. Tears trickle down my cheeks when he moves my panties aside and stabs me with two thick fingers.
“Fuuuuuck. Your pussy is even tighter than I imagined. A little dry, though. We’ll need to work on that before you take my dick. I’ve been dying to get a piece of you since that night at the lake. I can’t get the thought of your naked, helpless body out of my mind.” Lucas gives me an evil smile as he continues pumping his fingers in and out. “Oops, did I just admit that? I guess there’s no point in denying it now, considering you’ve probably figured it out already. In case there’s any doubt, Christian was the one with me that night, too, but he was too much of a pussy to take what he wanted. Lucky for you, I don’t have that problem.”
The windows are tinted so dark, only the faintest bit of light comes through the moonroof, but it’s enough to see how maniacal his expression is right now. The dude’s lost it, for sure, which does not bode well for me.
“Now, I want you to listen real carefully on what’s about to happen. Blink twice if you understand.”
I glare at him.
Lucas shrugs. “Eh, good enough. Now, in just a moment, I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth. When I do, I’m going to take my dick out, and you’re going to blow me until I’m ready to stick it in your cunt.”
Jesus Christ, this fucker is delusional.
“Then...”