Held by T K Barber

Author:T K Barber [Barber, T K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Annalise

The gulls were particularly noisy and woke her way earlier than she wanted. Sleep was really all she had to pass the time, so that sucked. Big time.

“I'm never going to the beach again.”

Annalise groaned and rubbed her eyes with her cuffed hands as she rolled off the edge of the bed, then walked to the little bathroom to stare at her gaunt reflection.

She'd damn sure never call herself fat again. Now she'd seen the other side of that. She twisted left and right, eyeing the backs of her arms and the bones visible even through her t-shirt. She frowned and splashed water on her face, willing her tears to drain backward.

Who'd have ever thought that living in an abusive household would prepare her for something like this? Yeah, it sucked. It hurt. But it wasn’t new to her. Being starved wasn’t new. Being beaten wasn’t new. Being left completely alone for long periods wasn’t new. At least when Nick still lived at home, he took care of her, but when he moved out-

The door scraped open, and terror sprung up in her followed by a helpless small spark of hope. Maybe it was Thomas.

She waited breathlessly, but when he didn't call out the hope died, taking with it a small part of her soul. That meant it might be him.

The door scraped again as it swung closed, the thud sounding far too loud in the empty room. She choked back a sob, then exhaled and squared her shoulders. Don’t give them the satisfaction. Don’t be scared. Be unaffected.

She blew out another slow breath and stepped up to the door.

The frame was simple. Just painted wood. Nothing fancy. Nothing to indicate that it might lead straight to the scariest man she’d ever met.

Her body didn’t want to move, but it would be far worse if he came to get her. She swallowed and shook her head as she stepped through the opening.

There he was.

Her heart thundered in her chest, but she swallowed down every ounce of fear she could manage.

Smug and terrifying, just like every other time. She could smell cigarettes from across the now microscopic room. They stared at each other until he sighed heavily. She walked over to sit on the bed before she braved the silence and cleared her throat.

“Will I get to talk to him today?”

She asked that instead of 'did you tell him to murder someone else.' It helped her stay detached from that reality. Well, it helped her try. He didn't respond. Instead, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes before smirking. Fear bubbled up inside, but she tried her best to stay calm.

“So.”

Her skin crawled at his voice.

“A little bird told me you've been having a visitor.” He took slow steps into the room and clasped his hands behind his back.

No . . . tell him no. Tell him it wasn’t anyone. Be strong. Loud. She scoffed and shook her head.

“Who the hell would that be? In case you haven't noticed, the only ones here are you and your little .

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