Another shiver of fear wracks through me.
Focus, Penny. Get your shit together. Now’s not the time to be weak.
Steeling my spine, I turn around to face Jack as he closes the door behind him. He’s a wreck. His clothes are dirty, his hair is greasy, and he seems to have lost some weight. The unhinged glint in his eyes terrifies me, but I refuse to show it.
I lift my chin. “You won’t get away with this.”
He cracks his neck, pinning me with a hard glare. “I already have.”
“You killed them,” I bite out at him. “You’re a monster.”
“And I will kill you too, bitch. You started all this shit for me. Had I known you were that motherfucker’s girlfriend, I would have dealt with you a long time ago.” He sneers at me. “I’ll admit. You’re a real good liar. Had me fooled for weeks and weeks.”
“You’re a useless drunk,” I spit out. “It was easy.”
Not wise to provoke him, but his kind feeds on fear. I refuse to give him something to snack on.
“Shut the fuck up,” he growls.
“Why? Does it hurt to know what a loser you are? You couldn’t get your dick up for your wife so you had to stick it into your stepdaughter instead? You’re a sicko. A pervert. Disgusting freak,” I snarl, hating I have to say this crap in front of Zella, but she’s sobbing so loudly she probably can’t hear anyway. “And then you couldn’t even get it up for me. Your rapist dick doesn’t work. A man is driven by his dick. What drives you when yours is pathetic and soft?”
He pounces, shoving his gun hard against my ear, making me cry out. “Shut the fuck up, bitch. Just shut the fuck up.” Then, he softens his voice. “Zella, sweetheart, go sit in the bathtub and wait for Daddy to finish his talk. We’ll go see the beach when we leave.”
I’ll be damned if I let him take her.
She shrieks when he wrenches her from my arms. I fight him, but he manages to shove her into the bathroom and shut the door before I can stop him. My hand flies out, clawing at his face, hoping I can take out an eyeball or two. He shoves me hard to the bed. I bounce and then scramble away, reaching for anything to fight back at him with.
“Stay there or I’ll put a bullet through her head,” he warns. “You’re pissing me the fuck off.”
I freeze at his words. “Don’t you dare touch her!”
“I’d rather touch you,” he sneers, grabbing up a bundle of rope. “Give me your hands. So help me if you try to run, I’ll blow your head off.”
Glowering at him, I offer both my wrists. As soon as he’s near, I kick him hard in the face. He stumbles back, groaning as blood gushes from his nose. I fly to the bathroom to get Zella, but before I make it, he tackles me hard. I bite my tongue, blood flooding my mouth instantly. He flips me to my back and straddles me, yanking my hands in front of me to tie them together.
“Don’t embarrass yourself, Jack,” I growl. “We both know your dick is still broken.”
He drags me to my feet and tosses me back onto the bed. “I don’t want your nasty cunt.”
“Yes, you do,” I taunt. “You’re just pissed you can’t get it hard.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” I let out a dark laugh. “No, that’s what a real man would do. You’re a pussy, Jack. You like to weaken a woman and then take advantage of her. You like to hurt kids. No, a bullet through my chest won’t satisfy you. You’d much rather try to see if that rubbery dick of yours will get hard. Probably smack me around a bit first.”
He backhands me. Sparks of pain shoot across my face.
“You’re right,” he seethes. “Smacking you around does feel good.” He grabs himself through his pants. “Gets my dick nice and hard, too.”
Bile crawls up my throat, chased by terror.
“They’re coming for you,” I warn. “My dad has a tracker on my Jeep. He’ll be here soon.”
His eyes narrow, studying my face for lies. “You’ll be dead and I’ll be long gone with Zella, so what’s it matter?”
My Jeep does have a tracker—something Dad installed after Jack hurt me last time—but that doesn’t mean he’ll automatically know I’m missing. Terrence probably thinks we got held up at the grocery store. By the time he calls my dad, there’s no telling what Jack will have done by then.
I need to stall.
Keep him from leaving with her.
“How many times did you rape Lacey?” I demand.
“It wasn’t rape,” he spits out. “It was love.”
“One-sided, you psychopath. She wrote Terrence letters. Lacey hated you.”
Fury transforms his face. “She loved me, you bitch. Shut your fucking mouth.”
“Love?” I let out a harsh laugh. “You’re delusional. She was terrified of you because you’re a sadistic pervert.”
Smack!
Everything goes black the second his gun cracks against my skull. I can still hear him grunting as he moves me up the bed. I manage to reopen my eyes as he lops my tied hands over one of the bed posts.
I brace myself for another sexual assault, ready to kick him in the face again, but it never comes. He picks up a red plastic gas can and unscrews it.
“I’m not a pervert,” he grinds out. “If I were, I’d ruin everything with Zella by choosing to fuck your manipulative ass.” He splashes out a line of gasoline across the carpet. “No, I just need to get rid of you. I love Zella. We’re going to start our life again someplace far away from here. You should have never got involved.”
I struggle against my bindings. I’m filled with horror as he empties the gasoline can, splashing it on walls and around the bed. I refuse to beg, but the tears have begun to stream down as I realize my predicament.
I’m going to burn alive.
Oh God.
Terrence
“I’m starving,” Cal complains. “You going to put those burgers on before the fire goes out or what?”
I drag my eyes from the road and try Penny’s cell again. She’s been gone forty-five minutes. I know how Zella can be in the grocery store, doubling the time of a twenty-minute trip, but something feels off. I don’t like it.
“She’s not answering.” I shove my phone back into my pocket. “Fuck.”
Hollis hands Hope over to Charlotte before trotting over to me. “You think something’s happened?”
Jordy and Cal frown, worry shining in their eyes. After what happened with Charlotte not too long ago, none of us feel right about this.
“I feel it in my gut,” I hiss out. “I think something’s happened. Fuck!”
“I’ll call Dad,” Hollis says, yanking his phone out and dialing.
I pace the ground, trying to calm my erratic heart. Images of Penny, bloodied and bruised after Jack hurt her once before flood my mind. I knew I shouldn’t have let my guard down. Jack isn’t the type to just disappear. He’s a fucking lunatic.
For the tenth time in a row, I dial Penny’s phone. It rings and rings before going to voicemail. Charlotte and Roux wear matching worried expressions as they hold on to the babies. Sebban is oblivious as he digs for worms nearby.