Grabbing the handle of the door, I make no hesitation to jump out. I stumble over my feet and almost fall flat on my stomach, but Madison comes out of nowhere and catches my fall.
Her fingers tangle around my wrist and I try to shake her off to no avail. “Why are you doing this?”
“Love makes you do crazy things.”
A damp cloth presses to my face and no matter how hard I try to fight, I lose the battle.
Rolling my head in circles, I fight to open my eyes. It feels as if I’m peeling my eyelids off from my eyeballs. So dry and heavy.
My head feels like it holds the weight of a bowling ball as I try to steady it upright on my neck. Smacking my lips together, I look around the dark room. The only sliver of light comes from a dim lantern on the wall.
Wriggling my hands, I gasp when I realize they are strapped to the arms of the chair. I look down and see that I’m bound. Only, it’s not your typical chair. It’s old. Very old, with wires attached to it and some sort of plastic egg over top of me that looks like a hair dryer from a salon. My body steels when I see him.
“Zed?” I mutter under my breath, but loud enough to grab his attention.
He greets me with a smile and stuffs his phone in his pocket. “Oh, good morning, Sunshine.”
I fight again to free myself, but there is no point. Zed eats up the space between us and I continue to try because I’d rather cut my arms off then face whatever he has planned for me.
“Calm down, little one. You’re not getting out of that chair.” He breathes out a chuckle. “I won’t hurt you.”
Lies. All lies.
“Please, just let me go.” I cry out. “I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”
“I didn’t want it to come to this, Willa. You’re a sweet girl. You don’t deserve this.” His expression twists and he grabs fists full of his hair. “But he’s in my fucking head! He won’t get the fuck out.” His demeanor quickly changes again like his moods are snapping. Something I’m all too familiar with. “Always remember that behind every monster is someone who made them that way.”
What does that even mean? Someone made him do this? I have no idea what he’s talking about. I have to get out of here. My eyes skim the room and I wish they would have just stayed put on Zed, because fear thickens inside my stomach.
I’m at Briarwood. That mental hospital outside of town and this is a torture room. Is Lars behind this? Has he been planning this all along? Madison wasn’t lying when she said that Zed felt threatened by me. But, I didn’t even know anything until she told me. Maybe they really did kill Josh. Maybe they plan to kill me, too. I have no idea what’s going on or what Zed’s intentions with me are. I’m scared. Really, really scared. Not just for me but for my baby.
“You left the message, didn’t you? You knew I was pregnant this whole time.”
“I never left any messages. Didn’t even know you were pregnant until that broadcast.”
Of course he’d deny it. I have no doubt it was Zed this whole time.
Using my sweet voice in hopes of it buying his trust, I squirm. “I’m not feeling well, Zed. I think I’m gonna be sick. Can you please let me up?”
“Sorry. I can’t do that. Not until I tell you what I want you to do for me.”
“Do for you?”
“Mmhmm. Here’s the thing, Sweater Girl, unless you want the entire town to think you were in cahoots with Josh and that you know where he is, you’re gonna do exactly what I tell you to do. Am I clear?”
I could say yes. I could buckle and bow to him, but he doesn’t hold all the power. I’ve got a little something up my sleeve, too. “But it won’t be the truth. We both know that Josh didn’t run away. He’s dead and you know where his body is. Am I right?”
He laughs. He actually fricken laughs at me. “Good luck proving that. I know you’ve got connections.” He holds up his hands and begins counting off fingers. “What, with the almighty Pastor Jeffries, the church board, and the drama club. I’m sure they’ll all my connections tremble.” He laughs again.
He’s right. No one would ever believe me. Right now, I’m a runaway. Half of Redwood probably thinks I’m with Josh, thanks to Vi. I’ve got nothing. I’ve got no one.
“What do you want me to do?”
Bending at the knees, he slouches down in front of me and begins trailing a finger up my calf. “First of all, you’re gonna back me when I tell Madison Bishop she needs to leave town. I have a video of her holding a towel of chloroform over your face and knocking you out. She needs to think that you’ll turn her in and tell the cops that she’s held you prisoner this entire time you’ve been missing, if she doesn’t leave and never come back.”
“You want Madison gone?” I thought that Madison was on their side. She brought me to Zed, after all.
“Madison is a looney bitch who’s obsessed with Lars. She’s been making his life hell and no one fucks with my family. My boys are my family, whether they like it or not.”
I can do that. I wouldn’t even hesitate to actually go as far as turning her in. She did kidnap me. Zed is the one holding me hostage, but I have yet to hear what his endgame is. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound like I’ll be leaving in a body bag. “Ok. Deal.”
“Second,
