Chapter 2
Melissa
How had we gotten here?
Right, me.
Stupid, stupid me!
My stupid lady parts, anyway.
How was I going to admit to Ruby that this was all my fault? Would she ever forgive me? Would I ever be able to forgive myself? Especially if what Robbie had been threatening her with was true…
Pain ripped between my shoulder blades again and as hard as I tried to keep quiet a wince still slipped through my dry throat and into the gag that was currently in my mouth. We’d been here already for what felt like hours. The darkness outside still enveloped the detached garage we were in. After they took the sack from my head I was able to get a look around the room which was set up like a tiny apartment.
A cellphone rang and for a moment my heart beat wildly in my chest. Was it mine? My arms moved on reflex to reach for it and I groaned as pain tore through me again.
Robbie glanced back at me, a twisted evil smile on his thin lips. “Sorry, Mouthy Melissa, it’s not for you. It’s for me.” He rose from his seat beside Ruby, accepted the incoming call and moved towards the door that led to the stairs. And the exit.
“Hey. Yeah, they’re still here. Ruby is still sleeping it off. How much longer is she supposed to sleep like this? I have business to take care of and a flight to catch.” he said, his voice growing louder and then fading away as he left the two of us alone in the dimly lit room.
I strained to hear the rest of the conversation. When was he catching a flight? Where was he going? His feet stomped loudly down the stairs, covering his words.
My eyes flickered to Ruby who was still laying eerily still on the bed, only her chest moved, rising and falling as she breathed. I wished I could call out to her and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. But was it?
Again I struggled my part in this whole thing. I knew now that the whole thing had been a ploy, a devious scheme to get me away from Ruby so she’d follow me. I should have realized it was fishy but I hadn’t. The guy I’d been camming for had reached out to me and asked me to see him. He offered me big cash to do it, too. He’d been true to his word in the past and I hadn’t really thought much of it. I was thinking of how thrilling it was going to be to sneak around and have a torrid quickie in the alley before Ruby even knew I was gone. Of course that didn’t happen. We were both drugged, probably by the bartender who must have been paid off too, and once we’d made it to the alley we were easy prey.
Please, god, please! If you let us live I will never, ever sell myself online ever again. Please! And I will finally tell my mom to her face that I’m on Ruby’s side about everything. And I will make something decent of myself and try so hard to be not-selfish.
Ruby’s discomforted moan silenced my prayers and I held back another groan as I shifted from my position on the floor, my legs cold and numb from behind folded beneath me for so long. A little sing-song double syllable questioning sound came from my throat, I hoped Ruby would know it was her name in “I’m gagged” speak.
I glanced to the doorway, at the beam of light that still shined beneath it. I heard no footprints. We had some time. I glanced over my shoulder to get a look at the restraints that were used on me. I prayed they were duct tape and my hopes died when I saw the glimmering metal wink at me. I pushed back the fear that I was facing: the fear of failing and getting caught. As gently as I could I leaned over to the side until I was laying on the floor. I tried to make as little noise as possible. It was much more difficult than I thought, considering how my arms were screaming at the new position, but the last thing I needed was for Robbie to hear me clomping around. I stretched my legs out long, my hips and knees resisting, having been locked in the same position for hours.
I froze and after a moment of stretching out I wiggled my toes. Even if I escaped my legs were numb and I wouldn’t be able to get up and move unless I could feel them underneath me. I wiggled as fast as I could and slowly the pins and needles stung the length of my legs. I bit into my lower lip as I maneuvered onto my back and began to rock back and forth, my arms slowly coming to my lower back and then to my ass. Just a little more rocking and I’d have the cuffs in front of me. I kept my knees tucked and rocked and in one swift motion I pulled my arms and the cuffs over my feet. I almost cried out in victory as I held my hands in front of me. My wrists were red and raw, the metal having bitten into them for hours. I quickly and quietly crawled over to Ruby and examined her. She was still whole. She was held down on the bed with zip-ties to the metal frame that surrounded her.
“Ruby,” I whispered, bringing my hands up so that one of them could push some hair back from her face, which was still recovering from her car accident.
She stirred and once conscious jerked her face away from my touch. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me, confusion bloomed on her face before she raised her head, her eyes wide as she stared at me. “What are you doing?” she whispered, “Where is Robbie?”
“He got a call and he’s taking it downstairs or something. Listen to me… he wants you awake. Whatever he wants to do to you he wants to do it while you’re awake so… pretend. Keep pretending to be asleep. I’m going to try to get us help, Ruby. I’m not sure how but… but I’ll do whatever it takes.” I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I quickly looked back to Ruby, flashing her a look of pleading. She was pale, scared, but she nodded her agreement. She understood. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from the door. I quickly retreated and moved to the wall behind the door, trying my best to ignore the pain of standing on my legs. I turned my head to the side and waited, flattening myself to the wall.
The door swung open and I heard Robbie step inside. “Mouthy Melissa, I have an idea!” His footsteps stilled. I imagined him glancing around the room and not seeing me where he left me. He let a chuckle escape. “Oh, Melissa. Do you really think you’re smarter than a chess champion? You didn’t come down the stairs and you didn’t go out the window so you must be here somewhere.” He paused and I held my breath, my heart racing and clamoring against my ribcage. The door that was hiding me swung away and I was face to face with Robbie’s smirking face. “Hello, Melissa.”
I didn’t have time to think about my actions, I simply did. My knee rose up and aimed for his crotch. He deflected my knee with his hand, his reflexes surprisingly quick. I didn’t stop, I tried to kick at him again, I wasn’t going to go down with a fight. I wasn’t drugged anymore, I was free. Free and wild and he was going to know it. He took some blows but they didn’t slow him down, in fact, they seemed to have the opposite effect. He laughed until he had me pinned against the wall by my throat. His hand was strong and my airway was very quickly closing. He took the blows from my legs with an unflinching face, the smile never wavering.
“Melissa… you need to calm down.”
My body, starved for oxygen began to still.
His smile widened. “Good girl. Sleep now while I figure out how to punish you.”
My eyelids fluttered as my body screamed for air and then my eyelids closed on his twisted face.