Chapter Twenty-One

RAELYN

“How are you feeling?” Phoenix asks me as she takes a sip of her water.

“Um, still confused,” I answer honestly. “It’s all still right there. And when I woke up this morning, seeing Drew…”

“You relived it.” Phoenix frowns.

“Yeah. And I logically know it’s not true, but in that moment, in that dream, I felt it.” I look down at my hand twisting in my lap. “Asher and Drew brought up seeing a therapist today.”

“And?” Phoenix tilts her head toward me.

There is something about Phoenix that I just relax around her.

Like she’s a long-lost sister or something.

She is easy to talk to, and I know she’s safe.

She’s mentioned that she went through trauma when she was younger, and maybe that’s why I feel comfortable around her.

I know she understands my hesitation, my fear.

I even feel more comfortable with Phoenix than I did with Ronnie, and that has me very confused.

Because I spent so much time with Ronnie.

And I miss her. But also, she left me, and I was drugged.

The whole thing confuses me. I need to locate her, but I know trying to find her will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

I need to know what happened. Where she disappeared to, and if she’s even okay.

That’s the other worry, that she disappeared because something happened to her.

Not like I can do anything about it.

I bite my lip and let out a breath. “I don’t know. Part of me is scared out of my mind that I will open up a can of worms.”

She hums for a moment and looks out onto the field as the guys run their exercises. The sounds of the ball cracking against the bat ring out around us.

“Now, understand I am not telling you this to make you more fearful. But my therapist ended up being my stalker and rapist,” she admits to me, and all the blood leaves my face.

My eyes widen at the admission. I’m not sure what she is trying to get at with that bit of info. It definitely doesn’t make me want to talk to anyone.

“Before you freak out, hear me out,” she adds. I nod and let her continue. “I’ll give you the footnotes version. And one day I’ll tell you everything when we have time to go through it all. Honestly, sometimes I think it could be a fucking series of books with what I went through back in the day.”

She lets out a small chuckle but then steels her face.

“My mother killed herself. And I found her.

My father was already dead. I had no one, except an aunt I had no idea even existed.

She put me in therapy to deal with the death of my parents, the finding my mom in a tub.

And even because I was in a new school. And at first, it was nice to talk to someone.

“But it turned out he wasn’t really a therapist. Long story short, he was the brother of a mobster.

He kidnapped me and tortured me. Raped me.

” She pauses for a moment and steadies herself.

Then she clears her throat. “I eventually got out. By burning the place and him to the ground. And after all that, I feared talking to anyone after it was all over.”

“Holy fuck,” I whisper, almost unable to believe it.

“But my husbands, well, they were my rocks. Mason would go with me to the sessions. He would sit there with headphones on if I didn’t want him listening in.

I eventually became comfortable talking to someone.

Someone who was qualified and an actual therapist. And I know Asher knows this person personally.

So, you would be in good hands.” She reaches over and grabs hold of my hand.

“Get the help. Get it out. Let those demons go.”

Her phone rings and cuts us off, and she reaches into her pocket and pulls it out.

I turn back to the practice as she holds her conversation. I watch as Drew stands on the mound, talking with Cameron. As Cameron finishes up, he heads back behind the plate and stares up at where I’m sitting.

We are the only ones in the stands at the moment. It’s just a practice, so it’s not hard to spot me. But his look. The thinning of his eyes at me. It sends shivers down my spine.

“Shit. I need to go check on something. I will be right back. Promise.” Phoenix stands up, her face remorseful.

“I’ll be fine. Go. Be boss lady.” I wave her off, and she nods as she takes off toward the top of the steps.

When she finally disappears through the concourse, I turn back toward the practice. I watch as they run around and throw from one player to another. I have no idea what they are doing, but the coach keeps yelling at them, so they must need work.

Suddenly, I have the urge to pee. Which makes sense with all this water I have been guzzling down. It’s fucking hot out here. Vegas weather is not fun. Even in the shade. I watch as the guys form a huddle around their coach, and I figure now is a good time to go to the bathroom and get more water.

I get up and head up the short flight of stairs through an opening to the concourse and concession area. I follow the signs to the right that say restroom and head that way. I walk for a minute, and I find the women’s restroom, but it’s closed.

Well, shit.

Making my way around the stadium, I look for an open restroom. There is a weird feeling surrounding me as I walk through the concourse.

It’s a ghost town, with very few lights on.

It’s eerie walking through here. There is this weird sense that I feel a presence behind me, but I turn around to see that no one is there.

I continue walking, trying to shake that feeling.

I finally find a bathroom that I think is on the complete opposite side of where I was. But whatever, I need to fucking pee.

I head inside and go to the first stall I see. I go about my business and stand up and button my jeans back up. The toilet flushes, and then suddenly the lights go out.

My blood runs cold. Shit.

I open the stall door to complete darkness. Well, double shit. You would think the timer on these lights would last longer than a few minutes.

I feel around for where I remember the sinks were when I walked in.

Slowly, with my arms out, I wave them in front of me, looking to feel anything.

A wall, the sink, another stall. As I step forward, I eventually run into what feels like a flat surface.

Reaching out further, I find the faucet.

I let out a sigh and try to see in the dark as I wash my hands.

After I finish, I slowly move along the counter to see if I can find a hand dryer or paper towel dispenser. When I get to the end, I can’t feel anything, so fuck it. I wipe my hands on my pants. It’s Vegas, it will dry the minute I step outside.

As I wipe my hands on my pants, I hear the door I came through shut and a click.

“Um, hello?” My voice shakes as I call out, fear suddenly taking over me. “Um, anyone in here?”

My breathing starts to pick up, and I can feel my heart racing in my chest. This has got to be a joke. A mistake. Someone didn’t realize I was in here with the lights off.

“Hello?” I call out again.

And then I hear it.

The sounds of someone breathing. My stomach drops at the realization that I’m not alone. And whoever is there is between me and my only exit.

Fuck.

I slowly try to see through the dark. Why are there no emergency lights on? There should be lights that come on!

I hear the squeak of their footsteps as they walk in the direction of me, the sounds getting louder with each slow step. For every step they take, I take one back.

I reach out, trying to find a wall or something to use as a guide so I don’t run into anything. I’m also hoping I can grab onto something that I can use to defend myself.

No such luck.

My heart is beating so loudly I can hear it in my ears. The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end. I’m a rat trapped in a maze with god knows who else.

A realization hits me then. Is it him? Is it my captor?

My back hits a hard wall, and I realize I’m so very fucked. I have no way out. I open my mouth to say something and realize I can’t. It’s like my voice is frozen.

It’s dark, but the room starts to feel like it’s spinning. I let out a whimper, and I can feel tears start to pool in my eyes.

This is where I die.

The steps get closer to me, and then suddenly I can feel the body in front of me. Heat pours off the figure before me. A hand wraps around my throat, and I instantly start to claw at the hand and arm.

But it’s useless.

All of my fight leaves me the moment I see the face in front of me. A skull mask. The white of the eyes behind it. It’s then that I realize the black cloak that they are wearing.

It’s the figures from my nightmares.

Only, this isn’t a nightmare. This is actually happening.

“P-please,” I squeak out in a whisper with the hand still wrapped around my throat.

“We will always find our property,” a distorted voice comes from the figure in front of me. “Satanas libertus est.”

My eyes widen even more when I realize I have heard that before. It’s part of a chant, but I have no idea what it means. And I don’t think I want to.

The hand around my neck pulls me forward, closer to their face. “See you again, soon.”

And with a tight grip around my neck, I am forced back against the wall. All I remember is a sharp pain in my skull before the darkness takes over everything.