Page 79 of Loving Bad

I let out the breath that I'd been holding when I heard him close the door to the basement. Even though I was in pain, I stood up and began to investigate my prison. There was no time to waste. I needed to come up with a plan to get out of here because if I didn't, there was no surviving what Eric had in store for me.

There was a small window that was big enough for me to fit through, but disappointment filled me when I couldn't get it open. Tears began to sting my eyes at the realization that there was no escaping.

The only other alternative was to try and find a weapon of some sort that I could use against Eric. If I could knock him out or incapacitate him, I would be able to get away.

I began to look around the darkened basement. The light from the small bulb hanging from the ceiling wasn't bright, so it was still difficult to see what else lay in the room.

My pain eased slightly as the painkillers kicked in. I had to concentrate on getting myself out because there was going to be no one to save me. I'd never once suspected Eric was the stalker and doubted anyone searching for me would even look at him as a possible suspect.

There were a couple of boxes, but there was nothing in them but some old clothes and books. I couldn't exactly use a book to knock him out. Frustrated, I rubbed my hands over my face as I tried to keep the fear from taking over.

If I gave in to the fear. I was as good as dead. A picture of my parents’ bloodied bodies lying in their bedroom flashed in my mind and it was enough to push me on.

I thought about Sin and my heart ached. I had so much regret. I didn't want my last memory of him to be our fight.

Connor. I felt bad that I hadn't spoken to him for a while because I'd been so upset with him. A tear slid down my cheek as I considered that I would never see him again. With a deep breath, I wiped the tear away. I couldn't give up.

I searched the entire basement but came up with very little. There was an old radio, some clothes, and books. But other than that, there wasn't anything else. I'd hoped to find a weapon I could use, but there was nothing. Nothing could keep the disappointment from creeping over me as I sat down on the bed and dropped my head into my hands.

The fear kept me from dropping off into a peaceful sleep. Instead, I tossed and turned in the small bed, still trying to figure a way out of my prison.

When I realized I couldn't think of a way out, I began to think about Eric. Why had he targeted me? Had it been for revenge? The problem was I hadn't witnessed my parents' murder, I'd just seen the aftermath of it. I hadn't seen the murderers that night.

It had been the physical evidence that had put them away for life—not me—so I couldn't understand why he'd been after me. I hadn't done anything to impact his life; in fact, it had been the other way around.

A little later I heard the door open and I closed my eyes. It was easier to pretend to be asleep than have to deal with Eric. I was tired and the fear had sapped my energy. I just didn't have it in me to try and deal with him.

The steps creaked from the weight of his steps as he descended the stairs. The sound of the last creak told me he was close. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing regular so he wouldn't suspect I wasn't sleeping.

I heard light footsteps to the bed and then after a few seconds, I felt his breath so close to my face that I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he whispered, "You're so beautiful."

Not moving or reacting to the revulsion I felt at his words was hard. I wanted to tell him no, I wanted to tell him that he couldn't have me, even if it was by force. You couldn't make someone want to be with you, it wasn't how the world worked.

I felt the brush of his lips against my forehead and I felt like I was going to throw up, but somehow I remained still. Fear gripped my stomach and I felt myself hold my breath for a moment before I realized he might notice, so I released it slowly.

I heard the sound of something being laid beside the bed on the hard floor before I heard his retreating steps.

By the time the door shut, I was in a panicked state and I shot up in the bed. I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down in case he came back. I pressed my hand to my mouth to keep myself from crying out.

The fact that he was becoming affectionate made the dread rise up inside of me. It could only lead to one thing and I couldn't let that happen. The only person I ever wanted to share my body with was Sin.

I wanted to cry about the unfairness of this whole situation, but it didn't matter. No amount of tears and screaming were going to get me out of this. But I let the tears stream quietly down my face as I rested my head on my knees, trying to ease some of the fear inside by releasing some of the emotions that were suffocating me.

It was hard not to think about all the things that I hadn't gotten a chance to do. But I had to keep myself from drowning in the depths of misery, so I tried to focus on the few memories that made me happy.

I brushed the remnants of my tears from my face as I remembered my first day at college and meeting Jordan. She'd been a good friend to me. I believe that, given the time, we would have built a friendship that would have lasted through the years.

Connor. I felt a physical pain in my chest at the thought of never seeing him again. I didn't want to admit it, but my death was going to devastate him. After what happened to our parents, he'd done everything he could to keep me safe, and it still hadn't been enough. He would blame himself even though he couldn't have stopped it. He'd done everything right and he was still going to lose me.

Fresh tears began to fall down my face when I thought of how I hadn't spoken to him in the last week. I'd always regret not speaking to him one last time, even it was just to forgive him and hear his voice one last time.

And to tell him I loved him.

I pressed my hand to my mouth again to suppress the sob that wanted to break free. Never once did I ever think that this was how my life would end.

I thought about Matthew and how he would react to me being missing. He was probably blaming himself because he'd been employed to protect me and he'd failed. I didn't blame him; I blamed thecrazyupstairs.

The only other person who had become an important part of my life in the short time that I'd experienced normality was Sin. The anger that I felt toward him dissipated and all I was left with was the love that I felt for him. He'd been an enigma, but once you broke through the barriers the person underneath was still scared to get too close to anyone because he was scared he'd get hurt.