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“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but the guy working the counter said everyone loves the vanilla boba tea. Liv, the chick at the bookstore, recommended the coffee shop.”
“That was sweet. Thanks. Liv and the coffee guy. You’re making friends everywhere you go.” She laughs, tucking her dark hair behind her ear and taking a sip.
“Thanks for asking me to come. Starting over is hard. I feel like the new girl at school all over again.”
“That’s a really good way of describing it.”
We walk around the small park sipping on our drinks while she texts with someone. She keeps shooting me these sneaky smiles that are creeping me out.
“How long have you lived at the clubhouse?”
“I don’t stay there except for on the weekends.
I work and go to school. The guys know how to party and they always have good booze and drugs.
I know none of them will ever date me and it’s not like I want to be an ol’ lady.
They use me. I use them. We both get what we want.
Besides, I plan to marry rich and bikers spend all their money on their bikes.
Not their women. Woods has Faye living in a barn, of all things. ” She rolls her eyes and laughs.
I immediately don’t like Gabbie. She’s superficial.
“Are you ready to go? Foolish promised to take me for a ride today.”
“Yeah sure. It’s not like I have any big plans.”
“Did we just pass the turnoff for the clubhouse?”
“Oh yeah. I need to run one more errand. I have to meet my weed guy. It won’t take long, I swear. I would have told you, but I was afraid you’d say no. I hate meeting him alone. He tries to get favors from me for selling to me and he’s seriously gross. But if you’re with me, he won’t try anything.”
“Oh. Yeah, sure. No problem.” My stomach tenses and I get a terrible suspicion that she’s lying to me. I don’t know why, but my mind keeps reminding me of Madz telling me not to trust her.
She pulls down a dirt road that looks like it leads to the middle of nowhere and I worry that any moment now I’m going to hear banjos picking in the woods or seeing Skinwalkers or something. There’s no one out here.
She parks her car at a gate. “We’ve gotta walk the rest of the way. He has a hunting cabin he sells from.”
“Your weed guy lives in the woods?”
“This isn’t California, babes. This is the Ozarks.” She exits the car and when I don’t get out right away, she motions me to get on with it.
Reluctantly, I undo my seatbelt. We climb over the gate, and I feel like a criminal and like we shouldn’t be here. The grass on the other side of the gate is up to my knees.
“Are you sure this is where he lives?” I look around the woods that surround us.
“Don’t puss out on me. Where’s your sense of adventure? Come on. I don’t want to be out here forever.” She jogs ahead, and I follow even though the blades of grass are scratching at my legs and I’m pretty sure I just saw a spider bigger than my hand.
We walk for what feels like forever and finally we come up on a small cabin that looks more like a shack. There’s no way some weed dealer lives here. What kind of game is she playing?
We get to the cabin and there’s an ATV parked off to the side. Maybe Gabbie isn’t lying, and this is simply where he does his business, but it’s creepy and weird.
I hate everything about this situation. I never should have gotten out of the car.
The porch creaks as we set foot on it, and I swear if a gust of wind blew through right now, it’d take the rickety building with it.
I scratch at my legs, hoping there aren’t any ticks crawling on me.
Gabbie knocks on the door, and it falls open. “Come on.” She shoves me through the narrow doorway and as soon as I cross the threshold, everything goes black. My face is covered with a black bag, and I’m scared that the men Big Daddy warned would come for me have found me.
Someone binds my hands behind me and kicks me to the floor.
“Not such hot shit now, are you? You stupid cunt. Did you think you could show up here and take my place? Woods is mine, you hear me!” Faye screams at me.
Gabbie set me up so that Faye could kill me.
I draw my knees up and kick as someone tries to grab at my ankles.
“Hold her still,” Faye orders.
“I’m trying,” Gabbie whines.
One of them punches me in the stomach, followed by the head.
“I can’t breathe,” I scream.
“You’re going to smother her,” Gabbie complains.
“She’s fine.”
The two of them bicker back and forth. Gabbie is yelling at Faye, saying she told her they were just going to scare me. Only an idiot would believe that.
“I’m not going down for murder. I’m out of here,” Gabbie screeches.
“Go ahead. Stupid pussy, bitch. But one word and you’re dead. You hear me!” Faye screams after her as Gabbie’s footsteps thump across the floor.
Sweat clings to my skin. My head is swimmy, and I’m scared I’m going to throw up, piss myself, or pass out.
Not being able to see or freely move my arms and legs has me spiraling into a panic attack. Tears burn in my eyes, mingling with my sweat. Snot bubbles blow out of my nostrils, rolling down my lips as I sob, begging and pleading for Faye to let me go.
“Shut up. I can’t fuckin’ think with you sniveling like that.”
“I didn’t know he was married when I met him.”
“Oh, fuck off with that. My name is tatted on his ring finger. Everyone knows Woods is mine. He belongs to me. Not the other way around.” She lands another blow to the side of my head that has me seeing stars.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I’m not going to kill you. That’d be too easy. I’m going to take you deep into the woods and if you make it out alive, then good for you. If the bears get you, then no love lost.”
“Please, Faye. If you let me go, I’ll leave and never come back. You’ll never see me again.”
“Get up.” She pulls me up from under my armpit.
I nearly topple back over with the way she has my legs tied together.
She has no clue what she’s doing.
“You know Gabbie will blab to someone. She can’t be trusted.”
“Did I say you could talk? Start walking.”
I try to shuffle forward, and we both go crashing down.
“You stupid, bitch. Ow. Fuck,” Faye cries as she wiggles out from under me.
Seconds later, she’s pulling me to my feet and shoves me onto the back of her ATV, leaving me hogtied.