Page 20 of Tower (Post-Apocalyptic Fairy Tales #1)

“Not. I’m supposed to be locked up here in a tower like Rapunzel so I don’t make you more tired.”

Of course, I know my reaction is petty and not constructive. Naturally, I should be mature and practice healthy communication and not lash out just because I’ve been wounded.

But I have been wounded. And I’ve only just begun to process it. Plus, I can’t help but think if Levi can see how much I’m hurt, he’ll stop. He’ll soften. He’ll try to listen and understand me. He’ll stay here so we can work it out instead of visibly itching to get out the door.

It doesn’t work.

He lets out another frustrated groan and starts for the door.

“Levi,” I say as he starts lifting the security bars.

He pauses without turning around.

“You’re leaving?”

“You said you didn’t wanna go.” He opens the door.

“Levi, please .” The two words come out as a soft rasp.

He makes a rough sound in his throat, and for a moment I think he’ll turn around. Come back to me.

Instead he walks out the door.

I cry for a few minutes, wondering if everything in my world fell apart once again.

But it hasn’t. It was just a fight. Couples argue like that all the time. He was as upset as I was. Leaving the room wasn’t leaving me for good. We both probably need a little space.

When he returns, we can talk again. We can figure it out.

We’ve worked through everything else, and compared to the other stuff that might have come between us, this argument about my safety and freedom is relatively minor.

So I’m basically composed when I get out of bed, putting on my T-shirt and leggings and gathering my yoga stuff.

It’s too early to get going yet. There’s only a faint edge of light on the horizon. But I need to get out of this room or I’ll start crying again.

After going to the bathroom, I walk to the piece of lawn where we do yoga. I’ll just do some stretches and breathing on my own until my emotions have leveled out.

Levi and I can talk when he gets back.

Everything will be fine.

It’s too early for anyone else to be down. Hawk will show up in another twenty minutes or so, and he’s always the first.

I’m so convinced I’m alone as I’m breathing through Tree Pose that I jerk when a voice comes from behind me. “Hailey.”

Whirling around, I see Sick. He had guard duty this morning, so I’m not sure why he isn’t at his post.

“It’s Boss,” he says, his voice urgent. “He’s hurt. He needs you.”

I have no idea what this means, but my heart jumps back into my throat. Terrified by the unknown emergency, I follow Sick immediately.

He’s moving at a jog, so I keep up. “What’s happened? Is he… is he…”

The possibility of Levi being seriously hurt or killed drives our argument out of my mind completely. Honestly, I would live locked in my room for the rest of my life if I could be assured he was at least all right.

“Just come on.”

That doesn’t make any sense at all. None of this does. Including the fact that we’re not even jogging in the direction of the river. We’re jogging down the driveway.

“Wait!” I say, coming to a stop when I see my dad’s truck parked at the end of it. “What the hell is?—?”

I don’t get to complete my outraged question.

Because Sick turns toward me and aims a punch right at my face.

I’ve never been hit before. Not once in my entire life, other than childish slap fights with other girls in kindergarten.

The pain is real, but it’s not as dumbfounding as the shock. The shock .

That I was hit. Somebody took his fist and slammed it into my face.

I double over, my vision and my brain blurring. Darkening.

Sick takes advantage of it to grab me, tie my hands with a zip tie, and wrap a strip of fabric around my mouth like a gag. It happens so fast that I’m fully disoriented when my vision clears and my ears stop ringing from the blow.

He drags me toward the truck, and I come back to my senses. I scream against the gag and pull away from him with all my strength.

He punches me in the stomach. I almost go down, but he manages to keep hold of me, forcing me into the floor of the passenger seat. There, he zip-ties my feet together and leaves me in a wheezing, squirming sprawl as he gets behind the wheel and drives the pickup right off the property.

He’s fucking kidnapping me! And no one is awake yet to know.

No one except Levi, who is on his way to the river and probably still mad at me.

I have no idea how much time passes before I can make my mind and body work correctly.

I fight with the ties, but I’m not nearly strong enough to break them.

Particularly in this helpless position. If he’d tied my hands in the front, I might have been able to maneuver more, but they’re behind me and that limits my options.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

When Levi gets back, I’ll be long gone. Maybe he’ll think I left on purpose. Took my dad’s truck and went to look for a different man to take care of me.

Maybe he won’t even come looking for me.

It’s a horrifying thought. Worse than anything else.

I make a loud whimpering sound against the gag, so upset am I.

Sick glances down at me with a creepy smile. “Not such a princess now, are you?”

By working my lips and tongue, I manage to move the gag enough to speak around it. “What are you doing? This is ridiculous! Levi is going to kill you.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve been talking to some of the guys in that gang north of us. They’re not such pussies. They take what they want. That’s where we’re headed. He won’t be able to get me there. Or get to you.”

“But why? You were safe! You had people. Why would you?—”

“I never had people. You think anyone actually liked me at base? You know why they call me Sick?”

I actually have no idea.

“It’s for sycophant . That’s what Levi called me from the beginning, and the others just joined in.”

In a different situation, this fact would have been amusing because a sycophant is exactly what this man is. Slimy. Grasping. Self-abasing as an intentional strategy for climbing whatever social ladder is put in front of him.

I don’t feel sorry for him. Not at all. Levi and the others aren’t easy, but no one has ever been forced to join them. Sick could have chosen something else. At any point.

Just like he’s choosing now.

“You’re crazy! Levi isn’t going to just let this go.”

“He’ll have to. And he deserves it. He’s been worse than ever since he got you.

Like he’s king of the mountain, riding on cloud nine, and the rest of us are nothing.

This’ll show him. I told those guys I could get you and bring you to ’em.

That’s the deal. But there’s no reason I can’t have a little fun with you before then.

We just gotta get far enough away. Levi’ll see that I can have fun with his little cunt too. ”

I’m genuinely afraid I might vomit.

I can’t believe this is happening. I was so happy snuggled up with Levi less than two hours ago.

But Sick is right about one thing. Assuming Levi knows I’ve been taken, he’ll come after me for sure. But he won’t know where to go. And he couldn’t catch up to us in time anyway.

He’s not going to be arriving to rescue me in the nick of time. There’s no way.

I’m going to have to do it myself.