“I don’t want you to deal with this alone.”“I have been alone my whole life.”“Shelly,” he whispers sadly. “I fucked up, but I can fix it.”“It’s broken for good, Todd,” I whisper. “We can’t be fixed.”A knock bangs at the door. “Hello, Shelly. My name is Erica and I am a psychologist. We had an appointment booked for this morning.”Grateful for the interruption, I smile. “Yes, of course. Come in, please.”I’ve been in rehab for two weeks. It’s been six weeks since I was shot. I finally got the message through to Todd and he stopped coming to see me, although he still rings me every morning and night. The psychologist has diagnosed me with Stockholm syndrome, and so, for now, I am just playing along and agreeing with themSix long weeks since I lost the other half of me.Does he think about me all the time, like I do him? Sometimes I wake up and I feel like I won’t be able to survive another hour without him.Are they right?Am I crazy?It doesn’t really matter anymore, I suppose, an
Stace nods as he drags me to my feet, his hand holding my jaw the way he wants me and his tongue caressing my lips.Oh God, I’ve missed this.“We need to go home,” he whispers.“Diamonds.” I smile as I wrap my arms around his broad muscular shoulders. He’s much bigger than he was before.He walks me backwards until I am up against the wall, his hands on my face, his hard length up against my stomach. “I couldn’t care less about the diamonds,” he breathes into my mouth. “It’s you that I want.”His mouth drops to my neck and I close my eyes in pleasure as his whiskers dust my skin. We kiss again and he’s right, we really do need to get home. I could come on the spot.“Diamonds and home,” I breathe.He bends and picks up our new family member and we walk into the office and up to reception.“We are here to empty our deposit box,” he says. He hands over his identification and I watch him. He’s different. Harder, yet softer, if that makes sense. His body has changed from all of his weight
I open the blue, arch-shaped door and we walk inside. The flooring is tiled in all different shades of green in big diamond shapes, and the walls are a warm terracotta colour. It is the epitome of South America and exactly why I wanted this house when I first looked at it.It’s warm, earthy, and inviting.“This is the lounge room.” I gesture to the lounge room and we walk through the hallway. “This is the kitchen.”He looks around the timber kitchen and smiles. “Where is the laundry?” he asks.“Oh, through here.” I walk through the hallway and show him the laundry and he looks around. His dark eyes come back to my face.“Where is our bedroom?”Nerves flutter through me. It’s been a long time. “Upstairs,” I whisper.He takes me by my hand, leads me back to the staircase, and we continue upstairs.“Last door on the right,” I murmur.He puts the puppy down and walks me up the hall to our bedroom. His eyes scan the space.There’s a large bed with white linen and timber furnishings. It’s s
I bought him that black Ferrari that he loved so much. Funnily enough, he hardly ever drives it. It’s a trophy car and a waste of money, if I’m totally honest. Stace has started a development company. If he had his time again, he would have gone back into The Marines, but now that he has a criminal record, that wasn’t an option. He’s doing well and has four men working for him. Sometimes he flies a helicopter for fun on the weekend if he has the time.Like a whirlwind, they come through the kitchen back door. Seb is bouncing his basketball and Stace is carrying groceries in bags that they have just bought.“Dada!” Molly screams in excitement and he laughs and scoops her up and spins her around in excitement.The ball bounces continually and I shake my head. What is it about ball bouncing that drives me so mad? “Stop bouncing that ball, please, Seb,” I call.“Yeah, okay,” he replies from the lounge room as he turns on the television.Stace puts Molly down and she runs off to play with
1169 wordsIn a worldfull of deceit and lies, who do you trust?I stand alone in the corner of the nightclub, watching him take her in his arms before he kisses her.The air evaporates from my lungs. I can’t breathe.Despair is pumping through my bloodstream, but for some sick self-destructive reason, I can’t bring myself to look away. I have to see this—see what he is capable of and exactly how far this has gone.The signs were there, I saw them. But like a fool I ignored them for as long as my gut instinct would allow.I believed that he loved me.I believed that she loved me.As I stand there and watch my boyfriend of two years kissing my best friend and roommate of five years, I realize I have never felt so betrayed on so many levels. I can’t even begin to comprehend what I am witnessing.The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. I feel like I am having an out of body experience watching the horrific nightmare unfold.This can’t be happening.My first inkling was two
“Roshelle,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry.” She shakes her head in disbelief. Suddenly the walls start closing in, and I know I have got to get out of here.I have got to get away from this hurt.I see an exit sign and make a beeline for it without looking back. I push out into the cold night air, the door slamming behind me.“Shut the fuck up before I blow your fucking head off!” a man’s voice yells.“You don’t have the fucking guts,” someone else sneers in reply.Huh?I try to focus, despite my tears, and I angrily swipe them from my eyes. It’s dark and there are people out here. I try to focus on the shadows in front of me, then I turn back and try to open the door I just came out of. It’s locked and there is no handle on this side. It’s clearly a fire door.What? Where am I?The tears are streaming down my face.A gunshot rings out and a man drops in front of me clutching his stomach. My eyes widen in horror as I grasp the situation I have just unknowingly stumbled upon.What?Sudde
I clutch the tire iron in my hand with white-knuckle force as I try to stop myself from flying around. Whoever opens the trunk is getting knocked out with this fucker. My thoughts cross to Oprah and her sound advice to never go to the second location. I don’t remember much from Oprah, but I do know that she said never go to the second location if being kidnapped—fight like hell to escape because they are going to kill you as soon as you get there.Oh God, this is great.I’m already in the fucking car on the way to the second location. I begin to get mad, like, furious mad. How dare they? I’ve had a really fucking bad night and I’m not in the mood for this shit. After about twenty minutes and sixty attack plans, the car slows down and goes over speed bumps.Where are we?Adrenaline starts to pump through my blood.Speed bumps are in parking lots… So that must mean we are in a deserted parking lot.The car stops and the men go silent. I close my eyes, knowing this is it.Holy shit.My h
I can’t move my arm.Huh? I pull my arm, but it won’t move, and I glance over my head to see it is tied to a post.I struggle and look down at my body. Horror dawns on me.Oh my God.I’m naked, spread-eagled and tied to a bed by my hands and feet.My eyes flicker nervously around the room as I try to focus. I see the tall man leaning up against a dresser in the corner, completely shirtless. He is looking through my wallet from my handbag.What the fuck?I start to struggle frantically. I have got to get out of here. I jiggle my whole body to try and loosen the ties. “What do you want?” I cry.He ignores me and pulls my licence from my wallet. He holds it up and reads it.“Roshelle Meyers,” he murmurs.“Get out of my things,” I snap.He glances up and smirks, walking towards me before he kneels next to me on the bed. “I have already been in your…” He hesitates and runs his fingers through my open sex and then puts them into his mouth. “Things,” he replies dryly, arching his brow.My ey
I bought him that black Ferrari that he loved so much. Funnily enough, he hardly ever drives it. It’s a trophy car and a waste of money, if I’m totally honest. Stace has started a development company. If he had his time again, he would have gone back into The Marines, but now that he has a criminal record, that wasn’t an option. He’s doing well and has four men working for him. Sometimes he flies a helicopter for fun on the weekend if he has the time.Like a whirlwind, they come through the kitchen back door. Seb is bouncing his basketball and Stace is carrying groceries in bags that they have just bought.“Dada!” Molly screams in excitement and he laughs and scoops her up and spins her around in excitement.The ball bounces continually and I shake my head. What is it about ball bouncing that drives me so mad? “Stop bouncing that ball, please, Seb,” I call.“Yeah, okay,” he replies from the lounge room as he turns on the television.Stace puts Molly down and she runs off to play with
I open the blue, arch-shaped door and we walk inside. The flooring is tiled in all different shades of green in big diamond shapes, and the walls are a warm terracotta colour. It is the epitome of South America and exactly why I wanted this house when I first looked at it.It’s warm, earthy, and inviting.“This is the lounge room.” I gesture to the lounge room and we walk through the hallway. “This is the kitchen.”He looks around the timber kitchen and smiles. “Where is the laundry?” he asks.“Oh, through here.” I walk through the hallway and show him the laundry and he looks around. His dark eyes come back to my face.“Where is our bedroom?”Nerves flutter through me. It’s been a long time. “Upstairs,” I whisper.He takes me by my hand, leads me back to the staircase, and we continue upstairs.“Last door on the right,” I murmur.He puts the puppy down and walks me up the hall to our bedroom. His eyes scan the space.There’s a large bed with white linen and timber furnishings. It’s s
Stace nods as he drags me to my feet, his hand holding my jaw the way he wants me and his tongue caressing my lips.Oh God, I’ve missed this.“We need to go home,” he whispers.“Diamonds.” I smile as I wrap my arms around his broad muscular shoulders. He’s much bigger than he was before.He walks me backwards until I am up against the wall, his hands on my face, his hard length up against my stomach. “I couldn’t care less about the diamonds,” he breathes into my mouth. “It’s you that I want.”His mouth drops to my neck and I close my eyes in pleasure as his whiskers dust my skin. We kiss again and he’s right, we really do need to get home. I could come on the spot.“Diamonds and home,” I breathe.He bends and picks up our new family member and we walk into the office and up to reception.“We are here to empty our deposit box,” he says. He hands over his identification and I watch him. He’s different. Harder, yet softer, if that makes sense. His body has changed from all of his weight
“I don’t want you to deal with this alone.”“I have been alone my whole life.”“Shelly,” he whispers sadly. “I fucked up, but I can fix it.”“It’s broken for good, Todd,” I whisper. “We can’t be fixed.”A knock bangs at the door. “Hello, Shelly. My name is Erica and I am a psychologist. We had an appointment booked for this morning.”Grateful for the interruption, I smile. “Yes, of course. Come in, please.”I’ve been in rehab for two weeks. It’s been six weeks since I was shot. I finally got the message through to Todd and he stopped coming to see me, although he still rings me every morning and night. The psychologist has diagnosed me with Stockholm syndrome, and so, for now, I am just playing along and agreeing with themSix long weeks since I lost the other half of me.Does he think about me all the time, like I do him? Sometimes I wake up and I feel like I won’t be able to survive another hour without him.Are they right?Am I crazy?It doesn’t really matter anymore, I suppose, an
I am woken up by Todd. “Good morning, Shelly.” He smiles broadly.“Hi.”“You look better today. How are you feeling?”“Fine.”I stare at him for a moment. I have to know. “What happened to the man?”He frowns. “That animal has been charged with your kidnapping and rape. He has been deported to Columbia for trial.”My face falls.“I hope they give him the death sentence.”“He didn’t rape me.”“Yes, yes, he did. His semen was found in a rape kit test carried out on you. DNA testing has come through.”“It was consensual,” I snap.His face falls. “You don’t know what you are saying, angel.”“Yes, I do.”“No, you don’t. You have been kidnapped and beaten into submission by that freak.”“His name is Stace,” I snap. “Don’t speak about him like that.”His eyes meet mine.“I’m in love with him,” I whisper.He screws up his face. “You’re not in love with him. He has brainwashed you. You are traumatized.”“I’m not in love with you.”“Yes, you are,” he commands. “You have been through a lot.”“I’
A siren rings out from outside, and suddenly, after a commotion, ten policemen come storming through the doors in full swat gear.They run to me. “Roshelle.” The policeman unties me. “Are you okay?” He lifts his face to meet mine. “What happened?”“A man came in and shot him,” I whisper.“What man?” the policeman asks.“He left in a car,” I whisper as my eyes find Stace.The hit men came through.I need to cover for them because they just saved our lives.Iinhale deeplyas I try to get comfortable. I’m half asleep, groggy, and incoherent.“Shelly,” a familiar voice whispers.I frown in the semi-lit room. Who is that?“Shelly,” the voice whispers again. “Come back to me.”I frown as I drag my eyes open and the pain in my leg throbs. It’s semi-dark, dusk, maybe. I glance around at my surroundings. I’m in a hospital room.What? Where am I?“Shelly. Oh my God. I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispers as he drops his head to rest on the bed.I frown. What the hell? “Where?” I stop
Antonio looks out into the darkness of the factory and I can see his evil mind ticking.They know I’m telling the truth… in a roundabout way.“That’s why I went crazy on the day you were supposed to arrive. I knew that they were going to blame him for their crime.” I shake my head as I try to talk my way out of this. “I knew he had literally hours to live.”“He still does.” My father sneers.“He didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, you owe him. He saved me from your animals. He’s going to jail for a very long time. Leave him out of this,” I plead.Antonio glares into space. “Bring Stucco to me.” He growls.“He’s minutes away,” one of the other men replies. “He just texted through.”Antonio and my father’s eyes meet again. I fiddle with the rope tying my hands behind my back as I try to subtly break free.“Walk the perimeter.” Antonio growls. Two men immediately walk outside to check our surroundings. He dials a number on his cell phone and he waits for an answer.“Hello.”He listens
“I want you to marry Antonio.”My eyes hold his. I need to distract him long enough for her to run. “Why?” I ask.He starts to pace again as he puts his hand behind his back. “I told you, I’m dying.”Can’t come soon enough.My eyes turn to the men around me. Six in total. Four I was in the car with, and then the two guards with guns. His bodyguards.I start to slowly look around for the exits. “Why do you need me?” I ask.“I want to hand what I have worked so hard for down to my blood son.”“He doesn’t want your filthy money.”His dark eyes hold mine, and he steps forward toward me. The fear rises in my throat. No matter how much training I have done, nothing can cure the fear I have of this monster.“Your son will take over the family business.”“I don’t have a son.”“Yet.” He smiles darkly. “But you will.”I shake my head. “I would rather die than hand a child to you.”He smiles. “And you will as soon as I get my child.”Fear starts to close my throat. “You’re pathetic, can you hear
My blood starts to simmer, and with renewed fury I stand and turn the handle to get back out onto the floor.Locked.Fuck it.I stare at it for a moment, knowing I have to go to the bottom to get out. My adrenaline starts to pump. I am going to have one of two welcoming parties.The police or Vikinos’ men.I want the men. I want my revenge and I’m going to fucking get it.I’m furious. I glance at the time on my phone. The police should be here within fifteen minutes to pick Rosh up, hopefully sooner, and then I can start my attack.With Rosh safe and out of harm’s way, I can go back to the original plan. I start to jog down the steps. We are on the tenth floor, so it is a fair way down. Two flights down I hear a noise in the level underneath me and I stop on the step. I peer over the handrail as I try to see what’s coming up the stairs.Bang, bang. Clatter.I frown. What is that? I lean over the rail again and see a maintenance man cleaning the rail and I pick up the pace. I jog down