Just The Way You Like It - Under Construction

Chapter Eighty-Four

Chapter Eighty-Four

I awoke with a sharp, stabbing pain that ran across my cheek. Blurry and completely dazed, I tried to sit up, only to have a hand force my chest back down. I hadn't yet had the chance to collect my thoughts, and fear was the first feeling I could surface. Something wasn't right, and so far the only thing I could tell, was that I wasn't in the same bed I slept in at the warehouse. “You bitch!” I heard Wallace scream, and for a second, I thought maybe he was talking to one of the girls. I rubbed my eyes to clear my head a little, and then realized I was still on the yacht.

“Wallace?” I said, trying once again to sit up. Wallace pushed me back down, and for the first time I actually looked at him. His hair was tangled and damp, his chest was heaving in and out like he had just completed a marathon.

“Oh, now you remember the right name?” He screamed, sending small flecks of spittle flying through the air. “Now you remember which one you should say?” His hand came across my face again, waking me up completely.

“What are you talking about?” I shouted back, furious that he would slap me for no reason.

“You don't have sex with a man and then tell him you're thinking about his best friend! You don't have sex with me and tell me you'd rather be with a dead man!” My mind whirled around itself as I tried to grasp what he was talking about.

“We didn't have sex. Remember?” But even as the words escaped my lips, I could tell that they weren't true. I knew my body well enough to know that it had very recently been violated. I hadn't ever thought that Wallace would stoop so low as to drug me, but apparently I had been wrong. I shook my head, stopping Wallace from responding to my last statement.

“Tell yourself that, Sweetheart, if it makes you feel better. In a little bit, however, it won't matter. I'm done with you. You bring me more grief than you are worth, and I love you too much to just sit around and let you pine after another man. Enjoy the ride home, it's going to be your last.”

I could only sit in terror as I watched Wallace swipe his clothes up off the floor and storm out of the cabin. My heavy breathing did nothing to hide the sound of a key being turned in the lock, and Wallace's footsteps moving away from the door. The silence enveloped around me, and I lied in the bed and tried to piece together what had just happened. I swallowed hard as faint memories began to fade in and out. Thoughts of Blake kept swimming around; thoughts of love, hope, and happiness.

The roar of the motor broke my thoughts and soon after the noise began, I felt the yacht lurch forward. I forced myself to stumble out of the bed and get myself dressed. It was obvious that Wallace was upset, and I knew I'd be much better prepared to argue my case if I wasn't naked in his bed. The ride seemed to take forever, and I found myself watching out the port-hole of any sign of land. Eventually a small speck of land began to form, growing larger and larger as we drew closer.

The yacht got close enough for me to see the coast line, and I panicked when I realized that I couldn't see the warehouse. The few buildings I could make out looked burnt and completely uninhabited. The yacht slowed and the engine was cut, leaving an eerie silence in it's wake. Something in my gut was telling me to run, but with the door locked, there was no where to go. I paced the floor a few times, burning off my angst and frustration. On my last trip around the room, my foot kicked something under the dresser, and I stopped to find out what it was.

I got down on my hands and knees to feel around for the object. My hand finally landed on it, and I quickly pulled out Wallace's knife. The blade was still out, but thankfully I had managed to grab it by the handle. As quickly as I could, I folded the knife up and slid it into my back pocket. It hadn't been the first time that I had envisioned using that knife on Wallace, and I doubted it was going to be my last.

Footsteps approached the cabin door, and I found myself slinking away from it and back into the corner of the room. Max unlocked the door and made a bee line for me. With no where to run, and no one to help me, I let him drag me out without a fight. “Sorry Alice.” He whispered to me as he hauled me into the hall.

“It's okay, Max. I know.”

“Try to stall him and I'll see if I can help.” And with that, we were back outside. Wallace was standing at the helm, staring out at the ocean. His face showed nothing, but I couldn't tell if it was because of the mask, or if it was because he had finally lost his soul.