Family Ties (Rewritten)

The Pit Stop

Vincent:

The uncomfortable mist of tension caused me to shift in my seat.  I stared out of the window as classic rock softly played on the radio.  Stella took a long drag of her cigarette, inhaling the excess smoke into her nostrils.  Ashes fell into her lap.

No one had spoken since we sent the picture to Emily.  Even after I took the tape off of her mouth to let her breathe, Hope remained silent.  She was probably still reeling all of this in. 

Hell, I was still processing this.  If it were up to me, I wouldn't have to resort to violence for the sake of being a father.  I sure as shit wouldn't be spending unnecessary time with Hope or Stella.

But I needed help. 

And a bargaining chip.

Hope finally spoke up.  "I need to take a piss."

"Hold it."

"I've been tied up for hours, and in case you forgot what you learned in biology, humans need to relieve themselves.  Unless you want me to piss my pants, I suggest you pull over."

I shrugged.  "Wouldn't affect me any.  Go ahead."

"You're an ass."

"And you're a whore.  What's your point?"

"You don't know anything about me, Vincent."

My teeth clamped over my bottom lip to bite back the oncoming insult.  Trying to take the high road, I looked back at her and said, "You're right."

"I can pull over," Stella offered, trying to alleviate the tension. "We're still pretty isolated."

I looked back at Hope. "Fine, if it'll shut you up.  But don't do anything stupid, or so help me-"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll kill me."

Stella bit back the smile that threatened to paint her lips.  My eyebrows plunged.  What the hell was going on?  I felt like I was losing control.  My father told me women were dangerous when they were in the same mindset, and it seemed like Stella had a soft spot for Hope.  I was going to have to break it.

She pulled the car over to the side of the road and put it in park. Sighing, I took the knife from my pocket and cut the zip ties that bound Hope's ankles before pulling her out of car. "Stay here," I told Stella, "If you have any problems, honk the horn."

"Okay."

I dragged Hope into the wooded areas, using a small flashlight Stella found in her parent's cabin to guide us. "Ouch," Hope growled, trying to tug her arm away. "You don't have to hold me so damn tight."

"I can't have you running away."

"Where the hell would I go? I doubt there are seven dwarves living out here to help me."

"Seven men. That sounds like a fantasy of yours."

She planted her feet in the ground. "What is it with you? Even after all these years, you still have the audacity to make assumptions about me. I'm not the whore you think I am. I never was."

"You dated like twenty guys in college."

"That's not true. I dated three guys, and I only slept with two of them. Not that it's any of your damn business, you sexist piece of shit."

"How am I sexist?"

"You hate women."

"I love Emily."

"No, you don't.  You're obsessed with her.  She's an object to you.  It's all about control."

"Shut up."

"Another prime example.  You can't stand to hear the truth, especially from a woman."

"That's not true.  Now, stop talking before I tape your mouth again."

Hope mumbled something under her breath, but for the sake of not losing my shit, I decided to ignore her until we reached a large oak tree.  "This should be far enough," I said, "Go ahead and pee."

"With my hands tied?" 

"I'm not untying you."

"You would rather have to pull down my pants and wipe my coochie when I'm done?"

My cheeks began to burn. "No."

"Then untie me, genius."

Damn, she was sarcastic. But she had a legitimate point. I wasn't keen on the idea of having to touch her any more than I had to. I was still traumatized from touching her down there before.

After cutting the zip ties off of her wrists, I grabbed her arm and held the knife to her cheek, giving her a stern warning. "Don't do anything stupid."

She tried to tear away from me.

I tightened my grasp. "Tell me you'll be good."

"The hell am I going to do in the middle of nowhere?  I'm going to take a piss, if that's considered good to Your Highness."

"God, I hate you." I said, releasing her arm.

She took a few steps away and looked back at me, rolling her eyes. "You gonna watch?"

I turned around and dug my shoe into the dirt.  This whole thing was a good reminder of why I hated the bitch so much. She was as unladylike as my dearly departed sister, Violet.  Just being around her made me want to vomit.  I hated her so damn much.

"Hurry the hell up!"  I growled, blowing warm air into my icy hands.  "It's fucking freezing out-"

Splat!

A hard hit to the side of my head sent me tumbling down faster than collapsing Jenga blocks. My vision became blurry. I held on to my head and wailed in pain as I tried to figure out what had happened.

Next thing I knew I saw a figure bolting away from me at full speed.  I mumbled a slew of curse words under my breath and climbed to my feet after what felt like an hour of kneeling on the cold ground.

Blood trickled down my brow. I didn't bother to wipe it away, instead hobbling after Hope like the idiot I was. I should have known better than to take my eyes off of her. She must have conked me with a rock she found while she was taking her piss.

This was horrible. If she made her way back to the road before I found her, there was a damn good chance she would find help. "Hope!" I choked out, clasping my temples, "Come back!"

Naturally, there was no response.

I couldn't even hear the rustling of leaves from under her running feet. She'd left me in the dust.

I was fucked.