Hide (Mommy's House 3)

26

Behind thick-framed glasses that sat upon his skinny nose, His eyes latched onto Bella.

The dim lighting of the lamp painted him in a yellow hue as he stepped closer to Bella from the doorway. His hair was neatly slicked back, and he was clad in a crisp button-down shirt with slacks. He appeared rather short in stature, maybe only a few inches taller than Bella, bearing a relatively thin yet sturdy stature.

His hands slowly moved into his pockets as his eyes melted into her. He stood at the end of her bed, and beneath his thick mustache, his lips grew into a smile.

Bella stared up at him, feeling naked beneath his long gaze. He didn't speak a word as he stood for minutes, watching her, without a single spark of emotion behind his eyes.

Darla was beside Bella, tense and trembling, her leg bouncing and shaking the mattress they were sitting on. Bella looked over at her, and Darla's large brown eyes blinked up at her with a fear-filled expression.

Bella looked back over at Norman, who hadn't moved from his spot, or looked away from her.

Until suddenly, he started to laugh. It wasn't a maniacal laugh, or a fake laugh, it was genuine laughter. His smile reached his eyes, and he squinted them as he bent his knees and continued to cackle. His lips lifted above his straight, white teeth, and his saliva splattered on her.

This laughter continued for several minutes, not stopping unless he needed to halt to gasp for air. He continued to stare at Bella, his gaze not shifting for even a split second.

And just as sudden and quickly as his laughter started, it stopped. As if he were animated, his facial expression twisted, eyebrows knitted together and lip pouted out, as he took a step closer to Bella.

He slowly reached his fingers out, and Bella sat frozen, as he brushed the back of his fingers gently against her cheek. They were rough, with dry skin at the knuckles, scraping against her.

"I love you," Norman told her, his voice deep and clear. His lips lifted into another large smile that showed his teeth. He stayed like that for a minute, completely still.

Bella cleared her throat, jarred by this man's absurd behavior.

Norman straightened his posture and snapped his face back to his original, dead expression. His eyes moved to Darla for the first time since he'd entered the room. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of the pocket of his pants and held both metal clasps out, straightening the chain in the middle.

"Can you please put your arms behind your back?" he asked her nicely.

Bella shook her head. "No."

Norman placed his hand on his hip and sighed heavily. He then placed his hands on his knees and bent them to be eye-level with Bella.

"Do you want me to hurt you?" he asked, his head tilted to the side. His voice wasn't menacing in the slightest, his tone was so casual, he might as well be asking her if she wanted to go to the park.

Bella blinked a few times, as the man stared into her eyes, his face only inches away from hers. She thought about swinging her freehand at him and cracking her fist into his eye. She thought about spitting onto him. She thought about screaming at him.

But she stayed as calm as she could with a racing heart and trembling fingers. Cole wanted her to fight, so that's what she was going to do. But her idea of fighting and Cole's idea of fighting differed.

"Come on, sweet Isabella," he said with another smile. "I just want to have a little chat with you."

Bella's shoulders dropped as she put her hands behind her back, her eyes downcast. She couldn't stop thinking about Cole. She tried to stop her eyes from filling with burning tears as she felt the metal restraints secure around her wrists. With a key, he freed her from the single restraint that attached her to the bed frame.