Aphrodite

CHAPTER 2

Day 3

Devastation overpowered all my other emotions.Hopelessness.Agony of being torn from everything I thought was real.Raw pain made me numb to everything.I lay on the cement floor of the basement where they threw me and twobottles of water after facing Logan. He'd betrayed me. He'd looked at me asif I was nothing. Like a piece of mold as I lay degraded and beaten on thefloor.My mind fought what I'd witnessed, trying to make sense of somethingthat didn't make sense. How did I miss it? How did I not see that coldness Isaw in him now? Was it possible I was so taken by him that I'd blocked outwhat I didn't want to see?No. Kat said she'd seen it. He was in love with me. But the man I sawhere wasn't a man in love. That was a monster. He'd looked right throughme, his eyes void of emotion. He ignored my pleading while another manstuck his finger up inside me. He watched as I was whipped over and overagain. That wasn't human.But Logan had a band. Georgie and Deck knew him. He sang in Matt'sbar. It didn't make sense, and yet ... he stood and watched me being abused.He talked to those men like he knew who they were.I don't know how long I cried for. I was bleeding and alone, so hurt anddesolate that when the numbness from shock came over me I let it. But itdidn't last.

Anger came, with the hatred for Logan. The shaking stopped, and I satfor hours staring at the small window, most of the time thinking of nothingexcept the burning hate for Logan—no, Sculpt. Logan no longer existed.What seemed like days later, but may have only been several hours, thedoor opened and footsteps stopped at the top of the stairs. I got up andwalked up the steps toward Alfonzo, each step agony matched with despairbleeding through my veins. I had nothing to fight with any longer. Loganbetrayed me. Matt nor the police were coming for me—no one was."Stop."I did."Put this on." He passed me a clean T-shirt and jeans then threw a pairof flip-flops at my feet.I knew asking for privacy was pointless, and it really didn't matter. Mybody no longer belonged to me. It had been starved, beaten, and blindedwith darkness. The welts on my back and legs still throbbed, and I couldfeel dried blood where they'd whipped me so hard it ripped open my skin.I'd never experienced such excruciating pain before; the worst wasgetting kicked in the ribs by a horse. But this pain wasn't just physical; itwas emotional. Being locked away for hours, waiting for the unknown andpraying for someone to save me, while Logan's cold voice, haunted everywaking moment.I unzipped what was left of my dress and stepped out of it. I could feelhis eyes roaming over my naked skin. It was disgusting, and I felt dirty, andI quickly pulled on the jeans then put the T-shirt over my head at the sametime as slipping on the sandals that were a few sizes too big. I brieflywondered about the girl who had worn them last.I was waiting for him to touch me. To throw me down on the floor andkick me or use me, and the slightest movement had me jumping andrecoiling.

Without a word he nodded toward a door at the end of a narrow hallway.When we reached it, he threw it open and shoved me outside, and Istumbled down two steps onto a walkway. As soon as the scent of fresh airwafted into me I stopped and breathed it in. After days of smelling urine, Ifelt like crying just being given this chance to breathe fresh air.When I looked around I saw nothing except fields. No one to help. Noone to hear my screams. Movement to my left caught my attention, and Isaw them ... horses off in the distance. The thrill of freedom beckoned tome, and I knew nothing could stop me.I ran.I heard his scuffle of feet as he dove for me then cursed when I slippedthrough his grasp. He shouted behind me as I kicked off the flip-flops andran as fast as I could. My legs wobbled, and I stumbled as I raced across thegravel driveway toward the cedar fence. My mind roared with panic,adrenaline keeping me from falling flat on my face.He was right behind me, swearing and cursing. I could hear hisfootsteps and knew if he caught me it wouldn't be good. He was mean ...cruel. It was in his eyes; I knew he would hurt me if he got hold of meagain, and that thought pushed me to run faster.If I could make it to the horses and get on one, ride it to wherever thestable was ... Someone had to be there to help me. Anyone. No way couldhe catch me on a horse. I could make it. I knew I could.I felt his heavy breathing on the back of my neck as I dove for the fence.My hand touched the cedar rail, and then I had the wind knocked out of me.His body trapped me against the fence, hand wrapped in my hair andyanking backward. I screamed out in pain then shot my elbow back, but thistime he was ready and ducked to the side.