He Did This To Me

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I wake in the morning, I see Rowena peering over at me suspiciously. Her eyes were narrowed and she was studying me, watching my every movement like I was a science project. I shifted uncomfortably.

"What?" I ask tiredly. I want to know why she's looking at me like that, why she's shooting daggers into me.

"You didn't... tell him anything about before you were kidnapped, did you?" I am suddenly very confused.

"Well, he found my phone, knows my name and who my boyfriend is. Why? He won't... do anything. Right?" I ask with caution.

All the girls share a worried glance. They know something I don't, and I want in on their little secret. "If he knows you love someone else, he'll kill them so there's no one else to love. Sal works like that. He doesn't play fair."

My body starts quaking uncontrollably. I finally realize what his plan was all along with finding out his name. Brayden McDane. And know he knows this crucial information. Harsh.

I hear a voice outside the cellar door. Two voices, actually. They're arguing about something I can't understand. The yells get aggressive. The door is muffling up the voices.

Abruptly, the cellar door flies open with a force so powerful, it terrifies me. That's when I see him.

His face was bloody and dirty as he was tossed down into the cellar. I could hear a terrible screeching noise filling my ears. I realized that it was me screaming.

I drop to my knees and hold his face in my hands. I am sobbing so unbelievably hard and keep saying, "I'm so sorry Brayden!"

His blue eyes meet mine as he pulls my face to his. When we kiss, I'm relieved, but at the same time, I'm scared. If Salvatore did this to him, then thing could start to get real ugly. What else would he do? I wouldn't let him rip us apart.

When we pull back, I notice the pain on his face. "Brayden, what's hurting?" I ask.

He holds up his foot and I see that he's missing a shoe. Where the shoe should be, is an supremely swollen foot. It's obvious that there's something wrong.

"What did he do to you?"

"He broke all my toes then beat the foot with his gun." he whispers painfully. "He found me..."

My eyes are tearing up and I'm holding back another series of screams.

"It doesn't matter baby. This isn't your fault." That's all I hear before he slips into sleep. At least, I hope it's a sleep...

*****

When I wake up, Brayden is curled beside me muttering something in his sleep. His voice calmed me, showing that he was okay. He doesn't seem to be having a very good sleep. Restless, I think.

Cayleen is huddled on the couch reading a book while the rest of us are sleeping. When she sees me, she turns her head slowly to me.

"It's your fault, you know. If you didn't let Salvatore find out any of this, your boyfriend could be at home safe and sound."

I nod and choke back tears. "I didn't want this to happen." is all I manage to spit out.

Cayleen glares at me with cold eyes. "Well it doesn't matter now, any way. Does it? He's still here!"

Behind me, Brayden is waking up. I hear him rise then walk up behind me.

"Hey." he says with a hoarse voice. I can tell it hurts him to pull himself all the way across the room on his badly injured foot.

He pulls me into his arms. Then he leans down and whispers in my ear, "It isn't your fault. Don't listen to her."

I try not to but it's hard to ignore the truth.

*****

If there is such thing as magic, I wish I had it. Me and Brayden could be out of this run-down building and out by his lake cuddling instead. We'd both be safe and happy.

All the girls have fallen asleep, as it was past midnight, which me and Brayden sat together. Neither of us spoke in fear of hurting the other. He began to stroke my hair back from my face with his strong hands.

Our eyes meet and he leans toward me with so much intensity that I'm glued to my seat. The second our lips touch my fears disappear and my hand becomes interlocked with his. Slowly our setting disintegrates and leaves us in an empty realm filled with love.

Before I realize what I'm doing, I push Brayden away and run to the cellar door. When I pound on it, I awaken the room and everyone tries to stop me but it's no use. Salvatore has already heard me.

When the doors open, I'm met with our drunk kidnapper. His eyes are bloodshot and I can tell he's having difficulty saying what he wants, but after a second of standing before me, he mutters, "Well, well. She comes crawling back to me." he snickers and pulls me out of the cellar.

I've made the worst mistake ever.

*****

Salvatore pushes me into a dark room that seems more like a closet. He is within inches from me and he's breathing deeply.

"Let us go." I say firmly. Though I can't see his face I know that he's looking at me like I'm crazy. Maybe I am. After all, I called him to come get me.

"If you have a child with me and marry me, I'll let you go. The other girls are nothing. They have no self respect, but you're different. They don't deserve to have a child, but you do. If you do that, I'll let the others go."

I consider it for a minute. "Can I at least think about it first?" I ask. He nods and shows me to a room in the house. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"You deserve a better room." he says and leaves me in it.

I think back to what he said. 'He wants to have a kid with me? Ewe. That's disgusting!' I think. The only person I want to have kids with is Brayden.