Less than Perfect

23. New Beginnings {part two}

Chapter Twenty-Three

New Beginnings

Part Two

WITH HIS BACK pressed against the wall, Johnny watched as Rachel finally began stirring from her deep, heavy slumber. A smile crept up his lips, chills of anticipation crawling along his spine. The sooner Rachel knows how things are going to work, the sooner the plan will come into play, he told himself. And the sooner I'll have my beautiful Princess back in my hands. Rachel's eyes fluttered open sleepily, her drooping head rolling up a little.

"So glad you've finally decided to grace me with your waking presence," he drawled, watching her carefully as she came into consciousness. The moment she looked at him, her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath, ready to scream. He noticed, and quickly overpowered her, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Don't scream," he whispered against her ear. "It will only bring you pain, and plenty of it. Understood?"

He waited as she nodded her head, stiffly, before removing his hand and moving to stand in front of her. "Good girl," he crooned, a sick grin slithering upon his face. "I'd hate to have to hurt such a young, pretty face like yours." He brought his face close to hers, stroking her hair out of her face, fingers brushing her skin in a way he was sure made her uncomfortable.

"What are you going to do with me?" she whimpered, shrinking away from him. When he looked at her, he saw the fear in her eyes, mixed with loathing and disgust. It pulled at his insides, reminding him of the way Skye looked at him, and made him even more anxious to see her. My Princess, he thought to himself. She's really going to be mine—all mine. Soon.

"Nothing." He chuckled, pulling her chin up so that she couldn't look at anything but him. "If you cooperate, that is. But if you even think about not cooperating—well, let me just say that you'll regret it. Not only for your sake, but Skye's too. One wrong move and she suffers." He watched her intently, dark eyes burning into her soul. He could feel the tension coming off of her in waves, fear and disgust towards him eminent in it.

Her breath caught in her throat and she shied away from him, trying in vain to keep the distance between the two of them further than it was. "Don't hurt her," she croaked. "Do whatever you want with me, but please—don't hurt her. She's been through enough."

"You're a sweet girl, Miss Harper," he said, voice low as he drew closer to her, their faces mere inches apart. "But that kind of sacrifice won't work in this situation. Because in this situation, you're either going to help me lure Skye here, safely—or I kill everyone who gets in my way, including you. Okay, dear?"

Shuddering under their close proximity, she carefully tugged on her bound hands and grimaced at how pointless it was. Avoiding Johnny's gaze, she closed her eyes, whispering, "Why are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing this?" he repeated thoughtfully, scrunching his face in concentration for a quick moment. In the next, he pulled Rachel's face in his hands aggressively, rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks roughly, shook his head, and growled, "Because she belongs to me! She's always belonged to me. And no matter what I have to do, or who I have to go through, I'm going to take her back." He lowered his voice. "She's supposed to be with me, no one else. I own her."

Shaking her head, Rachel opened her eyes, stared him down. "She doesn't belong with you." She pulled on her bonds again, fidgeting under his cold glare. "You—you don't deserve her."