Runaways by Nicole Dykes
I hate them. I hate them all. These snooty, rich people and people who don’t really have money but pretend they do with their rented tuxes and borrowed dresses. The chief of police and his wife. The mayor. Several people from my mom’s work and some other policemen.
Colin loves it. I observe him, watching the other guests envy him and wanting what he has. I know he lives for this.
My mother does too.
She flaunts her much younger husband around the party, showing him off like a prize to all her bitter old friends. More than likely, they don’t know this is all a lie. That Colin is slowly losing interest in his older wife. That she still can’t get pregnant and not for lack of trying.
That I barricade myself in my bedroom to keep my stepfather’s eyes and hands off me. That I cry myself to sleep, not wanting to live in this house anymore. That my mother calls me horrible names daily and tells me to stay away from her husband as if I would ever want him.
It’s all an illusion. I’m convinced happiness is an illusion.
“You need to smile.” Instead of taking his suggestion, I glare at Colin when he stands by my side.
“Why’s that?”
His eyes travel down my dress—the one they picked out for me and made me wear. I might even like it if I wasn’t forced to be here. It’s sleeveless with a plunging neckline and a slightly poofy skirt. It’s dark purple at the top and fades as it goes down into a light pink. “Because people are asking if you don’t want to be here.”
“I don’t.”
I look at the grandfather clock at the edge of the room. It’s nearing midnight, and I need to make a break for it soon. “Stop being such a pain, Raelynn.”
I force a smile in his direction. “Better?”
He leans in, and I feel sick. “I’ll make it all better later.”
“Stay away from me, Colin.” Really? No one sees how close he’s standing to me? That I look like I want to climb out of my skin?
He drags a finger over my bare arm. “Now, what would be the fun in that?”
“You’re sick.” He merely laughs as he drops his hand, looking out at the crowd of way too many people.
“You’ll be begging for it soon enough, sweetheart.”
And with that, he disappears into the crowd, finding my mother and pulling her to him like he didn’t just threaten her daughter. As if she would care.
I stay for a while, standing against the wall and blending in with the crowd before I finally decide to sneak away to my bedroom. Hopefully, they’ll never notice I’m gone. All I need is Lawson.
A kiss from him. Hope.
I reach my room and walk to the window, pulling it up so there’s an inch for his fingers to lift it open. I move back to my door, intending to lock it and drag my dresser in front of it. But there’s a shadow in my doorway.
A cold shiver flows down my spine, and I try to catch my breath as the devil himself grabs my arm, forcing it up against my chest and pushing me in to my room. He closes the door behind him.
No. Damnit, no. I should have locked the door first.
“I’ll scream.” I look up into his eyes that I can’t really see in the darkness of my bedroom.
“Go right ahead.” He leans in, breathing me in, and I feel like my heart might explode. “The music is loud, and everyone is drunk. They aren’t going to pay attention to you.”
“Let me go.” I try to pull out of his grasp, but his hold on my arm tightens.
“I told you, you’re mine. And tonight seems like the perfect time to take our relationship to the next level.”
“You’re insane. There is no relationship. You’re sick. Let go of me!” I shout as loud as I can, but his body only crowds mine until my back is pressed against my closet door. “Let me go!”
“Like I said, you can scream as much as you want. No one gives a damn about you, Raelynn.”
I shake my head, trying to channel Lawson and the love he makes me feel. “That’s not true.”
He laughs. It’s a disgusting, maniacal sound. And then the bastard actually leans in to kiss me. His lips press against mine and his tongue tries to gain entry. I push against his big body and bite his lip as hard as I can, tasting blood, but he pulls back and slaps me hard across the face.
“Oh, you like it rough, bitch? I can do that.”
I scream when he rips at my dress and try to knee him in the balls, but he blocks me, pushing me toward the bed. I scream again, but I can only hear the loud music coming from the party. “Get off me.”
I land on the bed when he shoves me and then places all his weight on top of me, pulling at my dress as I hit him and struggle under him. “Stop fighting me.”
“Never.” I scratch his face and can feel his blood under my fingers, stunning him enough so I can start to roll off the bed. But he rolls with me and lands on top of me. I’m sandwiched between his weight and the hard floor.
He rips the strap of my dress, and I continue to fight, my arms becoming sore, but I won’t let this happen easily. I won’t just lay here.
“Stop!”
“You’ll like it. You’ve been teasing me for years.”
“I haven’t been teasing you, you sick fuck! I’ve been trying to keep you away from me.” I claw him again, and he hits me hard across my cheek. My face feeling like it exploded. The pain is a hundred times worse than when my mother slapped me.
And worse than when he did it before.
He looks down at me, pinning my arms to the floor over my head. His eyes zero in on my necklace. “You shouldn’t accept gifts from that trash.”
“Fuck you.”
He only laughs, switching to pin my wrists with one hand, and then I feel the slicing pain of him ripping the chain from my neck and watch him hurl my necklace across the room.
“No!” I scream, but then I hear the window.
“Rae!” Lawson. “Get the fuck off her now.”
Colin looks up at the shadowy figure now hovering over us. “You’re breaking and entering. There are a hell of a lot of cops here right now. Make your next decision wisely.”
“Get. The. Fuck. Off. Her.” Lawson’s voice is lethally controlled. “Now.”
Colin climbs off me, and I scramble to my feet, dizzy from the last hit. I feel Lawson’s arm wrap around my waist and tug me close to him. “You’re early.”
Only by like ten minutes, but ten minutes saved me from disaster. “Thank God.” Lawson looks at Colin. “Go ahead and get the cops so Rae can tell them exactly what happened.”
A sickening feeling sweeps through me because I know his friends will cover for him. I get the feeling they’re all as sick as he is. “No.”
Lawson looks at me, surprised. “What?”
Colin smirks, but I ignore him. “Let’s just go.”
“We need to report this.”
I glance back at Colin, who looks confident and cruel, before turning back to Lawson. “He’ll pin it on you. We need to go now.”
Colin laughs as he steps closer to us, causing Lawson’s hold on me to tighten. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll report the possible rape and kidnapping by your little boyfriend.”
“Fuck you.” Lawson releases me and moves to stand toe to toe with Colin. They’re the same height now, but Lawson is leaner where Colin is bulky. “I don’t care what you do. Someone will believe us.”
“No. They won’t. I own this town. Take her with you or go in there and report it. Either way, you’re ruined.”
I grab Lawson’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Rae . . .” He doesn’t know what to say, and I don’t really know what to do. All I know is we need to get out of here.
I won’t stay here any longer. “Grab my bag by my bed, and let’s go.”
“You aren’t going anywhere, Raelynn.” Colin tries to grab my arm, but Law swings and swings hard, his fist connecting with Colin’s cheek, sending him back enough that we jump into action. I run for the window, and Law grabs my bag before following me outside.
We run all-out to his truck even though my body is screaming in pain from Colin’s attack. I don’t look back even when I hear Colin shouting from my room.
I’ll never be back.
